Statements of Faith - I Am Born Again

 

JOHN 3:5-7 

Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and The Spirit.

That having been born of the flesh is flesh, and that having been born of The Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said to you, 'You must be born again'. 

John 1:12, 13

But to all who did receive Him, to those who believed in His Name, He gave the right to become children of God— children born not of blood, nor of the desire or will of man, but born of God. 

1 Peter 1:23

For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.

    When we are born of our parents, we are born in flesh, which has a corruptible nature already because of the initial sin which Adam and Eve did in the Garden of Eden. Our bodies and our minds are prone to live sinful lives: disobedient, willful, self-satisfying, self-glorification, self-serving lives. In and of ourselves we cannot save ourselves: we need a Savior from God to save us from the inevitable punishment of our sinful selves. So God sent His only begotten Son JESUS to save us. 

    Think of ourselves as houses: our house is built on a faulty foundation. We base our ways of thinking on the perceptions of mankind. We believe certain tenets of wisdom to be truth and fact. For example, the theory of evolution is just a theory. But the truth of creation is factual and evident. We follow leaders expecting them to lead us into better lives, when in fact their lives are ineffectual for their hearts are not filled with the Love and Light and Wisdom of God. We study to know everything in our fields when we should be studying to know The God of Everything. 

    When we believe on The Name of The Son of God, JESUS, we begin the process of becoming born again. Salvation first; Holiness second. To be born again is to be born into the family of God by God's plan of salvation. As Paul writes to the church in Corinth (1 Corinthians 1:23-25), "Jews demand signs and Greeks search for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and The Wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than man’s wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man’s strength."

    Salvation through Jesus Christ is foolishness to those who seek a different way. But the Scriptures also tell us that those who refuse to hear God's Word and receive it will find other teachers to listen to and follow their paths. They have set themselves on the road to condemnation from God by refusing to listen to  God.

     Just as we are subject to the laws in our countries and must adhere to them or be found guilty of breaking such laws and face the courts for our errors of judgment, so, too, will those who break God's laws be in His courts to face Him for judgment. Unless the blood of JESUS is upon the once errant soul---said blood having washed away their sins---a person cannot see God and live. For in and of ourselves we are not holy and "without holiness no man can see God". Hebrews 12:14. 

    It is The Spirit of God Who places The Word of God in us and Who writes The Word of God on our hearts. It is The Spirit of God who draws us to God through the cross of Christ, where we see The One Who Saves bearing our sins and taking our punishment, that we might be in His family forever and ever. We are made clean by the washing of The Word on our souls: washing away the stain of sin and the blemish of iniquity and the blot of transgression. 

    It is The Word of God that demands our new faith be made public. Though Nicodemus came to Jesus secretly, hoping for a permanent place in Christ's kingdom, Jesus rebuked him for it. For anyone who comes to Jesus must come to Him openly and unafraid of what others may think about their actions in doing so. Anyone who chooses to follow Christ will seek Him out knowing their actions could cause them at the least to be scorned and mocked by their peers and families; at the worst to be jailed and killed. 

    Immersive water baptism is a wonderful thing to experience. Especially when you are surrounded by not only those who understand what you are doing, but also when people who  do not know see what you are doing. It is very public and a very powerful statement on what we believe. We are baptized in The Name of The Father, and The Son and The Holy Spirit. We are baptized into His Name. Matthew 28:18, 19. 

    To be born again is to choose the foolishness of God's Wisdom over the foolishness of this world. It is to seek after the things which are found in His Kingdom. It is to live a life which pleases God and not ourselves. It is to start over, to begin anew, a life in Christ which honors and glorifies God. It is to live in peace with they whom we interact with. It is to live a life faith and trust in God and His Christ through the power of God's Holy Spirit. 

STILL - Hillsong United

    

Statements of Faith - Sanctified and Set Apart

 

Ephesians 5:25-27

Husband, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave Himself for it; That He might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of The Word,That He might present it to Himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing, but that it should be holy and without blemish.

SANCTIFIED

    When Jesus prayed for you and I in the garden on the night of His arrest (John 17:17), He prayed for God to sanctify us with His Truth, with His Word. It is only with God's Word that we can be saved, sanctified and set apart for Himself. 

    To ignore or disregard The Word of God is to bring condemnation on one's self. To remove any part of The written Word from The Scriptures or to add anything to The written Word is to bring judgment and destruction upon one's self (Revelation 22:19).

    God's Word is powerful:  Hebrews 4:12. It burns:  Jeremiah 23:29; Psalm 97:5 & Nahum 1:5; Malachi 3:1-3; 4:1. God's Word increases and spreads: Acts 12:24. The Word of God is Alive and lives in every believer: 1 John 2:14. 

    The Word of God sanctifies ( purifies, makes holy) the hearts of every believer who has The Word living in him or her. The Word is holy and demands a holy dwellingplace. He cannot live where sin dwells: only in a righteous man or righteous woman or righteous child. The Word of God cannot reside in anyone who declares themselves to be other than what God has made them to be. Be warned: God will not be mocked. 

    You who think you can live any lifestyle you want to and still make it to heaven are only fooling yourselves. The day will come when they who live in sin will be judged by God for their self-centered lifestyles. Everything that is not of God will be burned up by His holy fire. Now is the day of repentance. Now is the time to answer God's call on your lives to turn from sin and turn to God. 

    Today is the day of salvation for someone reading this. Today is the day of reckoning and getting our hearts right with The Word of God. Tomorrow is not promised. We can pray anywhere, so whenever you make your way to the cross where Christ died for our sins, that is the right time to confess our sins and receive forgiveness from God. No man or woman can forgive us. absolve us,  for the sins we have committed against The Word: only God can forgive those who sin against Him. 

SET APART

    Every believer of The Word of God is not only sanctified by The Word but we are set apart by The Word. We are different from the world (John 17:14). We are strange and peculiar people (1 Peter 2:9). We are called by God to listen to Him and to Love like him: (1 John 4:6) and (John 13:34). 

    In this Love of God expresses through God's Word we are able to love like God. We show compassion and mercy and lovingkindness to everyone we meet, even if they don't love us back. We love anyway. We are bold in The Spirit for The Spirit of God is with us. We are fearless for our God is always with us. We are Christians, faithful followers of Christ Jesus, and we serve a risen Savior and coming King. 

    While we pray, Come, Lord Jesus, come, we also pray for the salvation of souls who need Jesus. We pray for the salvation of Israel (Romans 9:33 - 10:1) and the peace of Jerusalem (Psalm 122:6). We are praying people because we have a God Who hears us and answers our prayers. Especially the prayer that brings us into His kingdom. 

    So we beg you, Come to Jesus. Come today. 

    ANCIENT WORDS

IN CHRIST ALONE

ALL TO JESUS I SURRENDER . 

A Crucified Life - - Answers The Call to Holiness

 

    1 Peter 1:16

But just as He who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do, for it is written: "Be holy, for I am holy."

    Holiness is a process. We gain a little bit more of it each day that we are obedient to The Holy Word of God. 

    It is this process which is implemented in us when we receive The Holy Spirit of God, Who is instrumental in making us holy. 

    Why is holiness necessary? It is consecrating ourselves for God's purpose, choosing to be God's people in a world where doing so can kill us. Idolatry and self-righteousness abound in our world today. Even now someone is plotting how to rid the world of real Christians and real Christianity. 

    We have been set free from the bonds of sin and are living examples of God's Mercy; reflections of Christ's Love. Therefore, we are already in the process of becoming holy. Though some may not go through the process because they are at death's door when they receive Him, their level of holiness is implied when they believe and receive Jesus into their hearts. 

    Holiness is Consecration

    Leviticus 11:44-45 

"For I am the LORD your God; consecrate yourselves, therefore, and be holy, because I am holy. You must not defile yourselves by any creature that crawls along the ground. 

For I am the LORD, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt so that I would be your God; therefore be holy, because I am holy."

    Leviticus 20:7

"Consecrate yourselves, therefore, and be holy, because I am The LORD your God."

    Holiness is a Way. 

    Isaiah 35:8

"And there will be a highway called The Way of Holiness. The unclean will not travel it--only those who walk in The Way--and fools will not stray onto it." 

    

    Consecration is making a choice, a decision, to be different by being obedient to God's Word. Sanctification is the process that follows consecration. It is The Way of Holiness. 

    Why do we want to be holy people of God? We want to see God and live.

    Hebrews 12:14 

Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord. 

    Matthew 5:8 tells us to be pure in heart, for then we shall see God. 

    Romans 6:22 

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. 

    This is what we have been studying for the last year and a half. What it means to be born again. How to live a born again life. This crucified life. Answering God's call to service and faithful obedience to Him in His Word. 

    When sin in a person sees the holiness of God, it cries out and is immediately subdued by the power of God. Isaiah said "Woe is Me!" (Isaiah 6:5). Gideon was stunned to find that he was in God's presence (Judges 6:22). Moses wanted to see God's glory but {without holiness} no one can see God and live (Exodus 33:18,20,23). 

    Only One has ever seen God face to face and lived to tell about it: 

    John 1:18 

No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, Who is Himself God and is at the Father's side, has made Him known.

    1 Timothy 6:16

He alone is immortal and dwells in unapproachable light. No one has ever seen Him, nor can anyone see Him. To Him be honor and eternal dominion! Amen.

    I want to be holy. Because God wants me to be holy. That I may see Him and live. Live eternally with Him. Don't you?

CALLED TO HOLINESS

Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus (also includes the history of the song) -  Luke Powell

Refiner's Fire - Vineyard Worship

Take My Life - Micah Stampley

Refiner - Maverick City Music

Holy Spirit - Jesus Culture/Kim Walker-Smith

Living For Jesus A Life That Is True - Marlie Gardyne

Psalm 69:32

The humble will see and rejoice. You who seek God, let your hearts be revived!

A Crucified Life - - Lives For Christ

 

2 Corinthians 5:15

And He died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died for them and was raised again.

*Strong's Ex. Conc. No. 2198

Live: I live, am alive

From the Greek word 'zaó' (pronounced dzah'-o): to live, experience God's gift of life. To live a moral life, have a Christ-like character. 

    A life of devotion to Christ, a consecrated set-apart life lived in Christ as He lives in us. We are His temple, His dwellingplace not made with hands.

>Colossians 4:2 "Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful."

>2 Timothy 2:21 "So if anyone cleanses himself of what is unfit, he will be a vessel for honor: sanctified, useful to the Master, and prepared for every good work."

>Ephesians 2:10 "For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance as our way of life."

    A life that lives for Jesus loves Jesus and God and everyone else. True Love that comes from God and a relationship with God cannot hate anyone. For hate is sin; sin has no place in the body of Christ. Sin and all it contains is a blemish, a spot, a stain on the body. When it makes itself known, it needs to be removed immediately. Repentance washes the sin away and watchfulness keeps it away. 

>Colossians 1:22 "Yet now He has reconciled you to Himself through the death of Christ in His physical body. As a result, He has brought you into His own presence, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before Him without a single fault."

    God is looking for a perfect church. Not perfect the way the world defines it, but perfect in Him and in His Word. Living for Jesus is living for God through God's Word. When His Word is in us, we want to live for Christ. We can't help it: we love Him so much for what He has done for us! 

    A life lived for Christ is a holy life. That's what it means to be set apart. Our faith in Christ separates from the rest of the world which lives for itself and its own desires. We live for Christ, choosing to be obedient to God our heavenly Father above what we desired when we lived for our own pleasures in the world. Now we choose to please God.

>Ephesians 1:4-5 "For He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless in His presence. In love He predestined us for adoption as His sons through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of His will."

>Leviticus 20:7 "Consecrate yourselves, therefore, and be holy, because I am the LORD your God."

>Hebrews 12:4 "Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord."

    A life lived for Christ chooses to abstain from sexual immorality. By living for Christ we obediently bring our sexual appetites into submission to the Word of God. We cannot be sexually immoral and still expect to call ourselves Christians.

>Romans 8:5 "Those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh; but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit."

    Fornication, adultery, homosexuality, bestiality are all sexual sins and are abhorred by God. He has chosen us to be His people and He demands that His people be holy and set apart from sexual immorality. We are to live morally strong lives which begin in our hearts. Mere desires to be free from sexual impurity is not enough. We need the Spirit of God living in us, for it is He who imparts the wisdom of God in the Word to us who believe.

    A life lived for Christ spends time with Christ. I have noticed that when I watch the clock, time passes slowly. But when I am in the Word, studying it out for myself, time passes without me being aware of it. And before I know it 3 hours, 4 hours, even 6 hours have passed by and it doesn't even feel like I have been studying that long. How awesome is that?!

>Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 tells us that there is a time for everything. 

>Mark 14:38 "Watch and pray so that you will not enter into temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the body is weak.” 

    Watch and Pray. Watch out! for the devil is sneaky in his temptings to us. Pray for strength to overcome temptations. Pray for wisdom and discernment that we may know what is morally right and live the life God has prepared for us to live. Pray for the love of God to fill us so full that there is no room for sin to enter in and take hold of us. Pray to God just to hear His voice, to know that He is near. 

    Watch from the fortress of His righteousness, that we may see the enemy of our souls attacking from a distance, that we may sound the alarms to the others to come and battle with us. A life lived for Christ is an embattled life. But we fight on our knees, in submission and humbleness of heart to God, with our hands folded or lying prostrate before Him. We pour our hearts out to God and He pours Himself into us. 

>Ephesians 6:10 A life lived for Christ is strong in its Lord and the power of His might. 

    A life lived for Christ is better than a life lived without Christ. I know. I've lived both and I prefer to live for Christ.

LIVES FOR CHRIST

The Lord Is My Salvation - Keith & Kristyn Getty

I Am Not My Own - Keith & Kristyn Getty

My Jesus, My Savior  

Give Me Jesus - Fernando Ortega

Because He Lives - Classic Hymn

Above All - Lenny LeBlanc

Only There - Shane & Shane

Better Than Life - Phil Wickham

Different - Micah Tyler

More - Red Rocks Worship

Magnificent Obsession - Steven Curtis Chapman

Remember To Remember - Steven Curtis Chapman

Love Is Holy

 

God Is Holy

Psalm 99:9

Exalt the LORD our God, and worship at His holy hill; for the LORD our God is holy.

God Is Love

1 John 4:8

Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.

Therefore, we must conclude that Love Is Holy Because God Is Love.

1 CORINTHIANS 3:17

If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him; for God's temple is holy, and you are that temple.

How do we, as God's temple, get destroyed by others, besides being killed for our faith? By compromising our Biblical values with worldly values, for one.

Another way is by listening, and adhering to, false doctrines which fall into three categories: alternative "Christian" thinking, anti-Christian thinking and legalism (following a bunch of rules).

All of these schools of thought fall under the category of anti-Christ. Anything Satan can do to keep people out of walking the strait and narrow path which God has set up for His people to walk in, he will do.

There is only one GOD, one heavenly Father, unlike any other father we have ever known.

There is only one JESUS CHRIST who is GOD's only begotten Son, who died on the cross in our place taking the punishment for all the sins of the whole world: from times past, times present and times future; Who overcame death, hell and the grave and walked out of the tomb wherein He had been buried: resurrected into a new life and a new body. It is He Who is seated at the right hand of God, interceding on behalf of His people (Psalm 110:1; Colossians 3:1; Romans 8:34). And He's coming back, when His Father sends Him, to collect a holy church (Ephesians 5:25-27)

There is only one Holy Spirit and he is the Holy Spirit of the Holy God, the Holy Spirit of the Holy Christ.

God is Spirit, Jesus is the Word He speaks, the Spirit is the breath by which He speaks the Word.

John 4:24

"God is a Spirit: and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth."

John 1:1, 14

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

Revelation 2:7, 11, 17, 29; 3:6, 13, 22

"He that has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit is saying to the churches."

Now, knowing our God is holy and knowing He can only live in holiness, we know that his habitations must be holy, as well. When Jesus Christ washes away our sins, they all take up residence within us. We are a holy people (Titus 2:14), and as such, we are a holy nation (1 Peter 2:9), and a holy temple (1 Corinthians 3:16).

So whoever comes against us, as God's people, God's nation, God's temple, God will come against them. And win. Because He is God and His very presence demands holiness. Evil cannot withstand holiness. It will be rooted out and burned up.

The Clothes Make the Man - Part One

 I am one of those people who hears God in the middle of the night. There was a time before this time when I could write down what He was saying without leaving the comforts of my bed, for I kept a notebook and a pen near to hand. But over the last few years my beautiful penmanship has dwindled to an incomprehensible scrawl. Now I must either type it all up in here or forego the treasure of hearing God's voice. So I'm in here on the computer typing my treasures up.

As I began to fall asleep the Spirit began to stir my spirit. Mark Twain said "Clothes make the man", meaning how a person dresses determines his level of influence. Another quote I have heard is that "Man makes the clothes", meaning it is who you are on the inside that determines your actions on the outside. Both are right. 

In the sphere of Christianity it is Whom we are clothed with that determines our destiny. Romans 13:14 "But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill the lusts thereof." Romans 12 and 13 deal with Christian conduct, how we are to behave ourselves now that we are Christians; ending with Romans 13:14, reminding us to display outwardly the change which Christ has wrought inwardly. 

Galatians 3:27-29 tells us that having been baptized into Christ we are to put on Christ, because what once divided us in the world has no place in the body of Christ. 

Ephesians 4:24 "Put on the new man which God created in righteousness and true holiness."

Galatians 5:16 "This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh."

We see, then, that we are clothed in the righteousness of God, Jesus Christ, through faith in the Word of God. We are also clothed in holiness through the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, clothes not only make the man, or woman, but the changed man or woman is evidenced outwardly by what is happening inwardly. It is nothing we can do of ourselves either. Eventually, the facade  would deteriorate and who we really are would be self-evident to all. 

Only the divine power of God can change a person permanently. Only the divine power of God can eradicate who a person once was to become the person God knows them to be. 

 

 

At The Remembrance of His Holy Name

 

 AT THE REMEMBRANCE OF HIS HOLY NAME

Psalm 30:4

Sing praise to the LORD, you saints of His, And give thanks at the remembrance of His holy name.

Have you forgotten Who the LORD your GOD is? He Is The ALMIGHTY GOD. He Is The Great I AM. He Is The CREATOR OF EARTH AND THE UNIVERSE and everything in them. He Is HOLY and His Name Is HOLY.

HE IS.

He Is REDEEMER, SAVIOR, HEALER.

He Is JOYBRINGER, HEARTBREAKER, TEARWIPER. He Is SINGER, SONG, MUSICMAKER.

HE IS.

He Is all of this and so much more. Come, come to the cross and see the One Whom God has Chosen to Save your souls from destruction.

Come, hurry, let us run to the cross and see this JESUS. 

• THE LORD ALMIGHTY - 2 Corinthians 6:18; Revelation 4:8
• I AM THAT I AM - Exodus 3:14
• CREATOR - Exodus 20:11; Acts 4:24; Nehemiah 9:6 
• HOLY - Psalm 111:9; Luke 1:49; 1 Chronicles 16:10
• REDEEMER - Isaiah 44:6; Isaiah 43:1; 
• SAVIOR - Isaiah 33:22; Matthew 1:21; Acts 4:12
• HEALER - Exodus 15:26; Ezekiel 47:8-10 (cf. Matthew 13:47, 4:19, John 21:6;  Jeremiah 30:17
• JOYBRINGER - Zephaniah 3:17
• HEARTBREAKER - Ezekiel 11:19; Ezekiel 44:7; Jeremiah 24:7
• TEARWIPER - Isaiah 25:8; Revelation 21:4
• SINGER - Zephaniah 3:17
• SONG - Exodus 15:2; Psalm 118:17
• MUSICMAKER - 2 Chronicles 7:6; 2 Chronicles 5:12-13
• THE ONE WHOM GOD HAS CHOSEN - John 3:16

And why must we hurry? 2 Corinthians 6:2  For God says, “At just the right time, I heard you. On the day of salvation, I helped you.” Indeed, the “right time” is now. Today is the day of salvation. (NLT)

Tomorrow is not promised; there is only today. And the days are shortened, time is getting away from us. So hurry, hurry to the cross and repent of your sins, turn away from the wicked devices of the heart and surrender yourselves to God through Christ. Come and receive forgiveness through the blood which Christ has shed to wash away sins ( as if they never were for God not only forgives sin but Forgets sin). 

Come, and believe that this Jesus Christ is God's only begotten Son who died to make you free and bring you with Him to the place which He has prepared for you, where He lives and reigns with His Father. 

Come, let us go; let us go now. Hurry, hurry; before He leaves without us. Let us go and see Jesus in the garden, for He conquered death, hell and the grave. See the keys in His hand? Come, let us seek Him out, let us follow Him wherever He may go. Hurry, hurry.

In The Unity of The Spirit

The Word of God Is

Rich and Sweet.

The Word of God Is

Bread and Meat.

The Word of God Is

Faithful and True.

The Word of God Is 

For me and you.

We have come, Lord,

To see Your face.

Meet us now, Lord,

In this place.

Make us one, Lord,

In Your Name.

We are wholly 

Holy Thine.

(ca. 2013. Going through my journals, I find little poems and short songs, this is one of those.)

Rich: Acts 12:24 (increased and multiplied)

Sweet: Psalm 19:10 (sweeter than honey)

Bread: John 6:35 (Jesus is Bread)

Meat: John 4:34 (doing, obeying God's will)

Faithful and True: Revelation 22:6 (the fact of the Bible, Scriptures)

For me and for you: John 3:16 (the Word died for us on the cross)

                                 Romans 10:12, 13 (the Word is for Everyone)

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. 

Can You Drink From My Cup?

Good morning. As I sat here drinking my coffee, wondering which photo to post for a morning greeting, I was led to this one, where I had been sitting under my folks' olive tree here. And then The Holy Spirit led me into His study. 

Can You Drink From My Cup?
Matthew 26:39 "And He went a little further, and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from Me: nevertheless not as I will, but as Thou wilt."

Matthew 20:22 "But Jesus answered and said, Ye know not what ye ask. Are ye able to drink of the cup that I shall drink of, and to be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with? They say unto him, We are able."

So, here is the question: of all the cups we drink of or from, have you made the decision to drink from this one? Have you gone 'a little further' and committed yourself to finishing what's in your cup?

The cross is not at the bottom of our cups: it's part of what we drink into our body as a whole: body, soul, spirit. What God pours into our cups we need to be willing to down, to the last dregs, so to speak.

Eternal life is ours: it's at the bottom of the cup we are holding. What appears to be an empty cup in our hand is the fulfillment of all that the cup had held. 

Rejoice, Rejoice, O Christian,
Life up your voice and sing!
Eternal hallelujahs,
to Jesus Christ our King!
The Hope of all who seek Him,
The Help of all who find;
None other is so loving,
So good and kind.

He lives! He lives!
Christ Jesus lives today!
He walks with me, and talks with me,
Along life's narrow way!
He lives! He lives!
Salvation to impart.
You ask me how I know He lives:
He lives within my heart.

The Knowledge of Choice

Holiness is only a choice when we choose to be holy. BUT holiness by God's definition is a command, for to be able to stand in God's presence holiness is required. 

The sinful nature is inherent within us. The Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil had its fruit eaten when Adam and Eve tasted it way back when. Because all life came through Adam and Eve, so too does all death. For by their actions, disobeying God, sin came into the world. But through Christ's actions, becoming flesh, dying on the cross, and rising from the dead, sin was overcome and death was conquered.

No more does sin have to rule a person's life, nor our choices. Now we can choose to believe that Jesus Christ Is Lord, or remain in a sinful nature and refuse to believe that Jesus Christ Is Lord. Choice determines destination.

Though we have the knowledge of good in us, it is not enough to be good or do good things. No one is good enough to enter into heaven on their terms. Acts of kindness, pay-it-forwards, and the golden rule are done believing that this will make us look good in God's eyes. Even people with bad intentions can do these things; it does not make them good.

Only Jesus Christ can bring us into God's presence. Only God, through The Holy Spirit, can see a person's heart and reveal what lies therein. Only The HOLY Spirit can guide a person into holiness, transforming us from what we think will make God happy into knowing how to please God.

1 Corinthians 4:5
Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait until the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of the heart. At that time each will receive their praise from God.
Ecclesiastes 12:14
For God will judge every deed, along with every secret, whether good or evil.

O Lord, make me holy. Whatever it takes make me pure in heart, clothe me with The Righteousness of Your Holy Word, cleanse my mind and renew my spirit. I want to spend eternity with You, O Lord, starting now. In Jesus' Name, The Name Which Is Above All Names, Amen. 

Can You Drink From My Cup?

Good morning. As I sat here drinking my coffee, wondering which photo to post for a morning greeting, I was led to this one, where I had been sitting under my folks' olive tree here. And then The Holy Spirit led me into His study. 

Can You Drink From My Cup?
Matthew 26:39 "And He went a little further, and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from Me: nevertheless not as I will, but as Thou wilt."

Matthew 20:22 "But Jesus answered and said, Ye know not what ye ask. Are ye able to drink of the cup that I shall drink of, and to be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with? They say unto him, We are able."                                 

So, here is the question: of all the cups we drink of or from, have you made the decision to drink from this one? Have you gone 'a little further' and committed yourself to finishing what's in your cup?

The cross is not at the bottom of our cups: it's part of what we drink into our body as a whole: body, soul, spirit. What God pours into our cups we need to be willing to down, to the last dregs, so to speak. 

Eternal life is ours: it's at the bottom of the cup we are holding. What appears to be an empty cup in our hand is the fulfillment of all that the cup had held. 

Rejoice, Rejoice, O Christian,
Life up your voice and sing!
Eternal hallelujahs,
to Jesus Christ our King!
The Hope of all who seek Him,
The Help of all who find;
None other is so loving,
So good and kind.

He lives! He lives!
Christ Jesus lives today!
He walks with me, and talks with me,
Along life's narrow way!
He lives! He lives!
Salvation to impart.
You ask me how I know He lives:
He lives within my heart. 

Love Abounds

1 Thessalonians 3:12, 13

"And The LORD make you to increase and abound in love one toward another, and toward all men, even as we do toward you:

To the end He may stablish your hearts unblameable in holiness before GOD, even our Father, at the coming of our LORD JESUS CHRIST with all His saints."

Whereas The LORD Jesus Christ lives in us, He also grows in us. His Love increases in us and abounds, overflows, out of us when we love each other as He loves us. It is an undying love, an ever-bearing branch, if you will, that produces righteous fruit in our lives.

The end result of this kind of love is holy hearts, which makes us presentable to GOD on Christ's behalf. Jesus makes us holy via The Holy Spirit of GOD. Salvation grafts us into The Branch, but The Spirit in us causes fruit to grow off of us. If we let Him.

What are the fruits of righteousness? Godly living, which begins with a godly heart, a heart that is the home of Jesus. Many are familiar with the painting of Christ Jesus knocking at the door of someone's home. That door is the door to the heart. The knob is on our side. When we turn the knob and open the door, we are allowing Christ to enter our hearts.

We become His home, His tabernacle, His temple. 1 Peter 2:5 "You also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to GOD by Jesus Christ." We are Christ's spiritual houses, and, as such, need to live holy lives. For where GOD is is holy ground. GOD and sin cannot inhabit the same territory at the same time.

So what are these 'spiritual sacrifices' that we are required to offer up to GOD? Titus 2:11-14 "For the grace of GOD that brings salvation has appeared to all men, Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of The Great GOD and our Savior Jesus Christ; Who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto Himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works."

Romans 12:1, 2 "I beseech (beg, plead) you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of GOD, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto GOD, which is your reasonable (logical) service. And be not conformed to this world: but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of GOD."

Spiritual sacrifices do not require any more blood to be shed. Jesus already did that. We need to bring our bodies under submission; this requires determination and perseverance on our part. We can resolve to be whatever we want to be, but without Jesus in the equation, that resolve will not be able to be sustained, nor will it prosper. We need to remember that when we say "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me", it is only THROUGH Christ, not without Christ, that getting things done is possible.

Here's to growing, and growing up, in Jesus. 

F.R.O.G.

Remember this? F.R.O.G.
Fully
Rely
On
God

Starting now. For everything. God is my Provider. His Name is Jehovah-Jireh. God is my Healer. His Name is Jehovah-Ramah. God is my Righteousness. His Name is Jehovah-Tsidkenu. God is my Sanctifier. Jehovah-M'gaddisheem. God s my Glory. Jehovah-Kabodhi.

It is God who makes us holy via The Holy Spirit in a process known as sanctification. Jehovah-M'gaddisheem, The Lord my Sanctifier. "It is because of God that you are in union with the Messiah Jesus, who for us has become wisdom from God, as well as our righteousness, sanctification, and redemption." 1 Corinthians 1:30 (ISV Bible)

Who shall I be afraid of? Why should I complain? No one and no reason. I have God as my God through His only begotten Son Jesus Christ The Messiah. I live in Jesus and He lives in me. There is none that I fear, none that I should be discouraged of. Life is hard. But it's harder without a relationship not just with Christ, but in Christ Jesus.

God does not meet me halfway, but all the way: He gave His Son to the whole world as a sin offering, that sin and its consequences would be for ever overcome/conquered by His death and resurrection. The consequences, the wages, of sin is death. Jesus conquered death.

And God requires us to meet Him all the way. God calls. Jesus saves. The Holy Spirit sanctifies. We are called to salvation. We answer that call when we repent of our sins and ask Jesus into our hearts. God forgives us and replaces our sinful heart with a new heart, a new desire to love Him and make Him happy. But how do we do that? How do we make God happy?

We ask The Holy Spirit of God to make us holy, because we have learned that without holiness no one may see God. "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God." Matthew 5:8 (KJV Bible) "Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me." Psalm 51:10 (KJV Bible)

No one else can save us. No one else can make us holy. We need God.  We need Jesus. We need The Holy Spirit. We need to be forgiven, saved and purified. And we need it now.

(Don't you just love this painting?)

Soon Jesus will be extending His hand to His Bride and the Church will leave, along with The Holy Spirit, who has been preparing the Bride to meet her Bridegroom. This preparing stuff? Being made holy. 

The Color of Worship - White

The color white is defined in Scripture as Purity, Righteousness, Light. White makes known the Holiness of God and encourages the people to prepare to be in His Presence.

Revelation 19:11 And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and He that sat upon him is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He does judge and make war. Revelation 19:14 And the armies which were in heaven followed Him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. Revelation 1:14 His head and His hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and His eyes were as a flame of fire. White hot. The holiness of God can kill you if you are not prepared to be in His presence. Isaiah 1:18 Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. Back in Revelation Christ is described as having woolly white, snow white hair. See the connection here? Sin kills; Jesus saves. Sin dies; Jesus lives.

God is saying, "Let's be logical about this. When you and I meet at the altar, I will reveal your sins to you and you can lay them down at My Son's feet; the foot of the cross. His blood will drop into your sinful heart and wash your unrighteousness from you. And My Holy Spirit will fill you and guide you, if you let Him, to the state of holiness which I have prepared for you. Let's talk about this, this subject of sin vs. holiness."

Sin separates us from God. Dying in our sin separates us eternally from God. After death there are no more chances. It is in this life that we have to choose Christ as Savior. It is in this life that we have to make a decision to follow God all the time, not just part of the time. It is in this life that we reach the logical conclusion that only Jesus Christ fulfills all of Bible prophecy in being the ONLY BEGOTTEN SON OF GOD. Sin denies God. Sin denies God's Word in all forms. The Word of God is Holy. The Word of God is Living. The Word of God is in written form: The Holy Bible; in physical form: Jesus Christ; in spoken form: preach the gospel of salvation.

Jesus brings us closer to God. Dying in Jesus in this life, we live eternally in His life. Death here is but a whisper that leaves our fragile human bodies and enters the presence of God. Why can we be in God's eternal presence after death? Because Jesus covered our sins here with His own self, and God sees His own Son, our covering/our protection, when we stand in God's presence. Pretty cool, huh?

And the Holy Spirit of God, through our willingness, our desire to draw closer to God, helps us obtain a smidgen of holiness in this life. See, it's still about the power of choice. God can't make you be holy, you have to want to be holy. God can't save you if you don't want to be saved. He loves us enough to let us make our own choices; and His heart weeps for the wrong choices we make, I believe.

I've made too many wrong choices in my life. Unlike former President Clinton, I inhaled. Though God has forgiven my poor choices made in the past, I still will reap what I have sowed into my life and my body. This memory loss thing may very well lead back to those days. I sowed dissension, rebellion and disobedience into my life when I was younger. So, it's only logical that I reap dissension, rebellion and disobedience from my children. BUT GOD got a hold of my life and He won't let me go.

Now, I sow PRAYING FOR MY CHILDREN into their lives. Now, I sow PRAYING WITH MY CHILDREN into their lives. Now, I sow PRAYING FOR EACH OTHER into the lives of my family and friends. Now, I sow DAILY BIBLE STUDY into my life and yours. Now, I sow FAITHFULNESS in tithing into my life and theirs. Now, it's a whole new ball game. And I'm tagging the devil out!

The Color of Worship ~ Gold

image courtesy of www.flickr.com {by argus456}

Exodus 28:36 And you will make a plate of pure gold, engraved upon it, like the engravings of a signet, HOLINESS TO THE LORD. Psalm 29:2 Give unto the Lord the glory due unto His Name; worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness. Isaiah 6:3 And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts: the whole earth is full of His glory. Revelation 4:8 And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within; and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come.

Holiness: a set apartness, sanctified, sacred (physically pure/morally blameless/ceremonially consecrated) - according to Strong's Exhaustive Concordance.

~ Only God is Holy. Only Christ is Holy. And, of course, the Holy Spirit is Holy. They are distinctly three and one at the same time. Each has a purpose: Creator, Redeemer, Companion. God creates. Christ Redeems. Holy Spirit guides. From the beginning of our history, and even before history began, God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit existed. They created the world together and everything in it. ~

The purity of God is so bold and bright that no mortal eye can see God and live. And, yet, we long to be in God's presence permanently. How can we see God and live? Through His Son, Jesus Christ, who has redeemed us from our sinfulness through His death on the cross, we are brought into the throne room of God by the power of the Holy Spirit. Our prayers are smelled by God's nostrils. Our cries are heard by God's ears. Our praise and worship of the One who created us, and creates in us, is lifted up to God's throne room.

Here on our little piece of the universe, God leans His heart towards us, and extends His hands to us, and says, 'Come'. "Come unto me all you that labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest." Matthew 11:28 ~ "Come, now is the time to worship." Philippians 2:10 & 11 ~ "Come and dine with me." Revelation 3:20 ~

You and I are being welcomed into the throne room of God. Come, let us worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness. The holiness, the sanctity, the purity, the consecrated presence of the eternal living God has been opened to us by the Door: Jesus Christ. And, while that Door remains open, I, for one, am going through.