Spiritual Rhema… Sparks from the Anvil! – Page 44

The importance of disciplining our children while they are still young…

We only have a certain amount of time, early on in our children’s upbringing, while they are young, to instill in them the discipline and respect for authority that will be invaluable to them later on in life.

The biggest problem that we have today in America, is directly related to the breakdown of the family unit within our country.

Over several generations now, I would say going all the way back to the 60s, we can see today the results of what happens to a nation who rebels totally against the God of the Bible.

Let us remember that those wayword and rebellious teenagers, those hippies of which some of us were a party to in our younger years, that today they are the political leaders and businessman, who are directing our nation’s future!
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Proverbs 13:24 tells us that:

“Whoever spares the rod hates their children, but the one who loves their children is careful to discipline them.”

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What does it mean to “spare the rod, spoil the child”?

The phrase “spare the rod, spoil the child” is a modern-day proverb that means if a parent refuses to discipline an unruly child, that child will grow accustomed to getting his own way.

He will become, in the common vernacular, a spoiled brat.

The saying comes from Proverbs 13:24, “He who spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is careful to discipline him.”

The Lord uses discipline to reveal our sin to us. This is also how parents reveal the truth of our need for a Savior to their children.

When a child does not feel the consequence of his sin, he will not understand that sin requires punishment.

The Lord provides a way to salvation and forgiveness through Jesus, but that means little to those who do not see their sin.

Furthermore, correction shows us that we are not above reproach and that we are accountable for our actions.

Our natural pride blinds us to our need for a Savior, and discipline reveals the truth of our wretchedness (Revelation 3:17).

Since salvation is the most important choice the child will ever make, it is imperative that parents are leading him to Christ, and discipline is critical to this process.

Proverbs 23:13 says, “Do not withhold discipline from a child; if you punish him with the rod, he will not die.”

In the context of verses 13–14, die means “experience spiritual death in hell.”

Children who respect authority and feel sorrow for their sin are much more likely to ask Jesus to forgive them and be saved.

All children are born sinful (Romans 5:12–19).

Their natural self is destructive and unrighteous.

That does not mean they aren’t valuable and worthy of love (Psalm 127:3). It means that they are not born with any natural “goodness” in them.

That is why all children need discipline. Proverbs 22:15 says, “Folly is bound up in the heart of a child, but the rod of discipline will drive it far from him.”

Discipline is critical for wisdom (Proverbs 29:15), and a child who obeys his parents will be wise (Proverbs 13:1).

And even adults who do not heed correction will feel the consequences of their foolishness (Proverbs 10:13).

Some people believe in discipline, but not in physical discipline, such as spanking.

However, the Bible is the final word on what is truth; and it is not mere opinion or theory.

The word rod indicates a thin stick or switch that can be used to give a small amount of physical pain with no lasting physical injury.

A child should never be bruised, injured, or cut by a physical correction.

The Bible warns that parents should never abuse the power and authority they have over their children while they are young because it provokes the children to righteous anger (Ephesians 6:4; Colossians 3:21).

Physical discipline is always done in love, never as a vent to the parent’s frustration. It is also just one part of discipline and should be used when the child shows defiance to a clear limit, not in the heat of the moment.

God instructs parents to parent their children the way He parents His children.

Hebrews 12:5–11 tells us that God disciplines those whom He loves to perfect their righteousness.

God only disciplines His own, which proves that Christians are His beloved children.

Notice that David says that the Lord’s rod comforts him in his time of trouble (Psalm 23:4).

Finally, we know that no discipline feels good while it is happening, but afterwards the rewards are rich (Hebrews 12:11).

Godly character, fruit of the Spirit, and peace are rewards of God’s discipline.

The same is true for our human children. Children who have learned how to take responsibility for their actions are much happier people (Proverbs 3:11–18).

The importance of the rod of correction is that it steers the heart of a child toward Jesus and the forgiveness of sin He offers.

When parents trust God’s methods over their own, they will see the blessings for their children and themselves.

Recommended Resources:
Parenting Is Heart Work by Dr. Scott Turansky & Joanne Miller and Logos Bible Software.

[http://www.gotquestions.org/spare-rod-spoil-child.html]
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The individual family unit and the importance of having one mother and one father under one roof, raising their children in a loving, nurturing and godly environment, is the most important building block of every society; for as the family unit goes within that society, so eventually will the nation!

We know in the Bible that this is the most important thing, from God’s perspective, that we pass the baton of our relationship with God, and our teaching and passing the knowledge of His ways onto the next generation.

This is even the reason why God tells us that He chose Abraham, to be the progenitor of the Hebrew nation (Gen 18:19), because he said Abraham would bring up his children in the fear and admonition of the Lord.

This scripture, in Luke, is speaking of the forerunner of Jesus Christ, John the Baptist, and it also impresses upon us, even today, the importance, from God’s perspective, of our maintaining the family unit within our society.

Luke 1:17

“He will also go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, ‘to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children,’ and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”

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Ps 150:6
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There is ONLY one mediator between God and man…

1 Timothy 2:5-6

Aramaic Bible in Plain English

For God is One, and The Mediator of God and the sons of men is One: The Son of Man, Yeshua The Messiah,

Who gave himself a ransom (on Calvary’s cross) in the place of every person, a testimony that has come in its time.

Ephesians 4:1-10
Living Bible (TLB)

Paul speaking to ALL Christians
4 I beg you—I, a prisoner here in jail for serving the Lord—to live and act in a way worthy of those who have been chosen for such wonderful blessings as these.

2 Be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love.

3 Try always to be led along together by the Holy Spirit and so be at peace with one another.

4 We are all parts of one body, we have the same Spirit, and we have all been called to the same glorious future.

5 For us there is only one Lord, one faith, one baptism,

6 and we ALL have the same God and Father who is over us all and in us all, and living through every part of us.

7 However, Christ has given each of us special abilities—whatever he wants us to have out of his rich storehouse of gifts.

8 The psalmist tells about this, for he says that when Christ returned triumphantly to heaven after his resurrection and victory over Satan, he gave generous gifts to men.

9 Notice that it says he returned to heaven. This means that he had first come down from the heights of heaven, far down to the lowest parts of the earth.

10 The same one who came down is the one who went back up, that he might fill all things everywhere with himself, from the very lowest to the very highest.

Acts 4:12

“Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.”

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His name in Hebrew is Yeshua Ha’Mashiach (a.k.a. Jesus the Christ–Messiah)!

He’s our Creator, our God, our Saviour, our Lord and our soon coming King!

He is the one who has made our salvation and our redemption possible, and has paid for both though His poured out blood and life on Calvary’s cross.

The whole story, and all the instructions, including the road map showing us the way back home, can all be read in the Bible; however whether you believe it, accept it and obey it, that is entirely up to you?

It is your eternal soul that’s at stake here, and I seriously recommend that you not put this decision off another day, because this Gospel message and this offer of reconciliation both expires on the date of your death.

Come join this Adventure, while you still can!

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The bondslave, as it relates to Jesus being nailed to the cross as a substitutionary death for us…

The process for becoming a bondslave, as it relates to Jesus being nailed to the cross as a substitutionary death for us…

The instructions for making a regular slave into a bondslave are laid out twice in the Torah: in Exodus 21, and in Deuteronomy 15.

It is highly interesting that right after the Ten Commandments are given, when God gives us His law, the very next thing He covers is the process for becoming a bondslave.

All of this “bondservant” business does seem slightly strange, but as often happens in the Bible, if you scratch a little beneath the surface, there are all manner of truth treasures to be found. It’s a matter of asking the right questions and steady observation.

Take the principal ideas to start with:

Nails driven through flesh?

Blood on doorframes?

Permanent piercing, with holes and scars forever?

Does this sound at all familiar?

Paul in the Bible talks about scars, marks, and stigmas in his own body that mark him out as a bondslave to Jesus.

But Jesus also has permanent scars, and His scars also came about from having his flesh pierced on wood, as a result of love, and a willing submission to serve.

“Not my will, but yours”, is what He said in the garden of Gethsemane.

“The Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve” (Mark 10:45).

Jesus is the ultimate “servant,” whose glorious scars, which He took in His body, over shadow all other scars; and they were the price for our salvation!

“On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side.” (John 20:19-20)

He still has those scars on His hands, His feet and His side, even to this day, and forever – and they each represent a permanent mark on His body, as an eternal testimony of His great love and willingness to serve us, His beloved creation, and His sacrifice goes far beyond any conceivable call of duty.

This whole concept of bringing your servant to a door, in order to carry out the whole operation of becoming a bondslave, is quite interesting.

The New Testament word for door appears 39 times, and is a fascinating study in itself.

Jesus says twice, “I am the door”…

John 10:9

“Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep”, and ag ain, “I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture.”

[Note: A door is a passageway; a portal. It presents an opportunity to move from one environment to another.

Isn’t that exactly what all of this is about? As a metaphor, a door can used to signify opportunity, and

“The door of the kingdom of heaven” is said to denote the conditions which must be complied with in order to be received into the kingdom of God.]
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What are the essentials of the gospel message, and what must I do to be saved?

Answer: The word gospel means “good news,” which is the message of forgiveness for sin through the atoning work of Jesus Christ.

It is essentially God’s rescue plan of redemption for those who will trust in His divine Son in order to be reconciled to a just and holy God.

The essential content of this saving message is clearly laid out for us in the Bible.

In the apostle Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians, he lays out the content of the gospel message,

“Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand.

By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you.

Otherwise, you have believed in vain. For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures” (1 Cor 15:1–4).

In this passage, we see three essential elements of the gospel message.

First, the phrase “died for our sins” is very important. As Romans 3:23 tells us, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”

The reality of sin needs to be acknowledged by all who approach the throne of God for salvation.

A sinner must acknowledge the hopelessness of his guilt before God in order for forgiveness to take place, and he must understand that the “wages of sin is death” (Ro 6:23).

Without this foundational truth, no gospel presentation is complete.

Second, the person and work of Christ are indispensable components of the gospel.

Jesus is both God (Colossians 2:9) and man (John 1:14).

Jesus lived the sinless life that we could never live (1 Peter 2:22), and, because of that, He is the only one who could die a substitutionary death for the sinner.

Sin against an infinite God requires an infinite sacrifice. Therefore, either man, who is finite, must pay the penalty for an infinite length of time in hell, or the infinite Christ must pay for it once.

Jesus went to the cross to pay the debt we owe to God for our sin, and those who are covered by His sacrifice will inherit the kingdom of God as sons of the king (John 1:12).

Third, the resurrection of Christ is an essential element of the gospel.

The resurrection is the proof of the power of God.

Only He who created life can resurrect it after death, only He can reverse the hideousness that is death itself, and only He can remove the sting that is death and the victory that is the grave’s (1 Corinthians 15:54–55).

Further, unlike all other religions, Christianity alone possesses a Founder who transcends death and who promises that His followers will do the same.

All other religions were founded by men and prophets whose end was the grave.

Finally, Christ offers His salvation as a free gift (Ro 5:15; 6:23), that can only be received by faith, apart from any works or merit on our part (Eph 2:8–9).

As the apostle Paul tells us, the gospel is “the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile” (Ro 1:16). The same inspired author tells us,

“If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved” (Ro 10:9).

These, then, are the essential elements of the gospel:

The sin of all men,

The death of Christ on the cross to pay for those sins,

The resurrection of Christ to provide life everlasting for those who follow Him, and

The offer of the free gift of salvation to all.

[http://www.gotquestions.org/gospel-message.html]
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Let us not violate heaven’s hierarchy of authority…

Faith is not foolishness and the sin of presumption will never take you where God wants you to go…

Let us rightly divide the Word of Truth (the Bible) so that we not enter into error (2 Tim 3:16).

We enter into deception and give the enemy a stronghold in our life when we believe that something is right, when it is wrong and is not supported in Scripture!

One example of this, found in the Bible, is when Paul warned the Christians at Ephesus not to let the sun go down on their anger, least they give a foothold (stronghold) to the enemy in their lives (Eph 4:26).

We must ALWAYS maintain a balance between the Spirit and the Word because Jesus Christ is our ONLY true North, and His written Word is the ONLY means by which we are able to constantly monitor our spiritual course and heading.

We must always keep in mind that God NEVER contradicts Himself!

Let us not then find ourselves giving too much attention to and focusing upon the lesser powers of darkness that exists in the world – those principalities and powers of darkness, who rule over this world, by controlling spiritual wickedness in high places (Eph 6:12).

Rather let us keep our focus centered ALWAYS upon Jesus Christ and let us follow the biblical chain of authority and rules for engagement in spiritual warfare, as it is outlined in the Bible and as it was exemplified and demonstrated through the life and ministry of Jesus Christ, here on the earth!

In ALL things Jesus Christ, whom the Bible calls the “Last Adam” (1 Cor 15:45) is our model, our Chief Rabbi and our example of how we, as God’s covenant children, are to live and minister in the earth (1 John 2:6).

In this video, recorded back in 2013 – on the Jim Bakker TV program – John Paul Jackson talked about the “Needless Casualties of War;” where he explains how we as Christians sometime get ourselves into trouble, when we step outside of our lawful position and authority in Christ.

I believe this to be an important teaching and a proper warning for us ALL to be mindful of, least we get ourselves into trouble; but with that said I have one correction I would like to make.

At the beginning of John Paul Jackson’s message and then later on again he makes reference to:

Psalms 8:4-5

“What is man that You are mindful of him, and the son of man that You visit him?

For You have made him (man) a little lower than the angels, and you have crowned him with glory and honor.”

Let us look very closely at both of these passages.

We read here that, “God has made man a little lower than the angels,” and David proceeds in the next verses to show that man has received dominion over the animal world (verses 7-8).

However in the margin of the New King James Bible, it is stated that in the word translated as “ANGELS” is “Elohim,” which means “God.”

(Compare the footnote in the Elberfelder Bible and the Schlachter Bible.)

While translations such as the New International Version and the Living Bible render it, “angels,” the Revised Standard Version, the English Revised Version and the American Standard Version say, “little lower than God.”

[So it is also in the revised Luther Bible (“Gott”) and the Menge Bible (“Gottheit”)]

The truth is the ONLY time in the entire Bible where the word “Elohim” is translated as Angels is here in this verse; but the correct rendering is that God has made MAN a little lower than himself.

However with that said, our problem and where we often can get ourselves into trouble is when we presume to take authority, without God’s leave or allowance, in areas that have not been granted to us in His Word, and therefore were not exemplified and demonstrated in the life of Jesus, in His earthly ministry.

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Let us remember ALWAYS that the Written Word, the Holy Bible, is our ONLY plumbline that keeps us from error; and faith is always action that we take based on God’s Word, and NOT on our feelings and/or natural impulses!

Jesus, who is our example and model for ALL things in life and in ministry, said that He only did the things He saw the Father do; and that he ONLY even spoke the words He heard the Father speak.

In another words Jesus, in His earthly ministry, never took any rabbit trails, and He was always operating under God the Father’s authority and direction, through the power and leading of the Holy Spirit.

And then Jesus tells us in another place, that as the Father has called Him, so is He calling us.

So come join the Adventure!

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Ps 150:6
Let everything that has breath praise the LORD!

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America, you are being warned…

America can you not see the handwriting on the wall…

Video link
God’s warning is being repeated today:

Daniel 5:24-27
Living Bible (TLB)

24-25 And so God sent those fingers to write this message:

‘Mene,’ ‘Mene,’ ‘Tekel,’ ‘Parsin.’

26 “This is what it means:

“Mene means ‘numbered’—God has numbered the days of your reign, and they are ended.

27 “Tekel means ‘weighed’—you have been weighed in God’s balances and have failed the test.
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Listen to Jonathan Cahn’s message given at the 226th Inaugural Anniversary of President George Washington which took place on April 29, 2015.

Members of Congress, Christian leaders, and people of faith joined together in the Capitol’s Statuary Hall to honor Washington as a man of Christian faith:

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Question is, is anybody paying attention?

We are so much today like the Laodicean church, spoken of in the Book of Revelation; where Jesus himself is on the outside, knocking and asking to come in.

Revelation 3:14-22
Living Bible (TLB)

14 “Write this letter to the leader of the church in Laodicea:

“This message is from the one who stands firm,[a] the faithful and true Witness of all that is or was or evermore shall be,* the primeval source of God’s creation:

15 “I know you well—you are neither hot nor cold; I wish you were one or the other! 16 But since you are merely lukewarm, I will spit you out of my mouth!

17 “You say, ‘I am rich, with everything I want; I don’t need a thing!’ And you don’t realize that spiritually you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked.

18 “My advice to you is to buy pure gold from me, gold purified by fire—only then will you truly be rich. And to purchase from me white garments, clean and pure, so you won’t be naked and ashamed; and to get medicine from me to heal your eyes and give you back your sight. 19 I continually discipline and punish everyone I love; so I must punish you unless you turn from your indifference and become enthusiastic about the things of God.

20 “Look! I have been standing at the door, and I am constantly knocking. If anyone hears me calling him and opens the door, I will come in and fellowship with him and he with me. 21 I will let everyone who conquers sit beside me on my throne, just as I took my place with my Father on his throne when I had conquered. 22 Let those who can hear listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches.”
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Wake-up America, as our nation stands at the crossroads of decision!

This is not a time to turn a deaf ear to God; we have but one choice and that is to repent!

2 Chronicles 7:14
If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.

Let us call upon the Lord while it is still called today, while He is near and while He may be found!

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Desire and passion, verses discipline…

Desire and passion, verses discipline…

Psalms 37:4
Delight yourself also in the LORD; and he shall give you the desires of your heart.

[Note: the word in Hebrew, used here for “delight” (h6026. עָנַג ‘ânag)̱ is a primitive root and it means to be soft or pliable.]

“We are the clay and God is the Master Potter.” (Isa 64:8)

The above scriptures are analogous to and speaks to any Christian who has spend plenty of time meditating and focusing upon God, and therefore has been baptized (immersed and washed) in the water of God’s Word and the Holy Spirit (Ps 1:2; Jos 1:8), to the point that we passionately want to do the things that please God (Php 2:13).
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Brilliant Perspectives

Why Desire Is Better Than Discipline
By Graham Cooke

I was talking to a friend of mine in Dallas and he said “I really can’t crack the discipline of prayer.”

My question for him was a simple one: “Why try to crack discipline in the first place?”

All discipline is rooted in desire. This means you shouldn’t be asking the Lord to give you the discipline of prayer. You should ask Him to give you the delight of praying.

We shouldn’t be asking for the discipline to stay pure in our behaviors. We should be asking to delight in purity.2

If you are going to ask God for anything, ask for passion.
Ask for a passion to pray. Ask for a passion for the lost. Ask for a passion for the prophetic. Whatever it might be, ask for passion for it. Then, simply follow your passion.

And to all those that say following your desires is dangerous, I’d say this.

God is extremely passionate for you, so you can be extremely passionate about your desires.

We’re learning to see everything that He sees and we’re learning to agree with his mindset. The law of life in Christ is always about permission for our passions. 2 Corinthians 1:20 says,

“For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through him the ‘Amen’ is spoken by us to the glory of God.”

That means that we have a green light until God turns it red. Go until God says no. Don’t sit here waiting for God to say yes. Go until He says no. Go for it!

Seriously, go for it!

God is with you. You have permission. Everything is yes and amen. If He wants it to be a no, He will show up and tell you. Until then, assume “yes.” Get over your bad self. Everything’s yes. Permission is granted.

You have permission to desire, so pursue your passions! Allow your circumstances to come under God’s passion for you. If I am in Christ then so are my circumstances. If I cannot ever be separated from the love of God then surely my circumstances cannot be separated from the power and intention of God.

I love to close my eyes and imagine the Father and Jesus chatting about my life issues. The smiles, the easy going conversation, the delight in their agreement over me.

Does it change my situation? No! It relaxes me. I feel peaceful, I have confidence in who God is for me. All circumstances are firstly about my transformation. I am the Beloved. His love proves that to me. My trust in His love proves it right back. Another day in the Kingdom.

I digress.

God is more interested in your desires than your discipline.1
He calls us to live in a place of delight in Him. From that secret place He gives us the desires of our heart (Psalm 37:4). Because God is always first, He delights to initiate and we delight to respond to Him. It is called being led by the Spirit.

The Christian experience is not about discipline. It’s about pleasure. When we see this life as being about discipline, we are convinced that we don’t have what we need to live it and it will be hard to get it. That’s not true. We have everything in Christ Jesus!

The trick is to stop asking God for help trying and start asking Him for help wanting.

graham-signature-forblog

PS. For more on the subject, check out “The Art of Thinking Brilliantly.“

PPS. What is one thing you’ve been passionate about but waited on God for the green light to pursue? What would you do today if you knew God has given you the green light on all of your passions?

[http://www.brilliantperspectives.com/desire-not-discipline/]
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Let everything that has breath praise the LORD!

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Be still…

Be still…

And knew that “I AM that I AM” is God!

It is the quiet spaces, those pauses in between the notes of music, that in fact make the music.

Likewise it is by God’s design that we have quiet spaces in our life, in between all the humdrum activity, distractions and white noise, places where we can enter into and have communion and connection with God, that we may become God’s music and be in sync with heaven.

Let us “Be still,” and find the time to be quiet in God’s presence and cease from all frantic activity!

For God’s people being “still” would also involve looking to the Lord for their help, to be their “Strong Tower” and their Source, particularly in battle (see Exodus 14:13); and for God’s enemies, being “still” would mean ceasing to fight a battle they cannot win.

“Know that I Am God,” to “Know” in this instance means “to properly ascertain by seeing” and “acknowledge, be aware.”

How does acknowledging God impact our stillness?

We know that He is omniscient (all-knowing), omnipresent (present everywhere), omnipotent (all-powerful), holy, sovereign, faithful, infinite, and good.

Acknowledging God implies that we can trust Him and surrender to His plan because we understand who He is; He is our Abba-Father, our “All in All!”

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Jesus Christ, God’s Son, Savior
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Ps 150:6
Let everything that has breath praise the LORD!

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Let us run the race to gain the “Prize” (1 Cor 9:24)…

This Christian walk is NOT for wimps and nor is it for quitters either…

But it is for people who are honest with themselves, honest enough to recognize that the way they were living their lives, before Christ, totally committed to the world, was not working, and nor was it satisfying.

You see God has purposefully put a God sized void inside each of our hearts, that can ONLY be filled with Himself; and as experience has shown most of us, the world is a miserly substitute!

We each have our different paradigm views and motivations for why we commit our lives to Christ, but there is ONLY one reason that truly makes us worthy of the calling which God has placed upon our lives.
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Jesus gave us the Parable of the Sower (also known as the Parable of the Four Soils), which is found in Matthew 13:3-9; Mark 4:2-9; and Luke 8:4-8.

After presenting this parable to the multitude, Jesus then interprets it for His disciples in Matthew 13:18-23; Mark 4:13-20; and Luke 8:11-15.

The Parable of the Sower concerns a sower who scatters seed, which falls on four different types of ground.

The hard ground “by the way side” prevents the seed from sprouting at all, and the seed becomes nothing more than bird food.

The stony ground provides enough soil for the seeds to germinate and begin to grow, but because there is “no deepness of earth,” the plants do not take root and are soon withered in the sun.

The thorny ground allows the seed to grow, but the competing thorns choke the life out of the beneficial plants.

The good ground receives the seed and produces much fruit.

Jesus’ explanation of the Parable of the Sower highlights four different responses to the gospel.

The seed is “the word of the kingdom.”

The hard ground represents someone who is hardened by sin; he hears but does not understand the Word, and Satan plucks the message away, keeping the heart dull and preventing the Word from making an impression.

The stony ground pictures a man who professes delight with the Word; however, his heart is not changed, and when trouble arises, his so-called faith quickly disappears.

The thorny ground depicts one who seems to receive the Word, but whose heart is full of riches, pleasures, and lusts; the things of this world take his time and attention away from the Word, and he ends up having no time for it.

The good ground portrays the one who hears, understands, and receives the Word—and then allows the Word to accomplish its result in his life.

The man represented by the “good ground” is the ONLY one of the four who is truly saved, because salvation’s proof is fruit (Matthew 3:7-8; 7:15-20).

To summarize the point of the Parable of the Sower:

“A man’s reception of God’s Word is determined by the condition of his heart.”

A secondary lesson would be “Salvation is more than a superficial, albeit joyful, hearing of the gospel.

Someone who is truly saved will go on to prove it.

[http://www.gotquestions.org/parable-sower.html]
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How we respond to the Gospel’s message will determine what sort of soil we are and what our true motivation is; whether it be self directed or God directed?

You see the ONLY way anyone can successfully live this Christian life, the way God intends it to be lived, is that we MUST be willing to die to ourselves, meaning we die to our own will, our own ambitions, and we make a complete paradigm shift in our life, by making a conscious decision (having been truly born-again, NOT by the will of the flesh, but by the will of the Holy Spirit), to live this life TOTALLY dedicate to God’s service!

Romans 12:1-2
J.B. Phillips New Testament (PHILLIPS)

We have seen God’s mercy and wisdom: how shall we respond?
12 1-2 With eyes wide open to the mercies of God, I beg you, my brothers, as an act of intelligent worship, to give him your bodies, as a living sacrifice, consecrated to him and acceptable by him.

Don’t let the world around you squeeze you into its own mould, but let God re-mould your minds from within, so that you may prove in practice that the plan of God for you is good, meets all his demands and moves towards the goal of true maturity.

What this means is that we now view our Chief Rabbi and Elder Brother, who is Jesus the Christ (meaning Messiah), as our model and example for how God the Father intends us to live our life; in the way we read in the Bible that Jesus lived His life here on earth, as it is recorded in the Bible.

1 John 2:6
Expanded Bible (EXB)

Whoever says that he lives [abides; remains] in God must live [walk] as Jesus lived [he walked].

Luke 9:23
And Jesus said to them ALL, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross (the symbol of his death to self) daily, and follow me.

You see the deal is this, you can’t live this Christian life with one foot in the world and one foot in the Spirit; because you can’t serve two masters, both the world and God; for as Jesus said, “you will cling to one and you will shun the other” (Mat 6:24).

So if you find that your life is being shook to its very foundation right now, please understand that God is allowing the superstructure of your old life to be torn down to its foundation, in order that you may know what your true foundation is, whether it is in Christ, or in something or someone else?

God is teaching all of us, in this process, that we are to look ONLY to Him, as our Source, in any and ALL of our life situations.

This pilgrimage is not easy, and out of necessity it will take a total and absolute commitment of yourself, that you are going to complete this race and that you will never ever quit!

Jesus himself is our “PRIZE,” He’s the reason why we run; and the Bible tells us that since He has already won this race for us (at Calvary’s cross), all we have to do, in order to be successful, is to keep running and NOT quit… just cross the finish line!

So the question is are you game, or not?

Will you be the man or woman that God created you to be?

You see Jesus has already committed Himself to us, by pouring out His life’s blood on Calvary’s cross; and in that selfless act He gave His very best, His life, in order to guarantee our position with Him for all eternity!

The reason why God has gone through all of this, and has given so much of Himself to make all of this possible, is because of the love He bears for us.

Romans 8:35-39
Living Bible (TLB)

35 Who then can ever keep Christ’s love from us? When we have trouble or calamity, when we are hunted down or destroyed, is it because he doesn’t love us anymore? And if we are hungry or penniless or in danger or threatened with death, has God deserted us?

36 No, for the Scriptures tell us that for his sake we must be ready to face death at every moment of the day—we are like sheep awaiting slaughter; 37 but despite all this, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ who loved us enough to die for us. 38 For I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from his love. Death can’t, and life can’t. The angels won’t, and all the powers of hell itself cannot keep God’s love away. Our fears for today, our worries about tomorrow, 39 or where we are—high above the sky, or in the deepest ocean—nothing will ever be able to separate us from the love of God demonstrated by our Lord Jesus Christ when he died for us.

Jesus will not ever give up on us, and so let us make sure we never give up on Him!

Come join the Adventure!

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ΙΧΘΥΣ
Jesus Christ, God’s Son, Savior
—
Ps 150:6
Let everything that has breath praise the LORD!

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Samsung Galaxy Note® 3

There is ONLY one name under heaven whereby we may be saved (Acts 4:12)…

For all the unsaved, for all those who have yet to make peace with God, who are not yet born-again and have not yet obeyed the Gospel message, you are in a very precarious position…

Every beat of our heart and every breath that we take, it’s only by God’s grace; and NONE of us knows the date and time when our ticket is going to be punched!

You may be saying that I don’t believe in heaven or hell and that you don’t care one way or another.

Well you might as well say I don’t believe in gravity, but the truth is the laws of gravity affects you just like it does everybody else, whether you believe in them or not.

No one has ever seen gravity, but we ALL see and feel its affects every day.

Do you want to know what happens after you die?

The Bible tells us that you will go to one of two places:

For the saved, those who have obeyed the Gospel message and have accepted Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior, the Bible says,

“to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord” (2 Cor 5:8);

And in 1 John 5:13 we read,

“These things I have written to you (in the Bible) who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may KNOW that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God.

Watch this video and listen to the story that Jesus told in the Bible about the rich man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19–31):

God is saying to you in this moment,

“Come now, let us reason together, says the LORD: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.” (Isa 1:18)

“Know that the Lord, He is God;
It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves…” (Ps 100:3a)

“Seek you the LORD while he may be found, call you upon him while he is near.” (Isa 55:6)

Jesus Christ is God’s ONLY answer to what the world needs today…

If you would like to find out more information on this subject, please watch the following video:

Let us not judge one another falsely, everyone is entitled to a trial…

Let’s make love our first priority…

John 13:35
Jesus speaking: “By this shall ALL men know that you are my disciples, if you have love one to another.”

1 John 4:20
If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates (works against) his [Christian] brother (or sister) he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen.

God is like any other loving father, He just wants His children to get along and work together!

As Christians, we are to be about our Father’s business, which is to be the Love and Light distributors in the earth; and we are NOT to just out of hand disfellowship our brothers and sisters without due process!

If ever we have a problem with our brother or sister, than we are to follow the biblical protocol (found in Mat 18:15-20); which is to first go and confront him or her privately with their wrong (whether perceived or real); and if they will not listen, then the Bible says to take two or three more with you; and if still they won’t listen, then we are to take the matter before the church.

Today we would call this Christian arbitration.

These sorts of disagreements and problems are inevitable and they will happen from time to time, because we are but men; but when they do happen, they are to be handled one on one first, and then take it before the believers to decide.

We are not to let our anger and bitterness fester and grow, resorting to gossiping and thereby poisoning people’s minds, one against another, which causes division within the church.

The Bible tells us, in Proverbs 6:16-19, that there are seven things which God hates, that are an abomination to Him; and number six and seven respectively are mentioned in verse 19, and they are “a false witness who speaks lies,” and “one who sows discord among brethren!”

Let us not risk the chance of judging one another falsely, without knowing all the facts and hearing both sides, because no matter how thin you slice it there are ALWAYS two sides to every story.

As Christians, we are first a family and as such, we are to governed ourselves according to our Father’s rules, as they are outlined and explained for us in the Bible.

2 Timothy 3:16

16 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, and for instruction in righteousness.

God has already spelled out how these matters are to be handled within His family.

I have seen the results of when we don’t do it God’s way, and believe me it causes far more problems in the long run!

Even in our secular judicial system, according to our organic U.S. Constitution, every man is entitled to a trial; and he is presumed innocent until he is judge by a jury of his peers.

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ΙΧΘΥΣ
Jesus Christ, God’s Son, Savior
—
Ps 150:6
Let everything that has breath praise the LORD!

Sent from my
Samsung Galaxy Note® 3