Now that we’re born again, we have a new identity and we live under a new covenant; a better one than those of the Old Testament lived under. There’s no longer a gulf between the Father and us, we can come boldly to Him. We have been given the inheritance of Christ. We’ve been made co-heirs. That means that we’ve got what He’s got… NOW. We have the Holy Spirit living in us, leading us into all truth. We have the authority and the power that Jesus had when He walked the earth. We live in fullness of the kingdom now. His coming down to earth to redeem us through His resurrection from death to life has changed everything. Man’s relationship with the Father is totally restored through what Jesus did for us! (1 Jn 2:27)

In light of ALL THAT, to sing or to listen to songs that project the “old testament message” is wrong and in fact, is damaging to our spirit. Those are “out of tune” with what all Jesus lived and died for.

For instance, to sing…“I thirst for you”, or “I’m hungry for you”, or “I long for you”… or “rend the veil and come down…” ? Those are all Old Testament concepts. Because He has rent the veil, and He said “he that comes to me shall never thirst, and shall never be hungry, because he’s the Bread of Life”.

We must now see everything in the Old Testament through the filter of the New Testament, from a “new creation” mindset, in which is the mind of Christ. To sing, “I want to be like You” is a great heartcry and devotion, but in the New Creation, we’re now like Him, “it is Christ who lives in me” (Gal 2:20). We are like Him, “as He was, so are we in this world”. We have His mind…“Who has known the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ” (1Cor 2:16).

“He that saith he abideth in Him ought himself also so to walk, even as He walked” (1 John 2:6).

“Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on Me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto My Father” (John 14:12).

Since it is God Who has commanded us to sing, it is God Who should also determine what kind of songs we sing, and He would want us to worship Him according to the new contract that He’s established between us and Him. He sent His son to redeem us, once and for all, and to live in us, and to have the same Holy Spirit that Jesus has while living on earth, so we are to sing in accordance to that new understanding. Our songs are not meant to be self-entertainment, or “me-me” durges. A congregation learns its theology by the songs they sing, not just by the preaching they hear.

Congregational singing is a privilege and in fact, part of the discipline of a Christian; literally a duty of God’s people. The actual style of music should not matter all that much. The Word says, “Make a joyful noise unto the Lord” (Ps 100).

However, because it’s the favorite part of church service for many Christians to worship God through music, we have to make sure that the theology of what we’re singing is right. When you consider that worship music can take as much as one fourth or even one third of a service in some churches, it puts a heavy responsibility on worship leaders to make sure that the doctrine is sound.  “Be not many masters, knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation” (James 3:1).

Plus, there’s nothing more distracting in worship than musicians singing songs to the Lord, and yet it’s all about their performance, and all about themselves. Good worship musicians should be totally transparent and self effaced.

Many churches invest heavily in sound equipment and instruments that talented musicians can use to lead congregations in worship through music. Worship music can sound and look quite different, depending on the church. Some churches use no instruments and only hymnals. Some sing traditional gospel choir music. Some sing contemporary music. Some put on what can only be described as a straight-up rock concert. Regardless of the music style preference, all of these worship bands are vulnerable to the same malady: bad theology.

It’s easy to get caught up in enjoying the music and overlooking the theology in the lyrics of some songs. However, because the Bible says, “Test everything; hold fast what is good” (1 Thes 5:21), the doctrine in the songs that we sing must be as sound as the preaching. Some may say, “I don’t know if this song is quite right for church, but I can enjoy it in the car.” Not so. If it’s wrong theology, it’ll affect your spirit.

As I’m beginning to know who I am in Christ and Who Christ is in me, I’ve realized how “old covenant” and oftentimes “lukewarm” most Christian music is. “So then, because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of My mouth” (Rev 3:16). In short, there are many doctrines of devils that have worked their way into church music.

Jesus said, “You do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the POWER of God” (Mat 22:29).

God did not sow a Son to reap servants that beg Him, but to bring many sons to glory that walk, talk, and do the same works and even greater as Jesus!!!  (Jn 14:12)

Songs can just lull us to lethargy, expecting God to do something that He has told us to do! God, through the Holy Spirit has given us the POWER to put His enemies under His footstool. That is our job, as His body on this earth! “Now unto Him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the POWER that WORKS IN US” (Eph 3:20).

I’ll say that again… “according to the POWER that WORKS IN US.” That’s the NEW testament.

I like what John Piper says, “We ought to produce and sing gospel-rich, doctrinally faithful, Christ-exalting, big-God songs — so many that we don’t have to use the ones that seem theologically skewed and that may mislead our people”.

He is waiting for the sons of God to manifest! (that means, He’s waiting for our new identity to kick in, in us). “For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God” (Rom 8:19).

Before Jesus came, the Holy Spirit could not come into unsaved men; only come upon them, but not abide in them. But now, we have received His POWER. “But you shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and you shall be witnesses unto Me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth” (Acts 1:8).

Let’s sing and worship as EMPOWERED sons!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Can you imagine for a moment if people from the same fellowship would gather in someone’s house every evening, with their families, to dine together, and then fellowship, share testimonies of what the Lord did that day, and then prayer, communion and worship? WOW… how cool would that be?

The Book of Acts is in many respects is the blueprint for our Christian lives!  We are supposed to be living out the chapter 29 of the book of Acts. There is so much in Acts to pattern our lives after.–And fellowship is one area that they were very strong in. If you think about it, we’re the original “support group”. We stand by one another, we support one another, and we lift up one another. That’s what Christians do.

They united together for their strength, and for the purpose of sharing the Word of God, and to encourage each other with testimonies. “And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart” (Acts 2:46). And “They continued steadfastly in the Apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and breaking of bread, and in prayers” (Acts 2:42).

Persecution was a reality and uniting together gave them even greater strength as they supported one another in the faith! “He came to the house of Mary the mother of John, whose surname was Mark, where many were gathered together praying” (Acts 12:12). Fellowship was important in order to build each other up, and be one family of believers standing together. “Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as you see the day approaching” (Heb 10:25).

Just imagine if people of the same church would gather in someone’s house, and take turns every evening, to unite as one body, lifting each other up. “So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another” (Ro 12:5). 

We are all aware that there are many doctrines within the body of the church.  However, if we were following the simplicity of the Word, there should be no schisms in the body of Christ. Paul knew that many doctrines separated the body of Christ and he warned them, saying, “Why are you saying ‘I am of Paul, or I am of Apollos” (1Cor 3:4). He warned and counselled the Christians in Corinth about it.“Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment” (1Cor 1:19).

Paul made it clear that new churches being formed should stick with the doctrine that was taught by Jesus, which was recorded by the Apostles and the disciples. “But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.  For if he that comes preaches another Jesus..” (2Cor 11:3). He is letting them know that they should stick with the simple truths of Jesus! 

There are many divisions in doctrine to the point that we, as the body of Christ, are weak overall! People in the world are so turned off by those divisions. But on the other hand, they are drawn to the unity and love of Christians who are giving the Word and the love of God. “By this shall all men know that you are my disciples, if you have love one for another” (Jn 13:35).

The main times that Christians unite is during persecution…why?  Because when it comes right down to it, we all must cling to the love and mercy of God during those times.  The essence of Jesus’ teachings come to light when there is so much darkness.  We are strengthened by giving love, comfort and safety; giving of ourselves in real love for others. Those are scriptural truths that never change, when darkness is trying to overcome the light!

So, let’s focus on finding ways to unite together as Christians, in love, in order to really win those around us to Jesus.

Most curses come out of our mouth when we are angry. And I am not talking about using God’s name in vain, but rather I’m referring to putting a curse on someone by saying, “You’ll NEVER…” or, “You’ll ALWAYS…”

We all have some sort of authority over different people. Teachers have authority over their pupils, parents have authority over their children, and in some respect, each parent has some authority over the other. And because of frustration, pride, or anger, one can EXPLODE and in the process of doing so, it is easy to put a curse on someone.

One example of this is, “You’ll never learn to cook.”  Or, “You’ll always be fat.”  “You’ll never get off your derriere and amount to anything!” Those are actual curses, especially if the person on the receiving end, takes it to heart.

The Bible says, “Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath” (Eph 4:6). But that doesn’t mean you can be angry all day long and just make sure you tone it down before you go to bed. What it actually means is that you don’t stop being angry at the devil’s works–day and night. People have justified their anger on that verse. But that’s wrong. It says in the next verse to stay on guard against the devil’s works! “And give no opportunity to the devil.”  Anger is never right when it’s directed at people.

We, as Christians, can refute curses, whether they be generational curses or whatever, because all curses have been put on Jesus for us. We now inherit His inheritance. We’re from a new bloodline. –His blood. Plus, we have the authority to cast out demons and their curses.

But we are the more responsible to never put a curse on anyone. Jesus even said about our enemies, to pray for them, and to give them an extra coat when they want to abuse us. “But I say unto you, love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you” (Mt 5:44).

Curses are real. Our words have power to bless or to curse. Jesus said, “You’ll have whatever you say” (Mk 11:23). And what we say comes out of the abundance of our heart (Mat 12:34). Jesus said that our words reflect who we are, much the same way we look at a tree or plant to tell if it is a “good” plant or not. “No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. Each tree is recognized by its own fruit (Mat 7:17, 18).

Jesus says that people can be judged by what they say and do because these things reveal what is really inside the heart: “A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of” (Luke 6:45). If you want to know what is on the inside of a person, listen to what comes out of his mouth on a regular basis.

If a person is angry, rude, lewd, or immoral on a regular basis, you can be assured that this is what he is like “on the inside”. Some people might put up a façade to deceive others regarding their character, but eventually what is inside will come out. The mouth speaks out of the abundance—the overflow—of the heart. And most of the time, their demeanor ALSO reflects what’s inside. Plus, remember, your mouth is a sowing machine… you’ll harvest what your mouth sows.

Jesus also contrasts the normal, carnal default feelings of hating our enemies with loving those who hate toward us (Luke 6:27). He tells us to judge by God’s righteousness. He tells us to go beyond simply obeying the Law of Moses (an eye for an eye), and instead treat each other with true love—even doing good to those who hate us.

Jesus emphasized the importance of doing good to one’s enemy in these verses: turning the other cheek (Luke 6:29), giving to someone who steals from you (Luke 6:30), treating others the way you want to be treated (Luke 6:31), lending, expecting nothing in return (Luke 6:35), being merciful (Luke 6:36), and forgiving (Luke 6:37).

Blessing our enemies is not just to do them good, but actually to pray for their well-being.

If we are motivated by self-interest, we would never pursue the good of our enemies. But Jesus wants us to operate from truly selfless love and concern for others. When we are acting for the benefit of someone else—especially when it is undeserved—we get an incredible benefit in that we ourselves are blessed. Jesus says that the reward for such behavior is great (Luke 6:35).

Plus, if we are forgiving, we also are forgiven (Luke 6:37). If we give, it will be given to us (Luke 6:38). To bless those who curse us requires that we are motivated by a desire for their well-being. We love them because God loves them. When we treat others with that kind of love, God sees, and He rewards.

Let’s watch what we say. And never curse someone. Remember the fundamental verse on this…

“Whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think [ONLY] on these things” (Phil 4:8).

I love to receive a call from my eldest son, James. Perhaps because he always has a beautiful testimony of what the Lord is doing in his life, or some awesome lesson that he is learning.

Today he was telling me that he had a wonderful day planned out to study the Word, since his wife was with friends at a birthday party. However, the Lord told him to call a brother from his church who recently lost his wife and has been quite down and going through it a lot. Grief is such a heavy load to bear, especially alone.

So, James called this man to encourage him. This brother and his son were on their way to go fishing and invited James to join them. So, James dropped his plan, and went fishing with them. James didn’t catch anything, but what was most amazing was that James was able to lift both of their hearts and they were absolutely encouraged.

James then took them out for lunch, after fishing, and was able to really pour out his heart about some grief that he himself has faced in his own life. And the son asked James point blank, “Where do you go for comfort, what do you do to replace someone you love so much?”

And the Lord gave this verse from Matthew 6:33. So, James said,”Run to the father.”  “Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and [all the comfort, all the peace, all the renewed strength strength]  ALL these things shall be added on to you.” The key is quite simple. “Run HOME”. Jesus said, “Come unto Me, all you that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and you shall find REST unto your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light” (Mat 11:28-30). 

A similar thing happened to me yesterday when I met a long-time missionary friend from many years ago. We had lunch together and she was telling me how she is in so much pain all the time due to a spinal deterioration. I prayed for her, of course, and I also told her, “Whatever you do, do not let the devil have the last word.

“When the pain is excruciating, just ‘run to the Father”. I said, ” I usually bust out in praise, because, for sure, the devil wants to make you look at the waves so that you let go of your faith. But actually once you start praising the Lord and quoting the Word and thanking Him for how wonderful He is, and for all that He has done for you, it does two wonderful things.

“One, it robs the devil of the praise and the attention that he wants, and two, it blesses the Father that you look to Him in your most difficult trying times.” Whether it’s through condemnation, pain, grief, or even sin, the devil is always vying for your attention. He doesn’t want you to go to the Father.

God made it very simple, “I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both you and your seed may live” (Deut. 30:19). If you read the verses before that, He even says that it’s not complicated nor a secret, “It is not hidden from you, neither is it far off” (v.11). “But the Word is very nigh unto you, in your mouth, and in your heart, that you may do it” (v. 14).

The Father dwells in our praises, and to be able to make the “effort” of praise, (Paul calls it the sacrifice of praise), is most pleasing to the Father.

There are many times in our Christian walk where the answer is not right there, or not right when we would be in dire need of it, but the Father is always there. He can be as good as your expected answer, if not better.

So get in the habit of “running to the Father”.  Keep these verses ever close to you.

“Jesus said, ‘Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks’” (Mt 12:34b).

Have you ever said something to someone in frustration or anger, and after those words are spoken you wish you could take them back?  Have you ever had to see the sad results of unkind or judgmental words spoken in haste?  Well, I have!  When seeing the other person ‘cave in’ and cry, I had to ask myself, “Why did I say that?  Why wasn’t I more understanding, more kind, more patient?” Jesus said, “FIRST look at the beam in your OWN eye” (Mat 7:3). In my heart was a big question mark that spoke back to me, “Don’t you know the Word? Why aren’t you obeying it?  What could cause this immature and self-righteous behavior?”

After asking myself these questions, the Lord said very clearly, “Out of the abundance of your heart, the mouth speaks.”  I had to search my heart to find out why words of frustration towards someone, with more problems than I had, could come out of my mouth so readily!  So, what was in my heart?

The Word says, “Thy Word have I hid in my heart, that I might not sin against Thee” (Ps 119:11). This is pretty simple.  That means that every time I was “offended”, I was going through the motions of forgiveness, kindness, understanding or patience, by putting on a “yellow smile”.

I was not going to the Lord for the Word to cleanse me whenever my emotions didn’t respond positively to the problem.  Those emotions were actually being stored up in my heart, rather than the Word being stored there to cleanse out those wrong reactions!  So, what happens is that the storing of emotions that aren’t cleansed by the Word will just eventually explode when the container gets too full!!

Keeping the Word stored in my heart isn’t that difficult.  It can be done everyday, throughout the day, even continually!  My goal is to be led by the Holy Spirit.  I want to be sensitive to His voice, His reactions, His guidance and His answers for every situation I am in.

But that can only happen when He is able to get through to me and He abides very closely when the Word has that pre-eminence in my heart. “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” (Ro 8:5). What takes the time away from that time that is needed to continually absorb the Word–to be in the Spirit? –Laziness?  –Procrastination? –Busy-ness? –Self-effort?  All of that!

The Word is clear, and all that is needed to benefit from it is to take the time to absorb it and do it (OBEY it) and these unpleasant reactions that cause hurt won’t happen. Here are some I will claim today:

“But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law doth he meditate day and night” (Ps 1:2).

“Meditate upon these things, give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all” (1Tim 4:15).

“All the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth unto such as keep His covenant and His testimonies” (Ps 25:10).

“Great peace have they which love Thy law, and nothing shall offend them” (Ps 119:165).

“I have esteemed the Words of His mouth more than my necessary food” (Job 23:12).

-Linda Dianne

 

 

 

You don’t have a testimony without a test. For us to have an outstanding testimony, it requires not only thinking outside the box, but stepping out. If all we do is live in our “possible”, we’ll rarely see God move in our life. God takes the “impossible to man” and makes it possible (Lk 18:24). So if you’re able to shoulder the task, it could be that you won’t need God, and the danger is to do it on your own, without involving the help of the Holy Spirit who would otherwise add the “AWESOME” to the task.

God usually gives us ideas, dreams and even tasks that are too big for us; to where it’ll take a “miracle” for it to happen. It can be fairly simple tasks, yet that are difficult for us, such as shining your light everywhere you go, or standing up to someone who’s in the wrong, or sharing the Gospel with your siblings, etc.

If you try to do the Master’s work without the Master’s power, you’ll be tackling an impossible task. You can strive and wrestle in your own strength all you want, but you’ll be faced with frustration, exasperation and irritation.

Reminds me of the little boy who was trying very hard to lift a heavy object, when his father walked into the room and said, “Are you using all your strength?” “Yes, of course I am,” the boy replied in frustration. “No you’re not,”   the father answered, “you are not. You have not asked me to help you.” A little help from the Lord is the biggest help you can get. John 15:5 says, “Without Me you can do nothing.”

We face tests and trials everyday. The Christian life requires us to constantly make choices. Some are easier to make if you’ve turned the choice into a commitment, but until you’ve made it a habit to always choose God’s Word, you’ll wrestle. The easiest, of course, is to always choose God’s way, then you’ll be walking under His umbrella of protection (Ps 91).

Sometimes, the very thing we don’t want is what God wants for us. Our unwillingness is usually related to our pride. He does some things to humble us and later He may repeat the same lesson to make sure we’re still humble. Humility and yieldedness are so important to God, because the name of the game in Christianity is to “deny ourselves” (Mat 16:24).

Remember Moses at the age of 40 was cocky and overconfident and he tried to free his people in his own strength, but he was a flop and ended up running for his life. It took God 40 more years to teach him humility and dependence, until Moses no longer wanted to do the job. Then, he was ready. Man’s extremity is God’s opportunity. When you come to the end of yourself, then God has a chance to use you.

It’s hard to be humble and broken. Sometimes it almost makes you feel like you want to die. But then you’re willing to live – – for Jesus. For only from such death to self, can life be born again (John 12:24, 25). “For it is no longer you that live, but Christ that lives in you, and you are now dead and your life is hid with Christ in God” (Gal 2:20, Col 3:3).

So if you feel you are nothing and you’re no good – – cheer up! When you’re so weak that you don’t feel capable or sufficient, then God has a chance to take over and use you. Surrender and yield. That’s the easy way.

Consider the tests in life as a stepping stone to a testimony. Tests are there for a reason. They cause us to grow. When you choose God, you’ll come out victorious and you’ll have a testimony, but if you don’t, try again until you get it. Just don’t let your heart get hardened which will lead to bitterness. “Cast thy burden upon the Lord and He shall sustain thee” (Ps 55:22).

Did you know that 70% to 95% of all illnesses are related to the way people think? In other words, the way you perceive a situation or a condition can either make you sick or not. So much has to do with your perception.

Neuroscientists conducted studies where doctors had to break the news to stage 4 cancer patients, and those patients who received the bad news from a very discouraging and solemn tone from the doctor sitting on the other side of the desk wearing his white doctor gown, all passed away. Whereas, when the same doctor came around, in normal clothes, and sat next to the patient to shared the news from a standpoint of friendship, with an encouraging tone, saying, “You know you have stage 4 cancer, but don’t worry, you’ll overcome this.” As many as 80% of those patients survived. Why? It had to do with the faith that people put in the doctor’s words. “A peaceful heart leads to a healthy body; jealousy is like cancer in the bones” (Pro 14:30).

The same is true of people who are able to overcome in their mind and put behind themselves very difficult experiences such as the loss of a loved one, a serious accident, or post-war syndrome, etc. They can move on without all the physical and psychological illnesses that such traumas can leave a person with. “A sound mind makes for a robust body, but runaway emotions corrode the bones” (Pr 14:30-32).

The illnesses are first in our thoughts and they make their way to our heart, and if we don’t overcome those thoughts from the start, we succumb to the consequent physical/psychological sicknesses.

“Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life” (Pro 4:23 ).

 “A sound heart is the life of the flesh: but envy, the rottenness of the bones” (Pr 14:30).

That’s why the Bible tells us to keep all our thoughts into captivity to the obedience of Christ; meaning that you’ve got to ONLY think what the Word of God tells you to. “Whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think (ONLY) on these things” (Phil 4:8).

Our mind was not created to think or to focus on negative/toxic thoughts. It just cannot process those. Our own brain ends up secreting a “poison” in our body from all that toxicity.

You may have experienced it yourself when angry, or unforgiving or bitter. Your own thoughts are going all over the place, as if you have no control over them. You end up imagining all sorts of weird schemes and you end up depressed, dejected and downhearted and it can even go as far as feeling suicidal. And you’re the one causing it, because you can’t control your thoughts. But you CAN. You can actually discipline your mind and your emotions. You can nip thoughts in the bud before they develop. You can say, “No, I’m NOT going there.”  “You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You” (Isaiah 26:3).

I had a major battle with bitterness about 10 years ago over something that I thought others had done to me. And then I fell into the company of a few “Job counselors” that fed and fueled those toxic feelings, and it got to where, from the moment I got up in the morning till the time I went to bed, I was plagued with horrible toxic thoughts.

I had always been a very happy, jovial and inspired guy before, but now, I had become angry, and incensed at just about everything. It was like an evil spirit had gotten on me, and I couldn’t shake it. When your thoughts are so negative, it affects your whole countenance. “Laughter can conceal a heavy heart, but when the laughter ends, the grief remains” (Pro 13:14).

Finally, a friend who had met me a year before, told me, “You used to be so much fun to be around, always happy and inspired, but now you’re always upset, angry and constantly voicing negativity and toxicity about everything… is that WHO you want to be?”

It hit me right where it hurts and it woke me up, and I made a decision to fight back. It was a genuine uphill battle to get on top of this bitterness and anger. I rebuked that evil spirit, but I had to fight every day for about 6 months, to stave off those seven other even worse spirits that were trying to come in. Jesus warned us “Then goeth he, and taketh to him seven other spirits more wicked than himself; and they enter in, and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first” (Lk 11:26).

This spirit of bitterness had changed me, and I realized that if I was gonna get over it, I had to not only fight in prayer, but discipline my mind. And I started rebuking ALL toxic thoughts, and I FORCED myself to think positively, and I insisted on replacing evil thoughts with praise and thankfulness. I had to be obstinate and determined about it. This was not a mild battle. The battle of the mind is real. And that’s when I understood how the devil’s workshop is really in our mind. I really had to be stubborn, determined and unyielding to get over it. BUT I DID.

Most people don’t know that they can control their thoughts and their feelings. The majority of teenagers for instance, have never been taught about disciplining their thought pattern and consequently, end up being tossed all over the place in their minds, by the emotions that they are going through.

Granted adolescence is a difficult phase of life to go through, but it doesn’t have to be a roller coaster.

The same as with bitterness, anger, jealousy, and even grief, none of those things have to be so traumatic, if the person is able to switch his/her thoughts and emotions towards the solid rock of God’s Word. The Word of God tells us HOW to live life. God embedded spiritual laws into His creation that will work on our behalf if we know how to use them.

Capturing our thoughts is such an important law, but controlling our tongue is equally important. God did not want man to know good and evil, because He knew that man would not be able to process and manage evil. “For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control” (2 Timothy 1:7).

You can easily see this in children. If they’ve not been educated and trained to not go towards evil, they simply become really bad. Why? No discipline, no guidelines and therefore no obedience. So if you want healthy kids, and even health in your own body, choose to believe good things. LEARN to discipline your mind. “For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit” (Ro 8:5).

Consider two soldiers coming back from the war, scarred and even maimed, wounded and virtually destroyed, and yet one will fight to have his life back and the other will give up and fall into depression and won’t pull out of it? “For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace” (Rom 8:6).

The battle is first in the mind and that’s where it needs to be fought. “We [can] destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ” (2 Cor 10:5).

It’s the same with siblings raised around alcoholic or abusive parents. One will decide never to become that, and the other will blame his circumstances and say, “I can’t help it, I was raised around all that.” No, you can help it. We ALL can. “And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (Jn 8:32). “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7).

I wish they taught all this in school or that parents would instill those principles and values into their children. Our mind gets under attack all the time, but only those who know to “not go there” overcome the battles. “For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot” (Rom 8:7).

There is no point in glossing over the problems.  “For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy [mind] strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ” (2Cor 10:3-5).

The pharmaceutical companies and psychologists label the symptoms and drug the kids to band-aid the real problems. And they’ve got everybody on the defensive.

It becomes “politically correct” to stick a permanent label on the kids, saying, ASPD, or ADHP, or what have you? And we drug them so we can cope with their spiritual/psychological problems. “Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. They are from the world; therefore they speak from the world, and the world listens to them” (1Jn4:1-4).

Please understand that I’m not trying to minimize the problems, but I am trying to MAXIMIZE the solutions. I’m NOT saying that bitterness causes cancer, but I am saying that toxic thinking causes illnesses and so many other evil works such as divorce, addiction, broken families, stupid decisions, etc.

There are solutions and answers and they’re in God’s Word. If you only look at the problems, you can’t have God in the picture. He does operate in the “impossible”, but you’ve got to have FAITH in His Word. There are plenty of parents who’ve helped their kids overcome major problems with their kids, by believing and fighting and never giving up. That’s Why God’s Word says “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect” (Rom 12:2).

We have a granddaughter who battled bulimia and anorexia for 2 years, and our daughter, her mother, after having battled with her for so long, finally stopped everything she was doing, and took her away for a retreat for a whole month to focus on saving her; it was a life and death battle, but they won. And our granddaughter is an overcomer today. She now has her own fitness company and is a promoter and advocate of mind discipline.

Yes, it’s a big major spiritual battle. Yes, it’s a serious uphill fight. Yes, you’ve got to change your lifestyle, your schedule and everything else to overcome it. But we can overcome. God’s Word says so. Otherwise, there’s a big price to pay. Not just in doctor’s bills but in undisciplined children that will end up causing you (and others) loads of difficulties. Parents, fight for your kids. The devil (TV, social media, movies, games) is after them…“Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8).

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HERE are a few more verses to strengthen the case.

Romans 8:37

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.

Rom 8:13

For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.

Galatians 5:17

For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do.

Philippians 4:6-8

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think [ONLY] about these things.

Psalm 27:1-5

Of David. The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? When evildoers assail me to eat up my flesh, my adversaries and foes, it is they who stumble and fall. Though an army encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war arise against me, yet I will be confident.

Psalm 91:1-16

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness is a shield and buckler. You will not fear the terror of the night, nor the arrow that flies by day, .

Romans 8:2-39

For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit.

Proverbs 29:1-27

He who is often reproved, yet stiffens his neck, will suddenly be broken beyond healing. When the righteous increase, the people rejoice, but when the wicked rule, the people groan. He who loves wisdom makes his father glad, but a companion of prostitutes squanders his wealth.

Luke 4:18

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed,

Jn 8:44 

You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and has nothing to do with the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.

John 8:31

So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples. And you will know the truth and the truth will make you FREE.

2 Cor 4:4

In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

Philippians 4:7

And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus

Romans 7:23

But I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members.

1Pet 5:5

Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”

1Cor 2:2

For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.

What if we were asked by the Lord once we get there, “Why did My gospel stop with you? Why didn’t you tell others the good news, that they too could be freed from the shackles of the world?”

I know that that question is convicting and perhaps uncomfortable for many of us, but when you consider the price that Jesus paid for us to gain our freedom, doesn’t it make sense to pass on the love? As Christians, we’re all committed to love. “In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent His only Son into the world, so that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another” (1Jn 4:9-11).

If all of us really had a heart for those who don’t know Jesus, or for those who still don’t walk in the full freedom of the Spirit, can you just imagine how quickly the world around us would change for the better? If we all committed to share His love with the outside world, and to train others to do the same, we’d probably have the world reach VERY shortly.

I was reading some recent stats concerning the unreached world, and there are still 2.8 billion people who’ve never heard the Gospel. For thousands languages don’t have Bibles. And 50% to 70% of people in the world cannot read their own language. If all the money donated for the Gospel was invested in nothing but the expansion of the Word of God to the unsaved world, and if all churches had an ongoing Discipleship Course and a “Sending” program, can you imagine what difference that would make?

The apostle John said, “This is how we’ve come to understand and experience love: Christ sacrificed His life for us. This is why we ought to live sacrificially for our fellow believers, and not just be out for ourselves. If you see some brother or sister in need and have the means to do something about it, but turn a cold shoulder and do nothing, what happens to God’s love? It disappears. And you made it disappear” (1Jn3:16 MSG).

Disciple-ing is all throughout the New Testament. First, Jesus commanded us to teach and train disciples when He said, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations” (Mat 28:19).

Then Jesus explained the entire concept of Christianity in John 15 when He said that if we abide in Him, we will bear fruit, “I am the Vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in Me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing” (Jn 15:5). Disciple-making is not the mere maturation of immature people; it is the creation (through fruit bearing) of a new life in Christ.

Just as Jesus came preaching the Gospel (Mt 4:17), calling men to follow Him (Mt.18–22), He tells His disciples to go and be fishers of men. And how do His disciples make disciples? With the Word!

And then when Paul was training Timothy, he said, “And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others also” (2Timothy 2:2).

Timothy was to teach this same message to others who were capable of passing along that same knowledge. This is not a reference to evangelism, since these were “faithful men”, or people who already believed in Christ. And these trained believers would “be able to teach others also”. This is the primary means by which the Gospel is spread: through discipleship.

In essence, Paul was teaching here to put four (4) generations of discipleship in motion: from Paul, to Timothy, to teachers, to others. Passing on the faith is a multi-generational process. Christian discipleship has the long view in mind: reaching others who will reach still others.

Will you pass it on? Will you tell someone today? It’s not that difficult. Anttracts.com has free tracts to download for you to distribute, and you can also download the Handbook For a Disciple of Jesus for FREE to start teaching others.

And there are MANY more resources for free. The materials are there. So what if we did not wait on our respective churches to initiate it, but were to start doing it on our own. That’s what commitment is, right? Let’s start with one to two, to six and to twelve people, on Zoom, just once a week, one class from the Bible, the “Handbook For a Disciple of Jesus”,  and see the results in three months.

No one can relate better to this concept of being compelled than a mother. Her love for her kids is so intense that she is compelled into caring for them, and she does so, 365/24/7. She may have been just a teenager wrapped up in her own world before, but the minute she has a baby, she changes into this love machine and sacrifice becomes her way of life, she will do anything to love that baby. She will care so much and so long, tirelessly and relentlessly.

No one in his right mind would even take on the role of a mother, working hour after hour, slaving away for her kids and for her husband, and without money, without days off, without vacations. The mother is really the servant of all. Why? Because she feels compelled to do it.

“Compelled” means MORE than being pushed to do something, for she is propelled by an inner strength and power that is irresistible. It’s an inner dynamo that generates motivation, inspiration and even physical strength. Compelled is the word that Paul used when he talked about his motivation for preaching the gospel. “For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for Him who died for them and was raised again.”  2Cor 5:14,15

Jesus spoke of the importance of motivation when contrasting the hireling and the shepherd. The hireling will take care of the animals because he wants to get paid. But as soon as he sees danger (that is, when wolves appear), he abandons the sheep to protect himself. The shepherd, on the other hand, not only takes care of his flock, but he’s willing to put his life on the line to keep them safe (John 10:7–18). No greater love…

When the apostle Paul wrote, “The love of Christ compels us,” he was describing the powerful, Spirit-filled motivation that drives followers of Christ to share the gospel in ways that persuade people to commit their lives to Jesus.

Paul was telling the Corinthians not to be ashamed of either Christ or the message of reconciliation that brings life to those who embrace it (2 Corinthians 5:11–15). Paul understood the futility of life without Christ and the empty pursuit of righteousness through self-effort.

Even though the people to whom he preached were often hostile to him, and even called him crazy, the love of Christ compelled him to keep putting the message of hope in front of them.

The phrase the love of Christ could be interpreted in two ways: Christ’s love for people, or his love for Christ. Either provides motivation to take the gospel to distant lands in the face of opposition. The great love of Christ was such that “Christ died for all” people (2 Corinthians 5:14, NLT). Paul’s love for Christ was such that he was willing to die to self (Galatians 2:20).

Let’s ask ourselves, “What motivates us to share the good news of Jesus with others?” Are we driven by a genuine love, passion and affection for Christ, or by a clear understanding of Christ’s love for the lost, either or both will work.

When we possess this compelling, Spirit-driven motivation of Christ’s love, we become zealous in seeing the lost reconciled with God. We are willing to make ourselves “a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible” (1 Cor 9:19); we “become all things to all people so that by all possible means we might save some” (verse 22).

I just LOVE all the scriptures on the “impossible” becoming “POSSIBLE”. Get this… God told Abraham that his wife will have a child at 90. And it happened, because he believed it. Then, an angel came to a virgin and said you’ll give birth to the Son of God. And she said, “how’s that gonna work? And the angel said “With God nothing shall be impossible” (Luke 1:26-37). And it happened because she believed it.

Then, Jesus told the man whose son was a demoniac from a very young age, “Everything is possible for one who believes” (Mark 9:17-23). You missed that… every single thing is possible to any person who has FAITH.

Faith and prayer are the keys to making the impossible possible. The process can be slow if our faith is small, but still, it will work. Jesus explained that it works in the same way as a seed works. It can take time after you’ve sown that seed, but don’t unearth it, it’ll do its thing. He said, even a tiny mustard seed—one of the tiniest seeds on earth—can move mountains (Matthew 17:20).

Paul also explains how it works just like a seed… “Now faith is the assurance (like a seed planted) of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen”.

Paul goes on to explain that all those great men in the Bible were praised and accepted because they believed without seeing. They just simply believed what they couldn’t see and it was brought into reality. “By it (their faith) the people of old received their commendation. By faith we understand that the universe was created by the Word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.” (Hebrews 11:1-3)

There’s a real big difference between claiming the Word of God mixed with faith, and “positive thinking” without faith which turns into toxic positivity. There’s a need to really help people understand the FAITH FORMULA, especially now that social media imposes introspection on the Selfie Generation.

Toxic positivity is telling people “don’t worry everything is going to work out” or “just keep thinking on the bright side”, “Time heals all wounds”. “Everything happens for a reason”, etc… And then you have the motivational speakers who tell you “You can do anything you put your mind to”.

And while you tell those things to people, your intention might be all good and you’re wanting to help, but you’re basically telling them to close up, you’re not giving them a solution.  Your “positivity” is basically telling them that their distress is making you uncomfortable, and you can’t handle it. They’ll end up feeling isolated and afraid to share how they truly feel inside.  You’ll simply make people feel invalidated.

Positive thinking doesn’t work because there’s a gap between what you’re saying and what you’re believing. It’s not an affirmative statement. Just wishing won’t work. You’re simply trying to convince yourself with a positive thought to gloss over the unpleasant realities that you’re having to deal with. It turns into self-preoccupation. You’re trying to fix your negativity with a fake positivity.

“Manifestation through meditation” is using the principle without the formula.

You end up cheap-mooding yourself into wanting to believe. You’re focused on your feelings. It’s a fixation on self. It doesn’t work. All those self-improvements formulas can’t work, because you’re looking at self. Jesus said “you must deny your self” (It makes even MORE sense when you divide yourself into 2 words: your SELF)

The working formula is FAITH in something solid. It clings to the promises of God, not to the premises of man. Faith is not wishing. It’s standing on what God says. It’s knowing that there’s power in a seed and once planted, it’ll release that power.

Faith is not a band-aid of positiveness that you apply on a problem hoping that it will make it go away with time. Putting a band-aid on an infected wound won’t heal it just because you’ve covered it. If there’s no action attached to your belief, it means you’re not believing. It has to be continued action in accordance with what you’re saying. And it works when it’s based on a solid Rock of Word.

Again, and I love to use those verses in Mat 7 about the house built on the Rock, because it’s a revelation of that whole principle. Jesus says it’s not all to hear the Word, you’ve got to DO it. The power of the Word is released when it’s walked out. Just like that seed.

This principle of the seed to depict faith just blows my mind every time. If only they taught this in school, the world would be so different. The Bible is filled with impossibilities that became possible by the POWER of faith.

Now I want you to take a few minutes with me and read out loud these verses about the IMPOSSIBLE:

——

“Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.” (Mark 11:24)

“With man it is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God” (Mark 10:27)

“You will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.” (Matthew 17:20)

“For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. (1John 5:4)

“God is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to the power at work within us” (Ephesians 3:20).

“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13).

“Do not fear; only believe, and she will be well.” (Luke 8:50)

For nothing will be impossible with God.” (Luke 1:37)

“Truly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what has been done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ it will happen. (Matthew 21:21)

“But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” (Mat 6.33)

“Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world” (1 John 4:4)

“And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.” (Matthew 21:22)

‘Ah, Lord God! It is you who have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and by your outstretched arm! Nothing is too hard for you. (Jeremiah 32:17)

“We are more than conquerors through Him that loved us” (Romans 8:37).

“What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him?” (James 2:14)

“This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success“. (Joshua 1. 8 )

“So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets’ (Matthew 7:12)

But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. (James 1. 6)

And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. (Hebrews 11:6)

Isaiah 43:18-19

“Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.

Isaiah 59:1

Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save, or his ear dull, that it cannot hear;

Gen 11:6

And the Lord said, “Behold, they are one people, and they have all one language, and this is only the beginning of what they will do. And nothing that they propose to do will now be impossible for them.

Christianity, if not lived out, has little or no power. It’s just a bunch of good principles that don’t stand for much in anyone’s life. That sounds like a bold and blunt statement, but I didn’t come up with it, Jesus did.

Jesus as good as said, “My teachings won’t work for you, unless you do them.” He said, “Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it” (Mat 7:24-27).

We must desire to see God’s power in our lives through obedience. It is in DOING the Word of God that the POWER comes. James was quite adamant about this. He said, “Faith without works (manifestations) is dead” (James 2:14–26). We must desire discipleship, otherwise there’s no evidence. And discipleship starts at home and with those closest to us. We have to pour into our closest ones God’s Word and demonstrate God’s power.

All believers are the body of Christ. But can we define “believer” please? Jesus gives a pretty sharp definition in Mat 7:24-27. He says, “It’s the DOING that makes you a believer.”

Paul told Timothy to stay away from religion that has no power. He basically said, “If your religion has no power, it’s not Christianity.” He said, “Having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people” (2 Tim 3:5).

Christianity does have a definition and it cannot be only a show of goodness, but of fruits. Jesus said, “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness. Even so you also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within you are full of hypocrisy and iniquity” (Mat 23:27-28).

The evidence of Christianity is a changed life. The power of God is shown through the Holy Spirit and results in the transformation of our lives. The Holy Spirit indwells the believer (1 Cor 6:19) and enables him to bear fruit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Gal 5: 22,23). These are the attributes of a true Christian.

If a person says he is a Christian he/she must show evidence in his life by bearing the fruit of the Spirit, not only Christian motions. God told Isaiah, “Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men” (Isaiah 29:13).

God always insisted on OBEDIENCE. Look what he told Ezekiel. “Also, thou son of man, the children of thy people still are talking against thee by the walls and in the doors of the houses, and speak one to another, every one to his brother, saying, Come, I pray you, and hear what is the word that cometh forth from the LORD. And they come unto thee as the people cometh, and they sit before thee as my people, and they hear thy words, but they will not do them: for with their mouth they shew much love, but their heart goeth after their covetousness. And, lo, thou art unto them as a very lovely song of one that hath a pleasant voice, and can play well on an instrument: for they hear thy words, but they do them not” (Eze 33: 30-32).

Paul actually hits hard on the “prosperity gospel” that feeds one’s belly and goes no further. We can’t reduce the message of the Gospel to advertising Jesus like the American Dream saying, “Come to Jesus and you will be blessed.” Paul said, “Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them. For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple” (Romans 16:17-18).

The message of the Gospel is sacrificial living. It’s denying ourselves that we may bless others with the truth and freedom. Prosperity and gain can be part of it, but it has to be an instrument to further the Kingdom. Paul says, “Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness: from such withdraw thyself” (1 Tim 6:5 ).

Brothers and sisters, let’s not be ashamed to be doers of the Word.

God wants us to pray BOLD prayers. “That we may come boldly and obtain mercy and find grace in times of need.” (Heb 4:15) That’s so cool that we’re given this privilege, but how and why?

Even in the Old Testament, God honored BOLD prayers. Look at Nehemiah (Neh 1:5-11) and Moses (Ex 32:11-14) who both changed God’s mind by praying BOLDLY.

But in the New Testament, in the new covenant given by Jesus, it’s even MORE so. We can ALL pray BOLD prayers. Here’s why:

Have you ever had to open a safe, or a door that needs a few different keys before you can open it?  I used to live in France, and most apartments have many locks on the door, and you can’t go in unless you use two or three keys. (Too bad if you have to run to the bathroom. Ha!)

Check out the verses in Hebrews 4 before that “enter boldly” verse, it explains why. It says that we  have a High Priest interceding for us. “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have One Who was tempted in every way that we are, yet was without sin.”  He’s the main key and the reason why we can pray boldly. It’s because God sees what all Jesus did to pay our debt. And therefore we come with His redemption ticket in hand, His credit card.

And then the verse says, “Let us hold firmly to the faith we profess.” (Heb 4:14) That means we MUST come holding firmly to our NEW IDENTITY. If we go a bit further back (still in Heb 4), it explains the new identity…the Sabbath rest. It says that since we’ve “received the promise and have mixed it with our FAITH”, we’ve entered into the eternal REST, “For whoever enters God’s rest also rests from his own work, just as God did from His.”

And right after that verse, it goes into this POWERFUL scripture which we all know: “For the Word of God is alive and powerful. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it pierces even to dividing if soul and spirit, joints and marrow. It judges the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”

Okay, let’s put all this together. The reason we can come boldly to God is because we have three AWESOME keys:

1. We’ve entered the REST by putting our FAITH in Christ.
2. We have the WORD of God (alive and powerful).
3. We have a HIGH PRIEST, in this case, the One Redeemer.

Let’s not forget that middle key. It’s not all to have FAITH, and look to Jesus. But God loves for us to quote the Word in prayer. Why? The Word completes the two other keys. It reaffirms our FAITH in Jesus, (the Word), and with it, Jesus is able to represent us. That’s how Jesus can tell God, “See, he’s on My team!”

God loves for you to remind Him of His Word. It shows you have FAITH in it. It confirms that you depend on Jesus. Plus, It shows you believe in His great integrity and authority. So if you’re in a “hurry” at the door, quote the Word. It’s the BOLD KEY.

Paul told Timothy that if you use the Word, you’re complete and fully equipped.  “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for instruction, for conviction, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be COMPLETE, fully EQUIPPED for every good work.” (2 Tim 3:17)

So quote the Word in prayer. It makes your prayers “ALIVE and POWERful”.

People are different, and it takes a whole lot of love to get along with others.

While we all know that Christians are supposed to love one another, still there can be a whole lot of slander, gossip, lying, etc. even in the church.

Even if someone hurts us we are to be imitators of Christ and not pay someone back for what they have done. Paul says, “Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.”  (Rom 12:17) We should always be willing to apologize to others.

Forgiveness is a big part of the Christian life. In fact forgiveness is all throughout the teachings of Jesus and throughout the Epistles, since both Paul and Peter had to deal with the problems of the church. “Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, quarreling, and slander be put away from you, along with all hatred. And be kind to one another, compassionate, forgiving one another just as God has forgiven you in Christ.” (Eph 4:31-32)

We are to forgive just like God forgave us, and to put others before ourselves and to be mindful of what comes out of our mouth. Do what leads to peace and do all things for the glory of God.

Most people tend to look at how far the other person has to go rather than recognizing how far they’ve already come. If we knew how much someone has already overcome in life, we’d probably rejoice more with them rather than criticizing them for where they’re at now. We tend to think, “What is wrong with this person?” Instead, ask, “What happened to them?”

We all go through difficulties in life and some of them scar us. It’s easy to get hurt when we don’t live according to the laws of God. And in the end, hurt people hurt people. It’s a form of self-defense from getting hurt again. Bitterness is not an easy thing to overcome. And the side effects are often sarcasm and criticalness.

We become the sum total of our past experiences, but we don’t have to be prisoners of our past. That is what Jesus came for. To set the captives free.  In our new man, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” (2Cir 5:17)

But we need to realize that we’re not all the same, nor at the same level in our walk with the Lord. Unity is not uniformity. That’s what Paul tried to explain to the church that we’re all ONE body.

We all need each other. We should not be divided by differences, but rather we should celebrate those differences while staying focused on what matters most: learning to love and appreciate each other as Christ has loved us and fulfilling God’s purposes for each of us in His church.

Let’s go over 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 agai“n: “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres”.”

So how can you be unified with someone who irritates you?

“Welcome with open arms fellow believers who don’t see things the way you do. And don’t jump all over them every time they do or say something you don’t agree with—even when it seems that they are strong on opinions but weak in the faith department. Remember, they have their own history to deal with. Treat them gently” (Romans 14:1 The Message)

Make it your MISSION field. The people that you think deserve your kindness the least are those who need the most massive doses of love. To achieve unity, offer empathy and compassion instead of judgement. Encouragement makes people flourish and condemnation makes people wither.

You can transform your whole community just through encouragement and commendation. Get used to saying,  “Wow, I admire you.”

I’ve compiled a few verses to help all of us who need to understand the importance of forgiveness and unity.

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Romans 12:17

Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.

Romans 14:19

Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another.

Psalm 34:14

Turn away from evil and do good. Search for peace, and work to maintain it.

Hebrews 12:14

Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord.

Ephesians 4:30-32

Do not grieve the Holy Spirit, by whom you were marked with a seal for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, quarreling, and slander be put away from you, along with all hatred. And be kind to one another, compassionate, forgiving one another just as God has forgiven you in Christ.

Leviticus 19:15-16

Do not twist justice in legal matters by favoring the poor or being partial to the rich and powerful. Always judge people fairly. Do not spread slanderous gossip among your people. Do not stand idly by when your neighbor’s life is threatened. I am the LORD.

1 Peter 3:9

Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing.

Romans 13:10

Love does no harm to a neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.

Ephesians 5:1-2

Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

Titus 3:2

To slander no one, to avoid fighting, and to be kind, always showing gentleness to all people.

1 Corinthians 10:31

So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

Ephesians 4:27

Give no opportunity to the devil.

Philippians 2:3

Do nothing out of rivalry or conceit, but in humility consider others as more important than yourselves.

Proverbs 18:21 D

Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.

Matthew 7:12

In everything, treat others as you would want them to treat you, for this fulfills the law and the prophets.

Luke 6:31

As ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise.

Acts 7:26

The next day Moses came upon two Israelites who were fighting. He tried to reconcile them by saying, “Men, you are brothers; why do you want to hurt each other?”

The magnetic compass was an important advance in navigation because it allowed mariners to determine their direction even if clouds obscured their usual astronomical cues such as the north star.

If we were to transpose this to our Christian walk, we could say that the magnetic needle on our life’s compass should always be pointing to Jesus, regardless of the cloudy circumstances we’re facing. In other words, our focus should be on Jesus, so we don’t deviate.

Time is a currency that is most valuable in our Christian commitment. (Eph 5:15)  I was talking to someone recently who happens to be an on-fire Christian. He recommitted his life to the Lord about 5 years ago, and he was sharing with me a testimony about his priorities and how just little deviations will get you off “true north” on your compass.

It doesn’t take much for the devil to distract you “just a little bit”, and all of a sudden you’re back to watching plenty of TV, wasting time on your phone or spending a lot of time “just talking” with people, basically just chilling and wasting time.

If you are fully committed to the Lord, it is so important to constantly reevaluate how you’re spending your time. We think it’s important to budget our money, and we keep an accounting to know if we are keeping on budget, constantly balancing our expenditures with our income, etc.

But we don’t realize how important it is to budget our time. In Christian work, our time is almost more valuable than money. Sad to say, for many of us, the devil is tricking us into wasting time on unimportant things in order to change our focus from really seeking first the kingdom of God. “A little leaven leavens the whole lump.” (Gal 5: 9)

I think that all of us should make it a priority on a monthly basis to take account of where we are spending time to make sure our compass is still pointing True North.

Time is your most precious gift, because you only have a certain amount of it and if wasted, it’s gone.

It is so easy to drift into projects, deviations and time wasters that are mostly compromising our main focus. “Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness?”  (Romans 6:16)

We do it with our food. Most of us take stock of the kind of food we eat, and how much we eat, in order to stay healthy. If we eat too much junk food, it has a way of showing up around our waist. And then, we’re “back to the gym”. But we have to take the same responsibility regarding our spiritual exercise.

It’s a danger with Christians, because we do preach freedom and deliverance, but unless we also LIVE it, it sends the wrong signal to people. “They promise them freedom, but they themselves are slaves of corruption. For whatever overcomes a person, to that he is enslaved.” (1 Pet 2:19)

Paul, the Apostle, had a one-track mind. He said, “One thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” (Phil 3:13,14) And he told the Galatians, who were quite entangled in the world, “Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.” (Gal 5:1)

We are supposed to be one-track minded as Christians, primarily because we have found the truth. Therefore, why should we want to go back to dabbling in lies. We have found the light, why should we hunger for darkness. “for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light” (Eph 5:8)

I have compiled a number of verses here below for the purpose of doing a SHORT BIBLE STUDY to help anyone who is entangled, or addicted to such things as drinking, porn, TV watching, social media, etc. Hoping that it can be a help to you.

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Heb 12:1,2

“Let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus the Author and finisher of our faith; Who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

Gal 5:1

“For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.

1 Cor 7:22

“For he who was called in the Lord as a slave is a freed man of the Lord. Likewise he who was free when called is a slave of Christ.”

Gal 5:16

“But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.”

Jn 8:34

“Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin.'”

2 Tim 2:4

“No soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to please the One Who enlisted him.”

1 Cor 6:12

“All things are lawful for me, but not all things are helpful. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be enslaved by anything.”

Rom 8:2

“For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.”

1 Cor 16:13

“Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.”

1 Cor 6:19-20

“Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.”

1 Cor 6:15

“Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? Never!”

Rom 8:12-13

“So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.”

Rom 6:14

“For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.”

2 Peter 2:20

“For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world through the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first.”

Eph 5: 1-21

“Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints. Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving. For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.

Therefore do not become partners with them; for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as CHILDREN OF LIGHT (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. For it is shameful even to speak of the things that they do in secret. But when anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible, for anything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says, “Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.” Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.”

(Eph 4:17-23)

“You must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds; they are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart; they have become callous and have given themselves up to licentiousness, greedy to practice every kind of uncleanness. Put off your old nature which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and put on the new nature, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.”

It is so amazing that the Bible brings out the danger of unbelief in the book of Hebrews that contrasts unbelief with the Sabbath rest.

“Therefore, since a promise remains of entering His rest, let us fear lest any of you seem to have come short of it. For indeed the Gospel was preached to us as well as to them; but the Word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it.  For we who have believed do enter that rest. Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience.” (Heb 4:1-11)

The Sabbath rest for us is more than observing the one day a week called the Sabbath. It is entering into that rest of salvation; that new identity that we have been given at the new birth. It is putting on Christ and hiding ourselves in His victory. That’s why throughout the Gospels and the epistles so much is said about denying ourselves, dying daily, being crucified with Christ and living according to the new man.

The only way to enter into that Sabbath rest is to put on that new identity and not be conformed to the world but to be transformed by the renewing of our mind; we must constantly remind ourselves that Jesus won and that we are on the WINNING side, and that we can rest fully from our own labors. It is the exercise of fully putting on Christ, fully walking by faith and not by sight, fully living spiritually and not carnally.

If we do not live by faith, paradoxically we live in unbelief because the opposite of faith is doubt, or unbelief. We stand strong in Christ by faith (see 2 Cor 1:24); however, the reverse is also true: we fall away from Christ through unbelief. “Wherefore let him that thinks he stands take heed lest he falls.” (I Cor 10:12)

James likened a doubting person to a wave of the sea, unstable, driven to and fro: “For he that wavers is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive anything of the Lord.” (James 1:6)

Jesus’ disciple Thomas refused to believe that Jesus had risen from the dead until he saw the risen Lord. Jesus said to Thomas, “Be not faithless, but believing… because thou hast seen Me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.” (John 20:27-30)

The Bible mentions two kinds of unbelief. One kind of unbelief is doubt accompanied by a desire to believe: “Lord, I believe; help Thou my unbelief.” (Mark 9:24) Jesus had mercy on the father who said this, for this man’s son was possessed by an evil spirit. Although the father had his doubts, he was willing to exercise faith, so Jesus healed his son.

Another kind of unbelief is an obstinate, hard-hearted refusal to believe: “Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God.” (Hebrews 3:12) This kind of unbelief is akin to rebellion and rejection.

• Some no longer have faith at all (2 Thes 3:2).
• Some have shipwrecked their faith. (I Tim 1:19)
• Some will leave the faith for the doctrines of devils. (I Tim 4:1)
• Some have denied the faith by not providing for their family. (I Tim 5:8)
• Some have cast off their first faith. (I Tim 5:12)
• Some have turned aside after Satan. (I Tim 5:15)
• Some have erred from the faith for the love of money. (I Tim 6:10, 21)
• Some will overthrow the faith of others. (2 Tim 2:17-18)
• Some are reprobate [disqualified] concerning the faith. (2 Tim 3:8)

Not everyone who sets out on the road to salvation will hold fast to FAITH in Jesus, for many will fall away in unbelief. Heb 10:38-39 tells us, “Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, My soul shall have no pleasure in him. But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition [the opposite of salvation]; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul.”

We know that salvation is definite and eternal because Jesus said, “He that comes to Me I will in no wise cast out. This is the Father’s will which hath sent Me, that of all which He hath given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day.” (Jn 6:37-39)

But look at what happened to the people of Israel in the wilderness who failed to reach the promised land. Those Israelites were the same ones who experienced the brutal oppression of slavery, they witnessed God’s plagues upon Egypt, they watched the Red Sea part for them, they trembled at God’s power revealed at Mount Sinai, they tasted bread from heaven, and they drank water from a rock.

But they ended up wandering in the wilderness for 40 years and did not enter into the promised land (except for Joshua and Caleb) because of their unbelief. “But with whom was He grieved forty years? Was it not with them that had sinned, whose carcasses fell in the wilderness? And to whom sware He that they should not enter into His rest, but to them that believed not?” (Heb 3:17-19)

So it’s not a light thing to harden our heart. “the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed them that believed not.” (Jude 1:5)

Those Israelites were delivered from the bondage of Egypt, they were spiritually baptized in the Red Sea (1 Cor 10:2), and they were led by a pillar of cloud and fire through the wilderness. But then, they were broken off like a branch from a vine (Romans 11:20-32) because of their unbelief. As a result, that generation did not reach their final destination of the promised land.

The Bible indicates that there will be a great apostasy during the end times. The “great apostasy” is mentioned in 2 Thes 2:3. The KJV calls it the “falling away,” while the NIV and ESV call it “the rebellion”. And that’s what an apostasy is: a rebellion, an abandonment of the truth.

The sobering truth is that unbelief will keep you from the promises of God, but more importantly, unbelief will prevent you from keeping the FAITH.

On the other hand, forgiveness is always available when there is true repentance. Read the story of the prodigal son.

Salvation is a free gift to all, but it is not cheap. Jesus said that those who cannot give up all to follow Jesus are not worthy of Jesus (see Matthew 10:38). Salvation is a one-time deal, but FAITH is a lifetime journey that requires dying daily to yourself and learning from the Lord. Jesus said, “If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross DAILY, and follow Me.” (Mat 16:24)

Our new identity is a lifelong STANCE. There is an enemy of your soul (the “tempter” — see 1 Thes 3:5) who seeks to draw your heart away from faith in Christ and get you caught up with the entrapments of the world so that you fall away. “Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own steadfastness.” (2 Pet 3:17)

Discipleship cannot be a “works trip”. It is entering into that identity and abiding there. That is what “entering into that rest” is all about. Discipleship is not service for God, but if you love God, and truly understand what a mighty great price was paid for your redemption, then you’ll serve Him out of LOVE, from a standpoint of love, not duty or “works”. The old law was “works” but God wants our heart. He wants a relationship.

We must GUARD our hearts diligently and cling to Jesus Christ so that we do not lose faith and walk out of that rest. “Labor therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.” (Heb 4:1,11)

We know that the Bible is more than just an advice manual or a self-help book. It holds words of encouragement for the weary and messages of comfort for the lonely, and guidance, truth, and full instruction for our entire lives! Even more than that…God’s Word is alive with power that transforms.

I can’t emphasize enough the power of memorizing God’s Word. It is a discipline that Jesus Himself practiced. He quoted from the Old Testament nearly 180 times in the New Testament! Just as Jesus used God’s Word to fend off the attacks of Satan!  “It is written, man shall not live by bread alone, but by every Word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.” (Mat 4:4) So likewise, we must be able to use the same weapon. The devil doesn’t usually give you time to “look up” the verses you’re looking for.

We have prepared for you a “Memo Book” taken from “The Handbook for a Disciple of Jesus” with all the most powerful verses that we as disciples do well to know by heart. These scriptures are the backbone of our faith and we should ALL make an effort to COMMIT them to memory.

Bible memorization is of utmost importance in the Christian life. In fact, memorizing Scripture is perhaps the single most crucial element to spiritual growth and victory. It’ll provide a foundation and a framework that will strengthen you throughout your walk with the Lord. And the earlier we start, the better.

The reason why it’s so life-changing is because the Word of God is literally “God-breathed” thru the Holy Spirit. “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.” (2Tim 3:16-17) When we fill our minds with His Words by memorizing Scripture, we avail ourselves of the most powerful spiritual tool there is.

No other single exercise pays greater spiritual dividends! When we memorize the Word of God, several things happen:

1. All the elements in the believer’s armor in the battle for our souls and spiritual survival are defensive except ONE. The “sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.” “Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.” (Eph 6:13, 17)
2. Temptation is everywhere. Hiding God’s Word in our hearts gives us the wisdom and strength to find the way out and flee. “Thy Word have I hid in my heart, that I might not sin against Thee.” (Ps 119:11)
3. Rom 12:2 exhorts us to “renew” our minds so that we are no longer influenced by the thinking that conforms us to this world. The only way to renew the mind is to FILL it with Scripture. “And be not conformed to this world: but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”
4. The Word of God is “living and active”, meaning that it has supernatural power to mold us into Christ-likeness when we meditate upon it, and there is no better way to meditate on the Word than to have it in our minds and memories. “For the Word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” (Heb 4:12)
5. It fuels our witness. The Word of God is an incorruptible seed and when you use it while witnessing, it “cuts to the heart” with powerful and irrefutable truth. “And always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear.” (Heb 4:12) “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asks you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear.”  (1Pt 3:15)
6. It will fill your minds with things above. “Whatever is true or honorable or right or pure, lovely, admirable, and excellent things.” (Phil 4:8) “Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.” (2 Peter 1:3-4)
7. It will allow you to encourage fellow believers. “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in a setting of silver.” (Prov 25:11) God has this incredible way of bringing Scripture to mind at the very moment we need it most. “Encourage one another with these Words.” (1 Thes 4:18)
8. It will draw you closer to God. There is no better way to know Him than to know His Word. “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can you, except you abide in Me.” (Jn 15:4,5)
9. It will allow you to find great delight in His Word, and to carry it with you always, keeping your hearts in tune with His. “How sweet are His words!” (Ps 119:103)

Your prayer life will be strengthened. Your witnessing will be sharper and much more effective. Your attitude and outlook will begin to change. Your mind will become alert and observant. It’ll strengthen righteous living. Your confidence and assurance will be enhanced. Your faith will be solidified.

There are many different ways to memorize. One of the best, is to pair up a Scripture to a tune, or a song. You can look up online different ways and choose one that you’ll like. Here are some basic tips that will get you started. (BTW, Always memorize from the same Bible version.)

Tips on memorization:

• Set aside 15 minutes, first thing in the morning.
• Read it out loud three times first.
• Meditate on the passage. Reflect on each word, each sentence, and invite the Spirit to imprint it upon your heart.
• Keep on repeating, say it often.
• Review them before falling asleep.

You’re welcome to DOWNLOAD the “Memo Book” HERE. It’s FREE.

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As a parent, you’d do well to encourage Scripture memorization with your children. Here are some practical ways of memorizing with children.

https://encouragingmomsathome.com/scripture-memory-techniques-ways-to-make-it-happen

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God also commands us to MEMORIZE Scripture through the following SCRIPTURES:

“This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do all that is written in it.” Joshua 1:8

“You shall therefore lay up these words of mine in your heart and in your soul, and you shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes.” Deuteronomy 11:18

“I will delight in Your statutes; I will not forget your Word.” Psalm 11

“But He answered, ‘It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every Word that comes from the mouth of God.'” Matthew 4:4

“Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one! You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. And these Words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up.” Deuteronomy 6:4-6

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You know what that ESCAPE route is? It’s the Word. It’s you claiming the Word of God. That’s exactly what Jesus did. He rebuked the devil with the Word.

Check out the verse again. “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, Who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able (to bear); but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear (withstand) it.” (I Cor 10:13)

Every problem you face is common to man, and God always makes a way of escape. Satan is limited; he can only tempt you with what is common to man: worry, fear, discouragement, depression, etc.

But God is faithful and has already made a way of escape, regardless of the temptation, trial, or test you face. We have the supernatural weapon of the Word. You escape back to victory every time! Speak the Word back to the devil, like Jesus did!

Whatever you do, don’t dwell on those toxic and negative thoughts. Instead of rehearsing the problem, make a decision to meditate on the answers found in the Word of God. Don’t give voice to your failures, for that will produce fear; but as you talk about the success promised in God’s Word, your faith and confidence will grow.

Don’t rehearse what Satan has done in your life, or what you think he is about to do; but rather what God has done and will do. Don’t give the devil authority over you by TALKING about the things that he is doing to hinder you. That gives him authority to operate through your words to bring those things to pass.

Remember the devil knows the Word too. He knows that Mark 11:23 states that you will have whatsoever you SAY if you believe and doubt not in your heart. The more you talk about what the enemy is doing, the more you will believe in his ability to hinder your dreams. It is a subtle way of getting you to release faith in his doubts and in his ability to hinder you.

Give God’s Word first place in your mind, and you will find that there is always a way of escaping what the enemy has planned for you. There’s a lot of power in proclamations. Meaning you speaking God’s Word over your life.

As far as God is concerned, the battle is already won. “The weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds.” (2 Cor 10:4)

Why would we want to fight a battle that Jesus has already won? So then what are the strongholds we must pull down? They’re thoughts and imaginations. “Casting down imaginations, and every high thing (thought) that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.”  (2 Cor 10:5)

Imagination is a powerful thing. Your words create images and, eventually, you will live out the reality of those images. When you make negative confessions, you create negative images that result in spiritual strongholds.

Confessing God’s Word creates positive images which, in turn, will renew your mind and change your heart. Paul reveals that the confessions of God’s Word plant the Word in your heart. “But what does it say? ‘The Word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart’ (that is, the Word of faith which we preach.” (Romans 10:8)

So take God’s Word by speaking it into your heart to create a canopy of protection: the shield of FAITH. When His Word abides in you in abundance it will, without fail, reveal God’s way of escape for you.

It gives a new dimension to what Jesus said: “If you abide in Me (Word) and My Words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.” (John 15:7)

When you are a disciple maker, everything you share with people should have a spiritual spin on it. It’s literally like coaching others with God’s Word.

I don’t witness to outsiders all day long. To the contrary, I work with some Christians in my businesses. But I try to bring out the Word and/or spiritual lessons when teaching or explaining how to do things. One of my businesses has to deal with customers face to face, and I teach my employees to present themselves entirely as Christians (some aren’t, yet), meaning reflecting biblical values in all of their dealings.

As Christians, we should  incorporate the Lord in virtually everything we do. “And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men.” (Col 3:23)

Remember disciple-ing doesn’t have to be only in the Bible class. Our Christian identity affects everything we do. Why? Because we are Christians 24/7, and through and through.

Paul was teaching Timothy to constantly be coaching. He said, “Preach the Word; be instant (constant) in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.” (2Tim 4:2)

Every aspect of our life should reflect the principles and values of the Word. We can’t be Christians only in-cathedra but also ex-cathedra. The gospel applies to every aspect of our life.

Recently, I was in need of coaching myself in regards to how to use social media better. Of course my ultimate goal is to shine the Lord’s truth and love in all of my interactions on social media. But the person sharing with me kept popping scriptures while teaching me. And I thought WOW, here’s somebody who really understands what disciple-ing is all about.

We understand that with children, training has to be consistent and continual. Solomon said, “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.” (Pro 22:6). And it’s the same in disciple-ing. Consistency is the name of the game.

(Incidentally, the book of Proverbs is just AWESOME when coaching and disciple-ing because it is filled with the keys to success in being a strong spiritual person.)

The Great Commission is not just for missionaries and it’s not just for churches. It’s for families. It’s a call to make disciples, to begin with the people in your home. When this becomes a joy, not a burden, when this becomes natural, not manufactured, and when this becomes intentional, not left to chance, you can truly say that “missions” are part of the foundation of the home. Then, your family will become a force shining GODLY values all around you.

“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.” (Deut 6:5–7)

Family discipleship should lead to an overflow of the good news to people outside the home, at work, at school, even at play, and around the community.

As parents, we have the divine task of teaching our kids who God is and what He is like. If the goal of our discipleship is to trust in Christ, then at any moment we can use that to tell them about Jesus and His trustworthiness, and that’s a step in the right direction. Remind your children of what God has done in the past and what you see Him doing in their lives now as well as what you hope He’ll do in the future. God is a personal God, and you have the chance to continually reintroduce your family to Him through DAILY testimonies.

Make friends with other disciple-ing parents so that not only you can compare notes and sharpen iron together, but so that your children will have friends who are encouraged in the same biblical training and values.

“We will not hide them from their children, but tell to the coming generation the glorious deeds of the Lord, and His might, and the wonders that He has done.” (Ps 78:4)

By the way, I am preparing a GIFT for you. It’s a small MEMO book, which will cover every aspect of discipleship so that we can memorize the Word and always have it on the tip of our tongue in sharing/teaching others. I pray it’ll be a blessing.

When we delay obeying God, we are often looking for a loophole, some justification for our sin, or hoping God will change His mind. And partial obedience only soothes our conscience, but is far short of faith and trust in the Lord.

God gives us the opportunity to learn the easy way by obeying what we’re told even if we don’t always know why. But if we insist on learning the hard way, God is a good Father and in His mercy and in His love He will let us go ahead and learn from our mistakes.

The Bible is full of life instructions. They’re called the “commands” of God. He expects us to obey His commands right away, and He expects us to obey them fully. Throughout His Word, God commanded man to do something first before He met them with His promises. God expected man to MANIFEST HIS FAITH through obedience.

Imagine if a parent tells a child to do something and he/she says, “I’ll think about it.” Wouldn’t there be consequences? But we do that to God all the time. God says He wants us to do something, and we say, “I’ll think about it.” Every parent knows delayed obedience is disobedience. The Bible says, “Without delay I hurry to obey your commands.” (Psalm 119:60)

Even partial obedience is disobedience. You don’t get to pick and choose what you want to obey in His commands and leave the rest. Look at what happened to Saul who thought that obeying most of what God said, would be good enough. (Read 1Sam 15)

We are not to pause to question God’s instructions before we obey them. We obey first—and seek understanding later. In fact, we won’t fully understand many of God’s commands until we first obey them. In many cases, it’s obedience that unlocks understanding. David said, “I made haste, and delayed not to keep Thy commandments.”  (Ps 119:60)

The Word of God tells us that both God’s will and His timing is perfect (Psalm 28:30), yet all too often we still choose to procrastinate our obedience. We think that if we intend to obey, if we want to obey, that somehow equates to obeying, but it doesn’t.

God has your best interests at heart. God does not speak for no reason, when He calls us it’s for a “right now” purpose. Therefore, delayed obedience is still disobedience because we’ve missed His purpose and timing.

Jesus might have appeared a little categorical when He addressed the man who wanted to FIRST go bury his father. He said, “Let the dead bury their dead: but go thou and preach the kingdom of God.”  But Jesus knew the pitfalls of delayed obedience. It quickly turns to disobedience.  “And another also said, ‘Lord, I will follow thee; but let me first go bid them farewell, which are at home at my house.’ And Jesus said unto him, ‘No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.’” (Luke 9:59-62)

Some people want to first get the blessings and then they’ll obey. Or they want to get the anointing first. But we don’t get the anointing to obey, we get the anointing because we obey. Obedience comes first, then comes the promise.

It works like this even in prayer. We must first obey what we know God wants us to do, and put “feet” to our prayers, then God will make it come to pass. A lot depends on our obeying God’s Word by FAITH.

Remember FAITH is not only belief, but an ACTION towards belief. Also, obedience is not related to obeying a thousand and one religious rules Like the Pharisees had to do. It has to do with yieldedness, aligning your will to God’s will. “Not my will, but your will be done”. Jesus said, His yoke is easy and His burden is light. (Mat 11:28) “For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous”  (1Jn 5:3), meaning that they’re not hard to bear, nor hard to obey.

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I have compiled here a list of verses for a quick Bible study on OBEDIENCE.

1 John 3:21-22

Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God; and whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do what pleases Him.

Philippians 2:8

And being found in human form, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

John 14:15

If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.

James 1:22

But be doers of the Word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.

Isaiah 1:19

If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land.

Luke 6:46

Why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you?

John 14:23

Jesus answered him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My Word, and My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.

Romans 6:16

Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness?

Romans 5:19

For as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous.

John 14:21

Whoever has My commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.

Matthew 7:21

Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of My Father Who is in heaven.

Luke 11:28

But He said, “Blessed rather are those who hear the Word of God and keep it!

Joshua 1:8

This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.

1 Peter 1:14

As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance,

Exodus 19:5

Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, you shall be My treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is Mine.

Titus 2:9

Slaves are to be submissive to their own masters in everything; they are to be well-pleasing, not argumentative.

2 John 1:6

And this is love, that we walk according to His commandments; this is the commandment, just as you have heard from the beginning, so that you should walk in it.

2 Corinthians 10:5

We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ,

Hebrews 12:9

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?

Romans 12:1

I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.

Hebrews 5:9

And being made perfect, He became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey Him.

Acts 5:29

But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men.”

1 John 5:3

For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome.

James 2:24

You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone.

Luke 5:1-39

On one occasion, while the crowd was pressing in on Him to hear the Word of God, He was standing by the lake of Gennesaret, and He saw two boats by the lake, but the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. Getting into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, He asked him to put out a little from the land. And He sat down and taught the people from the boat. And when He had finished speaking, He said to Simon, “Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” And Simon answered, “Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at Uour Word I will let down the nets.”

Joshua 5:6

For the people of Israel walked forty years in the wilderness, until all the nation, the men of war who came out of Egypt, perished, because they did not obey the voice of the Lord; the Lord swore to them that He would not let them see the land that the Lord had sworn to their fathers to give to us, a land flowing with milk and honey.

1 Peter 5:5

Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.

John 14:31

But I do as the Father has commanded Me, so that the world may know that I love the Father.

John 15:14

You are My friends if you do what I command you.

Deuteronomy 28:1-68

And if you faithfully obey the voice of the Lord your God, being careful to do all His commandments that I command you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth. And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, if you obey the voice of the Lord your God. Blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed shall you be in the field. Blessed shall be the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your ground and the fruit of your cattle, the increase of your herds and the young of your flock. Blessed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl.

Deuteronomy 5:33

You shall walk in all the way that the Lord your God has commanded you, that you may live, and that it may go well with you, and that you may live long in the land that you shall possess.

Exodus 23:22

But if you carefully obey His voice and do all that I say, then I will be an enemy to your enemies and an adversary to your adversaries.

Ephesians 6:6

Not by the way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but as servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart.

Hebrews 12:2

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.

Ecclesiastes 12:13

The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.

1 John 2:3-6

And by this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments. Whoever says, “I know Him,” but does not keep His commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, but whoever keeps His Word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in Him: whoever says he abides in Him ought to walk in the same way in which He walked.

Luke 10:27

And He answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.”

Deuteronomy 11:1

You shall therefore love the Lord your God and keep His charge, His statutes, His rules, and His commandments always.

John 15:16

You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in My name, He may give it to you.

Revelation 14:12

Here is a call for the endurance of the saints, those who keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus.

James 2:17

So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.

James 2:26

For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead.

1 John 5:2-3

By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome.

Deuteronomy 11:26-28

See, I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse: the blessing, if you obey the commandments of the Lord your God, which I command you today, and the curse, if you do not obey the commandments of the Lord your God, but turn aside from the way that I am commanding you today, to go after other gods that you have not known.

1 Samuel 15:22-23

And Samuel said, “Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of divination, and presumption is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the Word of the Lord, He has also rejected you from being king.”

1 John 3:24

Whoever keeps His commandments abides in God, and God in him. And by this we know that He abides in us, by the Spirit Whom He has given us.

James 1:22-25

But be doers of the Word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the Word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.

2 Corinthians 5:17

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.

Proverbs 3:5

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.

2 Thessalonians 1:8

In flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.

John 13:17

If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.

Proverbs 3:1-2

My son, do not forget my teaching, but let your heart keep my commandments, for length of days and years of life and peace they will add to you.

1 John 3:22

And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do what pleases Him.

John 15:10

If you keep Ny commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love.

Matthew 19:17

And He said to him, “If you would enter life, keep the commandments.”

Luke 9:23

And He said to all, “If anyone would come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow Me.”

In the old testament, Jews had to stop one day a week to rest. It was commanded in the Old Law, and it was mandatory. However, in the new testament, we have entered into the rest of God. Our redemption includes that rest.

However, the Bible tells us that we must “labor” to enter into that rest. I didn’t understand what that meant for the longest time. I have shared with you that, for many years as a Christian, I was mostly a worker. Meaning that the most important thing was not my relationship with God, but my service to God.

It is only in recent years, when I have discovered and fully walked into my new identity as a SON of the living God that my entire mindset has changed. I’ve already been made righteous! There is no need for my service to get more recognition or commendation from God. It’s all done by Jesus.

However, as we all know, we must continue to renew our mind constantly in order to impose that new identity both on our body and our souls, which are not yet redeemed. “The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.” (Mat 26:40) That’s why the Bible tells us to walk in the Spirit and not in the flesh. When we are constantly reminding ourselves of our identity, authority, and righteousness, we can fully walk in that rest that Jesus gives us.

Jesus said, “I have told you these things, so that in Ne you may have peace (rest). In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”(Jn 16:33)

Rest is important to our spiritual walk with the Lord, and many Christians today don’t appreciate the value of rest in the Lord and ceasing from our works. Check out what Jesus said, “Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” (Mat 11:28)

Rest allows our mind, body, and soul to renew and start with even more strength and focus. And while the Old Testament Jews had to stop one day a week, in the New Testament,we have that rest permanently embedded in us through Christ. And we can enter into that rest anytime we want to.

“There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from their works, just as God did from His. Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will perish by following their example of disobedience.” (Heb 4:9)

The Word of God is filled with God’s promises to provide rest when we seek Him. God is an endless source of peace and strength and He created us to need Him! “You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.” (Isa 25:3)

My favorite is Ps 23. David really got it about the rest of God… take a minute to read it and meditate on it. So rich…

For us in Christ, the peace of the Shabbat is every day. But it doesn’t just come to us. We must enter it…

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Phi 4:6)

You can have peace and joy and blessings every day of the week. But we must choose to enter into the presence of God every day of our lives. That’s what the verse means, “For we walk by faith, not by sight.” (Col.5:7)

Spend time entering. Practice entering. Get good at entering. And you can dwell in the Shabbat every day of your life. In other words, every day of your life can be like a weekend. Let it start today. Shabbat Shalom.

James tells us very straightforwardly:  “But be ye doers of the Word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.”  (Ja 1:22)

It’s just not enough to only know the truth of the gospels. We are admonished to speak the truth and proclaim it!  Active faith is not only to believe in something, but to proclaim it. We have to confess the truth that we know with our mouth. As we actively witness our faith in the many ways the Lord will show us, we find that we keep growing spiritually, by leaps and bounds!

So when James said that we can’t just be hearers of the Word, he is infering that we must also be speakers! –Not just to others but to ourselves as well! We have to activate the Word in our lives. As our minds are renewed by the Words of God, and we speak those Words to ourselves, out of our own mouth, FAITH GROWS!

Jesus said, “Whosoever shall SAY.”

Jesus used the word “say” or “saith” three times in Mat 11: 23. He was making it clear that words have power. But He also said to have faith in God. The words that have power are words that are filled with faith. Believing faith speaks.

Faith comes by hearing the Word coming out of OUR own mouth. –And as faith grows, we grow!  So conversely, if we do not proclaim God’s Word to ourselves and to others, chances are your faith will weaken considerably, even die.

Some people tell me that they can’t witness to others because they work at the computer all day long, or they rarely meet people in their busy schedule. When you stop and think of it, there is really no excuse in our world today, with all the social media platforms, to not be witnessing.

When you know the abundance of counsel and guidance in God’s Word, you could be helping people online, virtually day or night. You can answer people as they spell out their problems, or their prayer requests. You can also invite people to zoom calls where you can teach the Word regularly.

For as long as the gospel stays in church, we’re accomplishing next to nothing towards changing the world outside the church walls. We’re just speaking to an assembly of hearers who are quite often not planning to be doers of the Word that they are hearing.  And that’s how so many Christians remain…as babies.

The only way to grow into a mature and responsible adult in the body of Christ, is by speaking and living what you learn. Knowledge is not enough. In fact knowledge only puffs you up. It makes you proud. You end up thinking that you are better than others just because you know better.

But “knowing better” only makes us all the more accountable. “To whom much has been given, of the same is much required!”  (Lk 12:48) The more we know, the more is required of us! So commit to speaking the truth of God. You can’t negotiate with obedience… You’re either OBEYing or you’re not. But as soon as you do,  you’ll see your life changing along with the many fruits that you’ll be bearing in the lives of others.

We know too much. Let’s not be silent.

Renewing your mind, does not ONLY mean to discipline your thoughts, it includes your emotions. Paul says, “To be controlled by human nature (emotions) results in death; to be controlled by the Spirit results in life and peace. Those who obey their human nature cannot please God.” Rom 8:6, 8 (GNT)

We need to learn to control our emotions, otherwise our emotions will control us. Have you met people who are just entirely controlled by their emotions? They’re in constant turmoil, they are stressed, unstable and temperamental (90% temper and 10% mental).

Proverbs 14:12 says, “There is a way that appears to be right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.” (NIV) The way you feel can easily lead you in the wrong direction.

Remember, before being born-again, you had a different nature, that of the old man, born of Adam. And the emotions we lived by before were earthly and sensual. James explains this well. “Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? Let him show out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom. But if you have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth. This wisdom descends not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish. For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work. But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.” (Jam 313-17)

The devil really uses those emotions of the old man to try to control you. He will use fear, discontentment, worry and resentment, you name it… if YOU don’t control your emotions, they will control you, and you will be manipulated by your moods.  “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” (NIV)

God cannot rule your life if emotions rule your life. If you make decisions based on how you feel, then you’ve made your feelings your god, and then God can’t be God in your life…

Many people have ruined their reputation because of something said in anger. Or missed a job opportunity because of their lack of self-control? “[People) will die for lack of discipline and instruction, and in the greatness of their folly they will go astray and be lost.” (Pro 5:23 AMP)

When you choose to follow Jesus, that decision includes yielding your emotions to the discipline of the Word. It includes yielding to the Holy Spirit. And Paul says, “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such things there is no law.” (Gal 5:22-23) These are the NEW EMOTIONS we’ve been given in the new birth.

Jesus wants to be Lord of how you feel, not just what you think and do.“That you no longer should live the rest of your time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God.” (1Pet 4:2 )

God gave us a very simple solution to this dilemma… OBEDIENCE. Obedience is nothing more than yielding your will to His. “If you continue in My Word, then are you My disciples indeed.” (Jn 8:31) “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.” (Jn15:4) The key is to match our emotions to those of the life of JESUS.

If we follow the guidelines of the Word of God, our old emotions take the back burner. Jesus said that we must deny ourselves in order to follow Him. “Whoever wants to be My disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow Me.” (Luke 9:23)

In English, that means that If we’re not willing to deny ourselves, we can’t be a disciple. We must love Christ more than your mom, dad, and we must love Him more than our own life. We must be willing to die for Christ. It is either you are slaves to sin or you are a slave to Christ.

Check out these powerful verses: “For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for Me will save it. What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit their very self?” (Lk 9:24-25)

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 “Do  you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, Who is in you, Whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.”

Galatians 5:24-25 “Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to His cross and crucified them there. Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives.”

Ephesians 4:22-24 “You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.”

Colossians 3:10 “And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him.”

2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!”

Romans 6:1-6 “What shall we say then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? We were therefore buried with Him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. For if we have been united with Him in a death like His, we will certainly also be united with Him in a resurrection like His. For we know that our old self was crucified with Him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin.”

Romans 13:14 “Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh.”

The ONE thing that can keep you from being a TOTAL WINNER and living a WINNING lifestyle everyday is if you have a foot in the world and a foot in the kingdom of God.

Look at it this way, Jesus has already won. He said, “All power is given to Me in heaven and earth.” (Mat 28:18-20) He totally disarmed the devil. But for us, the key to also be fully empowered, and fully winning, is if we fully follow in His footsteps. HE said, “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Mat 28:19-20)

That’s what discipleship is all about. It’s to walk out His teachings everyday. It’s to let Jesus have full control of our life. It’s to live out the inheritance given to us at the new birth, as SONS of God on the earth, equipped to enforce the laws of God, not only in our own lives, but all around us, by destroying the works of the devil. We have been given the power to do that.

But the MAIN REQUIREMENT is to shun the things of the world and to live by the laws of God. Jesus said, “I have given them Your Word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. My prayer is not that You take them out of the world but that You protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.” John 17:14-16)

The whole world is waiting for Christians to manifest Christ. “For the earnest expectation of the creature waits for the manifestation of the sons of God.” (Ro 8:19) There would be a very different world if ALL of us Christians were to walk in the full fullness of Christ. –If we were all, on a daily basis, doing what Jesus did: “How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing ALL that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with Him.” (Acts 10:38) There would be no sick people, no demon possessed people, and all would come to us to find out how we are able to do that. Where do we get the power, and the authority?

Jesus said that John the Baptist was the greatest of all prophets. “For I say unto you, among those that are born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist: but he that is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.” (Lk 7:28)  Why? Because Jesus gave us His power, His authority to destroy the works of the devil, and to be a light in the midst of darkness, the same as He was.

That is pretty AWESOME, when you really think about it. That’s not all!  He said that all the prophets of old (Moses, David, Elijah, etc)  have dreamed of this day when God’s children would be FULLY equipped and empowered. “For I tell you, that many prophets and kings have desired to see those things which you see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which you hear, and have not heard them.” (Lk 10:24)

Wow! Doesn’t that just make you want to be all that you can be? And get ahold of your Bible to absorb the full truth about your new identity, and its authority and start living it out? You can! Get a copy of the “Handbook of a Disciple of Jesus” and start living out every scripture in there. Faith is walking out what appears impossible to man, but not to God. “For with God all things are possible.”  (Mt 19:26) There should be no impossibilities in our path.

Jesus said,“Have faith in God. Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him.” (Mark 11:22–23)

But the key is to stay clear of (clean from) the things of the world. James said, “Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.” (Jam 4:4)

There’s a serious reason why we need to stay away from the world. “We know that we are from God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.” (1 Jn 5:19)

Check out these verses to add a little more CONVICTION to your faith.

“Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.” (1 Jn 2:15-17)

“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” (Rom 12:2)

“Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.” (1Jn 4:4)

“No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please Him Who hath chosen him to be a soldier.” (2Tim 2:4-6)

“And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the Word, and it becomes unfruitful.” (Mk 4:19)

“Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ has made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.” (Gal 5:1)

 

How do you handle rude people? You don’t. You let God handle them. Let him be your defender. Civilization is losing its civility. People are getting ruder! The Internet allows people to hide behind the screen and say things online they would never say to others face-to-face.

Small people belittle others, thinking it will make them feel better or bigger. Great people make other people feel great.

King David knew what it meant to be attacked emotionally, verbally, and physically. As a young man, he was anointed by the prophet Samuel to be the next king of Israel, but David spent two years running from his predecessor, King Saul, who wanted to kill him. He hid in caves while being criticized constantly behind his back.

Yet David never said a bad word against Saul; he never retaliated. God was preparing David to be a king after his own heart. David says in Psalm 23:5, “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows” (NIV).

David recognized God’s goodness to him. God anointed his head with oil, which says to the world, “This is my guy! Back off! He is going to be the next leader.” David’s cup overflowed, which meant God kept blessing him, even when others attacked him.

Does it sound like David was stressed out? No! He didn’t have to use up all his energy defending himself because he trusted God to be his defender.

It takes a lot of faith and humility to rest and trust God when you’re under attack, when you’re misunderstood, and when rumors are spreading about you. When that happens, it’s tempting to want to do something about it.

But you are most like Christ when you remain silent under attack. Jesus was constantly attacked, yet he never retaliated—even on his way to the cross. He remained silent before his accusers because he had entrusted himself to the care of the Father.

The Bible says, “If you are suffering in a manner that pleases God, keep on doing what is right, and trust your lives to the God who created you, for he will never fail you” (1 Peter 4:19 NLT).

God won’t let you down. Trust him to be your defender.

You don’t get wisdom from television. You don’t get it from the Internet. You don’t get it from magazines. Wisdom comes from God. Pro 2:6 says, “It is the Lord who gives wisdom; from him come knowledge and understanding”. A wise person is hungry for knowledge, while the fool feeds on trash.” Prov 15:14 (NLT)

If you want to become wise, the first thing you have to do is feed yourself with God’s Word every day. Whatever you fill your mind with is what’s going to come out—garbage in, garbage out. So, if you want to be wise, feed on truth every day.

There are three kinds of things you can feed your mind with: poison, junk food, or health food.

Poison, simply, is stuff that poisons your system. It’s bad for you. It takes you down. Pornography is poison. Some people say, “I can watch that stuff. It doesn’t bother me anymore.” That’s the problem! When you can watch and read things that are profane, blasphemous, evil, vile, and abusive and it doesn’t bother you, you have a problem. You have become a fool. Wise people protect their mind. They don’t allow just anything into their mind. They keep the poison out.

Junk food is neither good nor bad. It just has no nutritional value to it. Most of the stuff you see on TV is not evil. It’s just junk food. It’s what I call “stuffing.” But the problem with stuffing is that when you stuff yourself with stuffing, you have no hunger for truth. If you watch TV for four hours, your mind is full of empty calories that don’t help your body or your mind.

Health food is nutritional food. It helps you grow and maintain your health. Truth is the health food for your mind, so the wise person feeds on truth. It makes you wiser—in your relationships, your time, your money, your business, your parenting, your marriage, and every other area of your life.

To feed your mind with truth, the first place you need to go is to God’s Word. The more you develop the habit of spending time each day reading and studying the Bible, the wiser you’ll become.

(From Rick Warren’s sermon)

We don’t have a gospel of condemnation, we have a gospel of redemption. Jesus didn’t come to condemn people but to redeem man of his sin nature. We are ambassadors of the best news ever. The good news is the fact that Jesus has paid the full price for the sin of all humanity.

That’s just about the best deal ever given to anybody. That’s good news, nearly “too good to be true”. But that’s exactly what we represent. –The best deal ever.

So there’s no need to approach people pointing your finger of condemnation for how bad they are. That’s what Jesus came for, to save them from their badness.

I witness everyday, and to everybody that I meet. And I always start with an endearing word, and then a compliment. It softens their heart immediately. We all appreciate encouragement, and we can all do with a compliment; someone who’s taken the time to notice something pretty or noteworthy in us.

I believe that if Jesus was to walk around in this world, He would try to lift people up, encourage them and then point the way to the truth. To me that’s the very best approach. I try to tell people what they’re doing right first.

The other day I was at U-Haul about to rent a trailer when an agent was getting railed over by an angry customer on the phone. And he was just patient, considerate, kind and helpful.

And when he hung up, I told him, “Before I state my business, I want to first encourage you for how well you did with that person on the phone. You were no less than a gentleman; kind, patient, considerate and helpful in spite of their outraged attitude and I learned a lot by watching you. I really admire you for that demeanor.”

Well, I don’t need to tell you that I was very well taken care of by him, but I was also able to witness to him about the power of love and humility and how Jesus left us a sample of looking beyond people’s attitudes, and into their hearts. How it’s so much easier to show the love of God when we’re not caught in our own emotions. That agent thanked me many times over.

If you know and live out the Word, It really does not take much to be a witness to people about the love of God. Jesus said, “The kingdom of God is as a man who sows seeds.” And we ought to sow seeds wherever we go; so that people know that they’ve been touched, they’ve been lifted and directed in the direction of God. Or they’ve seen one of God’s law at work.

Showing God to people doesn’t have to done in a “preachy” way. It can come in the form of encouragement on the things that they’re already doing right. I love to show people how easy it is to follow Jesus. It’s actually not all that complicated. You just have to live your life showing love to your fellow man.

There’s yet another thing that people love. They love to talk about themselves, so if you’re a good listener, chances are you’ll be able to help them sort out their thoughts once you have listened to them first.

Remember, we have a gospel of LOVE. We are first loving, and we teach people to love, and to receive love from a loving God.

 We know that God has committed Himself to work THROUGH us. And we know that our prayers can do MIGHTY things. But how? Jesus said, “If you have faith as a grain of mustard seed, you shall say to this mountain, ‘remove from here to another place;’ and it shall remove and nothing shall be impossible unto you!” (Mat 17:20) We can actually get WHAT we ASK for and what we have the FAITH for.

Let’s take a look into the Scriptures to see how Jesus prayed for others, as well as His communications with His Father, which would also be prayer. When Jesus fought the devil, to deliver people from sickness and demonic oppressions, His prayers were commands! The Apostle John told us that,“For this purpose the Son of God was manifested that He might destroy the works of the devil.” (1Jn 3:8b)  He was at war against the enemy!  His prayers were direct, clear, and to the point! “Be healed! Be delivered!”–And the result was always the same! “As many as touched Him were made perfectly whole!” (Mt 14:36)

However, when He prayed to His Father, His prayers were from a standpoint of an intimate and ongoing relationship. –As a Son to His Dad. This type of intimate and personal prayer and communication with His Father is brought out so beautifully in John 17.  He is pouring out His heart, and that type of prayer, also, the emptying of the heart to the Father, will also, always, be answered!

Another example of Jesus’s times in prayer are when He would find time alone with His Father.  “And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, He went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there He prayed.” (Mk 1:35) We can only assume that great communications took place in prayer, seeing the results gained in His ministry after time with His Father.

We too have been made sons and daughters, and can now approach the throne of grace, BOLDLY, to obtain mercy in time of need. “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” (Heb 4:16)

Our relationship with Jesus and the Father should be no different than Jesus with His Father. But that relationship in prayer is based on FAITH. “Without faith we cannot please God.” (Heb 11:6) But if we do really believe, every prayer is heard and answered. An awful lot depends on us truly believing in that strong Father-son/daughter relationship. Our righteousness to become His sons is paid for by Jesus.

Most people don’t pray from that standpoint of intimate relationship; knowing they’ve been made righteous before God. And therefore they pray half-hearted prayers. The Lord really leaves a lot up to us and our concern in prayer and if we only connect with half a heart, we may end up with half the answer. But if we connect with a whole heart, not as a beggar but as trustful children, we will get a whole-hearted and strong answer.

He says, “You shall seek Me and find Me when you should search for Me with all your heart.”  (Jer 29:13)  I take this to mean that He wants our full attention and devotion when we come to Him, as trustful children.

I believe that I’ve discovered the secret to “PRAYING WITHOUT CEASING”. I’ve made it a habit that whenever I am not involved in a conversation or focusing on something, I immediately reconnect with Jesus and start THANKING Him. I PRAISE Him for the fact that I am made righteous: I’m a son of the Most High because of His love. WOW… plus, I have His authority and power!

And I DISCIPLINE my mind to ONLY think on the things of God because it’s a law of God. “Be careful how you think; your life is shaped by your thoughts.” (Pro 4:23) What if before expecting God to change our circumstances, we first changed our mind, and aligned it with His Word? We might then pray with less fretting and more confidence.

I force myself to ONLY think on things that are true, honest, just, pure, lovely and a good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, I ONLY think on these things. (Phil 4:8) And it really works!

And then, what I need to see happening, I don’t necessarily pray for them, because I know that He will supply all of my needs because we are in constant communication. (Phi 4:19) Instead of worrying, I thank Him for the answer. I command the “rocks” out of my way and I keep praising Him for how much He blesses me. I walk as a SON of the King. That’s my daily, ongoing attitude and conversation with Jesus and the Father. I feel so blessed. I love it.

PRAYING through PRAISING takes the sweat out of prayer and it keeps you in an attitude of magnifying the Lord at ALL times. It keeps your heart humble and thankful. It says, “He gives GRACE to the humble, but he resists the proud.” (Jam 4:6)

If only we could FULLY understand what that truly means: “He gives GRACE to the humble.”  He’s given us the right to live a GRACIOUS life, a victorious, WINNING and abundant rich life, with the wind of God in our sails, every day all day. Now, how COOL is that?!

TRY praising your prayers. You’ll find it easy to pray without ceasing, all day long. “Pray without ceasing, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”  (1Thes 5:17)

In John chapter 16:11-15, Jesus is explaining to His disciples whom He will leave with them when He is gone!  “It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I don’t go away, the Comforter will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you. When He, the Spirit of truth is come, He will guide you into all truth: for He shall not speak of Himself; but whatsoever He shall hear, that shall He speak.”

And not only that, but Jesus tells them that this truth is actually better for them!  “I tell you the TRUTH, it is expedient (better) for you that I go away: for if I go  not away, the Comforter (Holy Spirit) will  not come unto you, but if I depart, I will send Him (the Holy Spirit) unto you.”  (Jn 16:7)

Jesus was revealing to the disciples that when He would leave them that another “person”, by the name of the Holy Spirit, would come to them and be for them a personal representative of Himself and also of the Father.   God is in Heaven, Jesus is at His right hand, and the Holy Spirit is given for us on earth.  Therefore, the Holy Spirit should be regarded with honor, just like we honor the Father and Jesus!  The Holy Spirit gives to us the abundant wealth of the Father!

Jesus explained to the disciples very clearly that the Holy Spirit would tell them everything they would need to know for the life they would live for Jesus!  “When He, the Spirit of truth is come, He will guide you into all truth, for He shall not speak of Himself; but whatsoever He shall hear, that shall He speak, and He will show you things to come.  He shall glorify Me, for He shall receive of Mine, and shall show it unto you. All things that the Father has are Mine: therefore, said I, that He shall take of Mine, and shall show it unto you!”  (Jn 16:13-15) So, again, the Holy Spirit represents all that the Father has and gives for and to us.  Access to infinite spiritual wealth, blessings and provisions, guidance, understanding…everything is from the Father and the Son through the Holy Spirit!

For this reason, it is very important to realize and acknowledge that everything that the Holy Spirit does glorifies Jesus, as Jesus told His disciples, and recorded in verse 14 above.  “He (the Holy Spirit) shall glorify Me.”  When we stop glorifying Jesus in our fellowships, our lives, our speech, our teachings and our actions, the Holy Spirit just withdraws.–Cause if it isn’t Jesus, it is just us! Paul the Apostle said, “Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God.” (Eph 4:30) The Holy Spirit only gives Himself, imparts His grace and wisdom and His power when we glorify Jesus!

The Holy Spirit is so pleased when we glorify Jesus!  And when He (the Holy Spirit) is pleased, He endorses and anoints our actions and speech and He flows through us in all His power!  “But you shall receive power after that the Holy Spirit is come upon you, and you shall be witnesses unto Me.” (Acts 1:8) The Holy Spirit is very powerful when Jesus is glorified!  Why?  Because our main responsibility is to glorify Jesus in all we do and say.

In John 3: 5-8, Jesus explains very clearly the two essential roles of the Holy Spirit.  “Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God! That which is born of flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.  Marvel not that I said unto you, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows where it listeth, and you hear the sound thereof, but cannot tell from where it comes and to where it goes: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.”

Jesus just explained clearly that there is no other way to become a child of God than through the Holy Spirit, and being born again.  The Holy Spirit comes in through our faith in Jesus, the Word, and He gives to us a totally new life–a spiritual life! –The life of God!  In the flesh we are born as sons of Adam, but by the Holy Spirit we are sons of God, a new birth. 

Then in Romans 8:14, Paul says, “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.”  A son of God is what we become by the Holy Spirit.  We are born as babies, then children and into full sons as the Holy Spirit leads us, teaches and grows us into the plan that God has for us!

As grown sons of God, we become responsible, in control of our lives as the Holy Spirit leads us.  We gain authority and maturity.  There is no other way to become mature in the Lord than to be “led by the Spirit”.

To be “led” by the Holy Spirit is a present tense verb…continually led every day, every hour and in every situation by the Spirit of God!

My father, on the morning of New Year’s day, would gather all of us children, and we would kneel down, and he would lay his hand on our head, one by one and pronounce a blessing. And I would remember this gesture all year.

In Bible days, the blessing of the father was the most important thing next to the blessing of God. I would encourage all fathers (or mothers) to take a moment to write down a blessing for your children at the start of this new year, and pronounce it upon them.

There is no greater mission field for a parent than that of raising his/her children in the Lord.  It’s one of the greatest challenges of today for parents to keep their children from the I’ll effects of worldly input and negative influences.

Everything evil about the world is aimed FIRST at children. –All of the evils of society, the politically correct agendas, all the devil’s conspiracies, whether it’s the homosexuality exertive agenda in schools, the abortion drive, the evolution conspiracy, the vaccination push, the pornography enticement, endless computer gaming, and on goes the list.

Having those beautiful children comes with the greatest challenge ever given to man; RAISING them RIGHT. And it’s the greatest, most important assignment any parent has.

There’s no responsibility more important than to pass on the true values in life to our children. School will not pass on those values, TV won’t and friends won’t. It’s the responsibility of the parents to spell out those godly values to the kids. No small task… but most rewarding. “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.”  (Pr 22:6)

I have included at the end of this DAILY MEDS the blessings spelled out in Deuteronomy 28 to give you ideas. And to offer some more contemporary options, I will spell out a few that may be a help to you.

• That they may be BOLD to stand up for the truth.
• That they may have GOOD COMPANY and good influence from friends, teachers and mentors.
• That they may have conviction, and a heart to OBEY godly principles.
• That their projects, their resolutions, and their endeavors be ALIGNED with God’s will and be blessed by the Lord.
• That their heart and soul be filled with INTEGRITY and purity.
• That their MIND will be strong and DISCIPLINED along with their speech; that they may be praiseful always; that they may always bless others with right words.
• That they will be GENEROUS, cheerful in giving and helpful and caring towards others.
• That they will be HUMBLE and meek and trust in the promotions of God.
• That they will NOT LET IN BITTERNESS, nor envy, unforgiveness, gossip, nor ungodly competition.
• That they will be an instrument of love, peace and goodness in God’s hand.
• That the Lord will pour abundant prosperity on them.

The BLESSINGS of  Deut 28.

If you fully obey the LORD your God and carefully follow all His commands I give you today, the LORD your God will set you high above all the nations on earth. All these blessings will come upon you and accompany you if you obey the LORD your God: you will be blessed in the city and blessed in the country. The fruit of your womb will be blessed, and the crops of your land and the young of your livestock–the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks. Your basket and your kneading trough will be blessed. You will be blessed when you come in and blessed when you go out. The LORD will grant that the enemies who rise up against you will be defeated before you. They will come at you from one direction but flee from you in seven. The LORD will send a blessing on your barns and on everything you put your hand to. The LORD your God will bless you in the land He is giving you. The LORD will establish you as His holy people, as He promised you on oath, if you keep the commands of the LORD your God and walk in His ways. Then all the peoples on earth will see that you are called by the name of the LORD, and they will fear you. The LORD will grant you abundant prosperity–in the fruit of your womb, the young of your livestock and the crops of your ground–in the land He swore to your forefathers to give you. The LORD will open the heavens, the storehouse of His bounty, to send rain on your land in season and to bless all the work of your hands. You will lend to many nations but will borrow from none. The LORD will make you the head, not the tail. If you pay attention to the commands of the LORD your God that I give you this day and carefully follow them, you will always be at the top, never at the bottom. Do not turn aside from any of the commands I give you today, to the right or to the left, following other gods and serving them.

Some people ask me, “How can you be such a faithful witness? Everywhere you go, everyone you talk to, they somehow walk away having heard the gospel or about Jesus.” And my answer is pretty simple. “I’m possessed.”  Ha! “I have a Spirit.”  Ha!

Jesus announced His gift of the Holy Spirit to everyone in the synagogue when He said, as written in Lk 4:18-19:  “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind. To set at liberty those who are oppressed; to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.”

And WE have the SAME Holy Spirit which Jesus received when baptized by John the Baptist which empowered Him to operate in the

Spirit here on Earth, even though a man. “And Jesus, when He was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto Him, and he (John) saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon Him (Jesus): And lo a voice from heaven, saying, ‘This is My beloved Son, in Whom I am well pleased.'” (Mt 3:16-17)

Then John witnessed to all just what Jesus would do!  “John answered, saying to all, ‘I indeed baptize you with

water; but One mightier than I is coming, whose sandal strap I  am not worthy to unloose.  He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit  and fire.'” (Lk 3:16)

Some people say, “Well, how do you expect me to be like  Jesus or live as exemplary a life as He did?”

This is the very reason why the Holy Spirit of God was provided to us as well. That was the main purpose of the Day of Pentecost; not just the supernatural manifestations that took place. The outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the disciples was to EMPOWER them. “You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:8)

Jesus had His disciples wait in Jerusalem so that when the infilling of the Holy Spirit came, they would have the power to win many others to Him. “And when they had prayed, the place where they

were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled  with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the Word of God with boldness.” (Acts 4:31)

The Holy Spirit was sent for ONE specific purpose. –To empower us to live out our Christ-like life.  How can you actually do the things that Jesus did? It’s simple. Get ahold of the same Holy Spirit that He was empowered with.

Jesus said that ALL believers CAN receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit and make WITNESSING their ministry as well, by simply asking the Father to give Him to us. “If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him.” (Lk 11:13)

The Holy Spirit empowers us with the Words of God, giving us faith to stand up for the truth and boldly share our faith with others. “But the helper, the Holy Spirit, Whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your

remembrance all things that I said to you.” (Jn.14:26)

“And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, that I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your young men shall see visions, your old men shall dream dreams. And on My menservants and

on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days.” (Acts 2:17-18)

There is no reason or excuse for any Christian not to witness. The Holy Spirit is given to all, FREELY, in order to empower us to live out our faith. So if you have not received God’s Holy Spirit, ask Him in. Be possessed. Ha! And witness your faith. Set your light on the mantelpiece and SHINE Jesus

I read a story about this Christian pastor who witnessed to a lumberjack that had come to town for a few days, from way out in the virgin forests of northern Canada, and he received Jesus. “Now that you’ve made Jesus your Lord, Jake, your life is going to change,” the pastor said.

“How’s that?” asked Jake. “Well, look, it says right here in God’s Word, `If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature; old things have passed away, all things have become NEW!’–2Cor 5:17. So I want to warn you, Jake, that when you go back to that lumber camp, it’s going to be very difficult for you!”

“Why’s that, pastor?” replied Jake. “Because, as you know, most of those lumberjacks are tough, hard, wicked men, and they don’t like Christians! You’ll no longer be the same as you were before, cursing God, speaking foul language and doing evil things!–

You’re going to be so different they’re going to PERSECUTE you!”

So Jake went back to the camp and a few months passed before he came back to the town for his next leave. He wondered if he’d run into the pastor again, and sure enough, there he was, standing on a street corner passing out tracts.

“Hey, pastor! Nice to see you!”. “Hi, Jake!” exclaimed the pastor, very glad to see the converted lumberjack again. “Tell me, how did it go at the lumber camp?” “Oh, fine, just fine!”

The pastor said, “I told you it was going to be difficult to live a Christian life there, didn’t I?” –“No, no,” replied Jake, “it wasn’t hard!–Not at all!”

“You mean they didn’t persecute you or make it tough for you?” the pastor asked, surprised. “Oh, no! You see…they never EVEN FOUND OUT that I WAS a Christian!”

THAT kind of a sample is NOT being a real CHRISTIAN! Something you BELIEVE in, you TALK about! If you believe in your football team, you talk about them! If you believe in your political party, you talk about it! If you like your work, you talk about it!–And if you really believe in and love JESUS, you’re going to talk about HIM and share His Love with OTHERS!

Like the old washer-woman who was made fun of one day by someone who said they had seen her talking about Jesus to a wooden Indian in front of a cigar store! She perked up and replied, “Maybe I did; my eyesight isn’t so good any more! But talking to a wooden Indian about Jesus is not as bad as being a WOODEN CHRISTIAN and never talking about Jesus to ANYONE!”

Many professing Christians are Christians in name only. When culture strongly challenges Christianity, we discover that they are not willing to face persecution.

Those of us who genuinely love the Lord will be challenged about our faith. It would be a lie to say that taking a stand is easy. It’s not. But we believed the Lord when He said: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me” (Mat 16:24).

If we really did get born again, we counted the cost. “Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough to complete it? For if you lay the foundation and are not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule you” (Luke 14:25-33).

We ALSO understood that those who refuse to take up their cross and follow Christ are “not worthy” of Him and cannot be His disciple (Mat 10:38; Lk 14:27). We ALSO believed the warning that  says “everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.” (2Tim 3:12). And we understood that “if [we] falter in a time of trouble, how small is [our] strength” (Pro 24:10).

At the same time, we also grasped this very important truth: We are too weak to do it in our own strength. But we don’t have to do it in our strength. But Jesus assures us: “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Cor 12:9).

Jesus said, “If men have a candlestick, they don’t hide it under a bowl or a jar.”–They don’t sit alone in some corner and hope nobody will find out that they’ve become a Christian.

–But “they put the candlestick on a STAND so that it will give light to the WHOLE HOUSE!”–Mat 5:15; Lk8:16.

They stand up and TELL others why they’ve had such a miraculous change in their life! Once you’re saved it should be IMPOSSIBLE to hide the Love of God and the Truth of Jesus! If you have Him in your heart and you have His Love, He wants you to SHOW it and to try to SHARE it with OTHERS! It’s the LEAST you can do for Him Who gave His LIFE for YOU!

Amen? Let’s shine His light.

Mother Teresa once said, “The worst sickness is not being LOVED.”

During this time of holidays and festivities, we must remember those who feel rejected. They’re not only the homeless, they’re also those who are homebound, the elderly, those who are grieving, and anyone who feels isolated in their personal problems and situation.

The breakdown of the family alone is one of the main problems of loneliness nowadays. People are absorbed with their phone screen, they hardly know how to communicate with one another, let alone communicating love.

This sense of rejection can start as early as in the womb. With premarital sex becoming the norm, disposable marriages, fragile commitments, and plurality in relationships, children are left rejected. Couples find children as an “accident” to avoid rather than an asset and a blessing.

Even with Christians the devil uses rejection as one of his main accusations to minister guilt and remorse. He reminds us of our mistakes and failures to make us feel rejected.

But not only must we constantly remember that we are forgiven and loved, but we must also remind others that God’s love is unconditional, ever merciful and never failing. One can hardly find love anywhere else than in God. Everything else will fail, but not God.

We must not only learn to love people but to also EXPRESS LOVE. Love that is unexpressed is no love at all. LOVE IS NOT PASSIVE.

And during this time of pandemic, when everyone feels most isolated, where relational contacts are limited, is the time when we most must manifest love in words and in deeds.

Those children who are raised in families where love is never expressed, where people never tell each other how much they love and need each other, where love is never affirmed, where there are no strong bounds of love, will end up suffering the rest of their lives.  This is one of the greatest ills of our world. –Not only with those who are living alone but even with those who are not feeling loved amongst a family.

During this time of Christmas, PRESENTS DO NOT REPLACE PRESENCE. Parents have to be there for their children and spend time with them and express their love and affirm their appreciation for children to feel secure and abound in love to survive in this world.

Will you make the loving effort to show your love to others? Jesus did.

If you become aware of a Christian caught in a sin, the most loving thing we can do is help them see they are headed in the wrong direction. In fact, the Bible commands it: “Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted.” (Gal 6:1)

We all fall! Each one of us takes turns to get distracted or become lazy or weary in well-doing.

 “Brothers and sisters, we urge you to warn those who are lazy. Encourage those who are timid. Take tender care of those who are weak. Be patient with everyone.” (1 Thes 5:14:).

All of us are sinners, so before sharing with others, we must make sure that we are dealing LOVINGLY with them (Mat 7:1-5).  In other words, we can’t be picky about a speck in someone’s eye, when there’s a beam in ours. We can’t approach people self-righteously, but we MUST correct in love. And we don’t need to be sin-free to correct another Christian. Just admit that you too fall at times, and there’ll be a time when you’ll need their help and correction too. ‘Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour. For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up” (Ecc 4.9,10)

We should be faithful to warn someone from being taken captive to do Satan’s traps. “Opponents must be gently instructed, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will” (2 Tim 2:24-26).

But we cannot force that person to repent if they choose to ignore and grieve the Holy Spirit (Eph 4:30). We are responsible to lovingly warn them, but we are not responsible for their decision.

God told Jeremiah to rebuke the people for their sins even though He knew they wouldn’t listen (Jer 7:27). And God told Ezekiel that if he didn’t warn people of their sins, their blood would be on his hands (read Ez 33:1-16).

Correcting others is part of sharing the truth, and sharing the truth is our duty to the whole world.

The Word tells us to always “be ready to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear. (1 Peter 3:15). In other words, we should always be ready to give God’s answers to people. We should defend the faith in love and with conviction. We’re not to be neutral when we know the truth.

But some folks love talking about the Word of God just for the sake of ARGUING. The Word of God is truth and truth is ABSOLUTE. There are no variations to it, nor argumentations about it. Either you receive it or you reject it.

There is a big difference between a genuine question about the Word from someone who wants to understand, and arguments for the sake of debating. Defending the faith is not arguing. Titus 3:9 says,”avoid foolish controversies, genealogies, dissensions, and quarrels about the Word, for they are unprofitable and worthless.”

Paul told Timothy not to waste time with arguers: “Don’t waste your time in endless discussion of myths and spiritual pedigrees. These things only lead to meaningless speculations, which don’t help people LIVE a life of FAITH in God” (1 Tim 1:4).

Again Paul told Timothy, “warn them before God against quarreling about words; it is of no value, and only ruins those who listen” (2 Tim 2:14).

Arguments drag out because one is too stubborn to forgive and the other is too proud to apologize. I like what Wayne Dyer said, “Conflict cannot survive without your participation.”

Some people will sit in Bible studies, and flip scriptures on every side, discuss it from every angle, without any intention of OBEYING them. They just pride themselves in hearing themselves talk about God’s Word. That’s a waste of time. “A fool takes no pleasure in understanding, but only in expressing his opinion” (Pro 18:2).

Remember when Jesus came down the mountain after the transfiguration, it says, “When they returned to the other disciples, they saw a large crowd surrounding them, and some teachers of religious law were arguing with them. (Mark 9:14). The religious always want to talk about God’s Word, but true disciples want to READ it, RECEIVE it, and OBEY it. “Avoid pointless discussions. For people will become more and more ungodly” (2 Tim 2:16).

Pro 13:10 Wisdom is found in those who take advice.