In Christ - I'm Not Normal

 

1 PETER 2:9

But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people; that you should show forth the praises of Him Who has called you out of darkness into His marvellous Light. 

    What does it mean to be peculiar according to how it is used here in this verse? It means to be "brought into", "union" and "motion into" alignment with God's purposes for the Christian's life. 

    By continuing in a self-disciplined lifestyle which obeys God's commands and follows God's directions, we are immediately set apart from the world around us. Our actions and our words speak quite loudly, for we are are a reflection of The Word living within us. 

    Our faith in Jesus Christ offends many people. The fact that we believe Jesus died on the cross and rose from the dead to save people from going to hell and being eternally damned puts a target on us. Some people will merely point at us, some will make fun of us (mock), some will even laugh at us. But other people will physically and verbally attack us, torture us (to get us to recant our faith in Christ), and even kill us. 

     We are more than strange to some folks: we are perceived as evil by an evil generation. This evil generation denies God and, therefore, concludes in its delusional state of mind and heart that God's Word is irrelevant in today's world. They are mistaken and will die in their sins if they don't repent. 

    Our peculiarity is immediately known by our family and our peers. We choose not to imbibe liquor like we used to. We choose not to swear and be verbally offensive like we used to. We choose not to go out clubbing, not to flirt, not to engage in socially acceptable behavior like we used to. It is not that we can't: it is that now that we know Christ as our personal Lord and Savior, we want to please and honor Him, not ourselves. We are not like we "used to be": we are new creations in Christ. 

    We are not normal. We are filled with The Holy Spirit of God, Who has written on our hearts The WORD of GOD, which is alive and thriving and growing in our hearts. This Spirit has six aspects to Himself, which are active within us as well: Isaiah 11:2 "...The Spirit of Wisdom and Understanding, The Spirit of Counsel (advice) and Might, The Spirit of Knowledge and of The (reverent) Fear of The LORD." 

    We are known by people who have never met us, nor interacted with us, because strange news travels fast. To some it is a warning to "watch out for that person" because they won't stop talking about Jesus. To others it is a "watching for that person to arrive" that they may hear about this Jesus Who has made them strange, peculiar. Either way, we are JESUS FREAKS now, and there's no going back to who we used to be. We're not normal and we're happy about it. 

BULLETPROOF -- Citizen Way

OCEAN FLOOR - Audio Adrenaline 

I HAVE DECIDED TO FOLLOW JESUS -- Lydia Walker

Statements of Faith - 1 Peter 2:9

 

1 PETER 2:9

I am a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people; that I should show forth the praises of Him Who has called me out of darkness into His marvelous Light. 

CHOSEN GENERATION

    How are we chosen? By believing on The Name of The Lord Jesus Christ for my salvation. By repenting of my sins, iniquities and transgressions against The Word of God. By believing that God's Word is True and Faithful, that He fulfills His promises in His time. 

    We are chosen because we choose to follow Christ Jesus wherever He leads us; whether He leads us in the valleys of our lives or upon the mountains' heights. When He calls us to follow Him, we joyfully answer His call, running to meet Him, where He picks us up and holds us close to His heart. We are His sheep, His little lambs and we stay near our Shepherd. 

    Once we lived in the darkness of this world, too. Once we lived in rebellion, choosing to do things our way: selfishly and with only our interests at heart. But now, now we belong to God, choosing to live a life of honor and sanctification that we might be made pure and perfect in Christ. 1 Peter 2:10 "Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy."

ROYAL PRIESTHOOD

    He has promised that they who serve Him on this side of life will not only be blessed immensely now, but also be rewarded on the other side of life. 

Revelation 1:6 "And has made us kings and priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen." 

Revelation 5:10 And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.Exodus 19:6 "And unto Me you shall be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.' These are the words that you are to speak to the Israelites." 

HOLY NATION

    Deuteronomy 7:6

For you are a people holy to The LORD your God. The LORD your God has chosen you to be a people for His prized possession out of all peoples on the face of the earth.

     2 Thessalonians 2:13

But we should always thank God for you, brothers who are loved by The Lord, because God has chosen you from the beginning to be saved by the sanctification of The Spirit and by faith in the truth.

   We are saved by faith in The Truth of the gospel of salvation through Jesus Christ and through the sanctification of The Holy Spirit. Though the thief on the hill with Christ came to the realization that Jesus was indeed The Christ, he had just enough time left in his life to do so. By his declaration "Lord, remember me", he acknowledged Jesus to be LORD and asked that his name not be blotted out. And Jesus brought thief to paradise with him. 

    A holy nation also honors its God by not only hearing what He has to say, but by obeying what The Word He speaks. 

PECULIAR PEOPLE

    Exodus 19:5

Now therefore, if you will obey My voice indeed, and keep My covenant, then you shall be a peculiar treasure unto Me above all people: for all the earth is Mine.

    Titus 2:14

He gave Himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds.

    We are God's people, His church, His possession, His congregation. We are set apart from all nations by choosing to be obedient to His Word and choosing His Love and Righteousness for us above all other loves and unrighteous thinking and actions. 

    When someone tells us, "You're weird, strange, crazy", it's because they have noticed your differentness, your born again-ness. As we should be: different, not like everybody else. Remember the teaching song, "One of these things is not like the other"? We are not like the other. We shine bright because our souls have been saved and The Light of Christ now lives in us. 

    The salvation of Christ upon us and the purification process of sanctification through The Holy Spirit cause us to continually praise our God for this wonderful thing He has done for us and in us. 

    Three hundred and three times the word 'praise' occurs in The Old Testament, alone. And in those three hundred and three times the word 'praise', at varying times, indicates different ways to praise. 

    Yadah: to extend our arms out in front of us or lift our hands up to our Lord 

    Halal: to boast in The Lord

    Shabach: to shout praise to The Lord 

    Tehillah: combination of all other words of praise to God 

    Towdah: sacrifice of praise - praising God in adversity

    Barouch: to kneel or prostrate one's self, to bow before The Lord

    Zamar: to play a musical instrument for God

7 WAYS TO PRAISE - Carman

NO LONGER SLAVES - Zach Williams
CHANGED - Jordan Feliz

HAPPY DANCE - MercyMe 

JESUS CAN - Austin French

LIVE LIKE YOU'RE LOVED - Hawk Nelson

    

    

Statements of Faith - Redeemed

 I AM REDEEMED 

1 Peter 1:18, 19

For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life you inherited from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a Lamb without blemish or spot. 

Isaiah 44:22
I have blotted out your transgressions like a cloud, and your sins like a mist. Return to Me, for I have redeemed you.
1 Peter 3:18
For Christ also suffered for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit,

     God calls everyone to salvation. He sent His Son Jesus Christ to die for the sins of the whole world. We just need to believe that God's Word is Faithful and True. What God says comes to pass (Faithful) and that there is no error in His Word (True). 
     I answered this call to believe on The Name of The Lord Jesus Christ for my salvation. By faith I came to the cross and saw my God dying for me, with the weight of my sins lashed across His body. By faith I stepped into the shadow of the cross, where the blood soaked into the ground and into my heart. By faith I am redeemed: I have been bought back from the prince of this world, whose chains of sin I was bound in. 

    Why do we need a Redeemer? Everyone is a sinner. Romans 3:23 "For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God." I don't know about you but I don't want to fall short of the glory of God after I die. i want to be in His glorious presence forever and ever!  He loved me enough to die for me! How can I not embrace His redemptive grace? I am a sinner and I need the blood of Jesus Christ applied to my heart. So do you. You just need to believe that Jesus Christ is God's only begotten Son and that He died for you. It's a simple faith. 

    A faith that is built on The Word of God, The Rock of our Salvation. A faith that is lived under the blood and in Christ, The Lamb of God Who Takes Away Sins (John 1:29). A faith that does not retreat but stands fast on the solid ground upon which it is built up. A faith that chooses to live a righteous life in Christ. 

     A faith that recognizes and acknowledges that God's Word is Alive and Living and calling out to all who will hear, "Come, come to the cross. Come, come and see Jesus, Who told me all about myself and then revealed that that which I was searching for is Him. Come, come and walk by faith, walk in The Spirit, with me." 

     I needed saving so God sent His only begotten Son Jesus Christ to save me, to save us. That's something to SHOUT about! 

WALKING FREE  - Micah Tyler

REDEEMED - Big Daddy Weave 

CHAINBREAKER - Zach Williams 

GOD OF ALL MY DAYS - Casting Crowns 

I Am Christian's Mind

 

1 PETER 4:7

The end of all things is near. Therefore, be clear-minded and sober, so that you can pray.

    I am Christian's mind. I think with the mind of Christ -- 1 Corinthians 2:16 "For “who has known the mind of the LORD that he may instruct Him?” But we have the mind of Christ." Having surrendered my life and my body to the service of my God, my mind is also part of that package dedication. Though it will not show up on any x-ray nor be visible in any anatomy class, my mind is essential in being of service to my King and Lord. 

    The mind is the center of the soul. It controls the spirit and regulates the breath thereof. Just as in physiology the diaphragm controls the breathing and regulates the heart, so, too, does the mind control the center of its being. When I gave my heart and my life to Christ, I gave Him my thoughts, too, for they originate in the mind. 

    When I was a wretched sinner, my mind was given over to lascivious thoughts which were taking me down the road to hell. But when I gave my mind to Christ and He entered into my heart by my faith in His Name through the power of God's Holy Spirit, my mind had to align with His mind. Being stuck in this body of sin and having the mind of Christ there is a constant struggle to maintain a righteous way of thinking. But God didn't leave me there. He shows me in His Word how to get control over wayward thinking. 

    Philippians 4:8 tells me how to think with the mind of Christ. "Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things."

    My mind decides my actions. While we may think some things get done without much thought, that is decidedly untrue; for the mind is in constant motion, even while sleeping, and thoughts that we may be unaware of eventually come to pass unless we take control of our thoughts. Being Christian's mind self-control includes how I think. Though I take the reins of my thoughts, I am still Christ's and He is still guiding me and leading me throughout my day. 1 Peter 2:11 "Beloved, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from the desires of the flesh, which war against your soul. " 

    I am Christian's mind. I meditate (think on) on The Word of God. I allow it to sink into my very self, my inner being, my existence. I seek His Word that He may fill me with Himself that there may be no room for anything else. No room for ugliness only loveliness. No room for lies, only truth. No room for deceitfulness, only honesty. No room for injustice, only justice and fairness. No room for impure thoughts, only a pure heart (Matthew 5:8). No room for propaganda, only prophetic and blessed. No room for deprivation and injuriousness, only virtue. No room for self-righteousness, only praise to our God. These things I think on. 

    I am Christian's mind. I meditate on The Word of God. 

Psalm 119:15 I meditate on His precepts and consider His ways

Psalm 143:5 I meditate on all His ways and consider what His hands have made

Psalm 4:4 I meditate within my heart while I prepare for rest

Psalm 119:11 Because I meditate on His Word it is hidden deep within my heart leading me away from a life of sin to a life of holiness

    I am Christian's mind. I think before I speak. I think before I act. I consider the consequences of my possible actions before I put my thoughts into action. I rest in the knowledge that I have the mind of Christ as well as the Love of God living in me and bringing me to fulfill the purposes for which He has chosen me to serve Him. 

    My conduct, the way I behave, originates in my mind. Therefore, I must constantly be on guard, be alert, to the ways in which the enemy of my soul attacks me. He is sneaky and underhanded. I must fill my thoughts with The Word of God that I may be able to defend myself against Satan's dart throwing (Ephesians 6:10-20). I am armed with The Word of God and The Holy Spirit of God. My mind remains focused on pursuing holiness and the desire to bring you all with me on this journey. 

WHEN I THINK ABOUT THE LORD - Christ For The Nations

THINK ON THESE THINGS  - K-8 Music (children's choir) 

ALL TO JESUS I SURRENDER - Vineyard

    

A Crucified Life - - Answers The Call to Come Out of Darkness

 

    1 Peter 2:9

But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people; that you should show forth the praises of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvellous light. 

    What is this darkness out of which we were called? It is spiritual darkness. It is the darkness of thought and heart where the 'marvellous light' --the light of Christ Jesus--has not yet shined upon. 

    Figuratively speaking, it is the principle of sin and sin's results. Literally speaking, it is the outer darkness where sin reigns. It is outside of God's holiness and therefore cannot be in God's presence. 

    But we who choose to answer the call to salvation through Jesus Christ are brought into His marvellous light. 

OUR FAITH + HIS GRACE = ETERNAL LIFE

    This darkness out of which we have been delivered blinds the eyes of the heart and is the veil which prevents the light from entering the mind and its thoughts. We who now believe once stumbled in the dark in ignorance believing that the lies from the devil and being satisfied in them. 

    What lies? For example: "Everybody's doing it." Everybody was not doing it, whatever the "it" was when the devil tempted us to do it and we gave in. "All roads lead to God." All roads do not lead to God. There is only one Way to God and that is the Way of Holiness. It is an old path, a narrow path: few find it. 

    Wherever negativity is, Satan is; stirring up trouble and instigating wickedness. As he stirred up the mob, who shouted to crucify Christ (Matthew 27:22,23).

    Ephesians 6:12 tells us darkness has rulers and that the believer fights spiritual battles against them: 'For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.'

    1 John 4:4 encourages God's people in God's Word that "Greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world." When we consider this verse we realize that God is referring to the god of this world, to Satan, and to Satan's minions (spirits of antichrist {see verse 3}). 

    In us we have The Holy Spirit of God, Who was sent to us after Christ left, having ascended into heaven to be with His Father. The Holy Spirit of God leads us along the Way of Holiness, drawing us ever closer to the Marvellous Light of God's Love. 

    I am so thankful I answered the call to leave the darkness and step into the Light. Now that I am no longer living in the darkness of this world, I can see the hand of God everywhere and I know His voice. 

CALLED OUT OF DARKNESS 

Here I Am To Worship/The Call - Hillsong Worship

Good, Good Father - Chris Tomlin

Living Waters - Hlengiwe Mhlaba

Spirit Lead Me - Michael Ketterer

I See The Lord - Lindell Cooley

 

A Crucified Life - - Answers The Call to Suffer

 

   1 Peter 2:21 

For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in His footsteps.

    What does it mean to suffer for Christ? The literal description in Strong's is "to be acted upon in a certain way, either good or bad"; to be ill-treated. That's all well and good but how do I (we) suffer for Christ individually and within the church as a whole? 

    For starters, when someone attacks us--whether verbally or physically--we don't fight back. We are not to speak against them. We don't seek revenge against anyone. We take it to Jesus and He takes care of the problem. As long as we remain in Him and He in us, we have no reason to cause those who fight against us any ill-will of our own. As Christ stood silent when accused, so, too should the believer remain silent. (Isaiah 53:7; Matthew 26:63).

    It is a privilege to suffer for Christ. Philippians 3:7-9 speaks of losing everything for the gain of knowing Jesus Christ. And in verse 10: I want to know Christ and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to Him in His death. And in Philippians 1:21 "For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain."

    To suffer for Christ is to rise above the pettiness, the miry clay which clings to us trying to bring us down to the level we left behind when we chose to believe God and follow Christ. This is not a 'holier than thou' life: this is a humble remembering of who we were then and who we are now. 

    It is to have compassion, mercy, understanding and wisdom towards the people who are trying to undermine our witness. God says we are to pray for our enemies. I pray that the hearts of those who hate God be turned towards God and remain in Him to be His people. Our hearts are to be aligned with God's heart, which is to have as few left behind as possible. John 6:40 "For it is My Father’s will that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in Him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.” 

    To suffer for Christ is to be longsuffering. It is to not lose patience with anyone who is not where you and I are in our relationship with Christ. Imagine if He had done that when we were young Christians! Where would we be? 

    Fruit trees take a few years to mature before they begin to bear fruit. Sometimes the first fruit bearing season just needs to stay on the tree, as the fruit can be bitter and inedible. So, too, is the Christian's heart. We are nurtured by The Word and sustained in our faith when we get The Word into us, not just memorization but knowing that God is writing His Word on our hearts. (Ezekiel 36:26,27)

    To suffer for Christ is to see by our faithfulness that our prayers are being answered. Our children are turning back to God and bringing their families with them. Our sisters, our brother, are searching God's Word, devouring it with a hunger born from spiritual starvation. 

    Even as Christ was lifted up on the cross for all the world to see, many people came and saw Him there. But not all of them believed. Just a few. But these few, in just seven weeks, would be filled with The Holy Spirit of God, Who would cause them to speak in other languages that the gospel of peace through Jesus Christ would go forth. And go forth it did.

    As these Christians were persecuted and killed, many fled to foreign nations where they preached the gospel and people believed God and received The Holy Spirit, that second precious Gift from God; the first, being His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ. And they counted it a privilege. 

    Here we are now almost 2000 years later and still we are facing the same evil that faced Jesus: hated because we believe God and God's Word to be TRUTH. 

    Let us put all of our armor on (Ephesians 6:10-20) every single day, that we may be able to suffer efficiently and effectively. Let us gather together in prayer, seeking God's will before the day begins and the night ends. We rejoice that we have been found worthy to suffer! 

CALLED TO SUFFER 

He Lives! 

You Will Suffer - John Piper (sermon clip)

Cry of The Broken - Hillsong Worship

Surrounded - UPPERROOM

Weathered - Dante Bowe/Hannah McClure

Lay It All Down - United Pursuit/Will Reagan 

    

A Crucified Life - - Is The Temple of God

 

2 Corinthians 6:16

And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? for you are the temple of the Living God, as God has said, I will dwell with them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.

*Strong's Ex. Conc. No. 3485

Temple:  that part of the temple where God Himself resides.

From the Greek word 'naos' (pronounced nah-os'): sanctuary (divine dwelling-place); temple (sacred abode). 

    The temple of God where God dwelt consisted of two rooms: the Holy Place and the Holy of Holies (Hebrew 9:1-10). Hebrews 9:11-28 details how Christ became our Tabernacle and opened up both rooms for the Christian believer's access. 

    Where God is sin cannot be. No agreement, no tolerance, no working together. You cannot plait together nettles and hemp. The strength of the latter would be lacerated and shredded by the first, rendering the twining useless and revealing it for a complete waste of time and effort.

    God will not stay where He is mocked. Tear down the idols you have built up in your heart and your churches. Hasten to receive God into your hearts and be prepared to leave when He sends His Son to bring you with Him. 

    When the Ark of the Covenant was placed in a pagan temple, all the idols were knocked over (1 Samuel 5:1-4). For our God is greater and higher than any manmade object of worship. This includes self-righteousness, self-promotion. To put sin in the church and declare it to be of God is to call God a liar and bring His wrath on that church and its congregants.

    As God's temple, we are to be holy, a holy people for a holy God. And that only comes about when we have the Holy Spirit of God also living in us, working through and with us, to make us holy. That won't happen when a person is not only living a sinful lifestyle, but refuses to give up their sin, their uncleanness, their unholy living. 

    A crucified life recognizes sin for sin. The thorns and the nails have pierced the heart, nailing the sin to its place of humiliation. Repenting of the sin at the moment it is revealed brings forgiveness and restoration from God. The heart is made cleaner. The mind is restored to soundness and sober thinking (vigilant, rational thinking). 

    We need to knock down and destroy everything that is not of God and God's Word. We do that by receiving Christ into our hearts and obeying the voice of the Holy Spirit of God. We go where we are sent. We speak what we hear. In the power of God we choose to live the life He has designed for us. 

    Do you want the presence of God in your heart, your mind, your whole life? Turn your hearts to God now. Turn your back on the sins you have been living in (repent) and seek God's desire for your life (seek first His kingdom). Turn your face to His face and be made complete in Him in Christ. There's no other way to have the presence of the Living God in us but to comply with His requirements to do so. 

    1 Peter 1:13-15

Therefore prepare your minds for action. Be sober-minded. Set your hope fully on the grace to be given you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

As obedient children, do not conform to the passions of your former ignorance.

But just as He who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do. 

    Hebrews 4:15,16

For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have One Who was tempted in every way that we are, yet was without sin. 

Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

A TABLE FULL OF STRANGERS Vol 1 (what I listened to while I studied)

Arming The Spiritual Warrior -- Diligent

 2 Peter 3:14 

Therefore, beloved, as you anticipate these things, make every effort to be found at peace—spotless and blameless in His sight. 

The preamble to this verse is 2 Peter 3:10-13

(10)  But the Day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar, the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and its works will be laid bare.

(11) All these things being dissolved in this way, what kind ought you to be? In holy conduct and godliness,

(12) expecting and hastening the coming of the day of God, by reason of which the heavens will be dissolved, being set on fire, and the elements are melting, burning with heat.

(13) But according to His promise, we are awaiting new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells.

*Strong's Ex. Conc. No. 4704

Every Effort: to move speedily by showing full diligence (fully applying oneself); acting fervently (speedy commitment) to accomplish all that God assigns through faith ("His inbirthed persuasion"); to make haste, to give diligence.

The Diligent Spiritual Warrior keeps digging through God's Word while in constant communication with The Holy Spirit, working our way through it until we reach the nuggets of wisdom that help us gain a better understanding of what it means to be Diligent.

THE DILIGENT

 

The Diligent are Threshers. 

Isaiah 41:15, 16

Behold, I make of you a threshing sledge, new, sharp, and having teeth; you shall thresh the mountains and crush them, and you shall make the hills like chaff; you shall winnow them, and the wind shall carry them away, and the tempest shall scatter them. And you shall rejoice in the LORD; in the Holy One of Israel you shall glory.

The Diligent Soul Prospers

Proverbs 10:4

Idle hands make one poor, but diligent hands bring wealth.

Proverbs 13:4

The soul of the sluggard desires, and has nothing: but the soul of the diligent shall be made fat.

The Diligent Strategize & Work Hard To Accomplish Their Purpose

Proverbs 12:24

The hand of the diligent shall bear rule: but the slothful shall be under tribute.

Proverbs 21:5

The plans of the diligent bring plenty, as surely as haste leads to poverty.

DILIGENCE MAKES OUR HOPE SURE

Hebrews 6:11, 12

We want each of you to show this same diligence to the very end, in order to make your hope sure. Then you will not be sluggish, but will imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised. 

Hebrews 3:6

But Christ is faithful as the Son over God's house. And we are His house, if we hold firmly to our confidence and the hope of which we boast.

Knowing that our diligence to be faithful in our hope of salvation and patience in eagerly anticipating The Day of The Lord, when all wickedness will be consumed, we must also be diligent in winning the lost souls to Christ, that they would not be consumed in the coming conflagration. 

Jude 1:23

And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh.

With this thought in mind, let us pray earnestly all the more: mornings and afternoons and evenings and throughout the nights. Effectual Fervent Prayer accomplishes God's purpose for the one being prayed for, just like electric current flowing from the power plant (GOD) through the cables (The Holy Spirit) into the outlet (the person praying) which attaches to another cable (the person being prayed for) to produce an instant action (that which is being prayed for). 

James 5:16

Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that you may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.

A Diligent Spiritual Warrior must be spotless (without stain) and blameless (without fault). We will all be held accountable to God for how we lived our lives. To be spotless is to have our sins washed away. To be blameless is to have Christ ruling in our hearts. For we are His temple, His house: in us He dwells (takes up residence). He cleans His house on a daily basis, when we let Him. A Diligent Spiritual Warrior allows Christ to clean His house. 

There is no fault to be found in Christ. Because He lives and lives in the born again believer there should be no fault in us either when The Day of The Lord makes its appearance. 

John 19:6

Therefore when the chief priests and the officers saw Him, they cried out saying, "Crucify! Crucify!" Pilate says to them, "Take Him yourselves and crucify Him, for I find no fault in Him." 

*Strong's Ex. Conc. No 156
Fault:  a cause, reason, excuse; a charge, accusation; guilt

Therefore let us persevere in our daily walk with Jesus Christ to be the Diligent Spiritual Warriors He has called us to be. Let us grab hold of this grace He has extended us and pray that all may come to know Him personally. 

Dear Lord,

Thank You for saving me, for calling me out of the darkness and into Your marvelous Light. Thank You for leading me through Your Word and filling me with Your Holy Spirit, that I might walk these last days, these last hours, with Your strength, Your peace. I pray that everyone who reads this knows You, in all Your glory and strives to become Your Spiritual Warriors, too. 

Many whom we pray for have heard Your Name but have not kept You near: whatever it takes Save them before it's too late. We grab them by the collar and shake off the flames which are encroaching on their souls. 

A slap upside the head doesn't seem to work any more, Lord, so give ear to our prayers and break their hardened hearts for You. Save our lost family members, our lost acquaintances, our lost strangers and our lost enemies. for they are all lost in the darkness of this world until they, too, see Your marvelous Light, just like we did. 

In Jesus' name I pray,

Amen. 

 

Intelligent Worship -- Submit to God

 Intelligent Worship brings us into the presence of God through Submission to God. 

Part 12.

And now we come to the final installment of this series. That part which seems to keep a lot of folks from fully surrendering to God's will for their lives: letting go of self-will and submitting to God's will. But, really, once we have placed ourselves at His feet and received His mercy, there truly is no better place to be than in God's perfect will. 

It is a life that is lived in internal peace. Though the world fractures around us, though the enemies of the cross are many and threaten our lives, this peace that passes understanding can only be obtained through daily submission to the Word of God. 

You've heard the phrase, "It's my way or the highway"? Same concept applies here. In order to worship God and be in His presence, we must walk the narrow road, the old path, in order to walk with God and commune with Him. In other words, it's "His Way or the highway". Matthew 7:13-14 "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few."

Submission to God leads to a thwarting of the devil's plans.

James 4:7

Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

Submission to God renders us His humble servants. 

1 Peter 5:6

Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, so that in due time He may exalt you.

Submission to God means complete and absolute surrender to God's will for our lives.

Romans 12:1

Therefore I urge you, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies [dedicating all of yourselves, set apart] as a living sacrifice, holy and well-pleasing to God, which is your rational (logical, intelligent) act of worship.

Submission to God is an intentional recognition that we do not belong to ourselves any more; now we belong to God.

1 Corinthians 6:19-20

Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore glorify God with your body.

Submission to God begins when we believe that Jesus Christ is Lord. 

Romans 10:9

That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised Him out from the dead, you will be saved. 

Submission to God removes anxiety and worry from a believer's heart. 

Matthew 6:25

Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?

James 4:14

You do not even know what will happen tomorrow! What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.

Every act of worship requires the worshiper to be a born-again believer. There's no getting around that one focal point. All I can say is, if you aren't, what are you waiting for? Hebrews 3 speaks over and over again on the urgency of the day, of to day, being our day of salvation. For tomorrow is not promised to anyone. To day could be your day of salvation. Why not make it so? 

Today's Word -- Judgment Begins Here

 If you are in a church where your preacher says it is okay to sin against God and still make it to heaven, you need to flee that church. Where unrighteousness is preached, it is also practiced. God is coming for a holy church, not a good enough church.

1 Peter 4:16-18

{16} But if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but glorify God that you bear that name. {17} For it is time for judgment to begin with the family of God; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who disobey the gospel of God? {18} And, “If it is hard for the righteous to be saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?”

Hebrews 2:2-4

{2} For if the message spoken by angels was binding, and every transgression and disobedience received its just punishment, {3} how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? This salvation was first announced by the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard Him, {4} and was affirmed by God through signs, wonders, various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to His will.

According to Matthew Henry's Commentary, "When God brings great calamities and sore judgments upon whole nations, he generally begins with his own people." For example, in Isaiah 10:12 the Lord tells Isaiah that He will judge Mount Zion and Jerusalem before He judges the king of Assyria. In Jeremiah 25:29 the Lord tells Jeremiah that He is bringing disaster on the city that bears His name. And again in Ezekiel 9:6 the idolaters in the Lord's sanctuary will be the first slaughtered. 

God is calling each one of us to be holy like He is holy. We are each responsible for receiving the salvation and spiritual cleanliness which God has given the believer through His only begotten Son Jesus Christ (Savior) and His Holy Spirit (Fire of God). Through the blood we are saved when we believe in the name of Jesus Christ.  Through His holy fire we are made pure: unblemished, untarnished, unstained. 

I am responsible for believing God's Word. I am responsible for accepting the salvation He has proffered through His Son Jesus Christ. I am responsible for seeking the baptism of His Holy Spirit and obeying Him. I am responsible for living my life according to the Word of God. I am responsible for repenting daily for sins I (may) have committed against God. For tomorrow is not promised to anyone, even God's people. So I must be always ready to meet Him. It is less stressful to be ready than it is to worry about being ready! 

I am responsible for sharing the gospel with everyone I meet. I am responsible for living a life that glorifies God. And I am responsible for attending a church where the full gospel, the true Word of God, is preached, that I may hear with my ears and my heart the integrity of God's Holy Word. I am responsible for Who I worship and how I worship Him. 

I am responsible for my thoughts, my words, my actions. These must align with the Word of God that He might be glorified in me and through me. 

I am responsible for how I will be judged. Will I be found lacking? I hope not. Will I be ready? I hope so. 

The Lord Is -- May

 

KURIOS THERISMOS

LORD OF THE HARVEST

Matthew 9:38 

"Request therefore of The Lord of the Harvest to send out laborers to His harvest."

Matthew 9:37

Then He said to His disciples, "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few."

Matthew 10:1

And calling His twelve disciples to Him, Jesus gave them authority over unclean spirits, so that they could drive them out and heal every disease and sickness.

Psalm 68:11

The Lord gave the Word: great was the company of those that published it. 

MIQVEH YISRAEL

THE HOPE OF ISRAEL

Jeremiah 17:13

O LORD, the Hope of Israel, all who abandon You will be put to shame. All who turn away will be written to the dust, for they have abandoned the LORD, the fountain of living water.

Isaiah 1:28

But rebels and sinners will together be shattered, and those who forsake the Lord shall perish.

Jeremiah 17:17

Do not be a terror to me: You are my Hope in the day of evil.

1 Peter 1:3

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By His great mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.

MAQOR MAYIM CHAY

FOUNTAIN OF LIVING WATERS

Jeremiah 2:3

"For My people have committed two evils: They have forsaken Me, the Fountain of Living Waters, and they have dug their own cisterns --broken cisterns that cannot hold water."

John 4:14

But whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a fount of water springing up to eternal life."

Psalm 36:9

For with You is the fountain of life; in Your light we see light. 

Jeremiah 1:16

And I will utter my judgments against them touching all their wickedness, who have forsaken me, and have burned incense unto other gods, and worshipped the works of their own hands.

Psalm 115:4-8

Their idols are silver and gold, made by the hands of men. They have mouths, but cannot speak; they have eyes, but cannot see; they have ears, but cannot hear; they have noses, but cannot smell; they have hands, but cannot feel; they have feet, but cannot walk; they cannot even clear their throats. Those who make them become like them, as do all who trust in them.

Isaiah 65:11-12

But you who forsake the LORD, who forget My holy mountain, who set a table for Fortune and fill bowls of mixed wine for Destiny, I will destine you for the sword, and you will all kneel down to be slaughtered, because I called and you did not answer, I spoke and you did not listen; you did evil in My sight and chose that in which I did not delight.”

1 Corinthians 10:21  

You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons too; you cannot partake in the table of the Lord and the table of demons too.

LOGOS

THE WORD

John 1:1

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

LOGOS: expressing the thoughts of the Father through the Spirit, reasoning expressed by words. Used 330 times in the New Testament 

John 1:14

The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the one and only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

John 8:58

"Truly, truly, I tell you," Jesus declared, "before Abraham was born, I am!"

1 John 1:2

That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our own eyes, which we have gazed upon and touched with our own hands—this is the Word of life.

1 John 5:7

For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.

AGAPAO

BELOVED ONE

Ephesians 1:6

To the praise of the glory of His grace, wherein He has made us accepted in The Beloved.

Matthew 3:17

And a voice from heaven said, "This is My Beloved Son, in Whom I am well pleased!"

Colossians 1:13

He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of His beloved Son.

Today's Word -- Foreigner

 

1 PETER 1:17

💚 📖🙏💚

Since you call on a Father who judges each one's work impartially, conduct yourselves in reverent fear during your stay here as foreigners.

Our Father

Matthew 6:9

“Pray, then, in this way: ‘Our Father, who is in heaven, Hallowed be Your name."

Impartial Judge

Romans 10:12

For there is no difference between Jew and Greek: The same Lord is Lord of all, and gives richly to all who call on Him. 

My Conduction (Behavior)

2 Corinthians 1:12

For this is our confidence: The testimony of our conscience is that we have conducted ourselves in the world, and especially toward you, with God-given sincerity and purity, not by fleshly wisdom but by God’s grace. 

Reverent Fear

Proverbs 9:10

The [reverent] fear of the LORD [that is, worshiping Him and regarding Him as truly awesome] is the beginning and the preeminent part of wisdom [its starting point and its essence], And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding and spiritual insight.

Foreigners

1 Peter 2:9-11

But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people; that you should shew forth the praises of Him who hath called you out of darkness into His marvellous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. Beloved, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from the desires of the flesh, which war against your soul.

When we are born into this world, we become citizens of the nation into which we have born. When we are born again, we become foreigners to this world and its way and citizens of  God's kingdom. 

We are odd ducks, we stand out as different; not by anything we have done ourselves, but by the grace of God. We talk different. We live different. We embrace godly characteristics and mores, but eschew worldly wisdom and the world's values.