JEHOVAH-SHALOM

THE LORD MY PEACE

What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? Romans 8:31

In other words, what have to fear when our hearts are aligned with God's? Romans 10:13 "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the LORD shall be saved." 

Isaiah 9:6 says Jesus Christ is the Prince of Peace. Romans 5:1 "Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our LORD Jesus Christ."

I have this peace. I have peace with God through Jesus Christ my LORD because I believe that He Is and that God sent Him to die on the cross in my place and raised Him from the dead, showing Christ to be God's Promise of Salvation to all men everywhere. 

Getting this peace is easy. Let us pray:

Lord Jesus, I believe that You are God's only begotten Son, that You died on the cross and rose from the dead for me. I recognize that I have sinned against You, against Your Word, and repent of all my wicked ways. Oh God, forgive my wretchedness! Cleanse my heart, wash me clean and make me wholly holy unto You. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit that I might be able to live daily in You, live in obedience to Your Word. Remember me, O LORD.

In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Informed Decision

An informed decision requires an informed platform. For instance, let’s talk about God. All religions have one. But that’s religion. Let’s talk about Jesus. Only one religion recognizes Jesus Christ as God’s only begotten Son who died on the cross and rose from the dead to save the world from eternal damnation through Adam’s sin in the garden. That religion is Christianity.

While there are many doctrines in place within the religious realm of Christianity, who is to say who is right and who is wrong? The place to go to make that decision is the Bible, the Holy Scriptures, the Living Word of God. Yep, you heard me right. Only by reading and understanding God’s Word can we learn God’s intentions towards us.

If we begin with Genesis, we read that God created our world and everything within it. He creates the stars, the moon, the sun and all the universe above us. God creates all animals and people. And He doesn’t do this alone. His Son and His Spirit work with Him to create.

And when we go to the Book of John we read that The Word of God has always been, just as God has always been. We read that The Word became flesh, that He let God wrap His glorious Son in the frail body of flesh and gave Him to the world to become the sin offering once and for all.

Reading Romans we see that while Christ died for all of us, it is up to each of us, on an individual level, to make a decision to choose and believe that Jesus Christ is LORD. An informed decision. Each one of us, every person who ever lived and is capable of making their own decision, is responsible for choosing to be saved or condemned by God. No one else can make this decision for us but us.

As soon as Adam and Eve disobeyed God, God knew. For He came to the garden and could not see them, as sin covered them. So God asked Adam, "Where are you?" And when Adam responded, "I hid because I was naked.", God asked, "Who told you you were naked?"

The two basic questions God asks every person. Where are you? and Who told you you were naked?

Naked means more than unclothed. It is to be without proper covering. Without a proper covering God could not see Adam, nor Eve. He cannot see us without a proper covering. In the beginning in the garden, God had to kill an animal and use its skin to cover Adam and Eve that they might be properly covered. {While the Bible does not tell us then which animal died, when we read Exodus and Leviticus we see that an unblemished, spotless lamb was used for the sin offering, as a substitute for a person who had sinned (disobeyed God's Word). }

In the Book of John we learn that Jesus Christ, God's only begotten Son came to us as The Lamb of God which takes away the sin of the world. And that believing this Truth covers us who believe with the blood of this Lamb, making it possible for God to see us.

So, what must I do to be saved? A cry made from the heart and echoed by the lips. First we must recognize that we are sinners. Romans 3:10 There is none righteous, no not one. Romans 3:23 For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. This is repentance: Recognizing that we are sinners and have sinned and choosing not to keep living in the state of sin. It is more than remorse or sorriness: it is abject recognition of being apart from God and making an Informed Decision to be near Him through His Son and under the guidance of His Holy Spirit.

Realizing I am a sinner I understand the penalty of sin is death. Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. There is hope now, because the believer is given a gift from God: eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Romans 5:8 Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Whereas before, we had only an eternity of death and separation from God standing before us, now we have Hope and Peace by faith in Christ.

A new word has been introduced to us: faith. It is the act of believing God. Believing that He Is and that His Word Is Truth. Believing that what God promises, God delivers. As He has for so many people for thousands of years God’s Word is Faithful and True (Revelation 19:11 and Revelation 22:6). See also Hebrews 11 to learn what a few folks accomplished by their faith.

Seeing now that I am a sinner and am saved by Christ, what now must I do? Romans 10:8-10 But what does it say? The Word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart, that is the Word of faith, which we preach, that if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus Christ is Lord”, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with your heart you believe and are justified, and with your mouth you confess and are saved.” Words to rejoice and shout! I believe that Jesus Christ is Lord! Do you?

You can. Romans 10:23 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. I am a whosoever. You are a whosoever. Yes, you, the one reading this page. You can be saved. You can believe. Let no one tell you otherwise. It is simple and easy. It is the faith of a child believing her father will catch her if she jumps, lift him up when he falls. And now that you and I have called upon the name of the Lord for our salvation? Romans 8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

I have made an Informed Decision for Christ. Have you?

Overcomers & Conquerors

{Berean Study Bible}

Romans 8:35 "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?"

Romans 8:37 "No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us."

Called to Holiness

Romans 8:28 "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, who are the called according to His purpose."

This verse in Romans is often misquoted and misused. Not every one qualifies to have all things work together for them. The first thing we see is that loving God is primary. Not the way we love our family or love our friends or even the way we love our spouse. An all encompassing, whole-hearted love that causes us to want to please God, to seek out that which makes Him happy; a love that blesses God.

The second required is that we are to be called according to His purpose. What is His purpose? That all peoples every where be saved: John 3:16 "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on Him should not perish, but have everlasting life."

That we be sanctified, set apart from how the world around us behaves, but set apart for His will and His use: 1 Timothy 6:11 "But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness." 

But we try many times and fail to live a godly life in an ungodly world. Through the sneakiness of the devil we give into temptation and backslide into sin(s). We let him get a foothold in the door of our thoughts. We allow unrighteous thinking to settle into our hearts, thereby committing unrighteous activities. The farther we backslide, the more we think we are still alright. But we are not. 

We need the holiness of God actively moving within our minds and our hearts:we need God's Holy Spirit, and we need Him poured out onto us and in us. It is The Holy Spirit of God that draws us to Him, that calls us to a life of obedience and personal discipline. It is The Holy Spirit of God that sanctifies us and makes us holy.

1 Timothy 6:12 "Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses." In other words, step up, put on our spiritual armor as outlined in Ephesians 6:10-20; put on Christ as stated in Romans 13:14; but do all in love, 1 Corinthians 13. 

God says to each one of us, " Sanctify yourselves therefore, and be ye holy: for I am the LORD your God." Leviticus 20:7; 1 Peter 1:16. Romans 12:2 "And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God."

Make a deliberate stand for Christ in our lives. Take careful thought and make decisions that will strengthen our resolve to live lives that are pleasing unto God. Do not just be Christ-like on the outside, but let Christ live in our hearts, our minds, our spirits. Ask for The Holy Spirit to come upon us, to fill us to overflowing that we might glorify God by our actions, our thoughts and our love: His love. 

Fully Clothed

     Well, I went to church last night. And the whole sermon was meant for me. Yesterday's blog, I was so exhausted, it was a cry for help on my part and also an encouragement because it reminded you that I am just a person, too. Everyone gets tired at some point; it's natural. But to be exhausted to the point where thought and motion are next to impossible, that's different. 
     Ephesians 6:10-20 describes the armor a Christian is to wear each time we go begin our day, every day. Because every day that we remain in God's will we are a double threat to Satan. Knowing this we need to exercise great wisdom and strength in overcoming his tactics against us; one of which is 'weariness'. What I have been feeling for the last few days is exactly that: weariness. Until now.
I got the message I needed to hear and I got the rest I so badly craved; 1 1/2 hours of the Word of God preached (and taking notes) and 10-12 hours of rest.

     This a small example of the armor a Roman soldier would wear. The armor Paul instructs us to put on is compared to this. Half of his ministry he was in prison, guarded by Roman soldiers. (Think how many of them came to know Christ through Paul's witness and faithful testimony!) Knowing what the Roman soldier needed to protect himself, Paul was able to line up each piece of our spiritual armor on that same scale. As each of them needed to dress himself daily, so do we also need to wear the full armor of God. 
     BREASTPLATE: Protection. Worn on the back and the front, it is held together on the sides and the shoulders; on the sides with straps; on the shoulders with metal shoulder pads. Protects the back (kidney, spleen, spine), the front (heart, lungs, ribs) and the sides (liver, pancreas, abdomen). This part of the armor is so heavy that they needed to help each other put it on. Underneath the breastplate, a soldier wears a protective garment, called a tunic, which reached to the middle of his thigh.
     GIRDLE: Protection. It would have been more than just a belt. The higher the rank, the more costly the item. Decorated leather strips hung down from the middle of the belt to protect the soldier's manhood. Other strips would hang down all the way around the belt, like a leather skirt, protecting the hips and thighs. The higher the rank, the prettier or more decorated the girdle. These belts jangled when the soldiers marched to warn their enemy that they were approaching, giving the enemy an opportunity to flee the vicinity.  
     HELMET: Protection. Centurions and other officers wore crests on top of their helmets so the other soldiers would know who to follow in battle. The helmet protects the head, the neck and the sides of the face. 
     SHOES: Protection and Weapon. Their shoes were made of leather. The topside of the sole had leather straps attached to it which were laced across the foot and up the leg, tying in the back of the calf. While some soldiers wore greaves which reached over the knee and up the thigh, most wore a shorter greave which covered the calf up to the knee. This would protect them from falling down and being killed if the enemy stabbed their legs. For marching purposes the underside of the sole had metal studs, to make them last longer. In times of battle, some could switch shoes to ones that had a metal spike attached. This gave them the ability to grip the ground and fight better. The spike could also be used as a weapon. Either by lifting that leg and striking out, or if the soldier had fallen he could still lash out at his enemy and do some damage. 
     SWORD: Protection and Weapon. A short sword (18"-24"), it was used in hand to hand combat in the crush of battle. Worn close to the hip it was always at hand. Kept sharpened it could wreak havoc on the enemy. 
     SHIELD: Protection and Weapon. The Roman soldier's shield was the nearly the full length of his body. It was rectangular and rounded, able to protect the soldier not only from a frontal attack, but from the side also. Some shields had decorations on the front, showing where each unit was from. Sometimes they would raise the shield above their heads, together, giving them protection from an aerial assault in the mountain areas of battle. 

     And just how does knowing all this about a Roman soldier's armor help us today? Each piece of armor is also needed in our daily walk, our daily battle with God's enemy, the devil. And all of us need to be wearing it.
     Ephesians 6:10-17 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

     Now we are ready. Ready to face the day. Ready to face the enemy. Ready to win. 

More Than A Conqueror

Romans 8:37

"Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us."

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/conqueror gives a detailed one dimensional description of the word 'conqueror'. On the surface, it is implied we are not victims, we are victors; we are not survivors, we are defeaters. But our God tells us we are MORE THAN conquerors. We have risen above and beyond victory and defeat THROUGH Him that loved us.

So, what does that mean to me? How can this be possible? Questions that need to be answered to know who I am and where I am in my relationship with Jesus Christ.

So, if a conqueror is a victor and a defeater, then one who is 'more than' is increased in size, in degree, in scope. My victory over this world, this mortal life is obtained in Jesus Christ, through the power of the Holy Spirit. It is both a personal victory and a shared victory. For everyone who receives Christ as Savior becomes a partaker in conquering sin and death in their lives. The Body of Christ is not fat, it is strong; designed for endurance.

But my Bible also tells me here that it is THROUGH Him that loved us. How is that possible? Christ no longer walks this earth in the flesh. No man, or woman for that matter, has ever laid eyes on Him in nearly 2000 years. How do we obtain the power to overcome temptation and defeat the devil? The Holy Spirit of God is given to all who earnestly seek Him. To be baptized in the Holy Spirit is to receive power from God which will enable us, on a daily, moment by moment basis, to overcome the various temptations and sins which are put upon us. Everyday life is not meant to be lived without God.

The Holy Spirit takes up living quarters in our hearts and our minds. He begins immediately to pull weeds out of the empty lot we call 'ourselves'. He 'power-washes' our attitudes, our emotions, our secrets. The more the Holy Spirit does in us, allows Christ to work through us, making us more holy. Why do need to be holy, though? What's wrong with the way we are now? Matthew 5:8 "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God." Wow. I know my heart is not pure. And I know that I would like to see God and live. God also tells us that without holiness no one can see Him. His desire is for us to be holy. Exodus 19:6 and 1 Peter 1:15-16 reminds us to "be holy, for God is holy."

Sin cannot be in the presence of God. Sin is disobedience to God's Word, it is rebellion as opposed to obedience. Sin is disgrace, unrighteousness, unholiness. When Christ was upon the cross, dying for our sins, the skies darkened and the light failed to shine for three hours in the mid-afternoon of the day (Matthew 27:45, 46) and Jesus cried out to God asking why God had forsaken Him. But He knew. It is because every sin ever committed by every person who ever lived, or would live, was laid upon Jesus. He died for us, in our stead, because we would never be able withstand the punishment for disobedience to God's Word by or in and of ourselves.

Now, when Christ left this world and returned to His home, He didn't leave us alone. He sent the Holy Spirit to help us, to aid us on our journeys, until we are ready to answer God's final call. His call to "Come Home". We are, indeed, more than conquerors through Him that loved us. For He loves us still. And we, who earnestly desire to see Him face to face, love Him in return.