For as the sash clings to the waist of a man, so I have caused the whole house of Israel and the whole house of Judah to cling to Me,’ says the Lord, ‘that they may become My people, for renown, for praise, and for glory; but they would not hear.’ Jeremiah 13:11

This quote from the Book of Jeremiah is the reason we are experiencing cataclysmic events in the world. God chose the Hebrew race to be His special people and made an everlasting covenant with them through Abraham.

God took a small Jewish tribe and transformed them into a powerful nation. God freed them from slavery, defeated their enemies and blessed them with prosperity.

If you are a believer, you are a descendant of Abraham and a member of God’s “set apart” people. You belong to God and are to reflect His characteristics of renown, praise, and glory.

Just as the Israelites became a prideful nation and refused to listen and comply with the voice of God, we are now in the same situation with God. We have rejected the truths of God and will be punished for our actions.

The body of Christ is bankrupt and empty of His Spirit. There is very little fear or respect for God. Religion has whitewashed the truths of God causing disgrace to the name of Jesus.

You must return to Jesus and seek His forgiveness for your actions. God wants to speak to you and guide you in His ways but your heart and mind have to be open to receive His instruction and teaching.

Take God serious! He is the author of all life!

“So let us go out to him beyond the city walls (that is, outside the interests of this world, being willing to be despised to suffer with him there, bearing his shame. For this world is not our home; we are looking forward to our everlasting home in heaven.” Hebrews 13:13-14

 

Jesus was crucified outside the city walls. He was never comfortable in the world because He knew the world was not His final home. Jesus was not really interested in the things of the world. He was committed to doing the will of His Father and realized this would bring shame, suffering, and finally death.

If you are a believer, your life will mirror the life of Jesus. At times, you will face persecution and suffering for the sake of the cross. Jesus will stretch you to think and act differently than the world. He will teach you that your life is no longer yours, it belongs to God!

You must take the gospel outside the comfort and security of your home. You live in the world but you are not of the world. You are an alien (or stranger) on earth with a higher calling and a responsibility to be an ambassador for God.

It is impossible to stand still and carry on with life if you are a believer. Jesus wants to send you out to do His work. This can be in the workplace, raising a family, pursuing an education, at the fitness club, or shopping for groceries.

You will find your comfort zone in a personal and intimate relationship with Jesus. The things of the world will fade away as you do the work of a disciple of Jesus!

 

 

“And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. 12 The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. 13 Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy. 14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.” Romans 13:11-14

God is calling His people to awake out of sleep! You can’t think that life will go on smoothly from here on. God has started to shake the earth with His hand of judgment. And much more is on the way! Your salvation may be just around the corner.

Now is the time to get right with God! Go before almighty God and ask for forgiveness and to purify your life with His righteousness. Nothing is hidden from God. What you do behind closed doors is glaringly obvious to God.

Come clean with the blood of Jesus and live a life pleasing to Him. Put on Jesus Christ and seek Him through prayer and His Word. Make a serious commitment to walk with God and be yoked to His Spirit.

You can’t prevent the cataclysmic events coming from God but you can have a clear conscience and confidence in your relationship with the Father of lights.

The time is short!

“But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.” Romans 8:11

Jesus was raised from the dead by the Spirit of God. This is the same Spirit that raised Lazarus from the dead and will also raise you from the dead. And if you are a believer, this Spirit lives in you now.

The act of resurrected life begins at the moment you make a decision for Jesus. God places His life in you in the essence of the Holy Spirit. You now have Jesus living in you and He is your source for all life. However, you still have your natural person living in you and he is opposed to the ways of God.

You have to make a choice each day and sometimes moment by moment to live your life through the Spirit of Jesus Christ or your natural person who died on the cross with Jesus.

This internal rivalry between good and evil will never leave you so you have to nourish the good. You do this through prayer, filling yourself with the Word of God, and yielding to the Spirit.

This will allow you to live a life pleasing to God and to be free from sin leading to death.

In reality, a believer lives his life through the life of Jesus. You draw upon God for strength, wisdom, and protection and seek Him out for all your needs.

When you wake up each day, develop the discipline of committing your works to God and walking with Him yoked to His Spirit.

God desires to be your keeper and “preserve your going out and your coming in” but you have to be seeking Him and not relying on self.

Learn to walk with God and practice this truth in your life, “In Him you live and move and have your being.”

This will cause God to shine His face upon you!

 

 

“I now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up in my flesh what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ, for the sake of His body, which is the church.” Colossians 1:24

If you are a believer, you will be called by God to stand in the gap to break evil strongholds and draw people to salvation. This is the work of intercession and God labors through the Holy Spirit dwelling in you to set people free. This is agonizing work as you are a participant in spiritual warfare.

Intercession is a deep unconscious work of God and many times the results are hidden from you. As an intercessor, you may take on the feelings and identify with whoever you are interceding for.

In the spiritual realm, you are taking the place of the individual who is in bondage to Satan and allowing God to work through you to bring a victory for the body of Christ.

Jesus is the greatest intercessor of all time and you are working with Him to accomplish His objectives. As you suffer in body and mind with the afflictions of intercession, rejoice with Jesus. You are doing the work of the cross.

To be called to be an intercessor is one of the highest honors in the Kingdom of God and you will have a closeness with God that very few people can experience.

“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind.” James 1:5-6

When you are in a cloud of thick fog and can’t see any way out, there is a source that will never fail you.

This promise from God is available to you at any time! So when you need wisdom to deal with the challenges of life, turn to God.

God will pour out unrestrained wisdom without casting any disapproval or condemnation upon you. God wants you to turn to Him as this is a sign of your trust in His divine nature.

The secret is you have to ask for wisdom by faith and accept the wisdom of God without any doubt. So when you hear the voice of God you believe with all your heart and place unwavering faith in His promises?

The problem is not really hearing the wisdom but trusting God to bring things to fruition. You fall into doubt when you take your eyes off Jesus and look at your circumstances.

Sometimes, it takes a long time for the promises of God to appear in your life and you may encounter many stumbling blocks implementing God’s plan in your life.

You have to walk by faith because God will only show Himself to you through your trust in Him.

Your faith will lead you to the perfect will of God! He is a promise keeper!

 

“The Word of God is living and powerful” Hebrews 4:12

The cover of a book provides a superficial look and does not really explain the substance of the contents. You have to open up the book and read the material to determine if the book is of interest to you.

The Bible conjures up many thoughts and emotions. The reactions are varied and include many of these comments.

The Bible was written thousands of years ago and is not relevant today.

The Bible represents organized religion which is filled with hypocrisy and elitism.

My experiences with religion have been discouraging and have turned me off from God.

The Bible is unlike any book that has ever been written. The content is alive and powerful and testifies to the person of Jesus Christ. It is life changing!

You have to investigate the truths in the Bible with an open heart. Forget about the cover or your experiences with religion. Open the book and ask God to speak to you.

You will meet Jesus who is alive today! He wants to live in you and fill you with His goodness. The truths of God will set you free to lead an abundant life. Jesus will forgive you for all your sins and restore you to Himself. He will change you into a virtuous man or woman reflecting the qualities of God.

Jesus will become your best friend and give you wisdom, strength, and protection. He will look out for your interests and fight your battles.

When you think Bible, think a living relationship with your Creator and best friend!

 

 

 

“For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His.” Hebrews 4:10

God created the heavens and the earth and all living things in six days and He rested on the seventh day.

The promise of entering into the rest of God is available to all who believe in God. You cease from striving through life drawing upon your own resources and enter into a faith relationship with God.

You walk by faith trusting God to meet all your needs. In essence, you surrender to God and allow Him to carry you through life.

This transformation takes place at the moment you make a decision for Jesus. Your natural life dies and you become a new person. You take on the life of Jesus in the form of the Holy Spirit. You enter the invisible world of God and your life now revolves around trusting God to meet your every need.

What makes God angry is when you fall into unbelief and change from trusting God to returning to your old natural life. This caused most of the Israelites to die in the desert and to be denied the promises of God.

It is impossible for God to lie and He has made a promise to you for an abundant life and to bless the desires of your heart. You can only inherit this promise by faith in the Son of God.

Your faith becomes vulnerable when troubles arises in your life. You look at your life and begin to judge God by your circumstances. The secret is to keep your eyes on Jesus and not the conditions of your life.

Rest in God! He will never let you down!

 

“For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. ” 1 Corinthians 3:19

You cannot understand God with a high IQ, a scholarly approach, or through modern thinking. God’s thoughts are not your thoughts and your ways are not God’s ways. He is a spiritual being and you are a human being.

God is unpredictable and controversial. He sees things differently than you and me. God is omniscient and knows all of your future. God also understands you much better than yourself. You see a small glimpse of who you really are but God sees the whole picture.

God sees all you roots tracing back to your genealogy, parental upbringing, and life experiences. He also sees your inner hurts and emotions. All of these influences make up your personality and decision making. This is why the wisdom of God is so important and will provide you with an abundant life.

The wisdom of this world does not mirror spiritual truth. In fact, it is contrary to the ways of God. You can only understand God by the Spirit of God.

You make a decision for Jesus and then you are given the Spirit of God to live in you here on earth. The Spirit is the source of all truth and will reveal the living God to you. He will teach you about Himself and do a powerful work of inner healing and restoration.

When you meet the living God, there will be no turning back. You will fear and respect God and desire to build your life upon the name of Jesus. This is the beginning of wisdom and will be your fountain to an abundant life.

God laughs at the foolishness of the world. The world has nothing of value to offer you and will only lead you astray. However, the Spirit will equip you with strength, wisdom, and protection to overcome the evil ways of the world.

Build you life on God and He will flourish you with His goodness. He is a rewarder of those that diligently seek Him!

 

“Who has also made us sufficient as ministers of the new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.”  2 Corinthians 3:6

If Christian leaders were doing a good job, believers wouldn’t need them!

Whatever your role is as a leader, your responsibly is to point people to Jesus Christ and teach them how to be “one with God” and reliant on Him.

If you are walking with God, you learn how to turn to Him for your every need whether it is strength, wisdom, protection, healing, financial help, or just how to pray for a family member or a friend.

The key for a believer is to be united to God through the Holy Spirit who lives in you. The Holy Spirit teaches you, comforts you, and empowers you to meet the challenges of life.

Jesus would have been a failure if He was not one with His Father. He depended on His Father for every detail in His life and was obedient up to His death.

A Christ centered leader understands his responsibility is to prepare people to be sent out to do the work of God. He does not feel entitled to keep or control others under his authority. He is constantly pointing people to God and never to Himself, a church, or a religious curriculum.

The church has a role in the body of Christ but they have deserted their first love for religion. Jesus wants to set people free and never exert control over others.

Christianity is failing because they have replaced the person of Jesus Christ with religion. They have shifted from teaching the concept of faith to focusing on works.

God doesn’t really care about your works. Jesus finished the works of God when He died on the cross. Do you really think you can add anything to the kingdom of God without the power of the Spirit working within you?

God wants you to abandon yourself completely to Him and become united to Him in a powerful bond that can never be broken or influenced by the circumstances of life.

Without faith it is impossible to please God!