The life we live

One of the greatest hindrances to the peace of God for Christians is learning to walk according to the word of God, we are to walk in the Spirit and not the flesh. Most never understand what this means, we have a habit of dividing our lives into two areas, the spirit and the flesh and try to live in both.

These two areas were created to exist apart from each other they are morally and spiritually incompatible.

Romans8:1-11 NKJV - [1] There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. [2] For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. [3] For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, [4] that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. [5] For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. [6] For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. [7] Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. [8] So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God. [9] But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His. [10] And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. [11] But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.

We are told to walk by the spirit, not the flesh we are easily persuaded by life to go back and forth from one to the other and we live a divided instead of a victorious life. We try live in two worlds, the spiritual and the natural. We are not immune to the things of the world, such as the ills of life , we do live among men but we are not to let them influence our lives.

1st John 2:15 HCSB Do not love the world or the things that belong to the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in him.16 For everything that belongs to the world — the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes,and the pride in one’s lifestyle — is not from the Father, but is from the world.17 And the world with its lust is passing away, but the one who does God’s will remains forever.

In direct contrast is the way we are to live by the Spirit. Here we have peace with God, and the peace of God, we learn the ways of God and how to live among men and be the salt and light we are called to be by enjoying an intimate fellowship with Christ. When we are walking by the Spirit , our lives are an aroma and are pleasing to God. We pray, read our Bibles, are faithful in our church attendance, we bring our praise and worship with us wherever we go, I love walking in the Spirit, but it is something I do not do 100% of the time.

While living here there are things we do like eat, sleep, work, pay bills, and just try to make that seem mundane and uninteresting, how do I make my life a living sacrifice to God, while I am doing these meaningless task?

God's word says a lot about how we are to live,

Romans 12:1 HCSB Therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your spiritual worship. 2Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God.

1st Corinthians 15:33 HCSB Do not be deceived: “Bad company corrupts good morals.”34 Come to your senses and stop sinning, for some people are ignorant about God. I say this to your shame...50 Brothers, I tell you this: Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, and corruption cannot inherit incorruption. 51 Listen! I am telling you a mystery: We will not all fall asleep,but we will all be changed, 52 in a moment, in the blink of an eye,at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound,and the dead will be raised incorruptible,and we will be changed.53 For this corruptible must be clothed with incorruptibility, and this mortal must be clothed with immortality. 54 When this corruptible is clothed with incorruptibility, and this mortal is clothed with immortality, then the saying that is written will take place: Death has been swallowed up in victory. 55 Death, where is your victory? Death, where is your sting? 56 Now the sting of death is sin,and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!58 Therefore, my dear brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always excelling in the Lord’s work, knowing that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.

The dilemma we have is false the devil has easily swayed us into believing that we have to live and compromise our faith in this world, we don't when you look at the life of Jesus Christ, we see that all He did to live He did as a man, not as God and all though He was fully God, He was also fully man, He overcame temptations, and life as a man to give us the example of a Spirit filled life.

Philippians 2:5 HCSB Make your own attitude that of Christ Jesus, 6 who, existing in the form of God,did not consider equality with God as something to be used for His own advantage.7 Instead He emptied Himself by assuming the form of a slave, taking on the likeness of men. And when He had come as a man in His external form,8 He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death —even to death on a cross.

Jesus Christ is our perfect example, He did not live a divided life. From His birth to His death on the cross, the life of Jesus was a total offering to God the Father, the first words recorded that Jesus spoke are these found in

Luke 2 :41 HCSB Every year His parents traveled to Jerusalem for the Passover Festival. 42 When He was 12 years old, they went up according to the custom of the festival. 43 After those days were over, as they were returning, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but His parents did not know it.44 Assuming He was in the traveling party, they went a day’s journey. Then they began looking for Him among their relatives and friends. 45 When they did not find Him, they returned to Jerusalem to search for Him. 46 After three days, they found Him in the temple complex sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. 47 And all those who heard Him were astounded at His understanding and His answers. 48 When His parents saw Him, they were astonished, and His mother said to Him, “Son, why have You treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for You.” 49“Why were you searching for Me? ”He asked them. “Didn’t you know that I had to be in My Father’s house? ” 50 But they did not understand what He said to them.

Jesus was in His Fathers house teaching, He was always going about doing the Father's business, and He made it a point to live that way, we can do this to.

JOHN 3:5 HCSB Jesus answered, “I assure you: Unless someone is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.6 Whatever is born of the flesh is flesh, and whatever is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Do not be amazed that I told you that you must be born again. 8 The wind blows where it pleases, and you hear its sound, but you don’t know where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.” 

When we became born again, our flesh was crucified and we are born again into the Spirit of God, now we must learn to walk by the Spirit, it really is not as hard as it sounds, it takes a simple act of surrender daily.

Galatians 5 16-25 NKJV - [16] I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. [17] For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. [18] But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. [19] Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, [20] idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, [21] envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. [22] But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, [23] gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. [24] And those who are Christ's have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. [25] If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.

1st Corinthians 6:9 HCSB Don’t you know that the unrighteous will not inherit God’s kingdom? Do not be deceived: No sexually immoral people, idolaters,adulterers, or anyone practicing homosexuality, 10 no thieves,greedy people, drunkards, verbally abusive people, or swindlers will inherit God’s kingdom. 11And some of you used to be like this. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

Life is about choices, we can chose to walk in the Spirit by living according to the word of God, or we chose to walk in the way of the world our flesh by going about doing things our way, but make no mistake we can not live both ways. We can do this by living with an aggressive faith. Not a passive faith.

Colossians 3:1 HCSB So if you have been raised with the Messiah, seek what is above, where the Messiah is, seated at the right hand of God.2 Set your minds on what is above, not on what is on the earth. 3 For you have died, and your life is hidden with the Messiah in God. 4When the Messiah, who is your life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory. 5Therefore, put to death what belongs to your worldly nature:sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desire, and greed, which is idolatry. 6 Because of these, God’s wrath comes on the disobedient, 7and you once walked in these things when you were living in them. 8 But now you must also put away all the following: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and filthy language from your mouth. 9 Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old self with its practices 10 and have put on the new self. You are being renewed in knowledge according to the image of your Creator. 11 In Christ there is not Greek and Jew, circumcision and uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian,slave and free; but Christ is all and in all.12 Therefore, God’s chosen ones, holy and loved, put on heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, 13 accepting one another and forgiving one another if anyone has a complaint against another. Just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you must also forgive. 14 Above all, put on love — the perfect bond of unity. 15 And let the peace of the Messiah, to which you were also called in one body, control your hearts. Be thankful. 16 Let the message about the Messiah dwell richly among you, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, and singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, with gratitude in your hearts to God. 17 And whatever you do, in word or in deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.

Through the power of Jesus Christ we have already overcome the world, and it is He who lives in us, so why don't we learn to offer all our acts to God and believe He accepts them whether we eat or drink, work or play live or die do it all for the Lord.

Galatians 2: HCSB 16 know that no one is justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ. And we have believed in Christ Jesus so that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no human being will be justified. 17 But if we ourselves are also found to be “sinners” while seeking to be justified by Christ, is Christ then a promoter of sin? Absolutely not! 18If I rebuildthe system I tore down, I show myself to be a lawbreaker.19 For through the law I have died to the law, so that I might live for God. I have been crucified with Christ 20and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. 21I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died for nothing.

We must hold firmly to this position and live making every act of every hour of the day and night be an offer of praise, thanksgiving, and total sacrament to God in our times of private prayer in our continual prayer a thousand times a day as we live we must seek God out in everything, when we do this we will discover that He is always with us, and in our simplest deeds we can acknowledge Him.

Romans 14:5 HCSB One person considers one day to be above another day. Someone else considers every day to be the same. Each one must be fully convinced in his own mind. 6 Whoever observes the day, observes it for the honor of the Lord. Whoever eats, eats for the Lord, since he gives thanks to God; and whoever does not eat, it is for the Lord that he does not eat it, yet he thanks God.7 For none of us lives to himself, and no one dies to himself.8If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.

We can live every moment for Christ if we take the attitude of Christ, by making our lives a living sacrifice to God, we must learn to worship Him in Spirit and Truth and put away the flesh everyday by taking our thoughts captive and applying the word of God to our lives. God's word gives no room for compromise we must be immovable when it comes to living as we are called, we can do this, if we ask for the Lord's help and learn to do all things for His glory.

Colossians 3:17 And whatever you do, in word or in deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.

In Christ

brian

A Story to tell

As we live our lives we should be mindful of how we have been given a life to live. We who are saved were once dead men and women, but now live because of Jesus Christ. We all were dead at one time, and it is the miraculous love and grace of God our Father, through His only begotten Son Jesus Christ that we now live.

When you read through the scriptures you see that we are born nto a sin nature, a nature of death ,

Romans 5:12-14 [12] Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned-- [13] (For until the law sin was in the world, but sin is not imputed when there is no law. [14] Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who had not sinned according to the likeness of the transgression of Adam, who is a type of Him who was to come.

We were born to die because of this, and die we do daily our bodies and minds are dying because of the sin of mankind from the beginning , our bodies suffer the consequences of this sin.

That is not the end of the story though, because God had a plan, a story to be written that included you and me, our story that is each of us who call Him Father.

Romans 5:1-21 [1] Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, [2] through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. [3] And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; [4] and perseverance, character; and character, hope. [5] Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us. [6] For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. [7] For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. [8] But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. [9] Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. [10] For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. [11] And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation. [12] Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned-- [13] (For until the law sin was in the world, but sin is not imputed when there is no law. [14] Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who had not sinned according to the likeness of the transgression of Adam, who is a type of Him who was to come. [15] But the free gift is not like the offense. For if by the one man's offense many died, much more the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abounded to many. [16] And the gift is not like that which came through the one who sinned. For the judgment which came from one offense resulted in condemnation, but the free gift which came from many offenses resulted in justification. [17] For if by the one man's offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.) [18] Therefore, as through one man's offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man's righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life. [19] For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man's obedience many will be made righteous. [20] Moreover the law entered that the offense might abound. But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more, [21] so that as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

God our Father loved us so much that He could not us live this life alone without Him, because He knew we would surely die in our sins, so He extended His hands of grace and reached down into the grave and as He called out our names, individually and said come forth He set us free from the bondage of sin and death, we see the perfect picture of this in the Gospel of John, it is a picture of the Victory Christ had over death, before He went to the Cross to suffer our punishment. When you read this put your name in the place of Lazarus.

John 11:1-45 [1] Now a certain man was sick, Lazarus of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha. [2] It was that Mary who anointed the Lord with fragrant oil and wiped His feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick. [3] Therefore the sisters sent to Him, saying, "Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick." [4] When Jesus heard that, He said, "This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it." [5] Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. [6] So, when He heard that he was sick, He stayed two more days in the place where He was. [7] Then after this He said to the disciples, "Let us go to Judea again." [8] The disciples said to Him, "Rabbi, lately the Jews sought to stone You, and are You going there again?" [9] Jesus answered, "Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world. [10] "But if one walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him." [11] These things He said, and after that He said to them, "Our friend Lazarus sleeps, but I go that I may wake him up." [12] Then His disciples said, "Lord, if he sleeps he will get well." [13] However, Jesus spoke of his death, but they thought that He was speaking about taking rest in sleep. [14] Then Jesus said to them plainly, "Lazarus is dead. [15] "And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, that you may believe. Nevertheless let us go to him." [16] Then Thomas, who is called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, "Let us also go, that we may die with Him." [17] So when Jesus came, He found that he had already been in the tomb four days. [18] Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles away. [19] And many of the Jews had joined the women around Martha and Mary, to comfort them concerning their brother. [20] Then Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met Him, but Mary was sitting in the house. [21] Now Martha said to Jesus, "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died. [22] "But even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You." [23] Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again." [24] Martha said to Him, "I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day." [25] Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. [26] "And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?" [27] She said to Him, "Yes, Lord, I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, who is to come into the world." [28] And when she had said these things, she went her way and secretly called Mary her sister, saying, "The Teacher has come and is calling for you." [29] As soon as she heard that, she arose quickly and came to Him. [30] Now Jesus had not yet come into the town, but was in the place where Martha met Him. [31] Then the Jews who were with her in the house, and comforting her, when they saw that Mary rose up quickly and went out, followed her, saying, "She is going to the tomb to weep there." [32] Then, when Mary came where Jesus was, and saw Him, she fell down at His feet, saying to Him, "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died." [33] Therefore, when Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her weeping, He groaned in the spirit and was troubled. [34] And He said, "Where have you laid him?" They said to Him, "Lord, come and see." [35] Jesus wept. [36] Then the Jews said, "See how He loved him!" [37] And some of them said, "Could not this Man, who opened the eyes of the blind, also have kept this man from dying?" [38] Then Jesus, again groaning in Himself, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it. [39] Jesus said, "Take away the stone." Martha, the sister of him who was dead, said to Him, "Lord, by this time there is a stench, for he has been dead four days." [40] Jesus said to her, "Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?" [41] Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead man was lying. And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, "Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. [42] "And I know that You always hear Me, but because of the people who are standing by I said this, that they may believe that You sent Me." [43] Now when He had said these things, He cried with a loud voice, "Lazarus, come forth!" [44] And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with graveclothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, "Loose him, and let him go." [45] Then many of the Jews who had come to Mary, and had seen the things Jesus did, believed in Him.

That is a picture of who we are, how we are dying but do not have to die, our bodies may die but our souls will live and we will be resurrected in the end to reign with Christ, that is the hope of Glory, Christ in me and you.

Today I implore you if your wrapped in your grave clothes, listen to the voice of Jesus Christ calling out your name, hear Him as He calls you to come forth, be free from the bondage of Sin and Death, live the life your called to live, for Him, through Him, in Him.

And if your already free from the bondage of Sin and Death, start spreading the gospel message, do you think that Lazarus had a story to tell, do you think that people came to Christ because of what Jesus did for him?

His story is your story, you where dead on your way to hell, and Jesus came to your grave and called your name, and said come forth. You have the ability to share that with all those around you today, you were once dead but now you live, that is a story worth telling, and today there are literally billions of people who need to hear this truth. You do not need to be a Pastor or Theologian to share the gospel, just share your story someone somewhere needs to know you live because Christ lives in you.

The roman road to salvation is a collection of verses from the book of Romans explaining Gods free gift of eternal life. Follow these verses to learn why we need salvation, Gods plan of salvation, how to receive salvation, Gods promise of eternal life, and the results of salvation.


God is the creator of life Romans 1:20-21
Why we need salvation- the fact of our sin Romans 3:23
Mans inability Romans 3:10
The penalty of sin Romans 6:23a
Gods plan of salvation Romans 5:8
Gods promise of eternal life Romans 6:23
Mans responsibility Romans 10:9-10, 10:13
Final stop on the roman road to salvation...results of salvation Romans 8:1, 5:1

Colossians 3:17 [17] And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.

In Christ
brian

The Power of Prayer

Prayer, stop and think about how powerful this word is...when you look back through the Bible we see that when God's people prayed God moved and made things happen. Armies were destroyed, people were brought back from the dead,Nations were rebuilt all because God's people prayed.

What is disheartening is that we as a people don't take this power very seriously,we halfheartedly offer up prayers of selfish desires instead of Spirit led prayers, we come to God with an agenda when we need something instead of daily coming to Him with an open heart empty of selfishness.

We don't pray with any fervency or any kind of frequency today, we foolishly think we can do things without prayer because of our pride.

We have forgotten who we are speaking to,and the power that God our Father has.We have extravagant buildings,wonderful programs,excellent teachers great choirs,tremendous preachers and good fellowship and life is coasting along at a nice even pace. Our enemy the devil smirks at us when we get caught up in these things and we forget the power of prayer, he doesn't care if we go to church 7 days a week if we go only to enjoy these things, when we won't read the word or pray to God, the devil is at ease.

God waits on His children to pray,there's nothing that will bind the church together more than praying.

Jesus said "If any two of you shall agree on earth as touching anything that they shall ask, it will be done for them of My Father which is in Heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in My name, there am I in the midst of them." Matthew 18:19-20

So how is your prayer life, I have to confess mine falls short of anything that would seem honorable to God. I read through the scriptures and I see how our Lord Jesus prayed, He prayed daily, He prayed with intensity, He prayed specifically, and He prayed reverently in the power of God.

Jesus prayed until His body bled, He prayed and wept over Jerusalem, He prayed for the apostles and He prayed for you and I. John 17:9-26 [9] "I pray for them. I do not pray for the world but for those whom You have given Me, for they are Yours. [10] "And all Mine are Yours, and Yours are Mine, and I am glorified in them. [11] "Now I am no longer in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to You. Holy Father, keep through Your name those whom You have given Me, that they may be one as We are. [12] "While I was with them in the world, I kept them in Your name. Those whom You gave Me I have kept; and none of them is lost except the son of perdition, that the Scripture might be fulfilled. [13] "But now I come to You, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have My joy fulfilled in themselves. [14] "I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. [15] "I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one. [16] "They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. [17] "Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth. [18] "As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. [19] "And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also may be sanctified by the truth. [20] "I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; [21] "that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. [22] "And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: [23] "I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me. [24] "Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world. [25] "O righteous Father! The world has not known You, but I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me. [26] "And I have declared to them Your name, and will declare it, that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them."

He passionately prayed for us, if the Son of God sought our Heavenly Father with such passion, how much more should we be seeking out God with passion, in His Spirit, to know His truths?

Prayer should be an act of worship, not a to do list for God our Father, look again at how Jesus prayed, Jesus prayed to His Holy Father, for His Father's people for His Father's ways, O Righteous Father Jesus Said. 

Oh how my prayers are not this way, Father forgive me.Jesus taught the Samaritan woman at the well that God our Father will seek those out who worship Him in Spirit and truth, that means that in all we do we should worship God that means our prayer life also. 

John 4:21-24 [21] Jesus said to her, "Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father. [22] "You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews. [23] "But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. [24] "God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth."

It is time we as the body of Christ pray,pray like never before with passion, fervently stretched out before our Lord and Savior, seeking His face and His will,knowing God is Sovereign over our lives, we must individually and corporately start praying in the presence and the power of God, even if that means coming before His throne in silence and letting the Holy Spirit pray. Prayer is not a game, it is not a halfhearted to do list for God, it is a personal passionate act of worship to a Holy God who is pure, righteous and just.

Jesus gave us specific instructions on prayer, Matthew 6:7-13 [7] "And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words. [8] "Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him. [9] "In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. [10] Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven. [11] Give us this day our daily bread. [12] And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors. [13] And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

Pray like never before, pray with intensity, pray without ceasing, pray to your Heavenly Father who waits for you.

And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him. Colossians 3:17

In Christ

brian

Do you have Hope today?

Hope, these 4 letters can make or break us. Those who have no hope, have no zeal for life. Those who have hope, are filled with a consuming fire for life, that encompasses their very being.

We look around today and the majority of people in the world, are lost without hope they do not know where hope is, what hope looks like, they know no hope. Not only are they dying without hope, they are existing without hope also.

But when you look at the child of God, you see hope deep in our souls, through our eyes. It is a consuming fire within, we know where our hope is, it is found in the person and Lordship of our Savior Jesus Christ, it is in Him we find the meaning of Hope, of Life, and of Eternal Love we can face each day, because we know the one who holds it, we don't die we just leave one place and go to another, and greater yet we live each day with the power of Jesus Christ in us, and He has conquered sin and death, and they have no power over us.

One of my favorite hymns is On Christ the Solid Rock I Stand by Edward Mote, 1797-1874

1. My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus' blood and righteousness;
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
But wholly lean on Jesus' name.
On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand;
All other ground is sinking sand.

2. When darkness veils His lovely face,
I rest on His unchanging grace;
In every high and stormy gale
My anchor holds within the veil.
On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand;
All other ground is sinking sand.

3. His oath, His covenant, and blood
Support me in the whelming flood;
When every earthly prop gives way,
He then is all my Hope and Stay.
On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand;
All other ground is sinking sand.

4. When He shall come with trumpet sound,
Oh, may I then in Him be found,
Clothed in His righteousness alone,
Faultless to stand before the throne!
On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand;
All other ground is sinking sand.

In God's word we find hope, the Bible is filled with hope from beginning to end. In the Garden of Eden man lost hope when we sinned against God, and in the Garden of Gethsemane Jesus gave us hope again as He gave up His life so we could live.You see God loves man so much He became flesh so He could give hope to mankind through Jesus Christ.

Paul writes in Romans 8: 18-26 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience. Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

Romans 5:1-5 Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance,and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

Jeremiah wrote in Lamentations 3: 19-27 Remember my affliction and my wanderings, the wormwood and the gall! My soul continually remembers it and is bowed down within me. But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end;
they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. "The LORD is my portion," says my soul, "therefore I will hope in him." The LORD is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him. It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD. It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth.

If you have this hope, this love this promise you cannot keep it too yourself, we must share that Hope we have with others, our hope can not be silenced, our hope resignates through out eternity and demands to be shared, Jesus says that if we are silent, the very rocks will cry out!

 When is the last time you shared your hope within anyone?

Romans 15:1-7 We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves. Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to build him up. For Christ did not please himself, but as it is written, "The reproaches of those who reproached you fell on me." For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.

Hebrews 10: 19-25 Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh,
and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.
Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

Is your Hope real? Are you living as you are called? Are you living a victorious life, no matter what comes your way?

If you do not have hope, I urge you to get in contact with me or a Pastor that teaches the word of God, if your trying to find hope outside of Jesus Christ or His word you will never find it. You may find a momentary minute of hope, but eternal hope does not exist without Jesus.

 If you know Jesus as your Lord and Savior, then the hope that is in you should stir your soul, and inspire you to reach others with the joy you have, everyday more and more people slip into eternity without hope, don't let them slip away without knowing the hope of Glory, Christ in you.

And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him. Colossians 3:17 
In Christ
brian