A neighbor, who was a very close friend of our family; she and her husband lived a few doors from us and they visited often to play cards. His wife was able to foresee the future. She would tell my mother what was going to happen and it did. I could relate a number of examples. It was just plain spooky how accurate she was! I am completely convinced that there are psychics that can tell the future. I believe it could be of the devil. One thing I believe: the devil or anyone else, other than God, can’t tell our future unless we allow it. And neither can you be hypnotized unless you allow it. Scripture teaches we must not allow anyone to tell our future as it is not pleasing to God. There are people who can prophesize and I believe that comes from God. If some humans can see into the future, God knows from the very beginning, they will be in the Lamb’s Book of Life.

Many believe that you cannot be saved unless God chooses you. Yet, Scripture tells us that God wants everyone to accept Christ as their Savior. How do we explain the “elect” or God’s foreknowledge? If God knows prior to a person’s birth who will become a Christian, is it He who chooses or the individual who He knows will not accept? We are also told that there will be no excuses not to accept God. Therefore, should we not conclude that everyone will be given the opportunity to accept but most will refuse? Is it difficult to understand God chooses only those who He foreknows who will accept Christ as their Savior and they become the elect?

Deuteronomy 7:6 – 11 – “For you are a people holy to the LORD your God. The LORD your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on the face of the earth to be his people, his treasured possession. The LORD did not set his affection on you and choose you because you were more numerous than other peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples. But it was because the LORD loved you and kept the oath he swore to your forefathers that he brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the land of slavery, from the power of Pharaoh King of Egypt. Know therefore that the LORD your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commands. But those who hate him he will repay to their face by destruction;
he will not be slow to repay to their face those who hate him. Therefore, take care to follow the commands, decrees and laws I give you today.”

Christians, as God’s new chosen ones, were also given rules to live by and in most cases similar to the requirements that were given to the Jews who refused to be obedient and rejected God. I Thessalonians 4:8 – “Therefore, he who rejects this instruction does not reject man but God, who gives you his Holy Spirit.”

1. We are to live according to God’s Will and live to please Him.
2. We are to fulfill the purpose we were put on this earth to do.
3. We are to be responsible and accountable by living a life of service.
4. We are to share the gospel with everyone. Israel had been unwilling to spread God’s Word.
5. We are to actively witness for Christ.

These are just examples to show that what the Israelites were unwilling to do, Christians have been given the mission. Christ came to confirm what God expected.

These are important goals for people, especially if they find themselves in troubling times being tested and going through life’s trials. We are to have an attitude of prayer at all times. How else are we to develop a relationship with God? As Evil tempts, the bad decisions we make or problems coming from others never come from God. However, God allows what happens in our lives. But no matter the circumstance we find ourselves in, as believers, the Holy Spirit is with us to encourage and guide us through it. We are to give thanks that God’s Spirit is there with us. His Spirit can give us peace and joy. God’s WILL can be fulfilled by each of us. We must learn to trust God completely and in all things. We must believe, if we are committed, God will continue to open and close doors in our life to keep us on His plan. I have experienced this many times in my life. However, I did not realize His purpose for me until years after becoming a Christian. I always had the attitude: God whatever you want me to do open that door and He has.

I turned to a Christian friend and asked: “How much do you rely on prayer and the Holy Spirit?” I was talking to a person who has been a Christian for many years about the world problems in general. It didn’t take long before I asked him about how the Holy Spirit was working in his life. It was kind of like: “Well I have the Holy Spirit, but what do you mean?” I replied: “Do you realize the power that is within you having God’s Spirit to direct and check you?” He answered: “I know the Holy Spirit is in me because the Bible is very clear about that. But what are you getting at?” I told him: “What do you think the Holy Spirit is in you to do? Don’t you believe that God’s Spirit wants to help you just as much as you would want to help your own children? The Bible is very clear that salvation allows us to become adopted into God’s family and a part of God comes to live within us and help us live by God’s plan.”

There is a term called “The doctrine of election”. God gives salvation to whomever He pleases. For example, God chose Abraham and his descendants as His special people. He then indicated that the earth will be blessed through Abraham’s people. They were given land, they received His Word and were to convey that Word to the entire world. God knew, before He chose them, they would be a disobedient nation and fail to present His Word to the world. John 4:9 – “The Samaritan woman said to him, ‘You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?’” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.) Jews would not associate with most gentiles. How could God spread His Word without human help? Therefore, He sent His Son to establish a New Covenant in which followers of Christ would spiritually change the world by spreading God’s message of grace. We are part of God’s plan and each may be given a different direction.

This is why we have sent missionaries throughout the world to accomplish what others were unwilling to do. The supernatural experiences many of these missionaries have, has confirmed that this is what God has expected of Christians. But there were times when Christians stopped spreading the Word. The vacuum allowed the spread of pagan religions. If Christians refuse to spread the Word, the devil will fill the gap.

Don’t ever think God doesn’t know who we are and what we are doing every minute. Is God seeing us focused on the world and ourselves or on Christ and eternity?

Years ago before children had the toys that are available today there were soap box derbies. Dads and sons would build racing carts and enter them in the soap box races. They may be made out of orange crates on short two by fours with axles and wheels. They had a steering mechanism and brakes. That was the total racer.

Most of the contestants were eager youngsters who leaned forward or hunkered down in their carts hoping to decrease wind resistance thereby increasing speed. One youngster was visibly frightened at the prospect of going too fast down a long hill and compensated by riding the brake to keep his speed under control. He finished last.

In my younger days, some of our relatives would go to the Pacific Ocean for a weekend and would dig clams and have clam chowder. To this day it is my favorite soup. I remember wading out into waist deep water, standing mesmerized as a huge wave approached, broke and knocked me flat in a swirl of sand, saltwater and tangled arms and legs. My next try resulted in a repeat of my first humiliation.

I use these two illustrations to describe the Christian’s frame of mind when the first few steps of faith are taken. A fully committed Christian is like a youngster who takes his foot off the brake and goes full tilt down the steepest of hills. The committed Christian is also like a person who wades into the surf, dives headlong into the first wave and swims into the vast Pacific Ocean.

The problem that exists is once the initial wave of enthusiasm passes, and it will, there is an inclination to settle into a kind of treadmill mentality. Once the excitement has passed, life returns to dealing with the day to day pressures that surround us. So before any more steps are taken we need to learn how to maintain momentum and stay charged.

If you have been reading my blogs, almost everyone will tell you that you must develop a personal relationship with the Holy Spirit and be tuned into His presence. I use the word “tuned in” because it is not always a conscious awareness. But when something noteworthy happens, whether it is considered a good thing or a not-so-good thing, the presence of the Holy Spirit comes to mind and is cause for celebration. He is your inner partner when someone aims a six-shooter between your eyes; He is present when the roof caves in or the stock market crashes as we have seen or He is with you when oil is discovered in your back yard. Recently, I spent two days in the hospital and prayed without ceasing knowing that God would heal me.

It is His partnership that is energizing. It’s the difference between sitting in a foxhole alone and scared or sitting in a foxhole with the Joint Chief of Staff right there with you. It has been my experience that many Christians, when it comes to stepping out in faith, ride the brakes or only put their toe in the water. If they only knew what God has in store for them and what they may be missing, they will only know when they get to heaven. But what an exciting life we could have if we just put our faith into action.

We as Christians have a tremendous advantage. We have been assured that we can always enjoy beneficial circumstances and it enables us to transform the most hopeless looking position into a favorable position. However, it is all based on the condition of our spiritual heart which determines the kinds of decisions we make.

Every one of us has a worldly nature and a spiritual nature. The two natures are in conflict with each other because the worldly nature is self-serving and the spiritual nature is God-serving. Therefore, the condition of our spiritual heart determines the kinds of decisions we make. Business decisions, job decisions, family decisions and personal decisions are all affected by our true nature or heart.

Countless Scriptures make the point that spiritual health is a direct outgrowth of our spiritual natures winning the conflict taking place within us. Galatians 5:17 – “For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want.”

Which nature are we allowing to win? Is our worldly nature saying “Keep your foot on the brake; you may risk losing everything”? Or are we willing as committed Christians to hunker down, with our foot off the brake saying I am willing to let it all hang out that I might fulfill God’s will in my life. And that might require taking a risk! It may even require swimming with the sharks.

Every Christian must know that God’s will is that we continually grow spiritually. His will is that we emulate the life of Christ. This is not possible unless we study the Bible to know why and how Christ lived. Reading the Bible is also for our protection. It provides knowledge that protects us from false teaching that can get us sidetracked from maturing spiritually.

I Peter 1:13 – 16 – “So prepare your minds for action and exercise self-control. Put all your hope in the gracious salvation that will come to you when Jesus Christ is revealed to the world. So you must live as God’s obedient children. Don’t slip back into your old ways of living to satisfy your own desires. You didn’t know any better then. But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God who chose you is holy. For the Scriptures say, “You must be holy because I am holy.” NLT

Holiness begins with the proper preparation of our minds. Our minds must be holy if our behavior is to be holy. For as a man thinks in his heart, so is he. (Proverbs 23:7) – Our minds must be under the control of the Holy Spirit. We are to live a life of hope by faith. We are not to be negative, pessimistic, judgmental or even fatalistic. We must live our lives as God intends: We are to have a life of joy with the knowledge that our rewards in heaven will be determined by our deeds.

A holy life is based on a lifestyle of active obedience. If we are disciples of Jesus, we must overcome our self-centeredness and follow Christ’s teaching. We are told that we must not let our prior desires control who we are and our behavior. We must recognize the source of holiness comes from God’s love. Scripture specifically points out that we can only become holy as we become more like Christ and we cannot be holy on our own. It comes by allowing the Holy Spirit to work through us.

God wants to develop a relationship with us. He cannot do so if we lack knowledge. Yet, many Christians fail to read and study the Bible. Chances of developing a relationship will not happen if you do not know Him or have the faith to believe His promises. Without knowledge you may be led astray by false prophets. There are those who will lead you to believe there is nothing wrong with worldly pleasures. If these influence you, it could cause a Christian to doubt God and you then may disobey Him.

Is there any god that comes before the true God? Do you allow money, prestige, power or other worldly pleasures to become your god? The more I learn from the Bible the more I become aware of my weaknesses and achieve a desire to overcome them. I know how important it is to have a heart that is quick to repent and ask for forgiveness.

Earth is only a temporary place where we live. When we become a Christian we are given a citizenship in God’s kingdom and it is eternal. So we are actually asked to live as strangers in this world but under the rules and regulations specified by the Bible. That does not mean we ignore our U.S. citizenship requirements.

II Peter 1:4 – “And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires.”

Christ has given us the power of life. Christ gives us this promise: Believers can participate in the divine nature. Christ promises that we can become Christ-like with a divine nature. It is with our divine natures that we build our relationship with God. However, we are not divine in the way God is divine. The promises encourage us to take action to grow spiritually. Participation in the divine nature enables believers to escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. He tells us how this can be done in the following Scripture:

II Peter 1:5 – 7 – “For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love.” NIV

Believers are to use God’s power and every ounce of determination to add goodness to their faith. Christ gives us the divine nature and power but it is up to each of us to make every effort to set aside our sinful desires and actively seek the qualities the Bible describes. Goodness means we are to be generous and be cooperative. Knowledge is to lead us to salvation and enable believers to live a godly life. Self-control strives to obtain complete mastery over sinful human desires in every aspect of life. Perseverance is the ability to endure suffering of evil without giving up one’s faith. We are to face adversity at all times with the knowledge that God’s Spirit will assist us. Godliness is an awareness of God is in all of life and a lifestyle that exemplifies Christ and is empowered by Him. Brotherly kindness is an intense love to brothers and sisters who are Godly believers. Love is to be unconditional. It is to love with no strings attached. It is the love that God gives to believers.

Examine yourself! Are you growing spiritually as a Christian? The more we grow the more we want to give of our time, talents and resources. As we grow we should sense more of God’s love. Watch and see God will prepare us for greater tasks once we can be trusted to do His will.

Central Christian Church, LV a small traditional church was concerned about the many lost souls in Las Vegas. For months we prayed, asking God how do we reach those lost. We received the commission to spread the Gospel as described in Scripture. We changed our entire worship service and the unchurched came in large numbers. As many were becoming saved, there seemed to be little change in how some lived. Church leaders recognized that salvation was more than just forgiveness. It means a new life. More than that, John 10:10 told us: “The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.”

It seemed too many were becoming saved to stay out of hell. Salvation is more than an insurance policy. Unless we understand our nature and purpose we will not understand salvation. It is more than taking away the risk of being lost forever. New converts needed to be taught how to live a Christian life. Matthew 28:18 – 20 – “Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” We were to teach new disciples to obey all the Commands Jesus instructed the Apostles to live by.

We encouraged them to become a part of a Sunday Bible class that would teach them how to live a holy life. When we ran out of room, we started small Bible groups that met in homes. Too often, more time was spent socializing than Bible study. We continued to see too little change in one’s lifestyle taking place. Here is what we learned in helping new converts mature spiritually:

Man was created in the image of God and God is a Spirit. Man is a spirit inside of a body that has inherited a self-centered nature with a disobedient will. He was given freedom of choice. He could follow the purpose God created Him for or do his own thing. He is capable of loving and obeying His Creator or loving himself and rejecting God. We know that one must be born again. We had a choice of who we allowed to control our mind, which controlled our life. Was the body going to be in charge or would our spirit? Since we were made in the image of God, God wants us to reject the bodies control and allow our spirit to be directed by His Spirit that He places within the body of a new convert. Do you think this is as easy as it sounds? Who wants to start life all over as new people giving up control of themselves to a Spirit they do not know or cannot converse with? Who, initially, has that much faith?

Christ tells us we cannot serve God unless we love Him. We cannot love Him unless we know Him. We cannot know Him unless we have faith to believe in Jesus Christ who, as His Son, represents the nature and character of God. Jesus, very carefully, stated that to satisfy the total law, we are to love God with everything we have and others as ourselves. It is also implied that we are to love ourselves and God requires self-acceptance, self-esteem and respect. We must not fear that God will diminish our individuality. Love ends bondage and fear. It is the love of God and others that becomes a part of our new spiritual nature. Keep in mind that we were created to be a shadow of God. He has given us His Spirit that we might become what He planned for us to be.

When we are told to live a holy life it means to have a pure love, a personal and mutual love between God and man. It also requires we have the same love for others. Love is the most powerful motivation that man has. Therefore, we are told that sin is a distortion of love.

To help prepare a person for spiritual maturity it can best be described in the 13th chapter of I Corinthians as follows:

I Corinthians 13:1 – 3 – “If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God’s secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn’t love others, I would be nothing. If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it; but if I didn’t love others, I would have gained nothing.”

If we possess all the spiritual gifts but do not have love the gifts are useless. We may understand all mysteries, have all knowledge and faith to move mountains but do not have love, it may prevent our ability to produce results. We may have the gift of giving but, if we give out of duty and not out of a passionate love for the cause, our treasures in heaven may be less than we expect.

I Corinthians 13:4 – 7 – “Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.”

Scripture defines love as being unconditional and expecting nothing in return. Love is having patience with people but not necessarily with normal events of life. A Christian who is unkind lacks love. Love does not envy. Envy can means, if we can’t have it we do not want others to have it either. A person with love will not boast. Love keeps us humble and it never offends. Love looks for the good in people.

I Corinthians 13:12 – 13 – “Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely. Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love.”

When all the thing we take pride in pass away we will still have love. The one thing that Satan can never take away is God’s love for man and man’s love for God. Without love we will never know the mysteries of God or live with Him eternally. Faith without love can be cold. Hope without love is the potential to missed opportunities. Love is the passion that gives us faith and hope. For those who ask: After salvation what is next and were instructed in knowing the importance of love had a complete life change. It is too bad; more Christians did not realize that it is primarily love that will help us become what God intended for us. They are the ones who struggle being a Christian. In eternity, God wants people who will be obedient to the lifestyle Christ lived while on earth. Love is MANDATORY!

Faith for many is hard to come by. A lot of people are skeptical and must see or touch to believe. However, it is one of the most important things we can do. To please God we must have an abundance of faith.

Through Scripture we are told how important faith is. The eleventh chapter of Hebrews clarifies it: Hebrews 11:1 – “Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see.” NLT

Christ gave us a new covenant that told us that we were no longer under the law if we accepted Him as our Savior. The Jews had developed a religious work system with many different traditions and legalistic requirements. It was not the supernatural system that God had intended. The Bible is very clear you cannot work your way to heaven because works cannot redeem anyone. It has always been by faith starting with Abraham. Faith believes the future promises made by God and Christ.

Hebrews 11:2 – 3 – “Through their faith, the people in days of old earned a good reputation.” By faith we understand that the entire universe was formed at God’s command, that what we now see did not come from anything that can be seen.” NLT

Faith allows us to believe that God created the world out of nothing by speaking His Word. In Genesis God said “Let there be” and what He asked for happened. It takes faith to believe things we cannot understand can actually happen. Abraham and the prophets accepted what they were told, believed it and wrote about it. Possibly it was their contact with God or His Spirit that convinced them. More people believe God’s description of creation is not possible than believe that it is.

This chapter goes on to point out those who had faith, how they pleased God and how they were blessed. Hebrews 11:4 – “It was by faith that Abel brought a more acceptable offering to God than Cain did. Abel’s offering gave evidence that he was a righteous man, and God showed his approval of his gifts. Although Abel is long dead, he still speaks to us by his example of faith.”
We know God is more concerned about our heart and our motives than He is about what we sacrifice. Abel’s sacrifice made him a righteous and faithful man. We learn that faith and our attitude is a choice. What we also learn was Cain and Abel came to sacrifice at the same place at the same time suggesting that God had specified a time and place to worship. The difference was that Abel gave God what God wanted and Cain gave God what Cain wanted. By faith, one was obedient and the other was disobedient. It is apparent that Cain was religious, who believed in God and even in worship but on Cain’s terms and not on God’s terms. How many Christians make the same mistake today?

James 2:14 & 17 says that faith without works is dead. Believing but not responding is not true faith. True spiritual faith is always obedient. God comes to man by faith. Man must accept God’s ways above his own and sin is ultimately punished.

Hebrews 11:5 – “It was by faith that Enoch was taken up to heaven without dying—“he disappeared, because God took him.” For before he was taken up, he was known as a person who pleased God.”

Scripture tells us that Enoch walked with God for 300 years. Many today do not understand the concept of walking with God. We must understand that God wants a relationship. It comes through prayer and Bible study. Romans 10:17 – “So faith comes from hearing, that is, hearing the Good News about Christ.” Faith grows when we read and hear the Word.

Hebrews 11:6 – “And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.”
Faith is an absolute requirement. Science has not been able to prove there is a God, but it shows evidence of a planner, designer and a maintainer. It takes faith to believe that God exists. II Corinthians 5:7 – “For we live by faith, not by sight.”

Our self-centered nature rebels against God. It is only through salvation that we can become reconciled to God and atone for our sinful past. Once we have become reconciled with God there will be evidence by the way we live, the things we say and the things we do. The way we think and our behavior must change. Satan continually tries to confuse Christians between works and faith. Satan wants us to believe the only way to please God is through our works.

God wants us to trusts him in the trials we go through, the temptations we are faced with and the decisions we make daily. God wants us to worship Him, be obedient to His ways and have a personal relationship with Him. All who had the faith to believe in God and live according to His ways was considered righteous. Romans 3:22 – “This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile,” God looks through the eyes of Christ and see us as He sees Christ.

I John 2:15 – “Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them.” Our actions may seem pure but inside our hearts are still hard. Faith responds with action. Are we willing to step into the unknown as so many in the Old Testament were if we believe God is calling?

Do we realize the unlimited eternal promises God and Christ have made to believers? God cannot lie or fail to tell the truth. Would you be willing to live God’s ways if Heavenly promises were to be rewarded while we were still on earth? If everyone could see and knew those promises were just a few years away and would have them on earth, probably there would be more believers than non-believers.

Matthew 17:20 – “He replied, “Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”

It surprises me the number of Christians who throw in the towel when things get tough and they believe happiness can be found somewhere else. But for those who remain faithful and obedient, God has prepared an unbelievable Heaven with fantastic rewards that are available for those who have adequate faith and had a servant’s heart while on earth.

It seems living a holy life is no more than living to please God and it must be every believer’s priority. God requires each Christian to turn their lives over to Him. We are to offer our bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God. We are told to become sanctified and holy. Sanctified means to separate ourselves from the world and give ourselves to God. We are told to prepare ourselves for heaven in the way we live. The Bible teaches us to let the Holy Spirit take our sinful, self-centered nature, our old habits and behaviors and let them be transformed to emulate the life of Christ.

As we grow spiritually we find our self-centered nature making it very difficult to live to please God. Many suffer from anger and others from revenge and unforgiveness. If someone cuts you off as you are driving, what is your reaction? Is it any different if someone insults you? Our original nature is constantly being tempted by the world’s lures.

I John 2:15 – 17 – – “Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.”

God wants us to give up our self-control. It seems this is almost impossible for some to do. We are to die out to self and allow the Holy Spirit to guide us. He wants us to have a spirit of generosity and to be committed to humble service. Our actions must reflect God’s value and not the world’s value.

The Bible has made it very clear what God expects of His children:

1.​Abel brought a sacrifice to God that was acceptable but his brother Cain did not. Apparently God had told them what he expected of each. One obeyed and one did not. The illustration of Abel teaches us the importance of worshiping God as Christ teaches and giving Him our very best. Tithing and sacrificing has been a part of worshiping God from the very beginning.

2.​Abraham left a very wealthy family who had status and at that time a home with walls and a ceiling. He departed to live the rest of his life as a nomad in tents. We learn from Abraham the importance of trusting in God and living by faith. Abraham trusted the future promises of God. It was Abraham’s faith that made him holy and righteous.

3.​Enoch walked with God for 300 years. He had developed a relationship with God that was so close that God took him to heaven without Enoch having to die. We learn from Enoch that God expects a relationship with Him from each of us and to worship Him through our daily walk.

4.​Noah was one of the most obedient of all God’s people. For 120 years he diligently built an ark and preached to people to change their lives. He had faith in the promise that God would do what He said He would do, destroy everyone with a flood. Noah teaches us the importance of obedience and persistence.

5.​Christ brought a New Covenant that included teachings under the Old Covenant, but the New Covenant made the laws, regulations, ceremonies and sacrifices of the Old Covenant obsolete. He did not abolish the teachings of the Old Testament for it gives prophecies of the future, history, examples of Godly people and the character of God. Under the New Covenant we are judged on our inner selves, our spirit and thoughts but not on our external actions. Doing good works will not get us to heaven. But if we have the right relationship with God and others, we will do good deeds with unconditional love.

Ephesians 5:3 – 7 – “But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people. Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving. For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person—such a person is an idolater—has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God’s wrath comes on those who are disobedient. Therefore do not be partners with them.
Obscenity and coarse joking are a part of the media. Improper language has no place in a Christian’s vocabulary. Yet, it seems that many use obscenity and foolish talk regularly.

Romans 8:9 – 11 – “You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ. But if Christ is in you, then even though your body is subject to death because of sin, the Spirit gives life because of righteousness. And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you.”

A Christian is a person who has the Spirit of God living in them. If you do not have the Spirit in you, you are a Christian in name only. You may not feel you have the Holy Spirit so in many situations you have to accept it as a promise that He would come in if you asked Him to. I believe you will recognize supernatural events if you are looking for them. You will be checked at times and you will begin to act as Christ directs. You will develop a desire to serve. As you grow spiritually you shall receive the fruits of the Spirit, which is: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22 – 23). The fruit of the Spirit comes from the Spirit and are not characteristics that we can earn. Hence, if you have the Holy Spirit, He will change who you are to what Christ wants you to be. There then will be no doubt in your mind that you have been sealed by the Spirit.

Therefore, our purpose on earth is to develop an unconditional love for God and others and have a servant’s heart. As we head down life’s path our carnal nature, our self-centeredness, the storms we encounter and the devil’s seducing spirits will try to guide us too often onto the wrong paths. That’s when we check our compass, the Holy Spirit, and make sure we stay directed to the path that leads to the ultimate goal, which is living with God and Christ forever. When we take that last breath, what is the most important thing we can take with us? Is it all of our material things that we have accumulated? Or, is it eternal security to be with God?

Has Satan made you less than you can be?

“For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.”  (II Corinthians 5:10)

When you appear in Heaven and are about to be judged by Christ, would you want to hear:  “You are nothing like you were created to be.”  When you are standing there what do you expect to receive?  Do you think you will hear that you did well or you just barely made it to heaven?

We came from God with a given purpose.  It makes no difference who our parents are or how dysfunctional our lives may have been.  God can create in us a new person with potential and abilities.  Yet, the devil will continually try to deceive us in believing we are just too unworthy and will never amount to much.

Knowing we were born and God had a plan for each one of us, we can accept or reject!  We all know that our body’s carnal and self-centered nature will reject God and His plan at least for a time.  It is up to our soul and spirit if we want to accept God and what He has planned.  If we receive Christ as our Savior this requires a commitment and obedience to His will.  Once we believe, we must prepare for temptations and trials that will come.  Probably the stronger our will and the more self-control we have our testing will be greater.  We must know God’s general Will for those who have become Christians before we get to His plan.

We must emphasize the importance of praying that God would reveal to each of us His realized purpose for our lives.  So many Christians apparently are unaware that God has a plan for them.  They seem to lack a passion for what it is they are doing.  Or, they have a passion but have not developed enough trust in God to follow the Holy Spirit’s direction.  Negative fear is the Devil’s greatest weapon.  How often have we wanted to do something but were afraid to try?

If we have the mind-set that no matter what happens in our lives it is in God’s plan and He is allowing it for a particular purpose; could we then handle temptations and trials more positively?  As we approach life realizing that God has it planned out for us, then be aware that He also wants us to succeed with the help of His Spirit within us.

We can become what we want to be, very successful or even failing, depending on how we think of ourselves.  When we think positive we can become highly motivated and more productive.  If we think negative thoughts about ourselves we become less enthusiastic and block our full potential.

As important as attitudes are, they are not something we can teach.  They must be something we get from something or somebody.  One’s attitude is a personal thing.  It is how we see ourselves.   Anytime you meet me my attitude is showing.  Most of you may want to be around me if I am positive but if I am always negative you may have a tendency to skip seeing me.  But I must have the right attitude to be what God created me to be.

Even though we are all made differently; some were created with certain abilities, some handicapped and most of us average.  Each was given a purpose and a mission based on what God had in mind for us.  God didn’t say let’s create another human today and watch them fail.  He had the knowledge and ability to put the universe together; and He knew everyone of us prior to our birth. Then can’t He give each one of us a plan for our lives with the abilities to be successful?

I wonder if some Christian’s problems are a lack of trust or self-confidence because they never study or accept how Scripture applies to them.   A Christian’s self-confidence comes from our relationship with God, Christ and the Holy Spirit.  If you lack confidence do you need to become more spiritually mature?  Do you need to spend more time in Bible study and prayer?  Pray that God challenges you to do something for Him that you feel incapable of doing.  Then do it and see if He doesn’t give you the ability and willingness to accomplish His task.  Do this a few times and you will realize that confidence can come from God.   Then apply that confidence to other projects.  Think positively, tell yourself positive thoughts and you will become positive!  Allow the Holy Spirit to make you into a new confident and successful person as God intended and the Bible assures.

Too many of us are lazy!  We are unwilling to prepare.  How much time do you spend reading each week?  Between the Bible and information on my career, I spend a minimum of 20 hours a week reading.   I have read the Bible from Genesis to Revelation many times, in addition to studying all New Testament books.  Without this knowledge it would limit the information to blog.  I continue to believe what little success in life I have had, has been from preparation.  You will never be a professional basketball player practicing just occasionally.  If you want to stand before Christ at judgment with confidence, it takes hours of preparation.

Every time I read the fifth chapter of the Book of Acts that tells of a man and his wife dying as a result of a lie; I think how important it is in being truthful.  The man was named Ananias and his wife was Sapphira.  They sold their property and held back part of the money for themselves but stated they had given it all.  The Apostle Peter asked: “Ananias how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land?  Didn’t it belong to you before it was sold?”  Peter continued: “You have not lied to men but to God.”  When Ananias heard this he fell down dead.  Later his wife came in and Peter asked her if they had given their all and she replied all was given.  She too fell down and died and too was buried.  Do you think you would want to be a part of a church where people died for not being truthful?  I would assume those who joined the church to get members to join a pyramid business would think twice.  Wouldn’t it be great if everyone who became a Christian did it for the right reason?  Would we see a decrease in Christianity if people believed that the Holy Spirit caused people to die who were deliberately being deceptive or lying to church members?

Can you imagine the fear that must have been created in the early church?  Would that not make you stop and consider your motives and thoughts?  We must be careful not to tempt God by presuming we are under His grace.  When we do sinful things it is not against others but it is a sin against God.  Too often we do not take sin seriously enough.  We just assume no matter what we do God will forgive us if we ask for forgiveness and repent.  Is it possible we depend too much on the grace of God when we live on the edge or as the world lives?

Ananias and Sapphira’s love of money was just as sinful as Adam and Eve eating from the Tree of Knowledge.  Judas had the same problem when he betrayed Christ for 30 pieces of silver.  Ananias and Sapphira did not receive punishment because they didn’t give all they had received from the sale of land but because they had lied to God and the Holy Spirit.  I believe this Scripture also tells us that we must not think of ourselves of being more righteous or holy than we really are.  We must be careful that we are not living a lie by doing evil and convincing others we are more holy than we actually are.

Scripture tells us that this became one of the times the church grew rapidly percentage-wise   More people joined the church because of the numerous miracles that occurred.  But through the centuries many have become Christians but have never been willing to repent and allow the Holy Spirit to change their lives.  We continue to see too many Christians who seem to be weak morally and some even appear evil.  It gives those who like living an immoral life an excuse for not going to church.  We have all heard: “There are just too many hypocrites in the church for me to become a part.”

The fifth chapter of Acts goes on to tell that during the early church, crowds gathered the sick from all the surrounding cities so that the sick could be healed.  Scripture states that just Peter’s shadow could heal people.  The Bible gives an example of a beggar who for 40 years could not walk was healed.  We must remember this was an apostolic gift and no longer are people healed without exception.  This was a gift that was given to the apostles in Jerusalem at the time and is no longer a guarantee for healing.     Those who say they have the gift of healing do not.  Otherwise they could go to every hospital and heal everyone.  If that were to happen I believe hospitals would be as angry toward that person as the Sadducees and other Jewish leaders were to the apostles who were healing all and changing people’s lives.

Acts 5:18 – 21a – “They arrested the apostles and put them in the public jail.  But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the doors of the jail and brought them out.  “Go, stand in the temple courts,” he said, “and tell the people all about this new life.”   At daybreak they entered the temple courts, as they had been told, and began to teach the people.”

With all of the miracles that the apostles were given, you would have thought that this miracle of being released from jail should have convinced the Sanhedrin that these men were acting on God’s direction.  If you were one who was beaten and tossed into jail, would you have gone to the temple court and continued to teach the Word of God?  Often God has asked some of us to do certain tasks and we have refused and then have wondered why the Holy Spirit isn’t more active in our lives.  Pride can stop us from doing things that are out of the ordinary.  We can be more concerned what others might think rather than obeying the Holy Spirit.  What about long-time Christians who have never witnessed a supernatural event occurring?  Have they been too skeptical, unwilling participants or are they just not aware and treat everything as being lucky?  Take the person who expects some type of an experience where God intervenes on a daily basis.  One Christian expects and one never does.

In verses 5:33 – 39 tells us the Sanhedrin was furious with the apostles for continuing their teaching.  The Sanhedrin was made up of Sadducees and Pharisees.  The Sadducees were the liberals and did not believe there was life after death.  The Pharisees were the conservatives and believed that God promised life after death.  It was much easier for a Pharisee to become a Christian than a Sadducee.

We have some religious denominations that do not believe in Hell.  Others do not believe the Bible is 100% accurate or was inspired by God.  Many believe the only way to get to heaven is through good works.  There are some who believe living a good and moral life is all it takes.  It may be easier for some to believe in a lie than in the truth.  However, we know what God thinks of those who tell lies.  Is it possible that you could be living a lie because of what someone told you rather than having read God’s Word and knowing His will?