For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord , thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you. And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart. Jeremiah 29:11-13 KJV https://bible.com/bible/1/jer.29.11-13.KJV
Category: Abide in Him
Love and prayers can work miracles
But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; Matthew 5:44 KJV https://bible.com/bible/1/mat.5.44.KJV
Belief and proof
In our society and in the Christian church, belief is enough through faith to save your soul from hell. But when you do not have faith, belief is a matter of the will, not because of proof. Because for those who do not believe, no amount of proof is sufficient. For those who do believe, no proof is necessary or needed. That is why there are so many in the world who believe in other “gods” and you cannot tell them any different. God grants to each of us an amount of faith so that we will believe His Word and in His Son. To others who will choose not to believe, and God knows exactly who these are, God gives them over to their unbelief so that no matter the amount of proof given they will not believe. To those who truly do believe, by faith, no proof is needed.
I know this sounds cruel because God knows who will believe and who will not but He is not choosing who will and who won’t…it is our choice that determines this. God exists outside of our time and space and He can see your past and future just as He can see every person’s decisions even before they make them. He is not choosing who will and who will not believe in Jesus for their salvation because He already knows who will choose to be saved. Just as in the book of Genesis when Jacob and Esau were still in the womb the scripture says “…God loved Jacob but hated Esau”; lest you think that I’m making this up, here is the scripture from Romans.
“Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated.”- Rom 9:13
An angel of the Lord told Isaac’s wife that there were two nations in her womb and we see the evidence of it almost every day in the news. The Jewish people are in conflict with those around them today and have been for many years and it won’t stop until the Lord Himself comes back and puts a stop to it. The problem began with Ishmael and continued with Esau and his descendants and it is still going on today. Family feuds are ingrained so deeply until there is little anyone can do to stop them and in this one, only Jesus Christ will bring it to an end.
Belief doesn’t require proof in regard to spiritual things because our Spirit communes with the Lord’s Spirit and proves our belief without having physical proof. Even today people still ask for proof of our Christian faith but what can we give them that they will believe? There is nothing that we can give or show them because belief requires faith and if they do not have faith then they will not believe regardless of the amount of proof that may be given.
God hears our prayers
I sought the Lord , and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears. Psalms 34:4 KJV https://bible.com/verse-of-the-day/psa.34.4/13736
Believe and be blessed
Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord , and whose hope the Lord is. For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit. The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? I the Lord search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings. Jeremiah 17:7-10 KJV https://bible.com/bible/1/jer.17.7-10.KJV
Stand against Satan
Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. Ephesians 6:11 KJV https://bible.com/bible/1/eph.6.11.KJV
Each day of your life in Christ, Satan tries to cause you to slip and fall so that your witness will be marred in the eyes of those watching you. That’s why we need the armor of God, so we won’t fall. God bless all who read this.
So many choices…
In the world religion arena there are many religions which vie for our attention. Many of them seem to have more clout than others yet with so many choices out there how do people choose which one to follow? Some follow the religion that their parents and grandparents followed just because it’s the way they have always followed so why change now? Some people choose to look at all avenues and try to pick the one that fits them instead of fitting into a religious system that demands more than they want to give. It seems that many people fit into that last category more than any other because they want a belief system that is comfortable for them and for their lifestyle.
The problem with how people pick and choose their particular “religion” lies in the picking and choosing. Religion was never supposed to be a custom fit but with all of the choices out there today, like it has been for thousands of years, confusion causes more problems in people’s lives more often than not. Also, the only way to gain entry into heaven is not a religion in reality, it is a lifestyle. Living your life as a Christian is a daily walk that you wake up with every day and as Jesus said “…you must take up your cross and follow Me”.
Taking up your cross doesn’t mean what many think it means. Because some see this as choosing to be on the firing line of persecution and ridicule from the first day until you die and that isn’t what it means at all. We must bear our cross as Jesus did, willingly laying down our old lives and habits and follow Him into a new life of being or straining toward the goal of being more like Him every day. For some it is more of a strain than it is for others because of what they are giving up to be like Him. For others it is a choice that makes the life they live more bearable and sometimes joyful.
Jesus told His disciples that “the way is broad which leads to destruction but the way that leads to eternal life is narrow”. I paraphrased His words but you get the idea.
Finding the way to a place of joy and peace is much like this. There are pathways that are easy to walk and comfortable to stay on but the end or the destination is not the one that most people were looking for. The path which leads to eternal life and peace is the pathway that is not very wide and it has a few briers and brambles and rocks strewn all in it but the destination is far better than anything we could possibly imagine. The destination is to be in heaven with our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ! Heaven is a place that few who were allowed to see even a little of it could describe it in ways that we can understand. Some say that the colors are “just more than the colors on Earth”, “deeper blues and more spectacular greens”. Why can’t we describe heaven? Because it is the real place that Earth is only a reflection of, that’s why. The beauty that we see all around the world is a dim reflection of the beauty in heaven.
Strive to be more like Jesus Christ. Seek Him out as your Savior and Lord while there is time to do so. Life here is short but once you have given your heart to Him, eternity awaits you without boundaries or limits.
Our God is gracious towards us
Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men. Luke 2:14 KJV https://bible.com/bible/1/luk.2.14.KJV
God has shown His favor towards us and yet we turn away from Him. We think that we can do all good things without Him. Seek the Lord while there’s time.
Jesus Christ came to save us 🙏
And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. John 1:14 KJV https://bible.com/bible/1/jhn.1.14.KJV
What do you want?
During this holiday time period we hear this a lot. From children and family members we try to determine what we should get them for Christmas. But what do we want from our Christian walk with Jesus? Are we looking for forgiveness or an “OK” to keep doing what we’ve been doing? Do we want a deep relationship with our Creator and our Savior and if we do how do we get to that point?
All of these are valid points and questions but where do we find the answers? Can we ask our pastor or do we need to find a Bible study that explores the questions that we want to be answered? One more question: do we really want the answers? In some of our lives, we do want these answers but we are afraid of seeking them because of what they might reveal about us. God loves each of us and He wants what is best for us in life and in our walk with Him.
So…how do we find the answers to those questions? Seek Him and the wisdom that praying through the Bible can bring. I know it sounds like it might take a long time doing it this way but truthfully it is the best way to find the answers that you are looking for. By praying about your problem, whether it is financial or physical or spiritual, God’s Word and His Spirit can and will provide the answer to you. But you must pray about your specific problem while you are reading the Bible. Ask Him for the answers you are seeking and you will find them. It may take reading through the whole Bible or you might find your answer in the chapter that you start on but the answer will come.
In our lives outside the church and away from “corporate worship” as we are during this pandemic, your Spirit is still longing for a close relationship with God. Sometimes this can be a good thing because you can seek Him and His wisdom during your personal Bible study time. Getting into the habit of seeking His Word and wisdom is not hard to do but it is a habit that you can glean the most positive wisdom from rather than reading other novels or other books.
Will God hear your request for learning more about Him? Yes, I believe He will. Even if you aren’t a Christian yet I think that He will hear your plea for His wisdom and give you the faith to seek it in His Word. Why do I say that we have to have faith to get wisdom from God’s Word? Because if you don’t then you are just reading a book like any other book from a store or from the library. Faith allows your Spirit to speak to you and to God and His Word will mean so much more when all of them are in sync with each other. The Bible, God’s Word, is not like any other book out there and it doesn’t really matter which translation you have, because when you prayerfully seek His answers in His Word the Spirit will allow you to understand it regardless of the words on the page.
The Word reads you through your Spirit and your answers can be found by prayerfully and humbly seeking the answer from God’s Word. Take the time to quiet your mind and ask God to open the Scriptures to you so that you can find the answers that are waiting to be found.
The Living Message of Christ 