Laziness

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“We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised.” Hebrews 6:12

We should be growing more like Christ every day, the author and finisher of our faith. As Christian’s we need to attain to a higher standard of living, God deserves it for all he does for us. As his children we need to be an example to the world. God has said so much about laziness in his words. If you don’t work you don’t deserve to eat, be like the ant working hard for though they have no overseer or ruler but are wise. Have you ever known someone who eats their dessert before the meal and then can’t eat the meal and wonders why their health is poor. They say what ever comes out of their mouth not thinking about the damage it might do. Self control is a fruit of the spirit so it is not surprising that people who don’t know Jesus have no self control, but God’s children should have an abundance of self control. We need to be deliberate in our behavior trying to be the best we can be. First of all our bodies are the temple for the Holy Spirit so we should take very good care of our physical and spiritual bodies. We should also take good care of our minds, keeping them strong and knowing God’s word to be careful to do all that it says. Common sense is not common anymore but there are not as many who profess to believe in God anymore either. Disciplined behavior is hard to find nowadays. When I was a kid the way a child acted was very important and parents were looked down on if their children weren’t well behaved. Now parents behave just as badly if not worse than their kids. It is a very selfish, self centered world we now live in. People want what they want when they want it. They are not willing to be patient for anything. Wait on the Lord. Why? That doesn’t make sense to people. I remember my parents saying good things come to those who wait. Now water should boil in less than one minute. One minute is a long time. It takes time to think more about others than yourself but that’s what God has asked of us.

Confession Of Faith

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“Fight the good fight of faith. Take ahold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made the good confession in front of many witnesses 1 Timothy 6:12

Once we become a Christian we are on a journey for the rest of our lives. God is perfecting us more every day until the day of Christ Jesus. We will never be perfect but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try to be all that we can be with God’s help. He already loves us very much and he wants to clothe us in righteousness. We may feel that we will never be enough but that’s just a lie from the devil. Each morning we wake to a brand new day to be all that we can be. It will always be a battle between good and evil but with God we are up to the task. Jesus blood has covered us and our enemy cannot do anything to hurt us or take away our salvation. If something does happen we will have strength through it and it will strengthen us in the process. When we become believers it is important to take the next step and be baptized. To take what is in your heart public by showing people that you want to serve only your new King, Jesus. But it shows yourself also that you mean business and helps you become more committed in your new relationship. Once you are well committed you can start plans for how you are going to grow your relationship. Spending more time in prayer and reading God’s word and doing what you feel the Holy Spirit telling you to do. You want to begin doing that next right thing and that is unique to your relationship. I began sharing my weekly blog with friends and spending my sabbath day as holy to me. That has grown to more ways of putting God first with my own twist. I pray about the same things every day because they are important to me. Like I never forget to pray for our first responders each day and for their safety. I pray for elected officers even if I didn’t vote for them specifically. But all these things help me keep growing. It is important to me to be the best me I can be because I desire to please God and the fringe benefits have been good also.

Making Disciples

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“How then, can they call on the one they haven’t believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?” Romans 10:14

The great commission is to go into all the world and make disciples of all nations and baptize them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Who? Every person who has believed. Not just pastors, ministers, missionaries, nuns and priests. Nobody is excluded. If you love the Lord you qualify. Do you need personal training? No, you have the Holy Spirit living inside of you leading you into all you should say. The more you read God’s word the easier it becomes to share what you know but someone can just get saved and be so zealous for the Lord that they just have to tell someone. And this is exactly the platform that makes what they have to say worth believing. I know men who were in prison or drug rehabilitation that are so radically saved that their passion is infectious. But they are so amazed that God saved them that they know God will save anyone. But if someone doesn’t tell them about Jesus and how much he loves them and wants a personal relationship with them how will they know? People who need the Lord aren’t always going to be in a church where they’re preached to. They are out in the real world living the only way they know how. They also need someone compelling to believe in. Why do they need Jesus? Because they are going to die one day and the only way to heaven is through Jesus Christ. But they don’t know him. I was raised in a Christian home and read the bible but I didn’t know what I had until it was almost too late. I knew all the bible stories and was at church every time the doors were opened but nobody told me about a relationship till I was 50. People don’t realize what they are missing and what they are doing wrong that might be hurting their lives. Their life could be so much more rewarding. If you found a perfect cure for cancer would you keep it to yourself? Saying it isn’t my job to tell people. No, you would tell everyone even if they don’t have cancer now they might one day.

The Spirit To Come

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“But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. “. John 16:13

When Jesus was trying to tell his apostles of what was coming and his death they couldn’t understand why he couldn’t stop what was coming. There couldn’t possibly be a good reason for him to die. He was their very best friend and their teacher and they couldn’t imagine life without him. He was supposed to do so much more, he was only 33. Nobody likes to think about someone they love dying. He tried to tell them they would be better off if he left but to them nothing could be better than Jesus. So it all happened so suddenly and they were in denial and thinking this couldn’t be happening. Jesus would make a way. But his death opened right before their eyes and they were scared and upset. But Jesus knows things that we don’t. He always knows what is best and it doesn’t always make sense to our feeble minds. We know In hindsight that his crucifiction was so worth everything. Not for Jesus to go through, but for our sins to be paid in full. Now if we had a best friend with cancer or a parent with Alzheimer’s we would pray every day for a miracle and wouldn’t accept that they could die but I know before my parents died they looked forward to being home in heaven. If someone knows where they are going if they die and are a Christian they can’t help but get excited. I remember my father trying to explain to me how exciting it was when he received the baptism in the Holy Spirit. I didn’t even know what he meant back then but there is so much power. You can’t understand without experiencing it yourself. Just remember the difference the Spirit made when it fell upon the apostles in the upper room. It was like night and day. They became wise and powerful, doing things that Jesus was able to do. They were brave and powerful and able to start the first church.You have so much wisdom and authority. You can pray bold prayers. And stand up to Satan, telling him he has to leave you alone. The spirit tells you things that Jesus or God would tell you. He can also tell you things that will happen in the future The anointing of God can come upon you to say and do things you wouldn’t be able to do on your own. Being lead by the Spirit can be the most exciting experience. I know my life skyrocketed when I received the baptism in the Holy Spirit It doesn’t necessarily come all at once but slowly growing more and more powerful.

God’s Desire For Us

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“Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothes yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.” Colossians 3:12

God has a purpose and a plan for our lives and he wants us to do just what he sees happening. As his children he expects us to be more like him each day. To work for his kingdom and his glory. Some of us take longer than others to get where he wants us to be but that is just the way he made us and that is on purpose. He doesn’t expect anything that he doesn’t help us to become. So many lives are intertwined with ours and we need to work together to do his will. It’s just like an actress playing her part and making it convincing and believable. We need love with compassion, kindness and caring, humility that keeps us humble and gentleness and patience. Characteristics that God is good at and his children should also be good at. Because the world is watching us and should see Christ in us and be drawn to him more all the time. We also want to have the Holy Spirit’s help to keep us strong and wise when the enemy tries to catch us off guard. We can’t let him get us distracted and keep us from your plans for us. I know I want to do all I can to help people see just how much they are missing by not knowing my Lord because they think I’m missing out on so much by not living my life the way I choose. But I have learned the long and hard way that when you die to self you actually gain real full life. And I wouldn’t trade that for anything. I spent so many years trying to live my life to the fullest and how others thought I’d be happiest but I wasn’t really happier just more stressed and struggling more to have control. Things aren’t always in are control because God is in control because he does know what is best for everyone. He knows our needs better than we do. And he does want what is best for us.

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“Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.” Romans 12:12

There is so many reasons to be hopeful and joyful. God loves us so much and has done so much for us. God gives us grace and mercy new every day that we don’t deserve. His precious son has redeemed us with every drop of blood he shed and all of our sins have been forgiven completely. We get to spend eternity in paradise with them. If we ask anything believing we can have it. If we need anything he will see that we get it. There is nothing that they won’t d do for us. We will have afflictions and difficulties but he will carry us through them, making us over comers. All we need to do is pray about all the things he leads us to pray about and continue to spend time with him daily so we can be led to pray about things that come up. I just don’t understand how people can do life without them. To be on my own without their amazing help. I see needs all around me and and don’t even think twice about asking God for at least wisdom to know what to do. I do know if I don’t ask I won’t have God’s help so I do ask a lot more than I ever have in the past. Faith is such a big thing in my life now because I know how faithful God is and I have complete trust in his sovereignty. I’ve done things my way and I’ve done things his way and I know which works best. That is why knowing his words in my heart is so important because I always know his battle plans with whatever I’m facing.

Instruction

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“I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will councel you with my loving eye on you.” Psalms 32:8

We have the Holy Spirit living inside of us and he will give us everything we need. God never takes his loving and protective eye off of us and he is in control even though Satan likes to think he can cause all the trouble he chooses to. But what he will never admit is that God has to allow it. He has allowed evil to exist on earth for thousands of years even though he could change that if he really wanted to. He has told us to pray for the countries that discipline us, because we want them to come to know you and his love for them. To make a difference in our world. But I have thought a lot about this over the last several years and it definitely makes him the better man because he is smart enough to make any and all evil good in his ways. Ways that don’t make sense to our finite minds. He can make Satan think he gets away with it but he also doesn’t see the good things God is doing in us. Our greatest growth comes in difficult times not in comfortable times. We don’t necessarily enjoy struggling with anxiety and fear but it can definitely make us better if we don’t get bitter. It takes trust on our part because it takes time for God to work it all out. His ultimate goal is to make heaven crowded so he has all his family home with him. He loves all people in all nations and places on earth. He gives us wisdom to do our part right where we live. He never gives up on the plans he has for our lives and even as we stray from our path he is there drawing us back to himself. Give all you have for his kingdom because eventually it is our kingdom.

Child of God

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“Yet to all who did receive him, to those who did believe in his name, he gave the right to become children of God — children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.” John 1:12

Believing that he is, is all it takes to become a child of the King. Precious and dearly loved. He loves everyone he has ever created and he makes only good just the way he planned them to be. Never a mistake was made because they are perfect for all they were made to do. People may tell them they are imperfect and we all are but we were made perfectly by a perfect God. But as his child he is always working to make you holy and complete everything about you is good because even hard things he will use for your good, strengthening and equipping you for his purposes. Do you realize just how much he thinks about you? He wants a deeply personal relationship with you where you can share everything with him even things you may not like but they are still part of his plan. He wants to give you so much but he loves to hear you ask even though he knows what you really need. He is working all the time for you he never stops. Whenever you ask for something he is already making a way. He rejoices over you and delights in you. Just like any daddy he loves to give you things that are good for you. He probably brags about all of his children just like most parents do. He knows everything about you, your thoughts and intentions. There is no way you can hide from an omnipresent God. Your life is all written down before your first day began. And he loves you anyway. Nothing could change his mind about you. He knows when you will mess up and when you will make him proud but he wouldn’t change you. He looks forward to the day that all of his children will be home for eternity and he can spend time with them.

King of kings

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“The Lord will be King over the whole earth. On that day there will be one Lord, and his name the only name.” Zechariah 14:9

There is coming a day where everyone will bow before the true King and that will be an exciting day. It will also be a terrible day for those that lived however they wanted thinking they were the only God they needed. We will no longer be thought of as weak and crazy. Things we tried to tell them would finally make sense and fear would be widespread. Maybe I was good enough? Even Christian’s need to fear if they weren’t living how God commanded in his words because there are no more do overs. Forgiveness is the greatest gift we have been given and God will forgive anything if you mean it. We are all called to something with the gifts and talents we have been given. If God called you to be a bookkeeper he doesn’t want you to be a doctor or minister. He has a plan and purpose for everyone and it will impact our world. Maybe he just called you to be a father, so do it with all your heart. Lead by example and be strong to make a difference in the lives of your family. Being a Godly man has so many rewards. What we do this side of heaven is so important. Were you loving, compassionate, a person of integrity, honest and respectful. When you look into those eyes of fire from the Lord of heaven and earth, you will want him to be proud of who you became. Not ashamed of what you thought was so important that will be burned up as you realize it had no importance in the kingdom of. God. Thousands of people will be facing the worst horror movie ever to be for an eternity. The lake of fire is worse than you could ever imagine. A good God isn’t sending you to hell, you choose that path all by yourself by rejecting his drawing over and over again saying, “ I don’t need you!”. You missed out on some of the most exciting things God had to give you if you had just asked. Don’t have regrets for an eternity. Start today to make a change for the better.

Righteousness By Faith

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“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes; first to the Jew, then to the Gentle. For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, for it is written: “”The righteous will live by faith.” Romans 1:16-17

Our God is very Holy and Righteous for he is perfect. But he chose to cooperate with mere humans that are not righteous anyway. It is through the work that Jesus began on the cross. We were lost and hopeless as soon as Eve took that first bite of the apple. Before that time earth was good. God said so himself every time he created something. But as sin entered the world all mankind sinned. We couldn’t not sin because it is our nature just like God’s nature is righteousness. Now we won’t be perfect until we get to paradise. Because there is no sin in heaven. You have to be perfect in heaven or it wouldn’t be heaven. The work has been done and God will finally have the huge family he always wanted and his children will be perfect just like he is. There will be no more sin, pain or death. Only every good thing forever and ever. Only the best for his family. We are heaven: just like he tried to do in Eden before the fall of man. Now he loves us very much and he would do so much to see that day. Right now he does so much for us here on earth but we are surrounded by imperfect people. But if you have faith, so much is possible. The more faith you have the more is possible. So you don’t want to have just a little when you can have a whole lot. I spent most of my life living on crumbs until I wanted more now I eat like a queen at God’s table because I have tasted and won’t go back to scraps. What a difference. It is impossible to please God without faith but with God he pleases me always. You still have free will to choose how you will live but if you want to live by faith you can have everything you ever wanted.