When Jesus came to earth as a man, He didn't give up any of His rights
as a deity. He always was and always will be God. But coming in the form
of a man He submitted himself to the limitations of His flesh. (There
are great legal ramifications in this, which is how He was able to undo
the kingdom of darkness submitting Himself to His own laws. The greatest
strategy ever conceived.) He relied upon and
was empowered completely by the Holy Spirit during His ministry here
2000 yrs. ago. You and I, as born-again believers, have that same
opportunity today.
"Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing
by taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
by becoming obedient to death —
even death on a cross!" ~ Philippians 2:6-8
Saturday, July 28, 2012
Thursday, July 12, 2012
Receive God's Grace
If faith comes by hearing the word of Christ (and it does), then doubt and unbelief come by hearing everything the world has to offer. Everything that passes through our eye and ear gates creates something in our souls. The Word of God produces peace, love, holiness - God's character. The World produces doubt, unbelief, rebelliion, evil desires, etc. Thus we have the average carnal American Christian, full of the world and barely allowing for any quality time with the Lord. All anyone has to do is listen to us speak, or read what we write, and see the fruit of our intake...because out of the overflow of the heart our mouths will speak (or we will write).
Remedy = Read & Meditate on the Word of God (Bible), Prayer (two way conversatiion), true Christian Fellowship and Godly conversation, better choices concerning what we see and listen to. Then, all of this will just be works without the power of the Holy Spirit, so ask the Giver for the Gift. He will not turn you down. God loves you. He wants you to connect with Him through the channels He has provided so that your faith muscles will grow. Then you will be able to appropriate, by faith, all that He has provided by grace.
"So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God."~ Romans 10:17
"Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word," ~ Eph. 5:25-26
"I will set before my eyes no vile thing..." ~ Ps.101:3
"Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will." ~ Romans 12:2
"If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!" ~ Luke 11:13
Remedy = Read & Meditate on the Word of God (Bible), Prayer (two way conversatiion), true Christian Fellowship and Godly conversation, better choices concerning what we see and listen to. Then, all of this will just be works without the power of the Holy Spirit, so ask the Giver for the Gift. He will not turn you down. God loves you. He wants you to connect with Him through the channels He has provided so that your faith muscles will grow. Then you will be able to appropriate, by faith, all that He has provided by grace.
"So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God."~ Romans 10:17
"Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word," ~ Eph. 5:25-26
"I will set before my eyes no vile thing..." ~ Ps.101:3
"Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will." ~ Romans 12:2
"If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!" ~ Luke 11:13
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
I AM WILLING - BE CLEAN
"While Jesus was in one of the towns, a man came along who was covered with leprosy. When he saw Jesus, he fell with his face to the ground and begged him, "Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean. Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. "I am willing," he said. "Be clean!" And immediately the leprosy left him. " ~ Luke 5:12-13
Jesus was approached by a man with a severe case of leprosy. It would not have been a pretty thing to look upon. He wasn't sure if Jesus would heal him, but he knew He could. Jesus made His will clear to the man by reaching out and touching him, and of course when He touched him...he was healed.
We desperately need to accept a couple of things here. Because our level of knowledge and belief in them have everything to do with living victorious lives as Christians. They need to be documented in our minds, our hearts...our souls. The first is God's will regarding physical healing. That leper didn't know whether or not Jesus was willing to heal him, but that is not the case for believers today. The Bible sets in place all the testimony and precedent we need to establish God's will concerning healing. It is always His will to heal. Never once does Jesus use sickness as punishment. Never once did He turn anyone away or even require anything of them, before He would heal them. He healed everyone who ever came to Him for healing. Yes in the old testament God put sickness on people who were rebellious. He was angry, and He even killed people. He had to deal harshly with people because they did not have the Holy Spirit and the only way to protect the majority of mankind from rebellion and the sin which was so prevelant was to make examples of some. But all of God's wrath has now been unleashed on Jesus Christ. He exhausted His judgment, punishment, and anger on Jesus as a way of reconciling us back to Himself. Now a just and holy God can look upon you, me, and whosoever will except the gift of salvation found in His son Jesus Christ and say 'their sins have been atoned for by the blood of Jesus'.
The other thing is this... His will to heal is not just for the physical body, but for our spirit man and for our soul or personality (consisting of our thoughts, will, and emotions). From the fall of man till the present day, every person born (apart from Jesus and John the Baptist) has been born captive to sin. When we make a commitment to trust in Jesus for our eternal redemption and make Him the Lord of our life, our spirit is set free from the bondage to sin; enabling us to live Godly lives.
"... just as the result of one trespass was condemnation for all men, so also the result of one act of righteousness was justification that brings life for all men." ~ Romans 5:18
This doesn't mean we don't still have the capacity to sin, we do. It just means we are no longer compelled to sin by an uncontrollable force, and if we do we have an advocate, the Lord Jesus Christ, praying for us, and HE IS ALWAYS WILLING AND ABLE to free us from the burden of guilt, condemnation, regret, and shame that can hinder us from living the abundant life of an over-comer He died to provide us with.
"If our hearts condemn us, we know that God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything." ~ 1 John 3:20
Dear brothers and sisters, remember this. No matter what sickness you face, and no matter what sin you have committed...Jesus is ALWAYS WILLING AND ABLE to heal you, forgive you, cleanse you, restore your confidence, and set you on a course of victory. Find out more about the superabundance of God's grace available to you through the atonement of Jesus as a New Covenant believer. God is not angry with you, and He has a perfect plan for your life. Learn how to appropriate all that He has for you by surrendering yourself to His love and amazing grace. Before long you will be so full of the love of God, you will be walking in faith, trusting in God, and loving His people with His kind of perfect love.
Thursday, June 21, 2012
OPEN UP TO GOD'S WORD AND FIND HIS WILL FOR YOUR LIFE
The one who received the seed that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful ~ Matthew 13:22
Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you. ~ 1 John 2:15
Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is. ~ Ephesians 5:17
Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will. ~ Romans 12:2
As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. ~ 1 Peter 1:14
For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. ~ Colossians ~ 1:9
And we also thank God continually because, when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is at work in you who believe. ~ 1 Thessalonians 2:13
Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ. ~ Romans 10:17
Monday, June 18, 2012
Friday, June 15, 2012
Penny For Your Thoughts
If your thoughts were posted on a TV screen on your forehead you
wouldn't have any problem controlling them. What are you choosing to
magnify today? Does it glorify God or the devil? The choice is yours.
Bitterness, anger, and selfish desires glorify and empower the enemy of
your soul. When you meditate on negative things you are submitting to
the evil one who is whispering in your ear. If someone offered you a "penny for your thoughts", would they be short-changed? Choose to meditate on positive possibilities, beautiful dreams, and goals that honor God. Fix your mind on Jesus.
"Summing it all up, friends, I'd say you'll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. Put into practice what you learned from me, what you heard and saw and realized. Do that, and God, who makes everything work together, will work you into his most excellent harmonies." ~ Phil. 4:8,9 MSG
"Summing it all up, friends, I'd say you'll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. Put into practice what you learned from me, what you heard and saw and realized. Do that, and God, who makes everything work together, will work you into his most excellent harmonies." ~ Phil. 4:8,9 MSG
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
From Death Unto Life
If you insist on having things your way in this brief life, then don't be surprised at what you get in the eternal one to come. But God's will is that you will accept Him and His Son Jesus Christ, and that you would have eternal life with them. Jesus is the answer.
"Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life."~Galatians 6:8
Then he (Jesus) called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it." ~ Mark 8:34-35 NIV
You may say:
"Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death?" ~ Romans 7:21-24
Jesus is the answer:
"Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!..." ~ Romans 7:25
"for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God," ~ Romans 3:23
"... the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." ~ Romans 6:23
"... God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." ~ Romans 5:8
" If you declare with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead,you will be saved." ~ Romans 10:9
...for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” ~ Romans 10:13
You may say, 'great, now what?'
"Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ," ~ Romans 5:1
"Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death. For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God.
You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ. But if Christ is in you, then even though your body is subject to death because of sin, the Spirit gives life because of righteousness. And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you.
Therefore, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation—but it is not to the flesh, to live according to it. For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live.
For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs —heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory. I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us." ~
Romans 8:1-18
"...now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life."~Romans 6:22
"For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." ~ Romans 8:38-39
"keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life."~ Jude 21
Thanks & Be Blessed,
Will Grace & Truth Ministries
http://www.facebook.com/GraceTruthMinistries
If you insist on having things your way in this brief life, then don't be surprised at what you get in the eternal one to come. But God's will is that you will accept Him and His Son Jesus Christ, and that you would have eternal life with them. Jesus is the answer.
"Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life."~Galatians 6:8
Then he (Jesus) called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it." ~ Mark 8:34-35 NIV
You may say:
"Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death?" ~ Romans 7:21-24
Jesus is the answer:
"Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!..." ~ Romans 7:25
"for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God," ~ Romans 3:23
"... the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." ~ Romans 6:23
"... God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." ~ Romans 5:8
" If you declare with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead,you will be saved." ~ Romans 10:9
...for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” ~ Romans 10:13
You may say, 'great, now what?'
"Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ," ~ Romans 5:1
"Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death. For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God.
You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ. But if Christ is in you, then even though your body is subject to death because of sin, the Spirit gives life because of righteousness. And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you.
Therefore, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation—but it is not to the flesh, to live according to it. For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live.
For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs —heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory. I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us." ~
Romans 8:1-18
"...now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life."~Romans 6:22
"For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." ~ Romans 8:38-39
"keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life."~ Jude 21
If you insist on having things your way in this brief life, then don't be surprised at what you get in the eternal one to come. But God's will is that you will accept Him and His Son Jesus Christ, and that you would have eternal life with them. Jesus is the answer.
"Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life."~Galatians 6:8
Then he (Jesus) called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it." ~ Mark 8:34-35 NIV
You may say:
"Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death?" ~ Romans 7:21-24
Jesus is the answer:
"Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!..." ~ Romans 7:25
"for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God," ~ Romans 3:23
"... the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." ~ Romans 6:23
"... God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." ~ Romans 5:8
" If you declare with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead,you will be saved." ~ Romans 10:9
...for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” ~ Romans 10:13
You may say, 'great, now what?'
"Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ," ~ Romans 5:1
"Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death. For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God.
You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ. But if Christ is in you, then even though your body is subject to death because of sin, the Spirit gives life because of righteousness. And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you.
Therefore, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation—but it is not to the flesh, to live according to it. For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live.
For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs —heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory. I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us." ~
Romans 8:1-18
"...now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life."~Romans 6:22
"For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." ~ Romans 8:38-39
"keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life."~ Jude 21
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