Let's look at the passages we ended with yesterday:
For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
What he is saying here is that Christian growth, is marked by those above qualities and they result in effectiveness and productivity. He is not saying that it's enough to simply have those qualities or characteristics, but rather that a Christian who is being obedient to God will see these characteristics in themselves always increasing.
2 Peter 1:9 But if anyone does not have them, he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins.
A Christian who is not growing, is not being obedient to the Lord. The word translated unproductive means "unfruitful" as well. This should remind us of what the Lord said:
John 15:5-8 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.
Do you see the connection here? Jesus didn't save us so we could just continue living our lives the way we always did. He wants us to grow to maturity in Him so we can be productive members of the family.
Much to our great shame and embarrassment though, many Christians, after they are saved, don't bother to pick up their bibles and study them. If they pick them up at all, it's just to read them a little. That is not what God wants from us.
1 Corinthians 3:1-3 Brothers, I could not address you as spiritual but as worldly—mere infants in Christ. I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready. You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere men?
Here Paul is berating the Corinthians for doing just that, (although I'd be willing to bed that even those Corinthians had done a little more then many do now days!) He calls them "infants in Christ". They are not being obedient to the Lord and growing in their faith by studying and reflecting on His Word.
Hebrews 5:11-6:2 We have much to say about this, but it is hard to explain because you are slow to learn. In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil. Therefore let us leave the elementary teachings about Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God, instruction about baptisms, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment.
Here he says pretty much the same thing. Although here he defines more exactly what the difference is between those who are still infants in Christ and those who have been obedient and are becoming mature in Christ. I was pretty ashamed of myself when I read this and realized at the time that I was still an infant although I'd "read" the bible quite a bit. The fact is, I hadn't "studied" it and I didn't reflect on it or even apply it to my life much.
When we realize that, Satan's next move to to try and convince us that we're way too old to go back to school now. In other words he tries to get us to believe that since we haven't obeyed God in this in all these years since we've been saved, that there's little point to doing so now. Then his next move is to convince us that we "can't" learn, or that it will "take to long" or things like that. That's all bologna of course.
This is our Lord's command to all who have been born again:
1 Peter 2:2-3 Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.
2 Peter 3:18 But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen.
Pure spiritual milk is the Word of God! He is most definitely NOT telling us to go out and buy books that tell us what God has said about something, or what God is like. He is telling us to open our bibles, and read, study and reflect on the Word of God, with God Himself as our teacher!
John 14:26 But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.
John 16:13-15 But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you. All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will take from what is mine and make it known to you.
1 Corinthians 2:10-12 but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man’s spirit within him? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us.
1 John 2:27 As for you, the anointing you received from him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things and as that anointing is real, not counterfeit—just as it has taught you, remain in him
Finally Peter says that if we are growing in the grace and knowledge of our Lord then:
2 Peter 1:10-11 Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things, you will never fall, and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Again, he is not saying that we have to work FOR our salvation but rather that we are to work it out--apply His Word, his commands, etc. to our lives. We are to grow in Christ; grow to maturity in Him. Those who refuse to do this, will not lose their salvation, but they also will not please the Lord. When they come face to face with the Lord that day, yes, He will love them, and they will be saved, but He will be very unhappy with them! I, for one, don't want that to happen. I want to meet him with joy and hear Him say, "Well done, good and faithful servant, enter into the joy of your Lord!" Those who have not been obedient and done all they could to grow to maturity in Him, won't be hearing that. Please...make sure that you are going to hear Him say that to you!
Finally please take a look at the last verse I posted yesterday for us to reflect on:
Galatians 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
Do you see that all the things we've been talking about, that the Lord tells us to "add to our faith" are fruit of the spirit? This brings us back full circle once again and shows us that we are not in this alone. We are working together as partners with God and He is actually doing most of the work. (although to hear us whine, most often you'd think it was us LOL) Whenever we take a step forward in faith and obedience, He will bless us by both enabling us to grow and and giving us His divine power to do so. Plus, He always seems to throw in a little "surprise blessing" too, just as if to say, "thank you my child, for trying." What an awesome God we serve!
Ephesians 5:8-10 For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord.
Bible Studies, Friends and Fellowship
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Re: Stress, worry, fear etc & the Christian
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Re: Stress, worry, fear etc & the Christian
2 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, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love.
| You have inherited the Divine nature, says Peter (v. 4), now screw your attention down and form habits, give diligence, concentrate. “Add” means all that character means. No man is born either naturally or supernaturally with character; he has to make character. Nor are we born with habits; we have to form habits on the basis of the new life God has put into us. |
The passage above starts out by saying "for this very reason" we are to do these things. What reason is that? Let's look at it in context to find out:
2 Peter 1:3-11 His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.
Did you get that??? God has given us everything we need so that we can live godly lives here and now. Where do we find these things? We find it "through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness".!!! And where do we get that knowledge? Has it been magically planted in our sub consciousness? Of course not! He has given it to us in His Word! Not only that however, but this says that when we study His Word and learn it and really know it, then we can actually "participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires." In other words we are changed to be more and more like Him and enabled to live a godly life without the corruption of the evil thoughts and emotions caused by the world! An intimate full knowledge of Jesus and His Word is the source of our growth and spiritual power!
Then what does it say:
For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness;
Faith is given to us by God, but once He has given that to us, He wants us to do certain things to support that faith. The word translated "add" actually means to "support" or even to "finance" something. He is telling us to put all we are and have into supporting our faith. We are not to ignore it and think that it's going to be fine left to it's own devices. Just as a plant needs water, as our bodies need food, so our faith needs certain things to support it so that it will be nourished and grow strong.
The first thing we're told to support our faith with is "goodness". The word translated "goodness" means literally moral excellency or virtue. In other words, it's not enough to just have the head knowledge of our faith, but we must also obey and live our faith.
Next we're told:
and to goodness, knowledge;
This isn't talking about worldly knowledge or intellectual pursuits. This is talking about spiritual knowledge. Now where do we get such knowledge from? Yes, again, from God's Word! This is why I say over and over again that just "reading" God's word isn't enough. We have to study it, and reflect on it, and most of all ask God to give us wisdom to understand it.
Then:
and to knowledge, self-control;
Self control! How often have we talked about that? It is by using self control that we take our thoughts captive and bring them into obedience to Christ! Now what's the main thing that we always find when we're dealing with taking our thoughts captive? It takes time, it takes practice and we can't give up. Oh Satan would just love it if we'd give up and he's going to encourage us to, so what do we need to use-the very next thing on the list:
and to self-control, perseverance;
We are told over and over in His Word to persevere. Being a Christian isn't easy, and anyone who ever said it was, didn't know what they were talking about! It requires work, self control and perseverance on our part. Thankfully we have the Lord to help us and to enable us to be victorious! Remember, we're not doing this on our own...we are using the self control and we are persevering because we are working together with God. This is a partnership. we are not alone! Not only that, but He tells us that we are "yoked together" like a team of horses would be. A yoke is a device used to link two animals together so that they will walk in step with each other. Jesus tells us that's how we are with Him when we are working on these things. But He also says that He is carrying the larger load, which is why we can be victorious!
Ok, then what do we add next:
and to perseverance, godliness;
Again, as we do these things we are being changed to be more and more like Him. We are nurturing our relationship with Him and we are becoming mature in Christ. This all leads to godliness, just as James says.
James 1:4 Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
Next we add:
and to godliness, brotherly kindness;
This too should begin to come naturally as we've worked on things. This isn't talking about how we feel toward others, it's talking about our actions. This is more having concern for others needs. Again it's acting our our faith and being obedient to God.
Finally we're told:
and to brotherly kindness, love.
The word translated "love" here is the agape type love. We are to love others the way God loves us. We aren't to just love those who are lovable, but to love even those who aren't. This is what God did for us when He sent Jesus. For when He sent Jesus, we were still sinners, we were His enemies. But because He loved us anyway, He sent Jesus and we were saved. Now He tells us that we are to strive to love others in this same way.
Now before we all start to say how impossible this is, let's remember again that we aren't doing this alone, we're doing it in partnership with God and He will enable us to be successful. I have to tell you though that before we are successful, we must first obey. In other words, we must put forth the effort to obey Him before He makes it possible for us to succeed. Obedience always comes before understanding and before success or victory.
To end this, I'd like to have us read the rest of that passage to find out why God wants us to have these qualities in ourselves:
For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But if anyone does not have them, he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins. Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things, you will never fall, and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Galatians 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
I don't want to make this any longer then it already is, so we can talk about this final part tomorrow.
Re: Stress, worry, fear etc & the Christian
John 15:4 Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.
| The Spirit of Jesus is put into me by the Atonement, then I have to construct with patience the way of thinking that is exactly in accordance with my Lord. God will not make me think like Jesus, I have to do it myself; I have to bring every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ. “Abide in Me”— in intellectual matters, in money matters, in every one of the matters that make human life what it is. It is not a bandbox life. |
Proverbs 23:7 For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he
When we are born again, God gives us a wonderful new nature. I remember the moment I was born again...I remember thinking that I felt "brand new" and so I was. It's like getting a fresh start. God wipes away all your past and says, "Ok, now you can start over and make something new that's good". So along with our eternal salvation, God gives us the chance to start over fresh and make our lives what they should be instead of what they were.
Like any good parent, He doesn't do the work for us though. Instead, He gives us the tools to use and the directions on how to use them. (they're all found in His Word, the Bible) Again, like a good parent, when He sees that we are not doing what He asks of us, then He disciplines us and He allows us to experience the consequences of our actions (or more likely, our"inaction" to use the tools He's given us.)
Over and over and over we are told to "abide" in Jesus, to "remain" in Him, to "hold to" His teachings. What does that mean? All of these are talking about our relationship with Him once we're saved. We need to nurture that relationship and grow it, and this is where so many of us fall down. Jesus is to be the focus of our lives, not something boxed away and pulled out when we think we need Him. Everything we think, do, and say should be focused on Him. There is only one way we can do that, and that's through constantly being in communion with Him.
Now please tell me how, if we are constantly in communion with Him, we can have thoughts of worry, doubt, fear, depression, etc? We can't! So it's really easy to see how much work we have to do on our relationship with Him, but how much of those kinds of thoughts and emotions we have to deal with on a day to day basis.
Now don't start to get down on yourself if you find your relationship with Him needs a lot of work. We've all been in that place at one time or another--every one of the apostles has been in that place at one time. This is where we learn to work out our salvation.
Philippians 2:12-13 Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.
No, that does not mean that we work "for" our salvation, but rather that we work as partners with God to change our lives into the kind of godly life He intended for us to have. God enables us to do this and He works with us to do it, but He will not do it for us. As the Bible Knowledge Commentary says, "Divine enablement and human responsibility are involved in doing God's work in us". It is our responsibility to obey God and use the tools He gives us. He enables us to do it, and then gives those tools divine power to change us and help us. But we first must obey and use them.
I'm going to end this here and finish this in my next post so that those who don't want to do it all at once will have a place to stop so they can absorb what's been said so far.
Friday, June 11, 2010
Re: Stress,worry,fear etc & the Christian
[QUOTE]What next?
Determine to know more than others. If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them. John 13:17.
If you do not cut the moorings, God will have to break them by a storm and send you out. Launch all on God, go out on the great swelling tide of His purpose, and you will get your eyes open. If you believe in Jesus, you are not to spend all your time in the smooth waters just inside the harbour bar, full of delight, but always moored; you have to get out through the harbour bar into the great deeps of God and begin to know for yourself, begin to have spiritual discernment.[/QUOTE]
I cannot begin to tell you how many times throughout both the old and new Testaments that God tells us to know His Word, to teach it to our children, to discuss it with each other, etc. He tells us it is to always be on our minds and in our hearts. There is simply no way to get around the fact that God's number one requirement or command to us after we are saved (besides spending time talking with Him) is to read and study His Word. There is nothing more important then this is, other then spending time with Him talking to Him, but that should be done while we are studying His Word too, not just separately.
I've heard people ask if it's so important, then what about people who live in the third world countries where Bibles aren't available. (Isn't it amazing how easily we can come up with excuses to not do something we're supposed to? The Lord will provide for them, and give them what they need. But just as in the parable of the Talents, God gives to each of us a different amount. Those of us living in the US could be considered like the man to whom He gave 5 Talents, while someone living in desperately poor country could be considered like the man He gave one talent to. The question isn't why we got more or they got less, the question is what are we going to do with what we have? Will we be like the one that doubled what the Lord gave him, or will we take what He's given us (His Word) and bury it?
Those who do not read, study and reflect on His Word are doing exactly that. They are burying the tremendous treasure they've been given as a gift by Him.
God's Word isn't just another book, and we don't read it just to accumulate knowledge. When we read and study His Word, and ask His help in understanding, it deepens our relationship with Him, and it changes us on the inside, making us more and more like Him every day. I'm not talking about changes that we make ourselves, like you might do when reading a "self help" book. No, these are changes made to us by God to conform us to His image.
So when we study His Word daily, it brings us into a deeper, closer relationship with Him, it strengthens us for whatever we have to face that day, like an immunization shot. It teaches us about God's Ways so that we will know what he expects of us, as well as know when we are going off the path. It trains us and equips us both for our life here and now and for our future life throughout eternity. Most importantly too, God's Word feeds the new nature that He gave us at our salvation. Without this spiritual food, our new nature becomes weak and impotent, but when we feed it ever day from God's Word, it becomes stronger and more capable and able to fend off the attacks of the enemy! It renews our minds each day giving us all we need so that we can discern what God's Will for us is, and enabling us to grow in grace.
Here are some verses for you to reflect on but after I post them I just want to add one final thing about this.
Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.
Deuteronomy 8:3 He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your fathers had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.
2 Timothy 3:15-17 and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
2 Peter 3:18 But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen.
Romans 12:1-2 Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
When we study God's Word, we see lives or ordinary people totally transformed. We see how powerful God is and how He has worked in their lives. I know that when I read about all this a long long time ago, that I wanted that power in me. I didn't want to just be changed, I wanted to be transformed! Just as it says in the verse above from Romans, that transformation comes from renewing our minds every day and that only comes from reading, studying, and reflecting on God's Word in communion with Him every day! And with that last thought let me include a few more verses to reflect on this weekend:
1 Corinthians 4:20 For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power.
Ephesians 3:16-21 I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.
2 Corinthians 3:18 And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.
Read the whole study here
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Re: Stress,worry,fear etc & the Christian
This morning, I asked the Lord how I could show you just how very important learning all of this is and lo and behold this was today's devotional which I think makes a perfect jumping off point for us:
What next?
Determine to know more than others. If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them. John 13:17.
If you do not cut the moorings, God will have to break them by a storm and send you out. Launch all on God, go out on the great swelling tide of His purpose, and you will get your eyes open. If you believe in Jesus, you are not to spend all your time in the smooth waters just inside the harbour bar, full of delight, but always moored; you have to get out through the harbour bar into the great deeps of God and begin to know for yourself, begin to have spiritual discernment.
When you know you should do a thing, and do it, immediately you know more. Revise where you have become ‘stodgy’ spiritually, and you will find it goes back to a point where there was something you knew you should do, but you did not do it because there seemed no immediate call to, and now you have no perception, no discernment; at a time of crisis you are spiritually distracted instead of spiritually self-possessed. It is a dangerous thing to refuse to go on knowing.
The counterfeit of obedience is a state of mind in which you work up occasions to sacrifice yourself; ardour is mistaken for discernment. It is easier to sacrifice yourself than to fulfil your spiritual destiny, which is stated in Romans 12:1-2. It is a great deal better to fulfil the purpose of God in your life by discerning His will than to perform great acts of self-sacrifice. “To obey is better than sacrifice.” Beware of harking back to what you were once when God wants you to be something you have never been. “If any man will do . . ., he shall know . . . .”
Chambers, O. (1993, c1935). My utmost for his highest : Selections for the year (June 8). Grand Rapids, MI: Discovery House Publishers.
You know, for many who have been born again, there are several words they really don't want to hear about, and not many pastors preach about these things today for that very reason. We've all been taught that salvation is a free gift from God with no strings attached, and so it is. When we hear a pastor or anyone start to preach about being obedient to God, the first thought many of us have is "that's being legalistic and I don't have to pay attention to this". So even those pastors who do dare to preach the whole bible, are often tuned out as soon as they utter that nasty word, "obey".
Obedience isn't about being legalistic however, or at least it need not be. Obedience is only legalistic when you are following a command because you think that by doing so you'll get into heaven and by not doing so, you won't.
For those who are born again though, obedience is a matter of love, of wanting to please our Lord. We obey Him because we recognize all He has done for us, and count it a very small service we can do Him in return because we love Him. Let's see too what Jesus says about obedience:
John 15:1-8 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.
John 15:9-14 “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command.
Let me just say that He is not saying that if we don't obey Him that we will lose our salvation, He is simply saying that if we are abiding in Him we will obey Him. It is only when we are not abiding in Him that we don't obey Him. By abiding in Him I'm referring to being in constant communion with Him; living for Him rather then ourselves; to cleave, cling, remain with Him all the time, not just on Sundays and not just when we open our bibles. I have to laugh because I checked the dictionary definition of the word and one of the synonyms was "to hang out with". While that's kind of funny on the one hand, it's also a very accurate description of what abiding in Him means for us.
So as long as we're "hanging out with" Jesus, our joy will be complete and we will be obedient, not because we "have to" but because we want to. It's only when we are separated from Him, when we've pushed Him off into some corner of our mind where we can ignore Him (or try to anyway) that obedience becomes a dirty word.
What I'd like to discuss for a bit is how and why our obedience is so important and just what God expects from us once we're saved as well as what He expects from us once He has given us the knowledge we need to do His Will in something, like overcoming these negative thoughts and feelings. I think you can see without too much effort how by being obedient and abiding in Him we can't fail to make use of the tools He has given us to overcome these negative thoughts and feelings. The reason I say that is because the more we make use of those tools He's given us, the more we will be abiding in Him, and the more we abide in Him, the more we will automatically make use of these tools.
We'll talk some more about this tomorrow. Please feel free to ask any questions you might have though, either on this or on any part of this study. If you're having trouble with something, please let me know so that I can try and help you ok?
Saturday, June 5, 2010
Stress,worry,fear etc & the Christian
He hath said . . . so that we may boldly say . . . Hebrews 13:5-6.
My say-so is to be built on God’s say-so. God says—“I will never leave thee,” then I can with good courage say—“The Lord is my helper, I will not fear”—I will not be haunted by apprehension. This does not mean that I will not be tempted to fear, but I will remember God’s say-so. I will be full of courage, like a child ‘bucking himself up’ to reach the standard his father wants. Faith in many a one falters when the apprehensions come, they forget the meaning of God’s say-so, forget to take a deep breath spiritually. The only way to get the dread taken out of us is to listen to God’s say-so.
What are you dreading? You are not a coward about it, you are going to face it, but there is a feeling of dread. When there is nothing and no one to help you, say—‘But the Lord is my Helper, this second, in my present outlook.’ Are you learning to say things after listening to God, or are you saying things and trying to make God’s word fit in?
Get hold of the Father’s say-so, and then say with good courage —“I will not fear.” It does not matter what evil or wrong may be in the way, He has said—“I will never leave thee.”
Frailty is another thing that gets in between God’s say-so and ours. When we realize how feeble we are in facing difficulties, the difficulties become like giants, we become like grasshoppers, and God becomes a nonentity. Remember God’s say-so—“I will in no wise fail you.” Have we learned to sing after hearing God’s key-note? Are we always possessed with the courage to say—“The Lord is my helper,” or are we succumbing?
Chambers, O. (1993, c1935). My utmost for his highest : Selections for the year (June 5). Grand Rapids, MI: Discovery House Publishers.
Friday, June 4, 2010
Re: Stress,worry,fear etc & the Christian
OK, I give up! I don't think God wants us to "leave" this study yet. Now that I think of it, it really is the foundation of everything for when we are saved, God gives us this new nature, but we MUST work with it to renew our minds daily, constantly, or it does us no good and we don't grow. So let me post one of today's devotionals and then I'll come back and write some more later after I've prayed. Oh and please check out the thread in Christian Chat about what we should think about! 
The never-failing God
For He hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. Hebrews 13:5.
What line does my thought take? Does it turn to what God says or to what I fear? Am I learning to say not what God says, but to say something after I have heard what He says? “He hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.”
“I will in no wise fail thee”—not for all my sin and selfishness and stubbornness and waywardness. Have I really let God say to me that He will never fail me? If I have listened to this say-so of God’s, then let me listen again.
“Neither will I in any wise forsake thee.” Sometimes it is not difficulty that makes me think God will forsake me, but drudgery. There is no Hill Difficulty to climb, no vision given, nothing wonderful or beautiful, just the commonplace day in and day out—can I hear God’s say-so in these things?
We have the idea that God is going to do some exceptional thing, that He is preparing and fitting us for some extraordinary thing by and by, but as we go on in grace we find that God is glorifying Himself here and now, in the present minute. If we have God’s say-so behind us, the most amazing strength comes, and we learn to sing in the ordinary days and ways.
Chambers, O. (1993, c1935). My utmost for his highest : Selections for the year (June 4). Grand Rapids, MI: Discovery House Publishers.
Re: Stress,worry,fear etc & the Christian
What are you haunted by?
What man is he that feareth the Lord? Psalm 25:12.
What are you haunted by? You will say—‘By nothing,’ but we are all haunted by something, generally by ourselves, or, if we are Christians, by our experience. The Psalmist says we are to be haunted by God. The abiding consciousness of the life is to be God, not thinking about Him. The whole of our life inside and out is to be absolutely haunted by the presence of God. A child’s consciousness is so mother-haunted that although the child is not consciously thinking of its mother, yet when calamity arises, the relationship that abides is that of the mother. So we are to live and move and have our being in God, to look at everything in relation to God, because the abiding consciousness of God pushes itself to the front all the time.
If we are haunted by God, nothing else can get in, no cares, no tribulation, no anxieties. We see now why Our Lord so emphasized the sin of worry. How can we dare be so utterly unbelieving when God is round about us? To be haunted by God is to have an effective barricade against all the onslaughts of the enemy.
“His soul shall dwell at ease.” In tribulation, misunderstanding, slander, in the midst of all these things, if our life is hid with Christ in God, He will keep us at ease. We rob ourselves of the marvellous revelation of this abiding companionship of God. “God is our Refuge”—nothing can come through that shelter.
Chambers, O. (1993, c1935). My utmost for his highest : Selections for the year (June 2). Grand Rapids, MI: Discovery House Publishers.
Re: Stress,worry,fear etc & the Christian
I have to add today's devotional for this study:
“Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee.”
— Psalm 55:22
Care, even though exercised upon legitimate objects, if carried to excess, has in it the nature of sin. The precept to avoid anxious care is earnestly inculcated by our Saviour, again and again; it is reiterated by the apostles; and it is one which cannot be neglected without involving transgression: for the very essence of anxious care is the imagining that we are wiser than God, and the thrusting ourselves into his place to do for him that which he has undertaken to do for us. We attempt to think of that which we fancy he will forget; we labour to take upon ourselves our weary burden, as if he were unable or unwilling to take it for us.
Now this disobedience to his plain precept, this unbelief in his Word, this presumption in intruding upon his province, is all sinful. Yet more than this, anxious care often leads to acts of sin. He who cannot calmly leave his affairs in God’s hand, but will carry his own burden, is very likely to be tempted to use wrong means to help himself. This sin leads to a forsaking of God as our counsellor, and resorting instead to human wisdom. This is going to the “broken cistern” instead of to the “fountain;” a sin which was laid against Israel of old.
Anxiety makes us doubt God’s lovingkindness, and thus our love to him grows cold; we feel mistrust, and thus grieve the Spirit of God, so that our prayers become hindered, our consistent example marred, and our life one of self-seeking. Thus want of confidence in God leads us to wander far from him; but if through simple faith in his promise, we cast each burden as it comes upon him, and are “careful for nothing” because he undertakes to care for us, it will keep us close to him, and strengthen us against much temptation. “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on thee, because he trusteth in thee.”
Spurgeon, C. H. (2006). Morning and evening : Daily readings (Complete and unabridged; New modern edition.) (May 26 AM). Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers.
This is a command:
Matthew 6:25-34 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
Philippians 4:6-9 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.
1 Peter 5:7 Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.
Here are some more verses about this:
Psalm 37:5-7 Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun. Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him;
Isaiah 50:10 Who among you fears the Lord and obeys the word of his servant? Let him who walks in the dark, who has no light, trust in the name of the Lord and rely on his God.
Psalm 16:8-9 I have set the Lord always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure,
Psalm 34:4-5 I sought the Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears. Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame.
Psalm 56:3-4 When I am afraid, I will trust in you. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can mortal man do to me?
Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.
This is what worry, anxiety etc do to us:
Matthew 13:22-23 The one who received the seed that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful. But the one who received the seed that fell on good soil is the man who hears the word and understands it. He produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.”
Don't let Satan win!