Ask The Question

To obtain knowledge we must first ask a question.  God revealed to me that we are asking the wrong questions and are looking for answers from the wrong place.

We are being conformed and controlled by society to think a certain way and we are stuck in a selfish mindset that lines up with what we have learned and not what God says.

After a little research, I found that a child at the age of 10 asks an average of 144 questions a day.  Wow!  This spoke to me that we are born to “Seek” answers.  Our problem is that we are getting our answers from the “World”.  When none of these answers work out for us we give up on the answer.  Therefore we become close-minded and stop asking questions.

Press On!

When we grow in Faith we begin to want more and more of God’s plan because we have discovered that it’s better than ours.  Some questions I began to ask are “What is important in Life”?  How can I obtain everything God created me to have?

Philippians 3:12-14 Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me.¹³ Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thingI do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

Unity Requires a Foundation!

To unite people you have to have common principles and values to bring them together.  I keep reading how we need to unite together no matter our differences.  This would mean race, sexual orientation, cultural differences and even spiritual backgrounds.  When you mix the “anything” is acceptable into this bag of differences you end up with variable differences that simply have no chance of unification.  The liberal view of anything goes will never work because it lacks “TRUTH” as its foundation.

Truth is not a choice but rather a condition.  Truth comes from GOD and its foundation is clearly laid out for us in the Bible. 

Job 34:12 Of a truth, God will not do wickedly, and the Almighty will not pervert justice.

God’s Truth works like gravity.  If I drop something it falls to the ground.  If we apply truth of God it works.  If we do not apply His truth it will ultimately fail.

Everlasting Glory

While driving down the interstate I recognized that the road construction was everywhere. Crews were constantly repairing the damage that the traffic had caused.  I started to ask the question.  Is there anything that is going in the opposite direction? 

It seems as if everything is in a cycle of withering away.  From the roadways to the flowers, trees and even people are in a process of dying off and or diminishing.  It seems that nothing is becoming better, or transforming into something beautiful.  

I gained a revelation about our salvation from this withering away of life.  Only those that are saved and growing in God are being transformed into something that is beautiful with no end to the “glory” that God has in store for them.  By salvation our spirit is not only everlasting, but is becoming more and more complete and beautiful as we seek God to become all that He has for us. 

The Blood of Jesus!

I watched a video this morning about how critical the church is about people, which means that people are putting the blood of Jesus on trial rather than the person. 

This reminds me of when Jesus who was without sin faced the Pharisees of His time and they accused Him until He was proclaimed guilty even though He had not sinned. 

First of all we are all sinners and fall short of God’s glory.

Romans 3:23-24 For there is no difference;  ²³ for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, ²⁴ being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,

Jesus Is Willing

Mark 1:40 Now a leper came to Him, imploring Him, kneeling down to Him and saying to Him, “If You are willing, You can make me clean.”

⁴¹ Then Jesus, moved with compassion, stretched out His hand and touched him, and said to him, “I am willing; be cleansed.” ⁴² As soon as He had spoken, immediately the leprosy left him, and he was cleansed.

We are all in need of being healed of something.  It may be physically, mentally or emotionally, but we all have scars of different types. 

The revelation I gained from this scripture came from verse 40 where the leper asked the question “If you are willing”.  This is a question of faith.  The leper believed that Jesus could heal him.  More importantly he needed to know if Jesus was willing!

Question:  Do you believe that Jesus is willing?

Comfort Each Other

Many times the stress of daily life keeps us focused on what we don’t have instead of what we have.  In times of trouble we need to remember our salvation and the hope we have in Jesus Christ as savior. 

1 Thessalonians 4:16-18 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.¹⁷ Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.¹⁸ Therefore comfort one another with these words.

Do not worry about the things that are temporary, but focus on the eternal treasure that has been established and is waiting for you in heaven.

What’s Your Everything?

Our performance in life is related to our success.  It is very easy to fall into the trap of pleasing man instead of God to gain short-term popularity, promotion or acceptance.

Galatians 1:10 Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.

Question:  Today will you seek man’s approval in your choices or God’s?

Galatians 1:11 I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that the gospel I preached is not of human origin. ¹² I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it; rather, I received it by revelation from Jesus Christ.

Love of Christ

The biggest change I have witnessed in Christians is how the “Word” transforms their nature from “Self” to “Others” minded.  This comes from the humility of Christ and the understanding that we need a savior.  This “need” is an admission that we are more than likely wrong in our fleshly thinking. 

Philippians 2:3-4 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, ⁴ not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.

Our flesh tells us “what’s in it for me?”  While the spirit of God tells us “How can I sacrifice for someone else?”

What Are You Wearing?

As we go through our daily life we are walking in a state that reflects either the world or God.  What ever we reflect ultimately reflects back at us.  It’s the same principle of reaping and sewing.

Luke 6:38 Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”

It’s not always our words but more often our actions and demeanor that speak the loudest.  If we are sewing good things we will receive good things.  It’s a simple principle but very important.  It’s a choice to walk in love and joy, the world around us will notice.  The reflection back to us will become whatever we sew.

Galatians 6:9 Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.

Boldness in Jesus!

Reading the book of Acts this morning I was drawn to the prayer of boldness from the Disciples. 

Acts 4:29-31 Now, Lord, look on their threats, and grant to Your servants that with all boldness they may speak Your word, ³⁰ by stretching out Your hand to heal, and that signs and wonders may be done through the name of Your holy Servant Jesus.”

The Lord Is My Shield

We face an enemy that is cunning and deceiving and he has a plan to destroy us.  Christ Jesus defeated him at the cross.   We can call upon His name in our time of need and He will hear our voice.

John 10:10 The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

The Lord is our Shield in times of trouble. 

Psalm 3:3 But You, O Lord, are a shield for me,
My glory and the One who lifts up my head.
4 I cried to the Lord with my voice,
And He heard me from His holy hill.

When I read this scripture I gained a revelation about the “Shield”.  What is a shield and how does it work? 

Jesus Prepares Our Way!

We have recently been talking about our direction and where we are going in life.  We will be guided by the Shepherd’s voice or the voice of the world.  The shepherd makes the way for His sheep.  The sheep trust that He will lead them to their destiny.

John 10:3-5 To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. ⁴ And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. ⁵ Yet they will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.”

 A Heavenly Inheritance

We live in such a materialistic world that much of the focus is on our inheritance.  Examples of which include: land, money, stock, homes and automobiles. 

I believe we have learned to focus on material things so much that we discount the eternal inheritance that is available to us through Christ Jesus our Lord!

The Wicked World

Last week we talked about trusting God and about submitting to His will for our lives.  A good friend of mine asked me an important question. “When we know the truth of God how do we stay true to God’s will when the world we live in is so wicked?”

James 4:3-5 You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures.⁴ Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.⁵ Or do you think that the Scripture says in vain, “The Spirit who dwells in us yearns jealously”?

Question:  Are you a friend of God or the World?