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2-scriptures to help you in our fight against sin

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Sometimes when we discover certain verses of scripture, we go “bingo, I have found the answer to everything.” We kind of hold on to that verse as if it were the last word on the subject. If we are not careful, we can easily be lead into error. How so, you may ask?

For example, when we read something like – “if you ask anything in my name I will do” we might think this is it, “he said and that settles it.” Well, there is a qualifier to that verse – and if we fail to take it into consideration, we could fall into error. The qualifier says, “if you ask anything according to my will.”

The two scriptures I’m about to use today can sometimes seem opposed one to the other – at least some would like to make them look so. But I think they compliment or qualify one another. A clear understanding of these two scriptures is key to gaining the victory and staying victorious over sin.

1. It is the kindness/goodness of the Lord that leads to repentance

“Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?” Romance 2:4

There is nothing in this world you can do that will stop God from loving you. There is no place you can go in this world that will hinder the grace of God from pursuing and reaching you. There is nothing you do or fail to do, either by sins of commission or sins of omission, that will change the way God feels about you. None of the good things you do can make him love you more – in fact all your righteousness is as filthy rags.

None of the bad stuff you do can make him love you less. He is absolutely crazy about you. God wants you to see the richness of his love and mercies and kindness toward you. Romans 12:1 says in view of the richness of his mercies, goodness and kindness, we should present ourselves to him, conform no longer to the pattern of this world – in short, turn from sin.

What that means is that God wants for you to take into consideration his love and mercies toward you as motivation for you to turn from sin. “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life.” John 3:16 He has a plan for your life. Good plans. Plans to give you hope and a future. Hope of eternity with him. To make that happen He was willing to let His Son die for you.

God is not waiting for you to step out of line so that he can smack you over the head with his hammer. He is not willing for any to perish but all to come to repentance. So he is not there counting all you sins against you in hopes of sending you to hell. Jesus died so that you don’t go to hell. He wants for us to see how much gracious he is in our motivation to repent and turn to him in holiness and purity. 1 John 3:1, 3 says, “See what kind of love the Father has given to us… everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.”

2. Don’t make Jesus start a fight with you, because He Will

Therefore repent. If not, I will come to you soon and war against them with the sword of my mouth. Revelation 2:16

In our day of grace and love, it is hard for some Christians to see Jesus fighting them with the sword of his mouth. They quote Romans 2:4 as if God’s grace, love or goodness are inconsistent with his discipline and warnings. But Hebrews 12:6 says, “For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives.” Verses 7 and 8 tells us that God is showing his goodness by treating us as sons. Because the only ones that don’t get disciplined are illegitimate children.

People who find Romans 2:4 oppose to these verses here in point number 2 also say that scriptures like these drive people to fear. They say it is just fear tactics and manipulation. But Hebrews 10:26-31 is no scare tactic or manipulation, “For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries. It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God?”

This is the goodness of a loving Father on display – warning a son/daughter he loves with an everlasting love. Some question – “how can a loving God send people to hell?” First of all, God is not sending anyone to hell. His Son died to stop people from going there. But what people fail to understand is that God’s love does not cancel out his justice – they are mutually consistent with each other.

Timothy George from Frist Things would argue that, “God’s love is not sentimental; it is Holy. It is tender, but not squishy,” It involves not only compassion, kindness, and mercy beyond measure … but also indignation against injustice and unremitting opposition to all that is evil.”

Paul said. in 2 Corinthians 5:11 “knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade men.” If I said that I really love you, but don’t run over to you to move you out of harm’s way or at least warn you to get out-of-the-way if I saw an 18 wheeler going 85 miles an hour coming your direction, will that be real love? Love, goodness and kindness will do everything to get you out of harm’s way.

I contend that the proper dose of the fear of the Lord is necessary in motivating oneself and sinners to repent and live a holy life. Jesus himself said, “but I will warn you whom to fear; who, after he has killed, has authority to cast into hell, Yes, I tell you, fear him!” Luke 12:5 This healthy dose of fear is consistent with the goodness and kindness of God.

Another argument is one of  “volume.” Let’s talk about this “85 mile an hour out of control truck about to hit you” scenario. Tell me which reaction you’d prefer:

In a nice low-key conservative tone: Hey sweet heart, you look so pretty in that dress, and those shoes – Ou la la, they are impeccable. But where you are standing, is kind of not safe. Can you think about changing your mind on where you stand, because there is this very big problem coming? I can’t completely describe it to you, nut can you please move out-of-the-way?

Or, do prefer –

Get out-of-the-way there is a truck coming!

I would  prefer that you came and knocked me out of harms way. I would prefer a little urgency in your voice. I would need to know if there was an imminent danger. I would appreciate it that someone will love me that much to warn me if I’m on the wrong track. In any event, the good news is, Jesus died so that we can spend eternity with him not eternity separated from Him. He made hell for the devil and his demons and doesn’t want you to go there. Heaven is where he wants you go be – “where He is there we will also be.” I think Romans 2:4 and Hebrews 10:26-31 should  work perfectly for anyone, because both scriptures demonstrate God’s goodness toward the sinner and both references have your greatest and highest interest at heart – Safety – Heaven!

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I want to see dry bones living again…

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The hand of the Lord was upon me, and he brought me out in the Spirit of the Lord and set me down in the middle of the valley; it was full of bones. Then he said to me, “Prophesy over these bones, and say to them, O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. Ezekiel 37:1, 4

Prayer

I want to be close, close to Your side
So Heaven is real and death is a lie
I want to hear voices of angels above
Singing as one

I want to be near, near to Your heart
Loving the world and hating the dark
I want to see dry bones living again
Singing as one

Praise

Hallelujah, Holy, Holy
God Almighty, the Great I Am
who is worthy, none beside Thee
God Almighty, the Great I Am

Declaration

The mountains shake before You
The demons run in fear
At the mention of the name
King Of Majesty
There is no power in hell
or any who can stand
before the power and the
Presence of the Great I Am

One Word that should define your entire life

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Consecration “The world has yet to see what God can do with a man or woman, who is totally dedicated to Him.”

What is Consecration?

The word first and foremost means to “be set apart.” It is the act of separating from a common to a sacred use, or of devoting and dedicating a person or thing to the service and worship of God. The Hebrew words kadosh and Greek  hagiazo are translated by several different English words: holy, consecrate, hallow, sanctify, dedicate.

In the Old Testament God is said to be kadosh or “holy.” The Hebrew word originally meant “to be separate.” The Holy One of Israel is separate because He is God. “I am God, and not man; the Holy One in your midst” ( Hosea 11:9 ). Hosea pointed to both the otherness or separateness of God and His nearness. The holiness of God came to mean all that God is.

To the prophets, God’s holiness included justice, righteousness, and many ethical concerns. “God who is Holy shall be sanctified in righteousness” (Isaiah 5:16 ). When people or things were “consecrated,” they were separated to or belonged to God. “Ye shall be holy: for I the Lord your God am holy” (Leviticus 19:2 ). “Ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation” (Exodus 19:6 ). When people were “consecrated,” they were set apart to live according to God’s demands and in His service.

In the New Testament, this understanding of God’s holiness is found on every page. In Matthew 23:16-24 Jesus criticized the scribes and Pharisees on the basis of their neglect of justice, mercy, and faith. He said it is “the altar that makes the gift holy” (Matthew 23:19 ). The cause to which people give themselves determines the nature of the sacrifice. When the cause is God’s, the gift is consecrated. Jesus’ mission was to sanctify people. Paul said that Christians are called to be “saints,” and their sanctification comes through Christ.

The word therefore insists that the one consecrated must be completely devoted, unconditionally surrendered, one hundred percent committed to following the Lord and not his or her own self-interest. In the words of John the Baptist, the set apart must decrease and the Lord must increase. One must empty himself/herself through acts of humility and make space for God to be not only Savior, but Lord in every aspect of one’s life. It is a recognition that one does not belong to him or herself anymore. Mind, body, soul and spirit now must submit to a new master.

How one uses his/her time, money and talents must project an understanding that what he has is first of all a blessing from above. Obedience must be unreserved. There can be no holding back, no playing church, no half measures and no reservations. One can no longer serve two masters – but is expected to be sold out to one as a bond servant.

Both 1 John 2:15-16 & 2 Corinthians 6:17 say, “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. Therefore, go out from their midst, and be separate from them.” What that means is that our lives should be totally surrendered to the Lord in complete devotion and love.

For His use and to His service only!

When he came there was no light, when he left there was no darkness

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The title of our post today is actually story of one man’s life. A. W. Milne was a missionary around the 20th century. He was part of a group of radical missionaries who history has dubbed – “One Way Missionaries.”

What these men and women of God did was pack all their belonging in a coffin, buy a one way plane ticket to wherever they felt called by God. Many parts of Africa and other places around the world was known in those days and many years after as the “white man’s graveyard. These men and women of God knew they would never return home when they decided to go to the mission field.

As for A. W. Milne, he Knew that most of the missionaries before him died a martyr’s death, still he accepted the call of God to minister to a tribe in the New Hebrides – island group in the South Pacific Ocean that now is the nation of Vanuatu. There he lived for 35 years. God’s timing and favor had given him a break through among these people and there he enjoyed favor.

But A. W. Milne would never return home. After many years of fruitful labor for the Lord, he passed and was buried in the middle of the town. The inscription on his tombstone could not have been more clearer: “when he came there was no light, when he left there was no darkness.

How does this speak to you today? Please leave a comment – I would love to hear what this story means to you today. Stay blessed! For me, here is what I’m thinking:

God can help you succeed where others have failed
God’s timing is crucial to any move of God
Sometimes our harvest come at the sacrifice of others
Sometimes kingdom life involves risks, danger, and even death.
Are we willing to go even if there is a real possibility that we could die?
What kind of mark or legacy are we leaving on others?
How much do we want to see the kingdoms of the world become the kingdom of our God and Christ?

What stories will others tell about you after you leave this earth?

That will preach

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There was a young American guy who found a five dollar bill on the sidewalk. After that moment he never lifted his eyes when walking. From that time on, he accumulated 29,516 buttons, 54,172 pins, 12 cents, a bent back, and a miserly disposition.

Via PreachingToday

The test of love is obedience, and the reward of obedience is a self-manifestation of Christ

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Jesus said, “Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them” (John 14:21).

How do we prove our love for Jesus? Is there a reward for loving obedience?
In the passage above we learn that the only way to prove we love Christ is by our obedience. We can give ourselves up to be burned, but, it wouldn’t mean that we love him. We could give all our possessions to the poor, but it still wouldn’t prove that we love him at all. The only way to prove we love Christ is by our obedience.

This is one of those commands that come with a promise. If we love him, he will love us and will show himself to us. That is an amazing promise. I hear about Christians who still doubt that they are saved. They have no assurance at all about their relationship with the Lord. They are not sure, if they were to die today, they will make it into heaven. But obedience to Christ comes with an amazing promise: He will manifest himself, make himself known to his children, those who obey him.

Here are ways He does that:
The Holy Spirit bears witness along with our human spirit that we are children of God

The Father lavishes and pours out upon us his love

John had his visions and revelations of Christ—when He was banished for the sake of Christ unto the isle Patmos.

When all men forsook Paul—then the Lord came to him, stood by him, and strengthened him!
the presence of Christ, and such a sweet sense of His love as has filled them with soul-ravishing joy!

Excerpt from John Stott’s “Three Challenges to the Contemporary church

Does leadership = Getting Along with People?

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“A good leader can’t get too far ahead of his followers.” — Franklin D. Roosevelt

 

“A great leader’s courage to fulfill his vision
comes from passion, not position.” – John Maxwell

 “As a leader you should always start with where 
people are before you try to take them to where 
you want them to go.” — Jim Rohn

 “I light my candle from their torches.” 
— Robert Burton

 “I suppose leadership at one time meant muscles; 
but today it means getting along with people.” 
— Indira Gandhi

 “High sentiments always win in the end, The leaders 
who offer blood, toil, tears and sweat always get more 
out of their followers than those who offer safety and 
a good time. When it comes to the pinch, human beings 
are heroic.” — George Orwell

 “Leaders must be close enough to relate to others, but 
far enough ahead to motivate them.” – John Maxwell

 “The day soldiers stop bringing you their problems is the 
day you have stopped leading them. They have either lost 
confidence that you can help them or concluded that you do 
not care. Either case is a failure of leadership.”
— Colin Powell

 “The ear of the leader must ring with the voices of the 
people.” — Woodrow Wilson

 “To become truly great, one has to stand with people, not 
above them.” — Charles de Montesquieu
 “To lead people, walk beside them. As for the best leaders, 
the people do not notice their existence. The next best, the 
people honor and praise. The next, the people fear; and the 
next, the people hate. When the best leader’s work is done 
the people say, ‘We did it ourselves.’” — Lao-Tsu

 

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Resource: leadership quotes

Learning anew the old ways of Kingdom life/ Part 3

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1 Chronicles 14:13-17
Inquire | Watch | Action
Learning anew the old ways of Kingdom Life

1. Action

And David did as God commanded him, and they struck down the Philistine army from Gibeon to Gezer. And the fame of David went out into all lands, and the LORD brought the fear of him upon all nations. 1 Chronicles 14:16, 17

It was about four three months of intense seeking. I can still see myself walking down the hill from my apartment to church every morning where I would spend the entire day sometimes the entire night seeking God about what He wanted to do.

Three months earlier God had spoken to me and told me that the plan I had come up with was not going to work. In fact He wasn’t really pleased that I had gone about forming my plans without Him. As He spoke to me in my sleep, His words from Isaiah shook me to the core – “Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help and rely on horses, who trust in chariots because they are many and in horsemen because they are very strong, but do not look to the Holy One of Israel or consult the LORD!” I could feel the words hitting my chest like burning coals.

I woke up went to my desk and tore all my traveling documents, tickets and dropped them in the trash. I remember getting down on my knees and asking – so Lord what should I do? For the next three months I sought him until He finally spoke with another clear direction. I didn’t have the financial means to make the move that he wanted, but my excitement propelled me in creative ways to raise the funds to make the move.

I was not even concerned about how I was going to pay for Seminary, but hey -God said go, I’m going. The first question the President of the school asked me when I met with him was – do you have the money to pay for your education? To that I said, “Yes.” three weeks after my enrollment, the President called me into His office and told me that someone had called the school and had offered me a full scholarship. Quite frankly, I wasn’t too surprised, but it blew my mind.

When we let God direct our paths He provides for us, sustains us, takes care of us, moves heaven and hell to make sure we are covered and protected. He truly sustains us where His will takes us. The bible says in Proverbs 1:31-33 – 31 that, “they shall eat the fruit of their way, and have their fill of their own devices. For the simple are killed by their turning away, and the complacency of fools destroys them; but whoever listens to me and follows my plans, will dwell secure and will be at ease, without dread of disaster.” Wow!

If David had chosen to do his own thing, stick to his own plan he would have missed out on what God wanted to do for and through him. The bible says, “David did as God commanded him, and they struck down the Philistine army from Gibeon to Gezer. And the fame of David went out into all lands, and the LORD brought the fear of him upon all nations.” Take action when God speaks. Step out in faith you will never regret it.

LEARNING ANEW THE OLD WAYS OF KINGDOM LIFE/ PART 1 July 30, 2013/by walter bright/ in New Series

LIVING ANEW WAYS OF KINGDOM LIFE/ PART 2 July 31, 2013/ by walter bright/ in New Series.>

Living anew ways of kingdom life/ part 2

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1 Chronicles 14:13-17
Inquire | Watch | Action
Learning anew the old ways of kingdom life

2. Watch

Welcome to the place of tension. I promise you – it is an exciting place to be – wrestling with yourself about the right move you need to make and with God about whether He knows what he is doing. If you’re like me, I am usually screaming at the top of my lungs –

Give me a revelation Show me what to do ‘Cause I’ve been trying To find my way I haven’t got a clue
Tell me should I stay here Or do I need to move? Give me a revelation I’ve got nothing without You I’ve got nothing without You. Third Day

Today we will continue with part two of our current 3 part blog series.  Here is the verse we are focusing on today:

God said to him, “You shall not go up after them; go around and come against them opposite the balsam trees. And when you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the balsam trees, then go out to battle, for God has gone out before you to strike down the army of the Philistines. 1 Chronicles 14:14, 15

Quite frankly, this is the place where it gets a little tricky for most would be seekers of God’s will. We’ve prayed, we’ve inquired, now it is time to not only listen for a response, but also to watch for a sign. Just so we know, it is okay to look for a sign from the Lord. In this passage, the Lord himself directs David to follow directions and watch for a sign.

This is the place where we look for a sign for what we perceive God is saying or wants to say to us. If there is any place where there is confusion and tension about the will of God it is right here – when we are trying to align our will with God’s will – our timing with God’s timing. It is unfortunately a place of immense tension. Am I going miss it, am I going to be too late or too early. No matter why Gideon was so freaked out watching for a sign.

Even though a lot of Christians abuse the “show me a sign” thing in the Gideon experience, it is still very important to wait on the Lord after inquiring of him. Listening to him and watching for a sign or a confirmation is still a good thing. In any event, the question you may have in the back of your mind is – what in the world was this “sound of marching in the top of the balsam trees?”

Some say it was a “distinct sound caused by the Lord that frightened the Philistines. See 2 Kings 7:6. Others say that the “Philistines knew the sound was the sound of trees, so David was able to use the sound as cover for his attack.” By this victory, David drove the Philistines out of the central hill country.

Whatever it was, to David it was a sure sign from God that it was time to move. God specifically told him not to go up after them; but to go around and come against them opposite the balsam trees. Now, that alone is a clear direction. It is a beautiful thing to get clear directions from the Lord like this.

More specifically, God told him to watch for a sign. He had to listen for the sound of marching in the top of the balsam trees. He had to wait for it to happen. He had to respect God’s timing. He had to be vigilant. He had to be watchful. He had to be patient. He had to do what God commanded. It was a sure sign that God had gone out before him to strike down the army of the Philistines.

Let me leave you with a few scriptures today:

Habakkuk 2:3 “For still the vision awaits its appointed time; it hastens to the end—it will not lie. If it seems slow, wait for it; it will surely come; it will not delay.”

Romans 8:25 “But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.”

Lamentations 3:26 “It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.”

Psalm 38:15 “But for you, O Lord, do I wait; it is you, O Lord my God, who will answer.”

Learning anew the old ways of kingdom life/ Part 1