Guard Your Heart - - Guard Your Life

 

1 Timothy 4:15, 16

15. Be diligent in these matters and absorbed in them, so that your progress will be evident to all.

16. Pay close attention to your life and to your teaching. Persevere in these things, for by so doing you will save both yourself and those who hear you.

*Strong's Ex. Conc. No. 3191 and No. 1961

Diligent: to care for, practice, study, revolve in the mind, premeditate on

From the Greek word 'meletaó' (pronounced mel-et-ah'-o): I devise, plan; practice, exercise myself in, study, ponder.

Persevere: to stay on, abide in

From the Greek word ' epimenó' (pronounced ep-ee-men'-o): I remain, tarry;  I remain in, persist in. To continue on with persistence that suits the objective.

    Are our lives living examples of the Gospel? Can you see Jesus in me or hear His voice when I speak? What in me is hindering you from either of these things? I have to ask myself: Does my well hold any Living Water or is it broken? Has rust (corruption) gotten into my treasure box? 

    Matthew 13:52

"The good man brings good things out of his good store of treasure, and the evil man brings evil things out of his evil store of treasure."

    Jeremiah 2:13

"“For My people have committed two evils: They have forsaken Me, the fountain of living water, and they have dug their own cisterns—broken cisterns that cannot hold water."

    In Matthew 28:19, 20 Jesus gives The Great Commission: "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey all that I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” An instruction Paul repeats to Timothy, the young evangelist who will remain in Ephesus for a time. 

    And, so, I study. I read and devour The Word of God that I might be found an acceptable servant in His sight and give out The Word that I have heard and seen. I embrace The Word with delight; I meditate on His Word, pondering in my heart, as Mary did (Luke 2:19), what I am hearing and seeing. It is ever present within me. 

    It is what we have been studying for over a year now: what it means to be a born again Christian: the how we become born again; the why we choose to become born again; the how to live a  born again life. We are not done with our studies. Yet. 

PSALM 63 (Better Than Life) Shane & Shane

TAKE MY LIFE  Micah Stampley

LIFESONG Casting Crowns

EVERYTHING (video skit) Lifehouse

    

    

    

    

Guard Your Heart - - Guard Your Faith

 

1 Timothy 4:1, 2

Now the Spirit expressly states that in later times some will abandon the faith to follow deceitful spirits and the teachings of demons, influenced by the hypocrisy of liars, whose consciences are seared with a hot iron.

*Strong's Ex. Conc. No. 868

Abandon: to withdraw oneself from, to fall away

From the Greek word 'aphistémi' (pronounced af-is'-tay-mee): I take up a position away from, repel, leave, abstain from, to lead away from.

LATER TIMES

    The later times, often referred to as latter days, are not the same as end of days. The later times refer to the age in which the church is being built up in the faith, in the gospel of salvation through Jesus Christ. And we are still in these days, for this age will continue until the church is taken up by Christ when He returns for her. 

    Even in the beginning of the church's growth,  sedition (rebellion) and apostasy (desertion, falling away from) began to rear their ugly heads. Religious groups outside the church began impacting the way the church was being run, inserting their own laws and rules ahead of God's law and rule. 

    In Paul's letter to Timothy, he reminds him of this and to warn the brethren (the brothers and sisters in Christ) under Timothy's leadership to be careful of what is being let into the church and what is to be kept out. 

    Since the Spirit of God never lies we know that then, as now, many have been deceived by their faith leaders into believing what has been presented as truth, but in actuality is false. We are to beware of (be aware of and avoid) false teachings which are delivered by false teachers and false prophets: imposters and evil spirits. 

    And in order to know who is speaking Truth and who is lying we need to know what The Word of God is for ourselves. We need to grab hold of the written Word of God and begin to read and study it out and pray over what we are reading and studying, asking God to reveal Himself in His Word. 

HYPOCRISY 

    Most of us know by now that a hypocrite is a person who says one thing and does the opposite. They are pretenders, snakes. On the outside they appear morally righteous; in their hearts and behind closed doors they are anything but. 

    The born again believer who follows closely the Word of God will be on the lookout for deceivers and heretics who try to enjoin themselves to the church in which the believer participates. It is why we need to remain in a state of prayer, constant communication with our heavenly Father, that we may be able to discern the wicked from the righteous. 

    The Spirit of God has told us how we are to be in these latter days. If we pay closer attention to how we receive The Word then we will be able to tell the difference in the Spirit who is and who is not a Christian. 

    What does the word Christian mean? It is a designation of nationality. Not only are we Christ-followers, but we are living in Christ and Christ lives in us. Perhaps meant as an insult in the beginning, the Christians embraced the title. Therefore, not everyone who calls themselves Christians really are Christians.

TRUTH: GOD DEMANDS OUR WORSHIP

Because God is Creator, only God creates. Genesis 1 and 2 we read that God created all of nature and all of the universes. Exodus 20:1-5 reminds us that God is to be worshiped, not God's creations.

LIE: Making statues of people and animals is fine.

TRUTH: ONLY PRAY TO GOD

Matthew 6:5-7 Jesus tells His disciples to pray in secret to their heavenly Father. Psalm 4:3 God hears the prayers of the godly.

LIE: Praying the name of a saint gets results. Lighting these candles will cause your prayers to enter God's light. 

TRUTH:  GOD IS HOLY, HIS NAME IS HOLY

Exodus 20:7 Taking the Lord's name in vain (swearing) is a punishable offense. Using God's Name as an epithet is not acceptable in any part of the believer's life, especially their tongue.

LIE: Swearing is normal; everybody does it.

TRUTH: OBEY THE WORD OF GOD WHEN HE SPEAKS TO YOU or Suffer the Consequences

1 Kings 13:11-34 is one example of not obeying God's specific words given to one of His prophets. 

Deuteronomy 28:1-14 details the blessings of God when His people obey Him, while Deuteronomy 28:15-68 details the curses of God when His people disobey Him.

LIE: The Bible is ancient history. It is a storybook filled with tall tales and fables. It is irrelevant in today's age.

    Beware, church! You who say you are God's people! God knows who belongs to Him and who does not. Make very sure you know you belong to God. Guard your faith, pay very close attention to what you are reading, hearing and believing.

2 Timothy 2:19

"Nevertheless the foundation of God stands sure, having this seal, The Lord knows them that are His. And, Let every one that names the name of Christ depart from iniquity."

 TRUTH: GRACE IS A GIFT

 It can neither be bought nor sold. Anyone who says otherwise is a liar and a thief. We cannot buy our way into heaven. 

Ephesians 2:8, 9

"For by grace are you saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast." 

LIE: Buy (my water, this brick) and your reward will be in heaven. Make your charitable donations public and generous and you will be blessed.

    We beg you now, to return to fold, to repent of your wicked ways and fall on your faces before The Lord God. Do not die with regret in your everlasting shame. For God has made a Way for you to be forgiven. And that Way is to humble ourselves, not just getting on our knees in prayer and praise, but humbling our hearts to submit to the Authority of God's Word. 

    Let us draw near to God that He may draw near to us, as we are so aptly reminded in The Word: James 4:7, 8.

IN CHRIST ALONE

AMAZING GRACE MY CHAINS ARE GONE

I KNOW WHOM I HAVE BELIEVED  

WORD OF GOD SPEAK

GLORIOUS DAY

REDEEMED

 

 

 

     

    

Receive, Ingest & Digest The Word

      In order to apply the Word of God to our lives and live it out the way He wants us to live it out, we need to do three things before the Word can flow through us and exude from us. We need to receive the Word. We need to Ingest the Word. We need to Digest the Word. 

     1. Receiving The Word 

Romans 10:17 "Consequently, faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ."

•  We receive the Word by hearing the Word. We hear it not only with our physical ears, but with out spiritual ears. This hearing can only be done in the Spirit; it is not an action we can control. 
• We receive the Word into our hearts when we believe that Jesus Christ is God's only begotten Son. 
• We receive the Word when we accept Him as Lord and Savior of our souls. 
• We receive the Word when we into ourselves when we confess out loud that Jesus Christ is Lord. 

     2. Ingesting The Word

Psalm 34:8 "Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who trusts in Him!"

• We ingest the Word when we take it into our mouths. Scripture tells us to "taste and see that the Lord is Good". (Psalm 34:8) Does that mean we eat our Bibles? Not hardly. It means to open our Bible and read what God wants us to hear every single day. 
• It is entirely possible to read your Bible all the way through in one year. Do we have to understand it all all at once? No. We just need to begin reading at the beginning of the Bible and read it all the way through to the end of Revelation. I know a woman who has read it all the way through several times in a month! (not me, though I am filled with awe at her hunger).

     3. Digesting The Word

1 Timothy 4:15 "Meditate on these things; give yourself entirely to them, that your progress may be evident to all."

• We digest the Word when we meditate on the Word.
• We digest the Word when we pray over the Word we are reading, asking God to open our eyes to what He wants us to understand. 
• We digest the Word when we dig deeper into the Word, studying it out for ourselves. 
• We open our Bible at home and double check that what the minister is saying is the Truth of the Word for ourselves.
• We read the Bible in order to know the Word; that discernment of right and wrong be made apparent to us. 

The Spirit of God is constantly stirring the Word within us once the Word is in us, like a chef stirs the stew until it is ready to be served and eaten. So, I pray, Holy Spirit move through me. Stir me. Use me. Make me ready to stand on the Word. Make me able to share the gospel even more so. Amen. 

The Mystery of Godliness

 

1 TIMOTHY 3:16
And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.

MANIFEST IN THE FLESH
Luke 2:11, 12
Today in the city of David a Savior has been born to you. He is Christ the Lord!
And this will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.”
Matthew 16:16
Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."

John 1:14

And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
John 4:25, 26
The woman said, “I know that Messiah” (called Christ) “is coming. When He comes, He will explain everything to us.”  Jesus answered, “I who speak to you am He.”

JUSTIFIED IN THE  SPIRIT

Matthew 3:16, 17

And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: And a voice from heaven said, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased!”

John 1:32

Then John testified, "I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove and resting on Him."

Romans 4:25

He was delivered over to death for our trespasses and was raised to life for our justification.

SEEN OF ANGELS 

Luke 2:13, 14

And suddenly there appeared with the angel a great multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying:“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom His favor rests!”  

Hebrews 1:6

And again, when God brings His firstborn into the world, He says: “Let all God’s angels worship Him.”

PREACHED TO THE GENTILES

{The word "Gentile" means nations distinct from Israel, races of people} [the root word of Gentile is "ethnos" from which we get the word "ethnic or ethnicity", the customs/cultures]

Isaiah 49:6

He says: "It is not enough for You to be My Servant, to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the protected ones of Israel. I will also make You a light for the nations, to bring My salvation to the ends of the earth."

Acts 13:46, 47

Then Paul and Barnabas answered them boldly: “It was necessary to speak the word of God to you first. But since you reject it and do not consider yourselves worthy of eternal life, we now turn to the Gentiles. For this is what the Lord has commanded us: ‘I have made you a light for the Gentiles, to bring salvation to the ends of the earth.’ ”

BELIEVED ON IN THE WORLD

John 4:39, 41-42

Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in Jesus because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me everything I ever did.” 

And many more believed because of His message. They said to the woman, “We now believe not only because of your words; we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man truly is the Savior of the world.”

John 20:29

Jesus said to him, “Because you have seen Me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

Acts 8:12

But when they believed Philip as he preached the gospel of the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.

Acts 13:48

And when the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord, and as many as were appointed to eternal life believed.

--Status in Life Not A Distinction--

Galatians 3:28

There is [now no distinction in regard to salvation] neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you [who believe] are all one in Christ Jesus [no one can claim a spiritual superiority].

RECEIVED UP INTO GLORY

Mark 16:19

After the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, He was taken up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God.

Luke 24:51

While He was blessing them, He left them and was carried up into heaven.

Acts 1:9

After He had said this, they watched as He was taken up, and a cloud hid Him from their sight.

How To Pray For Our Leaders

 

First of all, then, I urge that petitions, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgiving be offered for everyone—for kings and all those in authority—so that we may lead tranquil and quiet lives in all godliness and dignity.

This is good and pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who wants everyone to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself as a ransom for all—the testimony that was given at just the right time.

1 Timothy 2:1-6

These verses tell us how we should be praying for the authority and leadership of our nations, our states, our cities, our towns, our communities, our churches, our homes.

1. Petitions:

Pray for a specific need - a heart-felt deep personal need

2. Prayers:

Directed God-ward - both on an individual and congregational level: in a quiet place and in a meeting together place

3. Intercessions

Intervention led by God, marking intersection between heaven and earth as it reflects the Lord's specific will.

4. Thanksgivings

Thankfulness, gratitude for God's grace

With the end result being that we 'lead tranquil and quiet lives in all godliness and dignity.' (verse 2)

Verses 3-4 denote why we should pray in such a manner, while verses 5-6 emphasize the omnipotence and sovereignty of God and His Mediator Jesus Christ.

Mediator: an arbitrator ("mediator"), guaranteeing the performance of all the terms stipulated in a covenant (agreement). A reconciler.

Romans 5:9-11 & Colossians 1:21-23

Reconciled by Christ Jesus through His death and His life

How can we love one another like Christ loves us, if we do allow the love of God through Christ Jesus to change us? We can't. Nor can we have faithful to God's Word leaders if we do not pray for them in this manner.

Self-love is not the way to a better life. A self-oriented lifestyle is not a God-oriented lifestyle. Submission to God is a wonderful way to live our lives. It is a life lived in joy. Even though trials and grief are a part of life, joy is still evident when we abide in Christ as He lives in us.

And so we pray for our leaders. We pray to God for His *good and acceptable will: *Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

* Romans 12:1

*Matthew 6:10

Stand My Ground

 

STAND MY GROUND
Ephesians 6:13

I take up the full armor of God, 

so that when the day of evil comes,

I am able to stand my ground, 

and having done everything,

to stand.

And just so we know what that full armor looks like, Paul compares it to the armor of the Roman soldier of his time. 

Verse 14 Belt of Truth buckled around the waist

Verse 14 Breastplate of Righteousness arrayed ( put on )

Verse 15 Shoes/Sandals of Peace: Feet bound (wrapped) and ready (firm foundation/prepared) to go out and preach the gospel of Peace

Verse 16 Shield of Faith, which extinguishes all the flaming arrows of the evil one

Verse 17 Helmet of Salvation

Verse 17 Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God (Zechariah 4:6; John 1:1-14)

Verse 18 Praying in the Spirit at all times, for everything and everyone 

Verse 19 Pray for the delivered persecutors, for wisdom to preach the gospel boldly

Verse 20 Pray for the delivered to speak freely and fearlessly

James 4:7-8

Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.

1 Peter 5:8-9

Be sober-minded and alert. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in your faith and in the knowledge that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kinds of suffering.

1 Timothy 6:12

Fight the good fight of the faith [in the conflict with evil]; take hold of the eternal life to which you were called, and [for which] you made the good confession [of faith] in the presence of many witnesses.

While Ephesians 6 outlines most of the armor we put on as Christ's elect, there are others which are woven into the Breastplate of Righteousness: 

1 Thessalonians 5:8

But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, putting on the Breastplate of Faith and Love, and the Helmet of our Hope of Salvation.

Installation of Prayer For Leadership

 1 Timothy 2:1-6

First of all, then, I urge that petitions, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgiving be offered for everyone—

for kings and all those in authority—so that we may lead tranquil and quiet lives in all godliness and dignity.

This is good and pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, 

who wants everyone to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, 

who gave Himself as a ransom for all—the testimony that was given at just the right time.

We are praying not only for quality leadership, but for godly leadership. 

Unwrap Me

 

For God so loved the world, that He GAVE His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. John 3:16

For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. Romans 10:13

I am a 'whosoever'. You are a 'whosoever'.

God's Gift of His Son to a lost and dying world is for everyone who believes, who is seeking, who is searching for something, someone to hold onto, to believe in, to hope, to be loved and give love to.

Every person ever born is a 'whosoever'. And, we each, on an individual basis, need to Unwrap the Gift of Grace through Jesus Christ which God has given. 

For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the GIFT of God: not by works, so that no one can boast.                    Ephesians 2:8-9

GIFT according to Strong's Exhaustive Concordance: Offering, Sacrifice, Present

GIFT something given voluntarily without payment in return, as to show favor toward someone; something bestowed or acquired without any particular effort by the recipient or without its being earned

Every good GIFT and every perfect GIFT is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with Whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. James 1:17

Did you see that last part? no shadows. There are no shadows in heaven, for God is the Father of Lights! I grin and grin and joy floods my soul! 

Do not neglect the GIFT that is in you, which was given you through the prophecy spoken over you at the laying on of the hands of the elders. 1 Timothy 4:14

For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the GIFT of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and self-control. So do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, or of me, His prisoner. Instead, join me in suffering for the gospel by the power of God.      2 Timothy 1:6-8

Every GIFT from God needs to be kept alive, not just the GIFT of Salvation through Jesus Christ, but he GIFT of the Holy Spirit, which we also receive from God. If that flame goes out, like the five virgins mentioned in Matthew 25:1-13, then we will lose what we have not gained. 

With the great GIFT of Grace, of salvation through Jesus Christ, comes all the other GIFTS, many of which we might not think are gifts. But when we are called to salvation, we are called to all the pertinences of such a GIFT.

The GIFT of Salvation through God's GIFT of Jesus Christ

The GIFT of Suffering for the Gospel

The GIFT of Service to Others, thereby serving God

The GIFT of Sacrificing what we want for what God wants

The GIFT of Surrendering our will, our desires for God's will, God's desire.

The GIFT of Eternal Life

But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the fruit you reap leads to holiness, and the outcome is eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the GIFT of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:22-23

Let us unwrap this glorious GIFT which God has so graciously bestowed upon us! 

He Strengthens Me

 Part of the THANKFUL HEART SERIES

HE STRENGTHENS ME

1 Timothy 1:12

"I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has strengthened me, that He considered me faithful and appointed me to service."

When we answer the call from God, it is not under our own strength that we serve Him, but through the strength of Christ: the power of the Holy Spirit.

It is our faith in Christ Jesus which saves us. But is only through this faith in Christ that we can receive God's Holy Spirit, who will strengthen us for the works which God has prepared for us to do. We cannot, nor should we, expect to do what God has called us to do  under our own power and strength, which are both weak and will fail.

Pray For Our Nations