Is there an ideal place to live? A nation offering a haven of rest? An atmosphere free of anxiety. What if this place does not exist? In short, we need the best justifications to live in a sick and problem-infested world. Right?
Evil exists everywhere, and it was there even before humanity. Its wickedness works in our fallen world no matter what time. It is a reality unattainable to ignore. We cannot run away from this plight. There is no way to escape. A way out is not available. Its existence will plague us as long as we live. In summary, it will co-exist with us, and addressing this matter means a spiritual war. A battle we cannot be a triumph. We need someone to protect us and fight the battle for us. But how?
In defeating the enemy, we should stand firm in a stable and unshakable cornerstone. We must reckon in our minds that the foundation carries and bears the entire framework and organization of every one of us.
Philippians 2:5-9
King James Version
v.5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:
v.6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:
v.7 But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:
v.8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.
New Living Translation
v.5 You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.
v.6 Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God
as something to cling to.
v.7 Instead, he gave up his divine privileges. He took the humble position of a slave and was born
as a human, being When he appeared in human form,
v.8, he humbled himself in obedience to God
and died a criminal’s death on the cross.
Conveying the likeness of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, is everything we ever longed for when we first accepted Him. Do you agree? Acquiring His image is not having a piece of cake. Right? Sometimes, we do not expect what we hoped, leaving us puzzled. How can we manage this unpredictable life?
And making it complex, how can we Christians be an example of spreading the gospel if we are incapable of doing it? Or even engage in a spiritual war we alone cannot ever win.
What do we see in Jesus Christ, being God did not consider Himself equal to God? We miss this essential part of God’s nature unfolding before our eyes. Humility. Being able to control or even communicate without being restrained by pride or superiority. In simple words, His humble nature or personality. The indispensable part once we accept Jesus, the Son of the living God. Having His likeness is completeness (Yes, in everything!). He will offer us solutions to complications we face. An escape from every harsh reality we are suffering. In addition, He will introduce a distinct truth of what we are heading in our lives, a precise direction to carry out His perfect will for us.
God has given us the perfect example. A standard we should not miss and not follow. And everything good starts first in ourselves after God transforms us. The same humility Jesus had given God honor, glory, and praise He deserves. The consequence is for everyone to bow and confess to Jesus as Lord.
We must admit having humility is complex because it involves our free will. It takes our time, money, and effort to mention this. We dislike complicated life because it makes everything intricate and compromises many things.
Proverbs 22:4
King James Version
By humility and the fear of the Lord
are riches, honor, and life.
New Living Translation
True humility and fear of the Lord
lead to riches, honor, and long life.
Humility is a single word that makes us understand and appreciate spiritual messages from God. He is to show us the bigger picture we want to see until we arrive at our God-given destination. Riches, honor, and life are things our lives will lead to as we are to have humility in this twisted system we are getting along.
Category: Faith
Categories
Peace and prosperity
An extensive master plan for the future is indispensable for every part of everything we work out in the modernized age as we struggle with endless tragedy. Food insufficiency, for instance, is an approaching problem that could take effect at any moment because of global warming, combining climate transformation that is affecting everyone. Pain has become a routine part of our ways of life, and will the next pandemic cause more loved ones to agonize on their deathbeds?
Finding peace is a pursuit most people have, and this may include Christians. Other people consider it a mystery. Most likely, this thing we call tranquility or serenity does not last. Others swear they will never lose grip on it, but losing is more likely in the long run. We always expect harmony to leave when burdens arrive. It is an ingrained routine for humans. And as soon as it expires, our faith and trust in God follow. We return to living a life of confusion.
John 14:27
King James Version
Peace, I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
New Living Translation Version
“I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So do not be troubled or afraid”.
Losing peace is impossible. It is always with us. Jesus gave and left it. Unbelief is the main reason we keep seeking the calm mind we thought we lost. Peter instructed, stepping out of the boat and walking in the water. And because he lost his faith for a while, he began sinking. Again, when Jesus asked Peter to catch fish. There were no fishes out there. They were fishing in the evening, and they got nothing. It was his response. It is a momentary lapse of faith. The minute he recognized losing it, conviction shook him, asking the master to leave because he was a sinner. A reminder is what we lack to tell ourselves that peace dwells within us. The truth is Jesus gave and left it. It is there beforehand we experience these anxieties.
John 16:33
King James Version
These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.
New Living Translation Version
I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth, you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”
Within seconds of leaving our comfort zone, we find ourselves in a world of complaints; In actuality, we leave peace behind, unaware. As we look out from our current vantage point, we see the serenity outside of the empire of whines now going back to square one, asking ourselves why we cannot have that tranquility.
What do we gain from having peace? Is it a mindset of having a trouble-free or carefree existence? We lost lives only to reach this.
We refuse to allow peace to take control of us because of the weight of the load we carry and our exceeding unbelief that things will improve. We persevere to achieve peace, developing into prevailing practice. A reminder is what we lack to tell ourselves that peace dwells within us. It is a gift from God we accepted and never reached the completeness of its presence and essence in our lives. Being reminded that it came from God is valuable where prosperity starts.
II Kings 18:7
King James Version
And the LORD was with him; [and] he prospered whithersoever he went forth: and he rebelled against the king of Assyria, and served1 him not.
New Living Translation Version
So the Lord was with him, and Hezekiah was successful in everything he did. He revolted against the king of Assyria and refused to pay him tribute.
We relate the idea of prosperity to financial success. This word came from middle English prosperite, tracing it back, and borrowed from the Latin word Prosperous, meaning favorable. This word does not mean gathering wealth in its absolute meaning. It may mean securing favor as well.
How can we have prosperity during troublesome times? Is it possible to do well during challenging times? The financial crisis leaves us in the dark. There has to be a way out. A light that guides us outward from this darkness.
To prosper is not what most of us believe is more about determination. Certainly, perseverance is a part of being prosperous. We might miss an important factor in why we are persistent. Confidence is a more significant part.
Even we reach the point that emerges that we have done perfectly well. We are to face a blank wall. Our determination may appear to be strong, but our confidence dwindles. It is time that we realize it is not a stand-alone act. God is behind us. He pushes us, and with our determination, we achieve prosperity.
The bottom line is that these things require outside help. We always need God. Peace is a residence in our hearts. It stays there and never has left us. We do not look for it. The idea of losing it is the same as saying Jesus did not leave a good thing after all. As we decide to put our trust in God, peace will make its way into every part of our body, soul, and spirit.
Prosperity is an action word, a verb. It will be a futile attempt to accomplish anything without peace and the specific plans to reach our ultimate destiny without God. Searching for peace will only take our time finding it instead of working on what God planned for us. Prosperity will become an everyday experience because He will direct our way to it.
Categories
Foundation and Decision
Scriptural Readings: Galatians 5:19-21; 2 Peter 1:3-9; Romans 8:15; Galatians 4:6; John 15:1,5.
King James Version
Galatians 5:19-21
V.19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are [these]; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,
V.20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,
V.21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told [you] in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
New Living Translation
Galatians 5:19-21
V.19 When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures,
V.20 idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division,
v.21 envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.
A defeated Christian is what we are. It is a powerful message inching into our spiritual being the moment we suffer failures. Because of this lie, our defenses weaken, and divine qualities wear out, questioning our status in our Lord Jesus Christ. And this thought remains in Christianity. Why? And to make things more inadmissible, they subjected us to this false statement daily. As we spend more and more time with our Creator, He strengthens our characters, and as this happens, our enemy becomes more aggressive and lashes out at us.
In a real sense, to please God is impossible. We are humans; the nature of doing evil is where we settle. We live continuously as a failure. Why? What is wrong with ourselves? Every day, we decide. We have regrets when we land on the unacceptable side of the truth. Why? And now, we ask ourselves whether we want to be lifted from this reasoning or keep in this miserable condition.
King James Version
2 Peter 1:3-9
V.3 According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that [pertain] unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:
V.4 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world through lust.
V.5 And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge;
V.6 And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness;
V.7 And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.
V.8 For if these things be in you, and abound, they make [you that ye shall] neither [be] barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
V.9 But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins.
New Living Translation
V.3 By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence.
V.4 And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires.
V.5 In view of all this, make every effort to respond to God’s promises. Supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence, and moral excellence with knowledge,
V.6 and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with patient endurance, and patient endurance with godliness,
V.7 and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love for everyone.
V.8 The more you grow like this, the more productive and useful you will be in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
V.9 But those who fail to develop in this way are shortsighted or blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their old sins.
Becoming a genuine believer in our Lord (being born again) is the only road to complete maturity in our spirits and satisfy Him. The relationship we are having provides spiritual well-being. Jesus will give power to every follower through the Holy Spirit. Christians receive what they need to live a Christlike and sincere life.
King James Version
Romans 8:15
V.15 For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.
New Living Translation
V.15 So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children.] Now we call him, “Abba, Father.”
King James Version
Galatians 4:6
V.6 And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.
New Living Translation
V.6 And because we are his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, prompting us to call out, “Abba, Father.”
We have to know who we are to our creator. The moment the enemy realizes who we are to our God, he is already a failure. It is a victory for us. He will do anything, all the lies he can design to keep us from knowing who our maker is to us. We face difficulties. Regardless of what they are, we have to meet them. Our emotions interact at once as soon as it enters our system. As we know, our way of thinking is unstable. Trusting ourselves is unwise. We have to install faith in God in our decision. Otherwise, we will never defeat our adversary.
King James Version
John 15:1
V.1 I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.
New Living Translation
V.1 “I am the true grapevine, and my Father is the gardener.
King James Version
John 15:5
V.5 I am the vine, ye [are] the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.
New Living Translation
V.5 “Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.
Is our desire for a deeper relationship with Christ increasing? Is there a need to strengthen this passion? Are we serious about Christlike living? These are essential questions we have to address in our lives.
It is true to contend with our emotions and decisions, but as soon as God takes control of us, His will dictates, and all our concerns follow. The Holy Spirit continues reminding us that our foundation is in Christ Jesus. This reality has to be our mindset. Colossians 3:2 says we should set our minds on holy things, not on something here on earth. God, through His son Jesus, promised we be able to accomplish things in Him. We arrive in a helpless situation. What do we do? Acknowledge our helplessness as soon as we are there. And what does it mean? It is the winning time. The only thing to reverse this cycle of defeat is to go deeper into our relationship with our Lord Jesus. Apart from Him, we can do nothing. Our enemy does not want us to realize this. Satan is no different. Through Jesus Christ, God adopted us, and neither he nor his team can do anything about it.
Categories
Fear And Power
Scriptural Readings: Matthew 10:28, Hebrews 4:12, Colossians 2:6-7, Ephesians 6:10.
No matter how strong we are, fear has to confront us, and our faith is being tested, no doubt. We can never flee from it. Nobody escapes the fight between good and evil. We can’t escape the horrors of anxiety. The past, present, and future tie humanity to dreaded things to come. Sounds desperate. Right?
Fear has many faces. And if we look only at one side, it will scare us. And the result is we spend more time worrying. Right? As we step into this world of terrifying conditions, anxiety embraces our entire being.
We have our share of the struggles with these things that haunt us in this everyday insanity, but difficulties interfere with identifying our contribution to how to win this battle. Discovering the missing part to handle fear is the most demanding, and sometimes under our noses and we cannot figure it out.
Matthew 10:28
King James Version
v.28 And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
New Living Testament Version
v.28 Don’t be afraid of those who want to kill your body; they cannot touch your soul. Fear only God, who can destroy both soul and body in hell.
Fear the Lord
I guess, for many, death is the most dreaded fear. It creates unpleasant feelings for most of us. It arouses our sense of uncertainty as instantly as it creeps into our being. As a result, it forced us to decide the satisfying reasons to accept this. And to make things matter worse. Not only will our bodies soon die, but our souls too. What now?
There is no alternative. Either we fear God, or we do not. Conviction is always present, but we ignore it by not paying attention. Our last resort is fearing our Creator. It is at the end of our list of solutions. We know we cannot be right with him. It can never be late. We have to acknowledge God’s fear. Knowledge, together with wisdom, will begin if we do.
Hebrews 4:12
King James Version
v.12 For the word of God [is] quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and [is] a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
New Living Testament Version
v.12 For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires.
What makes words powerful? They are just a bunch of letters. But for our heavenly Father, these terms created the entirety. True indeed, but it does not end there. We ignore the messages that have the power to change people. No matter how hard we tried to improve our way of living, we failed. As a result, we were wrong, believing we had it right.
Jesus reminded humanity cannot live by bread alone but by every word from God. Our will needs to be done, not His. This is the truth happening today, a fact and complication we cannot detach. These influences that we rely on and guide us to doubts result in more anxieties. We need spiritual intervention and empowerment.
Quick and powerful and sharper than a two-edged sword. In simple terms, authority. The verse didn’t say God’s words if anyone wants to notice. It says “the Word of God”. This makes John 1:1 true. Only our Redeemer will penetrate and divide our souls from spirits, realizing we are dead in spirit and we have to be born again. It doesn’t end here. There are more. Our Lord addresses our human component at the same time. Separating the bone and marrow means it describes our perspectives in life. The bone or cartilage. The outside section is us, while the marrow, the inside portion, defines our inner being. It gives a clearer meaning to our endeavors in the physical realm. And in conclusion, as soon as our Savior entered our lives, our spiritual beings are alive today. We can now discern thoughts and intents of the heart. Alleluia!
Colossians 2:6-7
King James Version
v.6 As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, [so] walk ye in him:
v.7 Rooted and built up in him, and established in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.
New Living Testament Version
v.6 And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to follow him.
v.7 Let your roots grow down into him and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness.
God has to be in us. Our efforts to reach Him are futile, but he has to break into us first. When we heard the gospel of our Lord Jesus, we received Him. This simply means that we allowed Him to enter our lives and live inside us through the power of the Holy Spirit. This is the born-again experience (John 3:3-7).
The Holy Spirit, whom Jesus promised Christians, is going to work for us. And where strong conviction becomes very true. He will persuade us to carry out unmistakable instructions.
Ephesians 6:10
King James Version
v.10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.
New Living Testament Version
v.10 A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.
And finally….
For years, we have been blind to the real meaning of fear. This word is indispensable for us to carry out what God directed us, otherwise, failure in our spiritual lives continues to cripple us. Human success can never give us reliable satisfaction. We will make the same mistakes repeatedly.
Without the fear of God, we cannot have the power needed to survive the spiritual war. The truth has to be accepted. We will stay defeated Christian if we continue to carry on believing the old meaning of fear. The future is fast approaching, and it cannot change the past. We need to be strong in the Lord, and He can do it if we allow Him to enter our lives.
As Godly fear lives in us, continuing dependence on God develops in ourselves. It is being strong in the Lord. Our faith in Him will produce the true meaning of fear, allowing our entire being to live in the power of His might.
Categories
Listen and Hear
Scriptural Readings: Provers 23:12, Hebrews 2:1, Hebrews 12:24-25.
What are your thoughts about misunderstanding? Have we ever thought and written about the number of reasons we disagreed? Is there ever a situation where a single word misunderstood by us led to a disaster that changed our lives?
Our ears always listen. It collaborates with what we see and what we think, giving us options. One more truth for most of us is that we only listen to what we enjoy. If we don’t like something we hear, we become childish. We come up with absurd arguments and opinions ready to defend them.
Proverbs 23:12
King James Version
V.12 Apply thine heart unto instruction, and thine ears to the words of knowledge.
New Living Translation
V.12 Commit yourself to instruction; listen carefully to words of knowledge.
God has something to say always.
Having a relationship involves communication. Communication means a two-way street of paying attention and conversation with each other. This is exactly what was happening between God and Adam and Eve until they disobeyed Him. Every detailed part has to sink into us, leaving no space for confusion.
Hebrews 12:24-25
King James Version
V.24 And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than [that of] Abel.
V.25 See that ye refuse not him that speaketh. For if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth, much more [shall not] we [escape], if we turn away from him that [speaketh] from heaven.
New Living Translation
V.24 You have come to Jesus, the one who mediates the new covenant between God and people, and to the sprinkled blood, which speaks of forgiveness instead of crying out for vengeance like the blood of Abel.
V.25 Be careful that you do not refuse to listen to the One who is speaking. For if the people of Israel did not escape when they refused to listen to Moses, the earthly messenger, we will certainly not escape if we reject the One who speaks to us from heaven!
Hebrews 2:1
King James Version
V.1 Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let [them] slip.
New Living Translation
V.1 So we must listen very carefully to the truth we have heard, or we may drift away from it.
The only way to live a meaningful life is if we believe God wants us to do something. We must listen to what He has to say, and the only way to hear what God is saying to us is to place it at the top of our priority list.
Most of us have tried almost everything in these trying times to survive, but we are still searching for the most effective things to do. The question is why? The answer is God’s voice. We refuse to listen to Him, and instead, we continue to ignore and not to listen to Him. God created us to listen to Him. We can get in touch with Him. A thing we cannot trust because we do not want to do so. We always want to do it our way.
The next big question is, is it from our Father in Heaven? Communicating with God should never be a difficulty for us. God always listens, but most of the time, we don’t. We would rather listen to others’ advice. We give more preference to what we see and hear in the media. The proof? Watch the news. It is normal to make conclusions, but it becomes inappropriate when we make an instant judgment.
Emotions are deceiving. We cannot get over this lesson!
How about if, instead of giving instructions, God surprised us with a question of what we would appreciate Him to do? Are we ready to react to this scenario? God will never stop taking our attention.
There will always be something for us to accomplish and discover. Otherwise, we will continue to live a make-believe life in a fantasy world. Of the many things that we want to develop in our spiritual life, our listening skills might be the poorest. Our carnal body certainly restrained us, including, of course, our minds. The only way to come up with something certain is to listen to what God has to say to us. We have to listen and hear Him. We have to put into our minds that He created us in His image, having the capacity to speak to Him and listen and hear Him.
Heavenly Father, we are always led to temptation because we refuse to hear your voice. Deliverance from evil has become a regular part of our lives because we try to hear other voices than your Son our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
We come and humble ourselves to your Holy presence, unto thy throne of grace that you grant us more time to listen to You. Let Your will be done and not ours.
Through Your Son Jesus, our Lord and Savior, we pray. Amen.