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Showing posts with label Perseverance. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Perseverance. Show all posts

Thursday, January 6, 2022

The Key That Unlocks The Fruit of the Spirit - Purity 621


The Key That Unlocks The Fruit of the Spirit -  Purity 621

Purity 621 01/06/2022  Purity 621 Podcast

Good morning,

Today’s photo of another absolutely stunning January sunset over the Hudson River comes to us from yours truly as I knew I just had to pull the car over to capture this sight from the shores of Castleton-On-the-Hudson NY because the light would soon be fading and this wonder would disappear over the horizon.  I am sharing a video I took of this scene on mt4christ.org today if you want to get another “live” view of what I was seeing.  



 Well it’s Thursday, and I normally share a photo of a pathway to encourage people to get on or to keep walking on the path of Christian Discipleship. Technically the Hudson River is a water pathway and I think today’s photo qualifies as a representation of a path to seek the Lord and signifies the wonder and the magnificence that one will experience when they decide to “pick up their cross” and follow Jesus. 

Today I am excited because this evening I will resume teaching Christian Discipleship as I will be hosting a Freedom in Christ Discipleship Course Men’s Group via Zoom!  The possible participants for tonight’s group span the east coast, hailing from as far north as Massachusetts and going as far south as Florida, with other states in between also possibly being represented.  

I say possible participants, because although several men have signed up for the course, they are only participants if they show up at tonight’s Zoom meeting.  I sent out an email this morning to remind and to encourage all the participants to attend tonight’s meeting, saying that a big part of our faith walk as Christians is “showing up”.  

If these men want to learn about and prayerfully experience their Freedom in Christ, it would help them a great deal to show up. Reading books or watching videos on our own can give understanding but I have learned that acts of faith and going into Christian communities to be vulnerable are things God uses to mature us in our faith.   

“Putting your money, where you mouth is” by investing your time and presence to pursue the Lord’s will for your life moves you closer to God and closer to the abundant life in the Spirit that He wants all His children to experience.   

Our friend in the UK, Philip Hand, recently sent me a poem that reflects my sentiments that it is through the Lord that we can find our freedom and that we can reflect God’s glory when we trust in Him and follow where He leads.   Philip’s poem reads:

 

The Key

Let go of your stress

the Lord is our rest.

His presence lifts our heads.

Sorrow and heartache flee,

his love is the key

to the cage that surrounds our hearts.

 

Wonderful is the one who’s crimson pierced hands

holds our lives in the safest of places.

 

The world will see

that we are free

 with the light of the Son on our faces.

-      Philip Hand

So, grab a hold of The Key, our Lord Jesus Christ, to unlock the mystery of life and to find out who you are in Christ, what your purpose in His kingdom is, and how to experience the fruit of the Spirit in your life on a continual basis.  

The peace, love, joy, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, patience, and self-control that you are seeking is only found in one place: in a relationship with God through faith in Jesus Christ.  To experience it, we have to “pick up our cross” and follow Jesus.  When the Lord calls you to find meaning and purpose for your life, you still have to answer the call. You still have to show up.     

 

Today’s Bible verse comes to us from “The NLT Bible Promise Book for Men”.

This morning’s meditation verse is:

Hebrews 3:14 (NLT2)
14  For if we are faithful to the end, trusting God just as firmly as when we first believed, we will share in all that belongs to Christ.

Today’s verse speaks of the need for us to persevere in our faith walk and of the rewards to be had.   

One of the  parables of Christ’s refers to the sowing of seed and speaks of some seed that fell on rocky soil that sprang up but quickly wilted and died and others that fell among thorns and were choked out.  

These two types of seeds were explained to be people who heard the gospel and accepted it but who didn’t stay in the faith, pointing to, depending upon your view, either carnal Christians who are saved but aren’t fruitful or it points to false converts, people who say and possibly believe they are Christians but who will be turned away by Christ as someone He didn’t know on judgement day to be cast in the outer darkness of Hell where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.  

Honestly, my interpretation of this parable agrees with what the word says: these seed die and are choked out, so I believe in the second view that people who seem to put their faith in Christ but who walk away from the church and are consumed by the things of this world more than the things of God are spiritually dead and will be lost as their loyalties to the things of this world or their love of themselves over their love for Christ will result in their eternal separation.  

With that said, I also believe that the Lord might not be done yet with some who we would think are unredeemable.  We don’t know how all our stories end yet so we should encourage people to believe in and follow Christ rather than declare that someone is reprobate and eternally lost.  

Knowing these spiritual realities, the author of Hebrews encourages us to be faithful to the end and to trust in the Lord like when we first believed to have the assurance that we will share in all that belongs to Christ. 

We don’t want to fall away or be corrupted by the world, the flesh, and the devil only to discover we really weren’t “in Christ”. 

The key to being faithful to the end is to be faithful today and set the intention to be faithful tomorrow. Our faith is supposed to be a daily spiritual practice and if we keep showing up to connect with God through our spiritual disciplines of gratitude, prayer, Bible study, kindness, and service we will know that “Wow, I really am a Christian!” and we can trust the Lord with our lives and be assured that we will share in all of the things that Christ has for us, both here and now and in His eternal Kingdom. 

So keep walking and talking with God. It’s the recipe for faithfulness and leads to the peace and joy that comes from knowing beyond a shadow of a doubt that we are His children.   

 

As always, I invite all to go to mt4christ.org where I always share insights from prominent Christian theologians and counselors to assist my brothers and sisters in Christ with their walk. 

Today we continue to share from Dr. Neil Anderson’s . “Restored: Experience Life with Jesus”. Today, we continue sharing from Chapter 3.   

As always, I share this information for educational purposes and encourage all to purchase Dr. Neil Anderson’s books for your own private study and to support his work.

Doctrinal Affirmation

·       I recognize that there is only one true and living God who exists as the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. He is worthy of all honor, praise, and glory as the One who made all things and holds all things together. (See Exodus 20:2-3; Colossians 1:16, 17.)

·       I recognize that Jesus Christ is the Messiah, the Word who became flesh and dwelt among us. I believe that He came to destroy the works of the devil, and that He disarmed the rulers and authorities and made a public display of them, having triumphed over them. (See John 1:1, 14; Colossians 2:15; 1 John 3:8.)

·       I believe that God demonstrated His own love for me in that while I was still a sinner, Christ died for me. I believe that He has delivered me from the domain of darkness and transferred me to His kingdom, and in Him I have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. (See Romans 5:8; Col. 1:13, 14.)

·       I believe that I am now a child of God and that I am seated with Christ in the heavenlies. I believe that I was saved by the grace of God through faith, and that it was a gift and not a result of any works on my part. (See Ephesians 2:6, 8, 9; 1 John 3:1-3.)

·       I choose to be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. I put no confidence in the flesh, for the weapons of warfare are not of the flesh but are divinely powerful for the destruction of strongholds. I put on the full armor of God. I resolve to stand firm in my faith and resist the evil one. (See 2 Corinthians 10:4; Ephesians 6:10-20; Philippians 3:3.)

·       I believe that apart from Christ I can do nothing, so I declare my complete dependence on Him. I choose to abide in Christ in order to bear much fruit and glorify my Father. I announce to Satan that Jesus is my Lord. I reject any and all counterfeit gifts or works of Satan in my life. (See John 15:5, 8; 1 Corinthians 12:3.)

·       I believe that the truth will set me free and that Jesus is the truth. If He sets me free, I will be free indeed. I recognize that walking in the light is the only path of true fellowship with God and man. Therefore, I stand against all of Satan’s deception by taking every thought captive in obedience to Christ. I declare that the Bible is the only authoritative standard for truth and life. (See John 8:32,36; 14:6; 2 Corinthians 10:5; 2 Timothy 3:15-17; 1 John 1:3-7.)

·       I choose to present my body to God as a living and holy sacrifice and the members of my body as instruments of righteousness. I choose to renew my mind by the living Word of God in order that I may prove that the will of God is good, acceptable, and perfect. I put off the old self with its evil practices and put on the new self. I declare myself to be a new creation in Christ. (See Romans 6:13; 12:1, 2; 2 Corinthians 5:17; Colossians 3:9, 10.)

·       By faith, I choose to be filled with the Spirit so that I can be guided into all truth. I choose to walk by the Spirit so that I will not carry out the desires of the flesh. (See John 16:13; Galatians 5:16; Ephesians 5:18.)

·       I renounce all selfish goals and choose the ultimate goal of love. I choose to obey the two greatest commandments: to love the Lord my God with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength and to love my neighbor as myself. (See Matthew 22:37-39; 1 Timothy 1:5.)

·       I believe that the Lord Jesus has all authority in heaven and on earth, and He is the head over all rule and authority. I am complete in Him. I believe that Satan and his demons are subject to me in Christ since I am a member of Christ’s body. Therefore, I obey the command to submit to God and resist the devil, and I command Satan in the name of Jesus Christ to leave my presence. (See Matthew 28:18; Ephesians 1:19-23; Colossians 2:10; James 4:7.)

There is no way that we can instantly renew our minds. Defense mechanisms and flesh patterns have been learned over time and they have to be unlearned, which will take time. The purpose in this Step is to identify the ways you have been deceived and expose unhealthy ways of thinking and believing. It reveals where you need to grow. You are not hopeless, and you don’t need someone else to do your thinking and believing for you. Such lies have been played over and over again in people’s minds. You must assume responsibility for choosing the truth, regardless of how your emotions feel.

Suppose there is a dirt road leading to your house in the country. If you continually drive over that road the same exact way, ruts will be formed over time. The sun will dry those ruts and make them hard as concrete. The easiest thing is to allow the car to drift along in those ruts. It will be a rough ride compared to the smooth ride that you could have on the surface right beside the ruts. You will immediately feel the resistance on the wheel to return to the ruts in the road when you only make a half-hearted effort to steer out of them.

If you want to get out of the rut, you will have to be totally committed and willing to make deliberate choices. In the same way, if you no longer want to be controlled by the strongholds or “rut thinking” that the world, the flesh and the devil has put in your mind over years, you need to be committed to breaking those strongholds and make deliberate choices based on the truth of God’s Word. You choose; you don’t passively let your old patterns of thinking decide. You take every thought captive in obedience to Christ and choose His truth. This is how we renew our minds—by knowing and choosing the truth, and by letting the Word of Christ richly dwell within us. (See Romans 12:2; Philippians 4:8; Colossians 3:16.)

 ---------------------------more tomorrow------------------------

 

Join our “Victory over the Darkness” or “The Bondage Breaker” series of Discipleship Classes via the mt4christ247 podcast!

at https://mt4christ247.podbean.com, You can also find it on Apple podcasts

(https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-mt4christ247s-podcast/id1551615154). The mt4christ247 podcast is also available on Google Podcasts, Amazon Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartradio, and Audible.com. 

Email me at mt4christ247@gmail.com to receive the class materials, share your progress, and to be encouraged.

 

Encouragement for the Path of Christian Discipleship

Tuesday, December 28, 2021

Walking out of the Woods – Leaving Things Behind and Seeking Him – Purity 613


 

Walking out of the Woods – Leaving Things Behind and Seeking Him – Purity 613

Purity 613 12/28/2021  Purity 613 Podcast

Good morning,

Today’s photo of the of white clouds and blue skies over weather stripped ice coated trees on the edge of Waite Road in Easton NY comes to us from yours truly and my afternoon stroll from this past Sunday.  Let’s face it the weather in upstate New York hasn’t given us too many blue skies as of late, heck they didn’t even last for the duration of that day, so I may be sharing more views from Sunday’s walk in the days ahead.   

Well it’s Tuesday, and I am sharing today’s photo because of its simple beauty and to represent that “we aren’t out of the woods yet” in so many ways.  

Spiritually, as Christians, even though we just finished celebrating Jesus’ coming as a babe in a manger on Saturday, we are still awaiting His second coming where he will come to rule and regain as King. 

In terms of the days on the calendar, we are quickly moving out of December and 2021, but we still have a few days until we get there and still have time to possibly get some business finished and resolve some things before the new year. 

In terms of the season, we may be past the winter solstice and the darkest day of the year and will experience increasing light that will peak at the spring equinox on March 20, 2022, but we still have to walk through a few months of winter to get there.    

And as the news will tell you, although many measures have been instituted to try to control “Covid-19”, and now all of its derivatives, we are apparently still not out of the woods yet of the pandemic according to the media.  Yesterday’s post spoke of my concerns of whether or not people’s fear of death would ever allow us to be “out of the woods” of Covid-19 protective measures and tried to encourage that we seek the Lord and speak of the protection and eternal life that comes through faith in Christ to a world that desperately needs it but that may claim to know better.

In truth, our lives are continuous, and we will always be in the process of leaving or entering wilderness periods in our lives as we face the changing situations that come with the passing of days.  

As we are bearers of the message of God’s light and truth that has been revealed to us in the person of Jesus Christ, sometimes it is extremely challenging to continue walking out our faith and speaking the truth of hope that only comes through Jesus. 

Christians are villainized as ignorant, unloving, intolerant, unscientific, hateful, backwards, and legalistic for the message of the exclusivity of Christ to save and for agreeing with what the word of God defines as sin.    

As much as we would like to please others and just to “get along” with everyone, Christ’s example shows us that we are to stand for the Truth of God’s word and not compromise our convictions. 

The bad news is that, even though we have been forgiven and made spiritually alive because our faith in Jesus Christ, we can still make mistakes and falter in the things we do and the words we say.  

However, the good news is that when we make mistakes we can take corrective action and seek to reestablish our harmony with God by asking for His forgiveness once again and choose to turn again to His truth and His ways for living. 

This process of seeking to know God and to make Him known in the ways we think and act, and the many adjustments that we will make as we progress into the future, is what is referred to as ‘walking in the Spirit” or “being conformed to the image of Christ”. 

It is not always clear sailing of the high seas of Christian Discipleship, and we often find ourselves in conflict with the world, the flesh, and the devil as we try to walk it out our Christian faith.     

Jesus promised persecution to His followers. So we can expect to be bruised and battered on occasion as we go, but as Christ’s disciples we really don’t have a choice but to continue on and to speak the truth in love knowing that the world will hate us because it hated Jesus too.  

So today I would just encourage us all to think about the final days of this year and if possible use the time that remains before the new year to resolve issues that we would like to leave behind in 2021 and seek to prepare ourselves for the hope of yet another “new beginning” in 2022. 

We may be able to put somethings to rest. We may be able to get rid of somethings that weigh us down that we don’t want to carry anymore.  We may be able to take some steps into a direction that leads to increasing freedom and victory.   

Although we can’t control the situations and people in our lives, we can control what we put our hearts, minds, and efforts to.  I would encourage you that the best plan for your life involves coming into agreement with what the word of God says and seeking the purpose that God has for your life.  

Christ encouraged us to look past this world and seek His heavenly Father’s ways for living. 

In Matthew 6:33 (NKJV), Christ told us to
33  … seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.

“All these things” was referring to the things we need in life, and our seeking God’s kingdom and His righteousness would result in us receiving them. 

In Matthew 7:7 (NKJV), Jesus again encouraged His disciples to:
7  "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.

Christ encourages us to actively seek and ask for what He has for our lives and, as this verse indicates, when we seek and ask for it, God will give it to us.   

So look at the remaining days of 2021 and contemplate what needs to be left behind to draw closer to what Lord has for your life.  As a fellow disciple of Christ, I encourage you to know that what Christ said is true and that when you seek and ask for it you will receive all the things that God has for you.  

So although we might not be out of the woods yet in many ways, keep walking and talking with God because His ways are the best ways, and He will guide you out of the wilderness and bring you to where you should be.

 

Today’s Bible verse comes to us from “The NLT Bible Promise Book for Men”.

This morning’s meditation verse is: 

Ephesians 1:22 (NLT2)
22  God has put all things under the authority of Christ and has made him head over all things for the benefit of the church.  

Today’s verse makes it clear that Jesus is in control, and it reminds us that is a good thing for the church.  

Jesus proclaimed the truth of this verse in one of the concluding verses of Matthew’s gospel, when He said in:

Matthew 28:18 (NKJV)
18  … "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.

This spiritual reality will become clear and will ultimately come to bear when Christ returns to reclaim and judge the earth but the truth of this reality exists here and now and can be experienced when we come into a covenant relationship with Jesus and share in His authority as Christians. 

That’s why this verse in Ephesians speaks of the fact that Christ’s receiving authority over all things is for the benefit of the church.  It is for the benefit of the church because we can claim and utilize the authority that Christ has over all things.  

While God may bless us by using Christ’s authority to answer our prayers to give us the desires of our hearts or to give us the gifts of the Spirit, the most profound way that the church can benefit from Christ’s authority over all things is in the area of personal sanctification. 

Christ’s authority is used for God’s purposes, not our personal desires.  So while we might not be successful in claiming Christ’s authority over all situations and in influencing other people because of our lack discernment or wisdom, the word of God states that our sanctification is God’s will for our lives.  

So we can claim the victory over sin and death that Christ’s authority has given us to conquer our fear of death and to align our thoughts and behavior to be more like Christ’s.   

Exercising Christ’s authority over our lives is just a matter of knowing who we are in Christ, believing what the word of God says, and applying it to our lives in our thoughts and actions.  

We most benefit as the church when we exercise Christ’s authority to be more like Him and to encourage others to join His kingdom and us as we seek to do His will for our lives.     

So claim the authority that Christ has intended for our benefit and use it for good in our lives and for God’s purposes. 

 

As always, I invite all to go to mt4christ.org where I always share insights from prominent Christian theologians and counselors to assist my brothers and sisters in Christ with their walk. 

Today we continue to share from Dr. Neil Anderson’s . “Restored: Experience Life with Jesus”. Today, we continue sharing from Chapter 1.    

As always, I share this information for educational purposes and encourage all to purchase Dr. Neil Anderson’s books for your own private study and to support his work.

SAVED BY THE GRACE OF GOD THROUGH FAITH

The only way we can enter into this new life is by putting our faith and trust totally in God and relying on the work of Christ alone to save us. “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.”21 If you have never received this free gift from God, why don’t you do so right now? God knows your heart, and you can respond to Him by praying:

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for sending Jesus to die on the cross for my sins. I acknowledge that I have sinned and that I cannot save myself. I believe that Jesus came to give me eternal and spiritual life, and by faith I now choose to receive You into my life as my Lord and my Savior. By the power of Your indwelling presence, enable me to be the person You created me to be. I pray that You would grant me repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, so that I can experience my new identity and freedom in Christ and be transformed by the renewing of my mind. In Jesus’ precious name I pray. Amen.

The Apostle John wrote, “As many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name.”22 “See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God; and such we are.”23 Jesus instructed His disciples to address our prayers to, “Our Father who is in heaven,”24 which also means that we are His children. Knowing who you are as a child of God is critical for your growth in Christ and in becoming the person God intends you to be. No person can consistently behave in a way that is inconsistent with what they believe about themselves. That is why the Holy Spirit bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God.25 Our heavenly Father wants us to know that we are His children.

Yet Jesus came not only came to die for our sins and give us new life in Him, but also to supply all our needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.26 He gave us life, and this life gives us our true identity as children of God. He meets our needs of acceptance, security, and significance as follows:

IN CHRIST

I am accepted:

John 1:12            I am God’s child.

John 15:15          I am Jesus’ chosen friend.

Rom 5:1               I have been made holy and accepted by God (justified).

1 Cor 6:17            I am united with the Lord and one with Him in spirit.

1 Cor 6:20            I have been bought with a price-- I belong to God.

1 Cor 12:27          I am a member of Christ’s body, part of His family.

Eph1:1                I am a saint, a holy one.

Eph 1:5               I have been adopted as God’s child.

Eph 2:18              I have direct access to God through the Holy Spirit.

Col1:14                I have been bought back (redeemed) and forgiven of all my sins.

Col 2:10               I am complete in Christ.

I am secure:

Rom 8:1, 2           I am free forever from punishment (condemnation).

Rom 8:28             I am assured that all things work together for my good.

Rom 8:31F           I am free from any condemning charges against me.

Rom 8:35F           I cannot be separated from the love of God.

2 Cor 1:21            I have been established, anointed, and sealed by God.

Col 3:3                 I am hidden with Christ in God.

Phil 1:6                I am sure the good work God has started in me will be finished.

Phil 3:20              I am a citizen of heaven.

2 Tim 1:7             I have not been given a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and a sound mind.

Heb 4:16              I can find grace and mercy in time of need.

1 John 5:18         I am born of God and the evil one cannot touch me.

I am significant:

Matt 5:13             I am salt and light for everyone around me.

John 15:1-5         I am a part of the true vine, joined to Christ and able to produce much fruit.

John 15:16          I have been handpicked by Jesus to bear fruit.

Acts 1:8               I am a personal witness of Christ’s.

1 Cor 3:16            I am God’s temple where the Holy Spirit lives.

2 Cor 5:17            I am at peace with God, and He has given me the work of making peace between Himself and other people. I am a minister of reconciliation.

2 Cor 6:1             I am God’s co-worker.

Eph 2:6               I am seated with Christ in the heavenly places.

Eph 2:10              I am God’s workmanship.

Eph 3:12              I may approach God with freedom and confidence.

Phil 4:13              I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

All these statements are true because of our union with God. This new life in Christ, which is our union with God, is most often referred to in the Bible as being “in Christ” or “in Him.” For every verse in the Bible that talks about Christ being in God’s children, there are ten verses that talk about God’s children being “in Christ.” For instance, the six chapters of the book of Ephesians contain forty references to being “in Christ.” In total, there are 27 books in the New Testament. The first four are historical and are called the gospels, which describe the birth, life, death, burial, and resurrection of Christ. The fifth book of Acts is an historical book depicting the life of the early church and the work of the Apostles, who also wrote the rest of the New Testament under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. These Epistles provide instruction for the church, which is the living body of Christ. The entire Bible was written over a period of 1400 years by forty different authors who all wrote under the inspiration of God. The Bible is therefore the authoritative Word for life and practice of all God’s people. After Jesus was resurrected, He appeared to His disciples and hundreds of others who were still alive when the New Testament was being written.27 He was with them for around fifty days, and then went home to Heaven. He now sits at the right hand of God the Father, which is the spiritual throne and the seat of authority for the universe.

After Jesus was glorified in Heaven, the Holy Spirit was sent to all those who believe in the finished work of Jesus. The pouring out of the Holy Spirit came at the Jewish feast of Pentecost, which marks the beginning of the Church. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Truth28 and dwells in every believer the moment they are born again spiritually. The Holy Spirit will lead you into all truth, and that truth will set you free.

---------------------------more tomorrow------------------------

 

Join our “Victory over the Darkness” or “The Bondage Breaker” series of Discipleship Classes via the mt4christ247 podcast!

at https://mt4christ247.podbean.com, You can also find it on Apple podcasts

(https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-mt4christ247s-podcast/id1551615154). The mt4christ247 podcast is also available on Google Podcasts, Amazon Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartradio, and Audible.com. 

Email me at mt4christ247@gmail.com to receive the class materials, share your progress, and to be encouraged.

 

Encouragement for the Path of Christian Discipleship

Saturday, August 14, 2021

I’ll Be There - Showing Up – Accepting God’s Invitations - Purity 497


 
I’ll Be There - Showing Up – Accepting God’s Invitations

Purity 497 08/14/2021 Purity 497 Podcast

Good morning

Today’s photo of a simple pine tree under the blue skies of June comes to us from a friend in Cairo NY who was looking for someone to cut down said tree a couple of months ago.  I don’t know if this tree still stands or if it was taken out, but I remember thinking that it didn’t seem like a “bad tree” to me, and that this was a nice photo of early June. 

I share it because I have trees on my mind as I inexplicably have offered my help a friend to cut up a damaged tree on their property as they look to make their land as presentable as possible as they want to sell their home to launch a new life.  Unfortunately, the tree isn’t the only thing damaged in this situation and I can only explain my willingness to help to be a prompting of the Holy Spirit as I don’t like yard work, at all.  

If you would like to question that statement, I would invite you to come view the Hudson River natural terrarium of wild growth that has sprung to life along the fence line of my property “Down by The River”. What the lawn mower couldn’t reach because of the previous owner’s penchant for building a border of buried bricks along the right side of my property has been allowed to grow wild , creating two and a half feet of “river forest” with 5 foot tall weeds and even a couple of trees that don’t realize that their protected habitat will most likely be destroyed in the cooler months of autumn when I finally dig up the jagged brick barrier and lay to waste most of what is thriving there today, or I won’t. 

Any way we have made it to the weekend, and I hope that most of my friends will use it to rest and relax, but I am sure that there are others like me that will be using today and tomorrow to be “stewards of what God has given us” by performing yard work or by helping friends or neighbors with other projects.  The Lord has commanded us to love our neighbors as ourselves and one of the ways we show that love is by helping our neighbors or friends in need.          

Before coming to Christ, I always had a steadfast belief that I was on my own.  I couldn’t ask anyone for help.  If I ever needed help, I might call my father for some advice but for the most part I would either “do it myself” or I would pay for someone to do it for me.  

But then I met my pastor, Jaron Halsted. One of the things that I learned from Jaron was this. He once told me that all of us would be remembered as one of two things. We would be remembered as someone who “had problems” or as someone who “fixed problems”.   And Jaron has proven that he is a sterling example of the second kind of person as He is a faithful friend and servant leader of His church, doing all types of things to solve the problems of his flock and the community at large.   

When you see faith in action, like you see it in Jaron Halsted, you realize that we really are God’s hands and feet and that we are created for the good works that God has prepared for us to walk into.  

As Christians, the basic good work that we all can easily perform regardless of our personal gifts is “showing up”.  Regular attendance at weekly church services should be a “work” that we perform without question, as our simple presence at church both edifies ourselves and encourages the other believers there. 

“I’ll be there.” is God’s first promise to us as we can stand in the assurance of His presence because He will never leave us or forsake us.  So as Christ followers, we should “be there” for the people that God has put in our lives.  

As we walk in faith, God will lead us into good works by putting people in need in our path. God never forces us to help others but if we are in a relationship with Him, the Holy Spirit will invariably give us “intuitions” to do good deeds that go against our selfish natures.  I consider these “intuitions” or “impressions” to be God’s invitations.  

While we can say “Thanks but no thanks” to these leadings, I have discovered that when we step out in faith to help or pray for others we receive more than we give because the Lord will use our service to mature us in our faith.   Not only do we bless the people we choose to help, but the Lord also uses our willingness to bless us.  

I will keep it real by saying that some of the Lord’s invitations to service have been a whole lot of hard work and may have caused a fair share of frustration and annoyance but no matter how tired or bent out of shape I may have been mentally or emotionally during those assignments, I never regretted them because the work was a good thing to do and the motivation behind it was pure.  The work I have been “called” to do wasn’t to please some human agent it was to be faithful to do what God put before me.   

We exercise our faith by “showing up”. While many may say they would like to help, will pray for you, or may even promise to “be there.”, our faith is shown by actually showing up and doing what we are called to do.  Our doing the will of God is the test. 

At various times in life,  I have  entered into periods of testing in groups where others have spoken out with much bravado of their intentions to stay the course and to accomplish the goal. While some will pound their chests and boldly proclaim that they will do it, I tend to remain silent and just make a mental determination to persevere.  

The thing I have noticed over the years in these various periods of testing is that often the ones who boldly speak of how they “will do it” or how they “will definitely be there” are the ones who never show up, disappear before the job is done, or who end up quitting. 

Not me, if I have any power it is tenacity and “suffering through”. I am just either too dumb, loyal, or stubborn to walk away but I am also very hesitant to make any promises that I might not be able to keep. I try not to make any claims that I will do a “great job” or “everything will be perfect”. When I am called by the Lord to do something, I just try to be faithful at “showing up” and doing what I can.    

And that’s the great thing about God. He doesn’t expect you to do “everything right”. He’s got perfect knowledge so He already knows that you can’t.   He is not asking us for perfection. He is just asking us to be faithful to hear His voice, answer when He calls, and to follow where He leads. 

So as we walk through this weekend if you get one of God’s “invitations” don’t worry about the results. God will take care of those.  

Just know that if you answer the call, God will delight over you for “showing up”, and that your efforts will not only bless the ones in need that you are called to assist, but they will also cause you to grow in your faith and in your relationship with the One who works all things together for your good.  

As you put your faith into action, you will discover that some of those things that work together for your good, are the very invitations that the Lord allows you to freely choose to accept.  You never know how the Lord will bless you, but you can be sure that we never benefit from the opportunities that we say no to.  

You may faithfully serve 9 times out of ten with no benefits or revelations and you may wonder why you even have faith. But brother or sister, can I tell you, on that 10th time the floodgates of heaven just may open up and launch you into dimensions of faith and maturity that can carry you through the rest of your life.  

But if you don’t go, if you don’t answer, if you aren’t faithful, you will never know what God has for you.  

So say yes to God, and say yes again, and again.   Let Him know that you appreciate how He is always there for you and that you are willing to humbly walk into the unknown future He has for you without fear. Let Him know that you will show up.  Say to Him with confidence: “Father when you call me… I’ll be there.”   

 

This morning’s meditation verse is:

1 Thessalonians 2:4 (NKJV)
4  But as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, even so we speak, not as pleasing men, but God who tests our hearts.

Today’s verse speaks of the tremendous gift that we have been entrusted with and that if we are God’s children our words will glorify and be pleasing to Him.  

Our faith is nothing to sneeze at. If you look at the brokenness of the world and how utterly sad and hopeless the people are that don’t have faith, you should realize how very valuable the gospel is and how we have been amazingly blessed to receive it.  

The gospel of Jesus Christ answers all the questions of life and death.   The gospel provides meaning and purpose. It explains the past and gives hope for the future. The gospel tells the story of a loving Creator who gave those He made in His image the choice to love Him or not and how He provides a way to make peace with Him through Jesus Christ.   

 The gospel shows us that the most important thing in our lives is our relationship with God and puts the rest of our earthly concerns in their proper context.   No matter what may befall us on earth or how we may be abused by our fellow man, we know that our relationship with God is more important. 

 So because we have been given the gift of truth and eternal life through the God given revelation of the gospel of Jesus Christ, our purpose is to share it by speaking to others about God’s love and His redemptive plan for them.  

 Recently, we have reviewed other verses that have shown us that our priority and purpose in life as Christians is to live in a way that is pleasing to the Lord, and it is only appropriate that we use the breath that God has given us to speak of the wonders of His love.  


As always, I invite all to go to mt4christ.org where I always share insights from prominent Christian counselors to assist my brothers and sisters in Christ with their walk. 

 

Today we continue with Dr. Neil Anderson’s Victory Over the Darkness, continuing in Chapter 11.

 

As always, I share this information for educational purposes and encourage all to purchase Dr. Anderson’s books for your own private study and to support his work. If you need this title you can find it online at several sites for less than $15.00:

Twelve Steps to Forgiveness

The victim may say, "I can't forgive these people. You don't know how bad they hurt me." The problem is, they are still hurting you. How do you stop the pain? Forgiveness is what sets us free from the past. What is to be gained in forgiving is freedom. You don't heal in order to forgive. You forgive in order to heal. Forgiveness is to set a captive free and then to realize you were the captive. You don't forgive others for their sake; you do it for your sake. Those you need to forgive may never be aware of your choice to let them off your hook. Forgiveness is the fragrance that is left on the heel that crushed the violet.

Following are 12 steps you can use to walk through the process of forgiving others from your heart. Following these steps will help you unchain yourself from the past and get on with your life:

1. Ask the Lord to reveal to your mind the people you need to forgive. Then write on a sheet of paper the names of those who offended you. Of the hundreds of people who have completed this list in my counseling office, 95 percent put father and mother as numbers one and two. Three out of the first four names on most lists are close relatives. When making a list, the two most overlooked people are God and yourself. Concerning your relationship with God, only He can forgive your sins, and He has never sinned. We haven't always appropriated that forgiveness, and sometimes we are bitter toward God because we hold false expectations of Him. We need to release God from those false expectations and appropriate God's forgiveness.

2. Acknowledge the hurt and the hate. As you work through the list of people you need to forgive, state specifically for what you are forgiving them (e.g., rejection; deprivation of love; injustice; unfairness; physical, verbal, sexual or emotional abuse; betrayal; neglect and so on). Also state how their offenses made you feel. Remember: It is not a sin to acknowledge the reality of your emotions. God knows exactly how you feel, whether you admit it or not. If you bury your feelings, you will bypass the possibility of forgiveness. You must forgive from your heart.

3. Understand the significance of the Cross. The cross of Christ makes forgiveness legally and morally right. Jesus took upon Himself all the sins of the world—including yours and those of the persons who have offended you—and He died "once for all" (Hebrews 10:10). The heart cries, "It isn't fair! Where's the justice?" It is in the Cross.

4. Decide you will bear the burden of each person's sin (see Galatians 6:1, 2). This means you will not retaliate in the future by using the information about their sin against them (see Proverbs 17:9; Luke 6:27-34). All true forgiveness is substitutionary, as was Christ's forgiveness of us. That doesn't mean you tolerate sin or refuse to testify in a court of law. You may have to do that for justice to prevail. Just make sure you have forgiven that person from your heart first.

5. Decide to forgive. Forgiveness is a crisis of the will, a conscious choice to let the other person off the hook and to free yourself from the past. You may not feel like doing it, but it is necessary for your sake. If God tells you to forgive from your heart, be assured He will enable you to do it. The other person may truly be in the wrong and subject to church discipline or legal action. That is not your primary concern. Your first concern is to receive freedom from your past and stop the pain. Make that decision now; your feelings of forgiveness will follow in time.

6. Take your list to God and pray the following: "I forgive (name) for (list all the offenses and how they made you feel)." Stay with each person on the list until every remembered pain has been specifically addressed. That includes every sin of commission as well as omission. If you have felt bitter toward this person for some time, you may want to find a Christian counselor or trusted friend to assist you in the process. Don't say, "I want to forgive so and so," or "Lord, help me to forgive so and so." That is bypassing your responsibility and choice to forgive.

7. Destroy the list. You are now free. Do not tell the offenders what you have done. Your need to forgive others is between you and God only! The person you may need to forgive could be dead. Forgiveness may lead you to be reconciled to others, but whether or not that happens is not totally dependent upon you. Your freedom in Christ cannot be dependent upon others whom you have no right or ability to control.

8. Do not expect that your decision to forgive will result in major changes in the other persons. Instead, pray for them (see Matthew 5:44) so they, too, may find the freedom of forgiveness (see 2 Cor. 2:7).

9. Try to understand the people you have forgiven, but don't rationalize their behavior. It could lead to incomplete forgiveness. For instance, don't say, "I forgive my father because I know he really didn't mean it." That would be excusing him and bypassing your pain and the need to forgive from the heart.

10. Expect positive results of forgiveness in you. In time you will be able to think about the people without triggering primary emotions. That doesn't mean you will like those who are abusive. It means you are free from them. Old feelings may try to recycle themselves. When that happens, stop and thank God for His provision and don't pick up those old offenses again. You dealt with it; now let it go.

11. Thank God for the lessons you have learned and the maturity you have gained as a result of the offenses and your decision to forgive the offenders (see Romans 8:28, 29).

12. Be sure to accept your part of the blame for the offenses you suffered. Confess your failure to God (see 1 John 1:9) and to others (see James 5:16) and realize that if someone has something against you, you must go to that person and be reconciled (see Matthew 5:23-26).


Victory Over the Darkness: Realizing the Power of Your Identity in Christ.

---------------------------more tomorrow------------------------

 

God bless you all!

 

Join our “Victory over the Darkness” or “The Bondage Breaker” series of Discipleship Classes via the mt4christ247 podcast!

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Encouragement for the Path of Christian Discipleship