Help! My Niece Is A Lesbian

Q. Please help us with this–isn’t there somewhere in the Bible which says we are not to have anything to do with people who are in moral depravity? My sister’s daughter is a lesbian and is now living with a woman who has left her husband and daughters to live their lifestyle. As Christians are we supposed to associate with them? Aren’t we condoning their sinful lifestyle if we associate with them or have them into our home? My sister has repeatedly told her daughter that she will go to hell if she does not change.

A. Paul wrote, “I have written you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people—not at all meaning the people of this world who are immoral, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. In that case you would have to leave this world. But now I am writing you that you must not associate with anyone who calls himself a brother but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or a slanderer, a drunkard or a swindler. With such a man do not even eat. (1 Cor. 5:9-11)

As for your niece going to hell, people don’t go to hell for their sins. They go to hell for rejecting God’s remedy for their sins. Instead of threatening her with eternal punishment is she doesn’t change her behavior, why don’t you try talking about God’s forgiveness being available for all who ask (Matt. 7:7-8), and let the Holy Spirit work on her behavior.

posted with permission
http://gracethrufaith.com/ask-a-bibl...-is-a-lesbian/

Confused About Forgiveness

Q. I was reading the article on forgiveness, (of admonitions in the Bible to avoid believers who are sexually immoral, or who regularly eat or drink to excess, practice idolatry or greed, are swindlers, foul mouthed, gossipers, or verbally abusive (1 Cor 5:11, Ephe 4:29).) In this way we help them see that such behavior is sin..I was told to show love, and help, because it is my family. I’m very confused by this passage.

A. Paul was writing about those who persist in open sinfulness, making no effort to repent. He’s telling us that these folks need to be shown that the public display of such behavior is unacceptable for a believer because it shows disrespect for the Lord and offers a poor witness to the world. He made it clear that he wasn’t referring to people who need the example of God’s love to draw near to Him, but to those who already call themselves believers and supposedly know what He’s done for them.

You understand that we aren’t encouraged to live holy lives to earn something, but to express our gratitude for having been given something. It’s our way of saying thanks. Those whose behavior reflects poorly on them are saying they don’t feel grateful for their salvation and are taking the Lord’s grace for granted.

posted with permission
http://gracethrufaith.com/ask-a-bibl...t-forgiveness/

I Will Not Do That!

Q. Recently you answered a question that dealt with 2 Timothy 3:1-5. Is your response saying we are to having nothing to do with unsaved family after we have tried to talk to them about Salvation, and they do not want to listen? I don’t think I could turn my back on my elderly parents and my siblings. That seems like a very, very poor witness. In fact, I will not do that. Am I misunderstanding something here?

A. 2 Timothy 3:1-5 reads,

But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them.

My answer pertains to those who habitually exhibit this kind of behavior and was not meant as a general admonition. If your family consistently acts this way around you, then tolerating their behavior is like telling them you approve. I think that would be the poor witness. Just because you love a person who isn’t saved doesn’t mean you have to accept abusive behavior from them. In fact, we’re warned not to accept it.

http://gracethrufaith.com/ask-a-bibl...l-not-do-that/

Praying For Family

Q. Something has been troubling me for some time now. It concerns our obedience to 2 Tim. 3: 1-5. I realize we must obey God’s will for our life, so what if the subjects this passage describes happen to be family members? Are we to have nothing to do with them if they fall into these categories? Those whom I am thinking of have repeatedly defied God, and parents as well, who have admonished them lovingly and gently for so long. We all offer prayers for them, but as our time here on Earth grows short, I must confess, our hopes for them have taken a real beating. What God-breathed wisdom can you share with our family?

A. Unfortunately, 2 Timothy 3:1-5 doesn’t contain any exemptions for family. In Matt 10:34-36 Jesus said because of belief in Him members of our own household could turn against us. But to have nothing to do with them doesn’t mean you stop praying for them. Keep doing that. It’s the most powerful weapon you have.

posted with permission
http://gracethrufaith.com/ask-a-bibl...ng-for-family/

What would you do????

 

Quote:

Originally Posted by AzFreebird All the counseling in the world, all the bible study can't change a chemical makeup of a person... and I truly believe it IS a chemical make-up.

Debi, if it's "chemical make up" then what you're saying is that the chemicals are "out of balance" much like a person with bi-polar" disorder or something like that. But, if you're saying, "God made him that way" then what you're really saying is that either, God made a mistake, or that God purposely made people in such a way that it would be impossible for them to be saved. That goes against everything the Bible says, so I cannot and will not believe that. Even according to their own studies, that's simply not true. Most of the studies done on this are no more then jokes anyway. I've posted information about them before here.

If on the other hand it's something that's physically medically wrong with them, then it's something the medical community should be studying to cure rather then trying to proclaim it's OK and normal which is what they're saying. But then they're also leaning toward saying that pedophilia is also normal and OK along with a number of other things. Basically all they're doing is giving people an "excuse" for their reprehensible behavior and then telling the rest of us that we have to accept it. I refuse to do that too.

The Bible says that God cannot, will not, and does not tempt us, that we are tempting by our own sinful desires. It is our choice to allow those sinful thoughts/ideas/fantasies etc or to do what the Bible says and stop them, taking them captive to Christ and replacing them with the Truth from His Word.

The problem is that this hasn't been taught to people for generations and instead they've been filled with the worlds "wisdom" and ideas and we all know where that leads....straight to hell.

No one "has" to be homosexual, anymore then anyone "has to be" a murder, thief, a pedophile, a rapist, or anything else. They weren't "born" that way. They chose to allow those thoughts and ideas and then they chose to act on them. Thoughts and ideas become emotions; emotions beget more thoughts and ideas until eventually they become actions; given enough time they then become habits, and given more time they then become part of our character. And lo, a homosexual is born.

So in answer to the question in the opening post, assuming that the person knew the Gospel and had been saved, what I would do first would be to make sure the person in question understood the correct biblical way to handle their situation/problem. If they did understand it and refused to accept the fact that they themselves brought this about by (probably unknowingly) not taking control of their thought life, refused to confess their sin, (admit to God that it is in fact a sin) and repent of it, (turn away from it and choose to take responsibility for their thoughts and emotions instead) then I would have to obey God's Word and not have anything more to do with them other then praying for them. I would tell them that I loved them and that I would be praying for them, but that until they chose to repent of their sin that I had to obey God's Word and not have anything more to do with them. I would also let them know that I was in fact showing my love for them by being obedient to God and telling them the Truth so that they too would hopefully some day come to really know Him and following Him and live a life of victory rather then one of defeat wallowing in their own sinful desires.

I'm not saying that it would be easy for me to do, because it wouldn't. It would be the hardest thing in the world to do, but I would do it for Christ.

God never promised that following His path would be easy. In fact He said it would be hard. He even told us that this kind of thing would happen and that families would be driven apart due to our following and obeying Him. On top of that, He told us this would be the cost of following Him and said this would be the cross that many of us would have to bear:

Matthew 10:34-39 “Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to turn “ ‘a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law— a man’s enemies will be the members of his own household.’ “Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.

Luke puts it this way:

Luke 14:25-27 Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters—yes, even his own life—he cannot be my disciple. And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.

We are to put Christ above everyone and everything in our lives, even if it means dying physically because we do.

We are in the last days and God said that this would happen and that it's only going to get worse:

Micah 7:4-7 The best of them is like a brier, the most upright worse than a thorn hedge. The day of your watchmen has come, the day God visits you. Now is the time of their confusion. Do not trust a neighbor; put no confidence in a friend. Even with her who lies in your embrace be careful of your words. For a son dishonors his father, a daughter rises up against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law— a man’s enemies are the members of his own household. But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me.

Mark 13:12-13 “Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child. Children will rebel against their parents and have them put to death. All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.

He also promised us this:

Matthew 19:29 And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life.

Originally Posted by Pamela

I looked at that thread and it made me wonder about a question that I had regarding it. Is it saying in one of the links to not continue in relationships if the people live in a sinful lifestyle?

 

That would be the biblical response.

 

Here are some verses about that; note that in all these cases the person that we are to avoid is someone who claims to be a Christian but is living in unrepentant sin. If the person you're talking about has never been saved, then it's a different story.

Ephesians 5:8-12 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. Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. For it is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret.

2 Timothy 3:1-5 But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them.

2 Thessalonians 3:6 In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, we command you, brothers, to keep away from every brother who is idle and does not live according to the teaching you received from us.

1 Corinthians 5:9-13 I have written you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people— not at all meaning the people of this world who are immoral, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. In that case you would have to leave this world. But now I am writing you that you must not associate with anyone who calls himself a brother but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or a slanderer, a drunkard or a swindler. With such a man do not even eat. What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? God will judge those outside. “Expel the wicked man from among you.”

2 John 10-11 If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not take him into your house or welcome him. Anyone who welcomes him shares in his wicked work.

2 Thessalonians 3:14-15 If anyone does not obey our instruction in this letter, take special note of him. Do not associate with him, in order that he may feel ashamed. Yet do not regard him as an enemy, but warn him as a brother.

Romans 16:17-18 I urge you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them. For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the minds of naive people.

So basically what the Lord says we are to do is let them know we love them and because we love them, warn them that what they're doing is sin and not pleasing to the Lord and then let them know that the Lord commands us to stay away from them until they repent. I would probably add that this will be very difficult for me as I do love them, but because I love the Lord more, I must obey Him and therefore will be praying that they come back to Him soon so that our relationship can be restored at the same time that their relationship with the Lord is restored.

See the original threads on FH here as there is much more in the threads themselves;

Help! My Niece Is A Lesbian

Satanic Attack

Gay Relatives

Homosexuality in the End Times

Re: Jesus' prayer about us

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brad How did the early Christians learn & grow in their faith since there weren't any Bibles?

Great question Brad and one that many unfortunately use thinking that they can easily get out of studying the Bible with. The truth is however that back in those days, children were raised to memorize the old testament and had done so long before they were adults. When the Church was born and the apostles began writing the letters that we now call the New Testament, the letters were first read to the group of people they were sent to. That group would study the letter and memorize it quickly. It was then passed on to the other groups and each group would memorize it before passing it on to the next one. By the time John wrote Revelation, all the converts knew what we call the New Testament by heart--except for Revelation of course. But they did the same thing with that manuscript as well and added it to their memories.

I know today that many find this totally "incredible" and some would even go so far as to think it cruel to make little children memorize things like that at such young ages. Yet the Jews took what God had told them to do quite literally. He told them:

Deuteronomy 31:10-13 Then Moses commanded them: “At the end of every seven years, in the year for canceling debts, during the Feast of Tabernacles, when all Israel comes to appear before the Lord your God at the place he will choose, you shall read this law before them in their hearing. Assemble the people—men, women and children, and the aliens living in your towns—so they can listen and learn to fear the Lord your God and follow carefully all the words of this law. Their children, who do not know this law, must hear it and learn to fear the Lord your God as long as you live in the land you are crossing the Jordan to possess.”

Joshua 1:8 Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.

Deuteronomy 4:9-10 Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them slip from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and to their children after them. Remember the day you stood before the Lord your God at Horeb, when he said to me, “Assemble the people before me to hear my words so that they may learn to revere me as long as they live in the land and may teach them to their children.”

Deuteronomy 6:6-9 These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.

I posted about how this was done last year I think... I just bumped up the thread so it could be found easily:

The Dumbing Down of the Bible and Our Kids

So you see, while there may not have been bibles back then, they did know God's Word. The interesting thing about memorization is that in order to continue to remember it, they had to think about it regularly, doing just as the Lord had commanded and talking about it all the time with each other. If they didn't do that, it would eventually fade from their memory.

I actually found this to be true too working with the elderly who had Alzheimer's or who were senile. Many of them wouldn't recognize members of their family--their own children or spouses etc. But they could remember bible verses and hymns! The older they were, the more they seemed to remember the things that really counted like God's Word. Of course this was only true of the ones that had really sought the Lord with all their hearts when they were younger. They had stored up His Word in their hearts, and it was still there to comfort them when they were old and needed it. Those who had just gone to church because they "had" to, didn't have those memories of God's Word. To me that also shows the divine power of God's Word, and God's mercy toward His children. Even if everything else goes, His Word lives forever even in minds weakened by disease or age.

Even during the dark ages when the RCC was in control and doing all they could to prevent people from even hearing God's Word in their own language, much less having a copy of it for their own. God managed to get His Word to His Children, even if it was just snippets of it here and there. There were always men who studied to be priests and learned the Word, and would sneak it to their friends as well and things like that. It was still food for their souls and they devoured it and grew. Of course I'm sure that the Lord Himself spoke His Word into the minds of His children then as well. I know from my own experience that He has placed entire passages in my mind in an instant and all at once, that I didn't know and didn't remember reading. So I'm quite sure He did that then as well. He will never let down any of His Children who are seeking Him with all their hearts. Eventually though Bibles were printed and eventually the reformation happened.

Like so many other things today though, we take our Bibles and the great privilege of having them for granted. Now instead of fighting for the right to read and study the Bible, people fight for the right to at least ignore it, if not burn it, deface it, ridicule it, and get rid of it altogether. How sad that we so often ignore the wonderful gift of God's Word that has been given to us.

 

Here’s a link to the thread on FH about this if you’d like to join us there. (I don’t always post everything on the blog that is posted in the threads)

Jesus' prayer about us

Re: Stress,worry,fear etc & the Christian

All noble things are difficult

Enter ye in at the strait gate . . . : because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way. . . Matthew 7:13-14.

If we are going to live as disciples of Jesus, we have to remember that all noble things are difficult. The Christian life is gloriously difficult, but the difficulty of it does not make us faint and cave in, it rouses us up to overcome. Do we so appreciate the marvellous salvation of Jesus Christ that we are our utmost for His highest?

God saves men by His sovereign grace through the Atonement of Jesus; He works in us to will and to do of His good pleasure; but we have to work out that salvation in practical living. If once we start on the basis of His Redemption to do what He commands, we find that we can do it. If we fail, it is because we have not practised. The crisis will reveal whether we have been practising or not. If we obey the Spirit of God and practise in our physical life what God has put in us by His Spirit, then when the crisis comes, we shall find that our own nature as well as the grace of God will stand by us.

Thank God He does give us difficult things to do! His salvation is a glad thing, but it is also a heroic, holy thing. It tests us for all we are worth. Jesus is bringing many “sons unto glory,” and God will not shield us from the requirements of a son. God’s grace turns out men and women with a strong family likeness to Jesus Christ, not milksops. It takes a tremendous amount of discipline to live the noble life of a disciple of Jesus in actual things. It is always necessary to make an effort to be noble.

Chambers, O. (1993, c1935). My utmost for his highest : Selections for the year (July 7). Grand Rapids, MI: Discovery House Publishers.

Read the whole study here

Jesus' prayer about us

I've always loved reading the prayer of Jesus to our Father before he was crucified. To read that is to know His heart and to know that He really was thinking about us, people who wouldn't even be born for thousands of years from that time! In that prayer Jesus asked the Father to sanctify us. That's a word that often confused me so let's look at what Jesus says (in context) and then let's look up what sanctify means:

John 17:15-19 My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified.

Sanctify:
the process by which an entity is brought into relationship with or attains the likeness of the holy.

New Bible Dictionary

sanctification, ‘making holy’ or ‘consecrating’ a place, thing, or person to God. Harper's Bible dictionary.

Sanctify:

-fied; -fy•ing

1 : to set apart to a sacred purpose or to religious use : consecrate

2 : to free from sin : purify

3 a : to impart or impute sacredness, inviolability, or respect to

b : to give moral or social sanction to

4 : to make productive of holiness or piety

sanctify verb
synonyms bless 1, consecrate, hallow
Merriam-Webster's collegiate dictionary.

So now we now that when Jesus asks the Father to sanctify us, He was asking that we be made holy, purified and set apart. I'd really like to concentrate on verse 17 in that prayer:

John 17:17 Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.

Does that just grab you the way it does me??? Let's break this down. How are we sanctified? We are sanctified, made holy, purified, by God's Truth which is His Word, the Bible!!!

As we listen to, read, study, and/or reflect on God's Word, God sanctifies us--He purifies us and makes us holy like He is. If we don't hear, read or study God's Word, we won't grow in sanctification (holiness). I think it would also be fair to say that the more we grow in sanctification the more mature we are in Christ. It all fits together seamlessly.

I've known for quite a while that we can't become mature in Christ without studying God's Word, but it just never clicked in my head till now that we are sanctified by His Word so that's why we can't grow without it. Here is some more confirmation for us:

1 Thessalonians 2:13 And we also thank God continually because, when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is at work in you who believe.

1 Peter 1:23 For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.

It is the Word of God as we read it and study it, that works in us with divine power to change us and sanctify us, making us holy just as He is holy. It is through God's Word at work in us in this way that we are changed daily to be more and more like Him.

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.

Even these scriptures which I'm sure we're all very familiar with, refer to this. Look at how they progress:

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 15:26 “When the Counselor comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father, he will testify about me.

John 16:13 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.

So here we see that the Holy Spirit is sent to us by the Father, after Jesus died and was resurrected. His job is to teach us and guide us into "all truth". Further more, He is called, "the Spirit of Truth"! Now go back and remember what Jesus said the Truth is:

John 17:17 Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.

Ok, there's one more piece to this that I've found. Maybe you've already thought of it:

John 1:1-2 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning.

John 14:6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

Revelation 19:13 He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God.

This is how we are sanctified, how we grow to maturity in Christ! Jesus is the living Word, and He sends us the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit indwells us and He is the one that teaches us and guides us as we read and study (or listen and study) God's Word! Isn't that awesome!!! So here we can see yet again just how important it is to be in God's Word daily. That's the only way we can grow and mature.

If you're interested in this and would like to, why not look through your bible and see what else you can find out about "The Word of God", Jesus being the Word and the Truth, and about the Holy Spirit? Here, I'll give you a few verses to start you off, but there are LOTS more!

Hebrews 4:12-13
Jeremiah 23:29
Ephesians 6:17
2 Timothy 3:15-17
Isaiah 55:11
Luke 8:11-15

Have fun!

 

http://www.fresh-hope.com/forums/showthread.php?t=35211

“Trust ye in the Lord for ever:

— Isaiah 26:4 “Trust ye in the Lord for ever: for in the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength.”

Seeing that we have such a God to trust to, let us rest upon him with all our weight; let us resolutely drive out all unbelief, and endeavour to get rid of doubts and fears, which so much mar our comfort; since there is no excuse for fear where God is the foundation of our trust.

A loving parent would be sorely grieved if his child could not trust him; and how ungenerous, how unkind is our conduct when we put so little confidence in our heavenly Father who has never failed us, and who never will.

It were well if doubting were banished from the household of God; but it is to be feared that old Unbelief is as nimble nowadays as when the psalmist asked, “Is his mercy clean gone for ever? Will he be favourable no more?” David had not made any very lengthy trial of the mighty sword of the giant Goliath, and yet he said, “There is none like it.” He had tried it once in the hour of his youthful victory, and it had proved itself to be of the right metal, and therefore he praised it ever afterwards; even so should we speak well of our God, there is none like unto him in the heaven above or the earth beneath; “To whom then will ye liken me, or shall I be equal? saith the Holy One.” There is no rock like unto the rock of Jacob, our enemies themselves being judges.

So far from suffering doubts to live in our hearts, we will take the whole detestable crew, as Elijah did the prophets of Baal, and slay them over the brook; and for a stream to kill them at, we will select the sacred torrent which wells forth from our Saviour’s wounded side. We have been in many trials, but we have never yet been cast where we could not find in our God all that we needed. Let us then be encouraged to trust in the Lord for ever, assured that his ever lasting strength will be, as it has been, our succour and stay.

Spurgeon, C. H. (2006). Morning and evening : Daily readings (Complete and unabridged; New modern edition.) (July 5 PM). Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers.

— Romans 1:7 “Called to be saints.”

We are very apt to regard the apostolic saints as if they were “saints” in a more especial manner than the other children of God. All are “saints” whom God has called by His grace, and sanctified by His Spirit; but we are apt to look upon the apostles as extraordinary beings, scarcely subject to the same weaknesses and temptations as ourselves. Yet in so doing we are forgetful of this truth, that the nearer a man lives to God the more intensely has he to mourn over his own evil heart; and the more his Master honours him in his service, the more also doth the evil of the flesh vex and tease him day by day.

The fact is, if we had seen the apostle Paul, we should have thought him remarkably like the rest of the chosen family: and if we had talked with him, we should have said, “We find that his experience and ours are much the same. He is more faithful, more holy, and more deeply taught than we are, but he has the selfsame trials to endure. Nay, in some respects he is more sorely tried than ourselves.”

Do not, then, look upon the ancient saints as being exempt either from infirmities or sins; and do not regard them with that mystic reverence which will almost make us idolaters. Their holiness is attainable even by us. We are “called to be saints” by that same voice which constrained them to their high vocation. It is a Christian’s duty to force his way into the inner circle of saintship; and if these saints were superior to us in their attainments, as they certainly were, let us follow them; let us emulate their ardour and holiness. We have the same light that they had, the same grace is accessible to us, and why should we rest satisfied until we have equalled them in heavenly character? They lived with Jesus, they lived for Jesus, therefore they grew like Jesus. Let us live by the same Spirit as they did, “looking unto Jesus,” and our saintship will soon be apparent.

Spurgeon, C. H. (2006). Morning and evening : Daily readings (Complete and unabridged; New modern edition.) (July 5 AM). Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers.

Don’t calculate without God

Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in Him; and He shall bring it to pass. Psalm 37: 5.

Don’t calculate without God

God seems to have a delightful way of upsetting the things we have calculated on without taking Him into account. We get into circumstances which were not chosen by God, and suddenly we find we have been calculating without God; He has not entered in as a living factor. The one thing that keeps us from the possibility of worrying is bringing God in as the greatest factor in all our calculations.

In our religion it is customary to put God first, but we are apt to think it is an impertinence to put Him first in the practical issues of our lives. If we imagine we have to put on our Sunday moods before we come near to God, we will never come near Him. We must come as we are.

Don’t calculate with the evil in view.

Does God really mean us to take no account of the evil? “Love . . . taketh no account of the evil.” Love is not ignorant of the existence of the evil, but it does not take it in as a calculating factor. Apart from God, we do reckon with evil; we calculate with it in view and work all reasonings from that standpoint.

Don’t calculate with the rainy day in view.

You cannot lay up for a rainy day if you are trusting Jesus Christ. Jesus said—“Let not your heart be troubled.” God will not keep your heart from being troubled. It is a command—“Let not . . .” Haul yourself up a hundred and one times a day in order to do it, until you get into the habit of putting God first and calculating with Him in view.

Chambers, O. (1993, c1935). My utmost for his highest : Selections for the year (July 5). Grand Rapids, MI: Discovery House Publishers.

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Re: Stress, worry, fear etc & the Christian

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.

Read the whole study here

Re: Stress, worry, fear etc & the Christian

Now let's look at the next passage and bit of devotional:

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.

Quote:

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.

Everything this devotional and the passage says, confirms what we were just talking about. Now though I'd like to take it one step further and really break down that passage to show you again that this is really something God expects of 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.

Read the whole study here

Re: Stress, worry, fear etc & the Christian

Today I'd like to talk about the last two devotionals I posted here. Let's look at them closely because they show again why it's so important for us to bring our thoughts and emotions under our control and that God expects us to do so. I'm hoping that by posting these tid bits here that you all will know that this whole bringing every thought into captivity isn't just something I made up, or that I'm the only one "preaching" it. (although I'll admit that I didn't know others did until I read them myself; but discovering that all the great teachers of old as well as those we hold in high regard now, all preach it, was a great confirmation to me.)

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.

Quote:

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.

The above verse and bit of the devotional is telling us what we've said before. God is not going to magically turn you into something that you're not. Before we were saved, we formed habits and formed our characters by the things we thought about. It's a lot like a computer and that current saying, "If you input garbage, you're going to output garbage." Or as the Bible says:

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.

Read the whole study here

Re: Stress,worry,fear etc & the Christian

LiveJournal Tags: stress,fear,Christian,bible study,worry,depression,God,help,grow

I wanted to talk a little more about why it's so important for us to study the Bible; and I DO mean study, not just "read" it.  First let me quote a bit from that devotional I posted before:

[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

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?

Read the whole study here

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Stress,worry,fear etc & the Christian

God’s say-so

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.