Tag Archives: Salvation

THE GOD WHO NEVER CHANGES IS ALWAYS WORKING TO CHANGE US

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God changes us by pruning away the dead sprouts and leaves.

~ LISA BLAIR



I heard a great sermon a few Sunday ago, it was food for thought. The sermon focused on “the God who never changes is always working to change us into His likeness.” What does that mean you may ask? Well, according to Pastor Steve Hage, when we receive Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we enter into a new relationship with our stuff, you know the secular things we cherish, our humanness prone to sin, and our ways of thinking and acting. Our salvation is the new beginning, but it is only the beginning. The things we brought with us must be removed. There was an innocence that was lost after the Fall. We regain that innocence when we accept Christ as our Lord and Savior. The Lord will continue to prune those parts of us that do not reflect His image. Generally, the pruning takes place in the valley of challenges where the devil can do his work under the veil of shadows and darkness. Most of us think and have been taught that darkness is the absence of light, not so in this context. Darkness is the absence of the knowledge of God and our inability to stand on His Word.

For many Christians the absence is not the void of not knowing, it is the process of not applying what we know, it is doubting instead of standing in faith. The truth is, mountain top experiences do not cause us to evaluate how we reached the mountain top. It is sunny, bright and warm. It is not until we find ourselves spiraling down, and in some cases landing in the muck and the mire of the cavern before we begin to question what is happening to us. Why do we spiral down, at times it is of no fault of our own, or we may have made mistakes (man-made errors), and still other times, Satan asks God for His permission to sift each of us. In Job 1:9-11, God gave Satan permission to sift Job. In Luke 22:31 Jesus was reported to having said, “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat.” Satan asked God’s permission to sift Job and Peter, and he asks God to give him the authority to examine you and me as well.

God allows us to be sifted to prune away disobedience, sin, selfishness, pride, anger and self- righteousness to name a few of our human traits. He gave us free-will to make our own decisions but will use them to exert His will over our lives. The Providence of God means He wisely directs and permits all that happens in His creation. “God does not override our will, but He does direct circumstances to accomplish His will.” (BSF lesson 23, People of the Promised Land). 

“We can trust God’s good purposes even when we do not understand what He is doing. Living by faith gives God’s children joy and brings Him glory. We must trust Him to show us all we need to know. Only God knows His infinite purposes for everything that happens. God leads his children by His Word and His Spirit and other good gifts-our parents, natural abilities and good desires. “We do not need to look for signs to know what to do. Knowing our heavenly Father is in control is more than enough for us.”

Our Father never changes, but He works to change us into His likeness. This process is most evident when we topple from the mountain top into the valley, or on our way back up to the mountain top. Like Peter, God has a plan for our lives. Seek ye first the kingdom of God and know that His ways are not our ways, but His ways are always part of His plan for our lives.

Images  – Google Images

Resources – The Sifting of Simon Peter, https://www.desiringgod.org/messages/the-sifting-of-simon-peter; International Bible Fellowship, Lesson 23, March 2019

Quench Your Thirst

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Quench your thirst and drink from the spring of living water. Hydrate on the Word of God.”
~ LISA BLAIR

Our bodies thirsts for water to stay alive, likewise our souls thirst for God who gives us life. Those of us that live in developed lands find no need to search for drinking water to stay hydrated. Many who live in underdeveloped lands do not have this luxury. Water is scarce and many die from dehydration. 

When can meet God? You can meet Him any time, at any point in our lives, even the moment before our death. Seek Him and He will meet you where you are at the moment of you cry out for Him. Many people die from not knowing the Lord, they do not drink from His living waters. Romans 10:9 instructs us to:


“Openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, and you will be saved.”‭‭ Romans‬ ‭10:9‬ ‭NLT‬‬

When you receive Jesus as your Lord and Savior, you are then filled with His living waters.


“But whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” John 4:4, ESV


Jesus is our Redeemer, His invitation is always open.


On the last day, the climax of the festival, Jesus stood and shouted to the crowds, “Anyone who is thirsty may come to me! Anyone who believes in me may come and drink! For the Scriptures declare, ‘Rivers of living water will flow from his heart.’”(When he said “living water,” he was speaking of the Spirit, who would be given to everyone believing in him. But the Spirit had not yet been given, because Jesus had not yet entered into his glory.) John 7:37-39 NLT


It is done I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end I will give to the one who thirsts from the spring of the water of life without cost.” Revelations 21:6 NIV


As Christians, we know the feeling of comfort the spring of living water provides. If each one of us shares this information with at least one person in our sphere of influence who does not follow Christ, they too can be filled and meet God where they stand, hydrated from the spring of (eternal) living water. They will know Him and become recipients of eternal salvation and reside in heaven with our Lord and Savior.

Images – LAB Photos; Google.com
Scriptures: Bible.com, Biblegateway.com, Bible.knowing-Jesus.com

Fulfill the law with love

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www.bible.com/111/gal.5.14.niv

The entire law is fulfilled when you love your neighbor, not because you like them, or you agree with their behavior, but because they too are a child of God. when I was young we were taught to dislike/disagree/hate the behavior, not the person. Our carnality often dilutes our love for one another.

This is the day the Lord has made. Let us br glad and rejoice in it.

Is It Enough?

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Today is Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s. Birthday. We are honoring him for His work as one of the most prominent Civil Rights leaders throughout time. As a minister, he lived the Word. Being human Dr. King, had faults like the rest of us and questioned his effectiveness in spreading the Word and effecting change. Like most of us, he probably queried why God chose Him to do such a monumental work. God select’s people to do His work, we do not choose our path. Some of us do very public work to effect change, others of us live our daily lives living the Word in less conspicuous ways.

We all impact the world in different ways. During my earlier years, I led organizations that focused on diversity, racism, civil rights, and education. I am certain my work made a difference in ways that I cannot even phantom, but my thought today is – was it enough?

Jesus walked the earth and did not question if His work was enough. He laid the foundation for our salvation. His disciples probably questioned their work and wondered, is it enough? The truth is that we are human and will always question whether our work is sufficient.

God instructed us to carry forward in Jesus Name; to carry our cross; to do our best to exude Christ-like behaviors and not only speak about the Good News but to demonstrate it in our daily lives. That is all He asks. Therefore it is enough.

“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you to do.” Matthew 28:19-20, NKJV

I believe, it is enough if we are walking the path God paved for us before we were born into this world. We should never fall prey to the evil one’s effort to dilute our effectiveness. We should not doubt our effectiveness if we know we are on the path. If you are uncertain, take time to evaluate what you have done, and ask God to show you your walk. He may not show you everything but will often connect the dots. He may bring memories forward about certain events, places, and people you have been connected to during different phases of your life and how you impacted their lives. Like water that cascades outward when you throw a rock into a pond or ocean, you may never know how many people, places and things were affected by your due diligence to spread the Word.

We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.” 2 Corinthians 5:20, ESV

Watch – Serving Others Video by Rev. Dr. Bernice King

Images – Google.com
Scriptures – Bible.com
Video – YouTube

I am holding to the task of Resolving and Acting on the resolve to become a stronger Christian in the face of everyday life in 2019. Join me. Each step we take should bring us closer to Christ.

Thank you for reading my Posts. God Bless.

Hear, Listen, Understand the Word of God

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Matthew 11:15 seems common sense, but it is describing how to hear/listen and understand.

  1. We must be willing to hear and exempt our mind from prejudice. We cannot attempt to interpret according to our limited understanding.
  2. We should seek to understand the Gospel and endeavor to experience and practice it just as it is stated.
  3. We should listen to the Word because it is pure, plain, and the living Word of God.

God created the earth and all things on and in it. All things on the planet produce sound waves. Our ears were made to hear the subtlest of tones.

Process

When we read the Word out loud or to ourselves, we hear the sounds and interpret the words. The key is to listen for the meaning of what God is saying to us, and not rely on our (own) interpretation. As we listen intently, we begin to understand the truth God is sharing with us. And, through these truths, we begin to align our actions to become more Christlike.

The more frequently we read the Word of God, the deeper it is planted into our hearts. Once it is planted in our hearts, the more readily available it becomes when making daily decisions, large and small.

As the Scripture says, anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand. As we become equipped with the Word as our guiding principles, we gain wisdom. Wisdom is the product of listening to the Word for understanding. Wisdom, in turn, develops our faith, and our faith covers us in the Word of God and leads us to salvation and eternal life.

I am holding to the task of Resolving and Acting on the resolve to become a stronger Christian in the face of everyday life in 2019. Join me. Each step we take should bring us closer to Christ.

Thank you for reading my Posts. God Bless.

Hearing His Word

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It’s important to learn the Word so your relationship becomes more vivid. God speaks to us in many ways, but I find it most comforting when He teaches me through the Word. Memorize a daily devotional scripture each day and watch it strengthen your faith and emotional stamina.