Tag: #Christianity

A Life that is Changed

Most people want change in their lives and even permanent changes. We can try harder but often that leaves us feeling even more defeated. If we are honest with ourselves then all of us feel a need for there to be some changes in our life. All of us have failed in some way. The Bible affirms that truth that we feel within ourselves.

Romans 3:23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

Sin is basically we have fallen short of what we should be in God’s eye.We have missed the mark of what we should be. If we had perfect parents and a perfect environment we would still mess up.

Genesis 2:7-9 Then the Lord God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being. The Lord God planted a garden toward the east, in Eden; and there He placed the man whom He had formed. Out of the ground the Lord God caused to grow every tree that is pleasing to the sight and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

Adam and Eve had a perfect Father and a perfect environment and yet they still chose to go their own way. Sin is us going our own way and doing our own thing. Sin is not doing what the Lord has commanded for us because…we really want to do something else.

Genesis 2:15-17 Then the Lord God took the man and put him into the garden of Eden to cultivate it and keep it. The Lord God commanded the man, saying, “From any tree of the garden you may eat freely; but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die.

We can not change ourselves because of our sin nature. We sin because we are sinners. We were not made that way but we became that way due to our going astray from what we were told to do. We thought that something else was better.

Genesis 3:1-4 Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, “Indeed, has God said, ‘You shall not eat from any tree of the garden’?” The woman said to the serpent, “From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat; but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat from it or touch it, or you will die.’” The serpent said to the woman, “You surely will not die!

Our sin began by doubting and questioning God. Satan is the source of this doubting of God. These doubts may come through your thought life or someone else, such as, “if God were good He would not allow…” or “it really does not mean that” or “God will understand, you have no other choice”. If you do this…”surely you will not die!”. But God says that when we sin we have violated ourselves and something within us is changed. The word violate means “to change”. The more we sin the more we are changed but it is not a good change. It is a change away from the image of God. There is only one hope for us to be changed back into God’s image. God’s image is good, acceptable and perfect. The change does not happen over night but it begins in one instant and that is when Jesus Christ comes to live within our hearts. He begins to change us from the inside out.

II Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.

We literally become a new person on the inside because the Lord gives us a new heart.

Ezekiel 11:19,20 Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.

The Lord gives you a new start in life and this time He says that He will live through you and change you into His image. He only takes away the bad and makes you into the person that He has created you to be.

Galatians 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.

Are there changes to be made in your life? Let Him change you and transform your life into the beautiful person He created you to be. When He made you, He said, “It is good.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

We can try to lower the standard but when we fall short of that standard then we feel even more of a failure, whether it is in our personal discipline, relationships, responsibilities, goals or resolutions. We long for acceptance with ourselves, others and God.

A Life Where Thou Art

The first question the Lord asked man was, “Where are thou?”.

Genesis 3:9 And the Lord God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou?

The man and the woman were made to be with the Lord. He made them for them to have fellowship with Him and for them to enter into His joy.

Psalm 16:11 You will make known to me the path of life;
In Your presence is fullness of joy;
In Your right hand there are pleasures forever.

Man disobeyed the Lord and for the first time fear entered into man. Man began his long and lonely journey of hiding from God.

Genesis 3:10 He said, “I heard the sound of You in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid myself.”

God came to earth as a man and His name is Jesus Christ, so that He could restore us back into a right relationship with Himself. He took the penalty and the separation from God that we deserved so that we might be restored back into fellowship with Him. Jesus is the Word of God. Jesus was in the beginning with God and all things came into being through Him. Jesus Christ is God and has always been God.

John 1:1-3 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.

Jesus, the Word, became flesh and dwelt among men. He is the only begotten Son of God, which means that He is the One and only Son of God. The Father gave His Son to restore us to Himself.

John 1:14 And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.

As many as receive Jesus Christ, to them He gives the right to become one of His children, adopted into His family and to live forever with Him. They are born again.

John 1:12,13 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

Since God’s love is unconditional and perfect, one of the first things He does after restoring us to Himself is that He casts out all fear.

I John 4:18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love.

What is the evidence of someone who has been restored into a relationship with God. They will love others and especially will love Christians.

I John 4:7-11 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love. By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we 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.

He is still asking, “Where art Thou?”.

 

A Life that Receives Instruction

The Bible describes a fool as one who will not receive instruction. A wise person receives instruction, benefits from it and is blessed. A wise person seeks out instruction and is grateful for it. A wise person’s life is saved through instruction. The Lord wants to give us instruction on how to live that we may truly experience life and not death.

Psalm 78:1 Listen, O my people, to my instruction; Incline your ears to the words of my mouth.

He will become your gold and your treasure when you learn to receive His instruction. Good will come to you and you will be at peace with God. He will restore you where you are broken. You will find delight in Him and He will hear your prayers. He will become your Savior and your Deliverer. Return to Him if you have strayed from Him and receive His instruction.

Job 22:21-30 “Yield now and be at peace with Him;
Thereby good will come to you.
“Please receive instruction from His mouth
And establish His words in your heart.
“If you return to the Almighty, you will be restored;
If you remove unrighteousness far from your tent,
And place your gold in the dust,
And the gold of Ophir among the stones of the brooks,
Then the Almighty will be your gold
And choice silver to you.
“For then you will delight in the Almighty
And lift up your face to God.
“You will pray to Him, and He will hear you;
And you will pay your vows.
“You will also decree a thing, and it will be established for you;
And light will shine on your ways.
“When you are cast down, you will speak with confidence,
And the humble person He will save.
“He will deliver one who is not innocent,
And he will be delivered through the cleanness of your hands.”

Don’t be a fool but learn to fear the Lord. He is good and He loves you. He will forgive you of any wrong doing and He will instruct you in the way you should go.

Proverbs 1:7 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; Fools despise wisdom and instruction.

When He gives you instruction then do it, exactly as He says.

Proverbs 4:13 Take hold of instruction; do not let go. Guard her, for she is your life.

Don’t neglect your time in His Word for it is through His Word that He will give you instruction.

Proverbs 8:33 “Heed instruction and be wise, And do not neglect it.

He came that you might have life and His instruction will keep you on the path of life. Is there something that He has been trying to tell you?

Proverbs 10:17 He is on the path of life who heeds instruction, But he who ignores reproof goes astray.

Don’t ignore what the Old Testament has to say for it was written for our instruction so that through perseverance and the encouragement of His Word we might have hope.

Romans 15:4 For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.

The Lord has put people in our lives to give us instruction. Listen to them. For they will give an account to the Lord.

I Thessalonians 5:12 But we request of you, brethren, that you appreciate those who diligently labor among you, and have charge over you in the Lord and give you instruction,

Finally, as the Lord has called all of us to instruct others, let it be done according to God’s Word, with great patience.

II Timothy 4:2 preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction.

Always, let the goal of our instruction be love…that others might love the Lord and excel in loving others. That the world might know that we are Christians by our love for one another.

I Timothy 1:5 But the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.

 

 

A Life that Worships the Savior

We all worship something but there is only One God who is the true God and He is the God of gods, Lord of lords and King of kings. He alone is worthy of all honor and worship.

I Timothy 6:14-16 that you keep the commandment without stain or reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, which He will bring about at the proper time—He who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone possesses immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see. To Him be honor and eternal dominion! Amen.

The angels worship Him and when they speak of Him they continue to worship Him.

Luke 2:10-13a But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God

When the shepherds heard of Him they came and worshiped Jesus Christ the King of kings.

Luke 2:15-20 When the angels had gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds began saying to one another, “Let us go straight to Bethlehem then, and see this thing that has happened which the Lord has made known to us.”So they came in a hurry and found their way to Mary and Joseph, and the baby as He lay in the manger. When they had seen this, they made known the statement which had been told them about this Child. And all who heard it wondered at the things which were told them by the shepherds. But Mary treasured all these things, pondering them in her heart. The shepherds went back, glorifying and praising God for all that they had heard and seen, just as had been told them.

When the wise men heard of Jesus, they came to worship Him.

Matthew 2:2 “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him.”

When they found the Christ child then they fell down and worshiped Him giving to Him their treasures.

Matthew 2:11 After coming into the house they saw the Child with Mary His mother; and they fell to the ground and worshiped Him. Then, opening their treasures, they presented to Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

Have you found Jesus Christ? Have you worshiped Him and are you giving Him your treasures? True worship comes from the heart but is expressed through the physical. Have you fallen down before Him? Where your treasure is there will your heart be also. When you find Him then you will want to give Him your treasures and He will keep and guard your heart until the day that you see Him.

II Timothy 1:12 For this reason I also suffer these things, but I am not ashamed; for I know whom I have believed and I am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until that day.

 

A Life that Does not Stumble

No one wants to stumble through life. It brings pain and frustration. Is it possible to go through life without stumbling? Yes, or at least minimal stumbling and the opportunity to learn to walk without stumbling. How do we do it?

Proverbs 4:10-12 Hear, my son, and accept my sayings and the years of your life will be many. I have directed you in the way of wisdom; I have led you in upright paths. When you walk your steps will not be impeded; and if you run, you will not stumble.

Life is a real joy when you can walk and run through life without stumbling and falling. The way to walk and run without stumbling is to walk in wisdom on upright paths. The Lord is the One who gives us wisdom and He leads us on upright paths. He promises to teach us the way we should go and will give wisdom to anyone who asks Him.

Psalm 32:8 I will instruct you and teach you the way in which you should go, I will counsel you with My eye upon you.

Ask Him for His wisdom. He wants to give it to you.

James 1: But if any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all men generously and without reproach.

When we humble ourselves before Him and ask for His help then He delights in helping us.

Psalm 25:9 He leads the humble in justice and He teaches the humble His way.

He will teach you through His Word. Open your Bible and start reading and praying. Ask Him to teach you His ways and to give you His wisdom. You will find that His Word will become the delight of your heart and that you will love it.

Jeremiah 15:16 Your words were found and I ate them and Your words became for me a joy and the delight of My heart; For I have been called by Your name, O Lord of hosts.

When you love something then you want to do it. When you love God’s Word then you want to live by them and find great joy and peace in doing exactly what He says. The outcome is that you will learn to walk in His ways and according to His wisdom. He will also lead you on His upright paths. When you walk His way then you will not stumble for He Himself will be your light and your Shepherd.

Psalm 119:165 Those who love Your Low have great peace and nothing causes them to stumble.

Come to Him all who are weary and He will give you rest. If you are weary of trying to make it on your own then come to Him for you will find that His ways are easy and His burden is light. He will be your Shepherd and lead you in the good and pleasant way so that you will not stumble.

Matthew 11:28-30 Come to Me all who are weary and heavy laden 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 shall find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My load is light.

 

 

 

A Life that Believes and Receives

The Lord God has given us a wonderful revelation of who He is. He is Truth and that is who He is. The truth of God are the facts about God which describe His character or, in other words, who He is. The facts or truths about God never change. He is who He is and He has been who He is before all eternity.

“Even from eternity I am He, And there is none who can deliver out of My hand; I act and who can reverse it?” Isaiah 43:13

The Lord God has no beginning and no end. God was not created for He is the Creator. God has always existed. Man was created by God and we will never be able to grasp what it means to be God or to fully understand everything about God. He has chosen to reveal Himself but there are still many secret things about the Lord that we do not know and in all probability could not comprehend. In His love, He has made Himself known and in His love He has not revealed all to man.

“The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our sons forever, Deuteronomy 29:29a

The only true revelation of God is found in the Bible, which is His inspired Word, and in His Son, Jesus Christ, who is fully God but became fully man when He was born of a virgin, lived and died on a cross and was raised from the dead. The Word of God became flesh and lived among man in the person of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is the revelation of God.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. John 1:1-3

Jesus Christ has existed for all eternity. He was at creation.

Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; Genesis 1:26a

Jesus Christ is the exact representation of God. He is God Himself.

And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. Hebrews 1:3

God, the Father, sent Jesus Christ, His Son into the world, to speak to us, to reveal to us who God is and to demonstrate His great love for us, so that we might understand and believe in God. He wanted us to know Him so that we would believe in Him and trust Him.

God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world. Hebrews 1:1,2

Jesus Christ and the Father are One and we know God through Jesus Christ.

And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:14

Only those who believe in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savoir have eternal life. A person believes the truth of who Jesus Christ is and they receive the promise of eternal life. The one who believes and receives Christ becomes God’s child and is born into the family of God.

But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name,  who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. John 1:12

The child of God receives the greatest of all love. They are adopted into His family, their sins are forgiven and their guilt removed.

See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God; and such we are. I John 3:1

They also become a new person and begin to become like Christ. The Lord starts transforming them into the person He created them to be. He removes the bad and gives them a new heart and a new start in life.

Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. II Corinthians 5:17

Not only does the one who believes in Jesus Christ and who receives Him as their Lord and Savoir become a new person but they start living the new life that God has for them. He came to give us life, but not just life, but an abundant life.

I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly. John 10:10b

Come to Him today. He has come to you and given you an invitation to come to Him that you might know His great love, His forgiveness, His cleansing within and His power to overcome. We come to Him through faith, which is believing Him and trusting Him.

For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. Who is the one who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God I John 5:4,5

A Life with Whom He is Pleased

Peace on earth and goodwill to men is often quoted especially around Christmas time. However, people do not finish the verse and so it leaves people wondering why there is not peace on earth. The verse says, “Peace among men with whom He is pleased.”

Luke 2:14 “Glory to God in the highest,
And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.”

Jesus Christ did come and bring peace to us but only those with whom He is pleased will experience that peace. Who is the Lord well pleased with among men? There is only One who lived a life pleasing to Him.

Matthew 3:16,17 After being baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove and lighting on Him, and behold, a voice out of the heavens said, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased.”

Again, the Father reaffirmed His total satisfaction with Jesus and the life that He lived on earth. The Father was well pleased with Jesus before He did any ministry. He was pleased with the life of faith and obedience that Jesus lived as the Son of man.

Matthew 17:5 While he was still speaking, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and behold, a voice out of the cloud said, “This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased; listen to Him!”

Jesus laid aside His being God and lived in the flesh a perfect and sinless life.

Philippians 2:5-8 Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

Jesus lived a perfect life and had a perfect record of no sin at all. We have lived a sinful life and we have all fallen short of God’s glory.

Romans 3:23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

He offers His life and perfect standard of living in exchange for our life and our sinful record. It is not fair. It was God’s will to show us mercy and grace rather than fairness.

Isaiah 53:4-6 Surely our griefs He Himself bore,
And our sorrows He carried;
Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken,
Smitten of God, and afflicted.
But He was pierced through for our transgressions,
He was crushed for our iniquities;
The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him,
And by His scourging we are healed.
All of us like sheep have gone astray,
Each of us has turned to his own way;
But the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all
To fall on Him.

If the Lord gave us what is fair then we would not be able to receive the life of Christ. The Lord was well pleased with this message.

I Corinthians 1:21 For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not come to know God, God was well-pleased through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe.

If we will believe the message that God loves us and receive the gift of His Son then we will receive also the affirmation that God is well pleased with us. Not because of any righteousness of our own but because we have trusted in Jesus Christ to take our sin and guilt upon Himself on the cross and to give us His righteousness. It was not fair for Him to take our penalty and give us God’s acceptance of us through Him, but He did it anyway because He loves you. He came to bring you peace.

John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.

He gave us the greatest gift of all when He gave us His Son. Will you receive Him today?

John 1:12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name,

Will you thank Him and share this amazing gift with someone else? Will you tell someone else what He has done for you?

II Corinthians 9:15 Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!

Peace on earth, goodwill to men with whom He is pleased and that is those of us who are in Christ Jesus and Jesus Christ is in us.

 

A Life that Is Praised

We are not to seek the praise of others but the Lord says that a woman who fears the Lord will be praised.

Proverbs 31:30 Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain,
But a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised.

The Lord says that a woman who fears the Lord shall be praised. The Lord requires His people to praise Him. He says that it will be for our good if we fear Him.

Deuteronomy 10:12,13 Now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require from you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways and love Him, and to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul,and to keep the Lord’s commandments and His statutes which I am commanding you today for your good?

There will be severe consequences if we do not fear the Lord our God.

Deuteronomy 28:58,59 If you are not careful to observe all the words of this law which are written in this book, to fear this honored and awesome name, the Lord your God, then the Lord will bring extraordinary plagues on you and your descendants, even severe and lasting plagues, and miserable and chronic sicknesses.

How do we learn to fear the Lord? The Lord’s Word produces in us the fear of Him when we learn to obey Him and His Word becomes established in our lives.

Psalm 119:38 Establish Your word to Your servant,
As that which produces reverence for You.

What does it mean to fear the Lord? When we fear the Lord we will hate evil, pride, arrogance and the perverted mouth.

Proverbs 8:13 The fear of the Lord is to hate evil;
Pride and arrogance and the evil way
And the perverted mouth, I hate.

The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life. When you fear the Lord you will avoid the snares of death. Death brings pain and destruction.

Proverbs 14:27 The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life,
That one may avoid the snares of death.

With the reward of humility and the fear of the Lord there are riches, honor and life.

Proverbs 22:4 The reward of humility and the fear of the Lord
Are riches, honor and life.

There is strong confidence and your children will have a refuge when you fear Him.

Proverbs 14:26 In the fear of the Lord there is strong confidence,
And his children will have refuge.

Your children will be blessed and mighty on the earth when you fear Him and greatly delight in His commandments.

Psalm 112:1,2 How blessed is the man who fears the Lord,
Who greatly delights in His commandments.
His descendants will be mighty on earth;
The generation of the upright will be blessed.

Do you want to be blessed? Do you want a life that is praised? Do you want to be a blessing to your family? Fear the Lord and keep His commandments. Greatly delight in the Lord and make it your aim to please Him and obey Him. It begins with fearing Him.

Proverbs 31:28-30 Her children rise up and bless her;
Her husband also, and he praises her, saying:
“Many daughters have done nobly,
But you excel them all.”
Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain,
But a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised.

A Life with Peace

When we become a Christian then we come into a relationship with the Lord and we are at peace with God. He forgives us, our guilt is removed and He gives us His peace.

Romans 5:1 Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,

Peace, how sweet it is when we have it and when we don’t have peace we long for it. The Lord promises us peace that no one else can give us.

John 14:27 Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.

There is nothing else that can give us peace but there are several things that can disrupt our peace and two of them are fear and anxiety. For this reason the Lord tells us not to be fearful. You can take courage for He has overcome the world.

John 16:33 These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.”

Are you anxious? When you are anxious then you will not experience His peace. The Lord tells you that you don’t need to be anxious anymore but let Him know what your requests are. Be sure and thank Him for meeting your needs when you make your requests known to Him. Thanksgiving is an act of faith. His peace will guard your heart and your mind in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:6,7 Be anxious for nothing, 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 comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Don’t allow the devil to rob you of the peace that the Lord gives to you. The Lord is a God of peace and He will crush Satan under our feet.

Romans 16:20 The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.

Let Him know about your concerns for He cares for you. Cast all of your anxieties on Him.

I Peter 5:6,7 Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.

The Lord wants us to be at peace with each other.

Romans 14:19 So then we pursue the things which make for peace and the building up of one another.

When we live in peace with one another then we will know the God of peace and He will be with us.

II Corinthians 13:11 Finally, brethren, rejoice, be made complete, be comforted, be like-minded, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you.

We must be diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. We must persevere at living in harmony with each other.

Ephesians 4:1-3 Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love, being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

Finally, the Lord wants the peace of God to rule in our hearts. When we sin and do something that is not pleasing to the Lord then His peace is one of the first things that leaves us. Learn to be sensitive to His Spirit so that His peace rules in your heart.

Colossians 3:15 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful.

Confess your sin to Him and allow Him to cleanse your heart and restore your fellowship with Him.

I John 1:9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

His peace will return as your fellowship with Him is restored. You will see that the God of peace will be with you as you learn to dwell on Him, for He is true and honorable. He is right, pure, lovely, of good repute and excellent. He alone is worthy of our praise.

Philippians 4:8,9 Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things. The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.

 

How to Have A Life that is Successful

Everyone longs to be successful. We don’t want to fail in school, in relationships, on our job, at home or when and if we get married and have children. These next few promises are some of the most amazing promises in the Bible. It shows the heart of the Lord. He wants you to be successful in every area of your life. Incredible that we have a God who not only loves us perfectly but desires our best!

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 success.

Some people may not believe this promise but don’t let someone else’s unbelief pull you down because this verse is very true. The Bible says that it is impossible for God to lie. However, He makes it very clear what you must do to be successful. You must meditate on God’s Word day and night to that you may be careful to follow it exactly as He says. Sometimes it may not make sense to you but do it anyway. Meditate means that you think about His Word. We meditate all of the time. Worry is meditating on your problems and the outcome. If you will replace those thoughts with His Word then you will receive insight that you never saw before and He will show you what to do to avoid failure and to succeed.

Psalm 1:1-3 How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked,
Nor stand in the path of sinners,
Nor sit in the seat of scoffers!
But his delight is in the law of the Lord,
And in His law he meditates day and night.
He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water,
Which yields its fruit in its season
And its leaf does not wither;
And in whatever he does, he prospers.

Again, this is amazing. The Lord says that if you will meditate on His Word day and night then your life will be fruitful, you will not wither up during the dry seasons of life and in whatever you do…you will prosper. We spend so much time trying to be successful in our own efforts and even reading books on how to be successful in different areas but IF we will only do this one thing then the Lord promises us success. This shows how much He longs for you to spend time with Him. Just like parents want to reward their children big when they do something really big in their eyes even more does the Lord want to reward you IF you will take His Word, meditate on it and then do what He says to do in His Word. However, one of the instructions for learning to meditate on His Word is that you must stop listening to the many voices in the world…voices of the wicked, scoffers and sinners. Do not walk with them nor stand with them not sit with them.

James 1:25 But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man will be blessed in what he does.

Again, in the New Testament our Lord repeats this truth. Blessing and success are closely related just as curses and failure. The Lord wants to bless you and He wants you to be successful. If you do not follow His instructions then you will experience curses and failure.

Hebrews 4:2 For indeed we have had good news preached to us, just as they also; but the word they heard did not profit them, because it was not united by faith in those who heard.

The only part of God’s Word that will profit you is what you believe enough to do. Begin by taking a verse and memorizing it and then thinking about every way that verse can apply to your life and then do it. After you have done this then take another verse. You will see as time goes on that your life is being transformed into a beautiful Christlike life.