The idea of living in victory may seem a little strange and far-fetched to some people, but it certainly is biblical. I John 5:4 says “For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. ”
I think, first, we need to understand what victory is. Victory is not shouting, singing and dancing, jumping up and down-being Pentecostal. Though these are good in their place, they are not victory. Victory is living a life that is pleasing to God; it is defeating the enemies- sin, doubt, discouragement, and old habits. It is overcoming the obstacles that lie before us.
One must first decide that they want victory in their lives. You have to get tired of living in defeat. You have to get tired of sin before you will ever decide to overcome it. If we are not totally tired of our situation, we will never find enough energy or reason to change it. Therefore, it is first a decision of one’s will – to overcome that obstacle.
Then we must realize that the discourager will be at work. Satan and his workers are always out to discourage anyone that would overcome any of his works. We must be persistent in our efforts. Never, never give up! Also realize, if we are striving for godliness in our life, then God is for us and He will supply us with the strength and the power that it takes to overcome.
Faith is the key to power to overcome obstacles. It is also essential to please God. Hebrews tells us “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him”.
Our faith must be in Christ. Just to have faith, or to have faith in our faith will not help.
Simply knowing his presence in our life gives us the strength we need. Many times we fail, just because we forget that He is with us. Jesus said, “I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.” If we remember in the times of temptation, or anger, that Jesus is right there with us, it would certainly change our actions.
The next time you are faced with an obstacle – turn to Christ and remember His presence, and you can overcome- by the strength that He supplies.
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Have You Counted The Cost?
Before we make any major purchases in life, we always want to know how much does it cost. How much is the initial cost and how much will it cost for maintenance? And what will the insurance costs be? Oh, if we would but use the same type of thinking in the spiritual realm, we would have a much deeper relationship with God!
We realize there is a cost of sin, but how often do we really stop to count that cost? The tempter often makes sin look very appealing. He lies about the price of it and entices us to partake. In the account of the first sin with Adam and Eve, the Bible says: “And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.” (Genesis 3:6). Yes it was very pleasant and the tempter lied about the price. He said “And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die” Gen 3:4
Now we can easily see the horror of that sin and how far we have come down the road of sin and wickedness. Think of all the evil that has come to pass since Adam and Eve. I think if they had realized the cost of their sin, it would not have been nearly as appealing.
We can apply that same thing to our own personal life. When we face temptations, stop and count the cost. How will this affect my life, and how will it affect my loved ones? Often the cost goes much deeper than we realize. If we will just remember our Savior, Jesus Christ, and how he suffered and died for those sins, it will help us to gain an advantage on the tempter.
We realize there is a cost of sin, but how often do we really stop to count that cost? The tempter often makes sin look very appealing. He lies about the price of it and entices us to partake. In the account of the first sin with Adam and Eve, the Bible says: “And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.” (Genesis 3:6). Yes it was very pleasant and the tempter lied about the price. He said “And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die” Gen 3:4
Now we can easily see the horror of that sin and how far we have come down the road of sin and wickedness. Think of all the evil that has come to pass since Adam and Eve. I think if they had realized the cost of their sin, it would not have been nearly as appealing.
We can apply that same thing to our own personal life. When we face temptations, stop and count the cost. How will this affect my life, and how will it affect my loved ones? Often the cost goes much deeper than we realize. If we will just remember our Savior, Jesus Christ, and how he suffered and died for those sins, it will help us to gain an advantage on the tempter.
Sunday, March 29, 2009
GRACE
Grace. Now that’s a word that is highly used in the Christian realm. Many preachers have preached about it and it has been the theme of hundreds of songs. What does grace mean to you? I find that many people believe that grace means God is good and will simply overlook their sin. They are right that God is good, but for God to overlook sin is not a Biblical viewpoint. One of God’s greatest attributes is his holiness. He is the most holy, righteous judge of the universe. Psalms 7:11 says “God judgeth the righteous, and God is angry with the wicked every day.”
If an earthly judge said I am good, and therefore allowed criminals to go free, we would call him corrupt. I assure you that God is good and righteous and he will judge sin because He is holy and righteous. What is grace then? I like the old acronym: God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense. It simply means that God who is the holy and just judge of the universe can let us go free when we have broken His laws because Jesus has paid the penalty for our sin. To receive this grace, we must put our faith in Jesus Christ. The Apostle Paul said in Ephesians 2:8 “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:”
Grace also means the Biblical time period in which we live. God never changes in His character, but down through the ages, God has changed the way He has dealt with man many times. These time periods are known to theologians as dispensations. We are now in the Dispensation of Grace. Prior to the death of Christ, it was known as the dispensation of the Law or the Ten Commandments. Paul said in Romans 6:14 “for ye are not under the law, but under grace.”
The Dispensation of Grace is perhaps the greatest time period to live in. We have much more in this time period than in any other. We have the sacrifice of our Savior, whose blood washes sins away. We have the Holy Spirit who comes into us and regenerates our heart giving us a new Godly nature. Paul said in 2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. The Old Testament saints did not have that blessing. We also have the written word of God. Most homes in this country have a Bible somewhere.
Now here is a word for those who believe that grace gives them liberty to live loosely, and even in sin. Because we are not under the Old Testament Law does not mean that we are without law. We live under the New Testament Law which commands us to live a holy life. (1Peter 1:15) But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; Also, since we have so much more under grace, remember this truth that Jesus taught in Luke 12:48- “For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required:”
If an earthly judge said I am good, and therefore allowed criminals to go free, we would call him corrupt. I assure you that God is good and righteous and he will judge sin because He is holy and righteous. What is grace then? I like the old acronym: God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense. It simply means that God who is the holy and just judge of the universe can let us go free when we have broken His laws because Jesus has paid the penalty for our sin. To receive this grace, we must put our faith in Jesus Christ. The Apostle Paul said in Ephesians 2:8 “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:”
Grace also means the Biblical time period in which we live. God never changes in His character, but down through the ages, God has changed the way He has dealt with man many times. These time periods are known to theologians as dispensations. We are now in the Dispensation of Grace. Prior to the death of Christ, it was known as the dispensation of the Law or the Ten Commandments. Paul said in Romans 6:14 “for ye are not under the law, but under grace.”
The Dispensation of Grace is perhaps the greatest time period to live in. We have much more in this time period than in any other. We have the sacrifice of our Savior, whose blood washes sins away. We have the Holy Spirit who comes into us and regenerates our heart giving us a new Godly nature. Paul said in 2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. The Old Testament saints did not have that blessing. We also have the written word of God. Most homes in this country have a Bible somewhere.
Now here is a word for those who believe that grace gives them liberty to live loosely, and even in sin. Because we are not under the Old Testament Law does not mean that we are without law. We live under the New Testament Law which commands us to live a holy life. (1Peter 1:15) But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; Also, since we have so much more under grace, remember this truth that Jesus taught in Luke 12:48- “For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required:”
Friday, March 27, 2009
YOU CAN’T BE WORTHY, SO BE FAITHFUL
Most Christians struggle with feelings of unworthiness. Let’s face it-we all have a sinful past. For some it is worse than others. A while back, I was speaking with a man about God’s blessings and his reply was that he just didn’t think he deserved for God to bless him. I am glad that God doesn’t give us what we deserve, because the fact is none of us really measure up to God’s standards, and what we deserve is judgment.
Actually, there is nothing that we can do in ourselves to change this. We cannot go back and change our past, and undo what we have already done. But, oh thanks be unto God, He gives us grace through Jesus Christ. We deserve judgment but He gives us forgiveness when we turn to Christ.
The Apostle Paul understood he was not worthy in himself. He said “But by the grace of God I am what I am”. Some of the great men of God in the Bible made some serious mistakes, but God forgave them and gave them grace. Moses murdered a man. David committed adultery. Peter denied the Lord. Paul persecuted the church. The point is, each of these men found grace and forgiveness when they repented of their sins and turned to God.
God does not look at our worthiness - He looks at our faith. I don’t recall reading anywhere in the Gospels where Jesus asked if they deserved His healing, or blessing. The thing that really stands out to me is that He asked them, “Do you believe”.
Real faith will cause us to change. A person cannot really believe in the Christ and not be submissive to Him. Those that mentally acknowledge Christ, but never come to the place where they truly surrender their lives to Him are counted as unbelievers.
We can never be worthy in ourselves; God is the one that takes care of that by cleansing us from our sins. But we can be faithful! This is really what God is concerned about – our faithfulness. Jesus speaking to the church of Smyrna in Revelation said “be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.” The Apostle Paul said in I Timothy that the Lord counted him faithful and put him in the ministry.
We should not be concerned about feelings of whether we deserve God’s blessings or not. God blesses us according to His goodness, not ours. We do need to concern ourselves about our faithfulness though. Romans 1:17 says “For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.”
Actually, there is nothing that we can do in ourselves to change this. We cannot go back and change our past, and undo what we have already done. But, oh thanks be unto God, He gives us grace through Jesus Christ. We deserve judgment but He gives us forgiveness when we turn to Christ.
The Apostle Paul understood he was not worthy in himself. He said “But by the grace of God I am what I am”. Some of the great men of God in the Bible made some serious mistakes, but God forgave them and gave them grace. Moses murdered a man. David committed adultery. Peter denied the Lord. Paul persecuted the church. The point is, each of these men found grace and forgiveness when they repented of their sins and turned to God.
God does not look at our worthiness - He looks at our faith. I don’t recall reading anywhere in the Gospels where Jesus asked if they deserved His healing, or blessing. The thing that really stands out to me is that He asked them, “Do you believe”.
Real faith will cause us to change. A person cannot really believe in the Christ and not be submissive to Him. Those that mentally acknowledge Christ, but never come to the place where they truly surrender their lives to Him are counted as unbelievers.
We can never be worthy in ourselves; God is the one that takes care of that by cleansing us from our sins. But we can be faithful! This is really what God is concerned about – our faithfulness. Jesus speaking to the church of Smyrna in Revelation said “be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.” The Apostle Paul said in I Timothy that the Lord counted him faithful and put him in the ministry.
We should not be concerned about feelings of whether we deserve God’s blessings or not. God blesses us according to His goodness, not ours. We do need to concern ourselves about our faithfulness though. Romans 1:17 says “For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.”
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