Uncertainty, certainly not!

It is true we live in perilous times, that we face uncertain days.

If you're a child of God, you must trust Him and know that these days must come.

The World is dying, our Nation is dying, We are dying. But the good news is, that Christ is risen, and because He is risen we have hope, we are given life, we have the Holy Spirit dwelling in us, and nothing can separate us from Him.

Instead  of fear or fret, pray and praise God always. He alone is sufficient, and will guide, guard and give us the grace to make it through whatever comes our way.

Isaiah 40:21-31 ESV

Do you not know? Do you not hear? Has it not been told you from the beginning? Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth?  It is he who sits above the circle of the earth, and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers; who stretches out the heavens like a curtain, and spreads them like a tent to dwell in;   who brings princes to nothing, and makes the rulers of the earth as emptiness.  Scarcely are they planted, scarcely sown, scarcely has their stem taken root in the earth, when he blows on them, and they wither, and the tempest carries them off like stubble.   To whom then will you compare me, that I should be like him? says the Holy One.  Lift up your eyes on high and see: who created these? He who brings out their host by number, calling them all by name, by the greatness of his might, and because he is strong in power not one is missing.  Why do you say, O Jacob, and speak, O Israel, “My way is hidden from the Lord , and my right is disregarded by my God”?  Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable.  He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength.  Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted;  but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.

Confidence in Christ alone

Have you ever been so self confident that you cross the line into arrogance? I have, and it is a line I try to avoid always, I do not like myself when I cross it.

Today in the world we live in there are billions of people put on this planet, not one of us chose where we would be born, not one of us chose our skin color, not one of us chose our families, or circumstances we grew up in.

Our lives were and are governed by the hands of God, there is not a blink of an eye that He is not aware of.

When we humble ourselves and come to this realization we understand our mortality, our fallibility and our need for God's divine sovereignty in and over our lives.

Knowing that we can screw up and find grace in Jesus Christ, because God the Father sent Him to us because of our weakness in our flesh, knowing we could no better save ourselves from sin and death than we could choose where and who we are born to.

We are weak and needy people, and finding our hope in Christ’s grace is what marks a mature relationship. The most dangerous aspect of our relationships is not our weakness, but our delusions of strength in ourselves.

Our strength, our hope, our confidence, our peace, our prosperity our lives, our future's, our past, our salvation belongs to the Lord. We are and always will be in His hands. Let your weakness become strength in Christ alone.

Psalms 46:1-11 HCSB

God is our refuge and strength, a helper who is always found in times of trouble. Therefore we will not be afraid, though the earth trembles and the mountains topple into the depths of the seas, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with its turmoil. Selah There is a river — its streams delight the city of God, the holy dwelling place of the Most High. God is within her; she will not be toppled. God will help her when the morning dawns. Nations rage, kingdoms topple; the earth melts when He lifts His voice. The Lord of Hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our stronghold. Selah Come, see the works of the Lord , who brings devastation on the earth. He makes wars cease throughout the earth. He shatters bows and cuts spears to pieces; He burns up the chariots.   “Stop your fighting — and know that I am God, exalted among the nations, exalted on the earth.” Yahweh of Hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our stronghold. Selah

Psalms 121:1-8 HCSB

I lift my eyes toward the mountains. Where will my help come from? My help comes from the Lord , the Maker of heaven and earth. He will not allow your foot to slip; your Protector will not slumber. Indeed, the Protector of Israel does not slumber or sleep. The Lord protects you; the Lord is a shelter right by your side.   The sun will not strike you by day or the moon by night. The Lord will protect you from all harm; He will protect your life. The Lord will protect your coming and going both now and forever.

Psalms 146:1-10 HCSB

Hallelujah! My soul, praise the Lord . I will praise the Lord all my life; I will sing to my God as long as I live. Do not trust in nobles, in man, who cannot save. When his breath  leaves him, he returns to the ground; on that day his plans die. Happy is the one whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord his God, the Maker of heaven and earth, the sea and everything in them. He remains faithful forever, executing justice for the exploited and giving food to the hungry. The Lord frees prisoners. The Lord opens the eyes of the blind. The Lord raises up those who are oppressed.   The Lord loves the righteous. The Lord protects foreigners and helps the fatherless and the widow, but He frustrates the ways of the wicked. The Lord reigns forever; Zion, your God reigns for all generations. Hallelujah!

The worst of times or the best of times

When we complain about the things around us it is poison to our souls, we should be grateful and thankful for what we have and whose we are, we need to truly understand God is over every thing and every body.

We are not the first to experience rough, difficult or trying times or trials although we can pray we are the last.

You see God has us each where He put us at this time for His purpose and calling.

Art Buchwald said this “Whether these are the best of times or the worst of times, it’s the only time we’ve got.”

What a profound proverb, the apostle Paul gave us institutions on how to live in dark and difficult times, this year let us live as God has called.

Ephesians 5:1-33 HCSB
Therefore, be imitators of God, as dearly loved children. And walk in love, as the Messiah also loved us and gave Himself for us, a sacrificial and fragrant offering to God.

But sexual immorality and any impurity or greed should not even be heard of among you, as is proper for saints. Coarse and foolish talking or crude joking are not suitable, but rather giving thanks.

For know and recognize this: Every sexually immoral or impure or greedy person, who is an idolater, does not have an inheritance in the kingdom of the Messiah and of God.

Let no one deceive you with empty arguments, for God’s wrath is coming on the disobedient because of these things.

Therefore, do not become their partners. For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light — for the fruit of the light results in all goodness, righteousness, and truth — discerning what is pleasing to the Lord.

Don’t participate in the fruitless works of darkness, but instead expose them. For it is shameful even to mention what is done by them in secret. Everything exposed by the light is made clear, for what makes everything clear is light.

Therefore it is said: Get up, sleeper, and rise up from the dead, and the Messiah will shine on you. Pay careful attention, then, to how you walk — not as unwise people but as wise — making the most of the time, because the days are evil.

So don’t be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. And don’t get drunk with wine, which leads to reckless actions, but be filled by the Spirit: speaking to one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing and making music from your heart to the Lord, giving thanks always for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another in the fear of Christ.

Wives,  submit to your own husbands  as to the Lord, for the husband is the head of the wife  as Christ is the head  of the church. He is the Savior of the body.

   Now as the church submits to Christ, so wives are to submit to their husbands in everything. Husbands, love your wives,  just as Christ loved  the church and gave Himself  for her to make her holy, cleansing  her with the washing of water by the word. He did this to present the church to Himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or anything like that, but holy and blameless.  

In the same way, husbands are to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hates his own flesh but provides and cares for it, just as Christ does for the church, since we are members of His body. For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two will become one flesh. 

This mystery  is profound, but I am talking about Christ and the church. To sum up, each one of you is to love his wife as himself, and the wife is to respect her husband.

God still dwells amongst His children

The Ark of the Covenant represented God's presence among his people, and His pure holiness. Though the actual ark is lost , today sadly we have lost what it represented as well.

We have lost the sense of God's holy presence among His people. Nothing is sacred anymore. Sexual immortality, and a culture of death rule our airways for ratings, ordinary people, politicians and celebrities mock God openly by words and deeds. We have lost almost all reverence of God that is critical to our very survival.

God dwells within His children, we are to have the same respect and awe of God as Israel had for the Ark of the Covenant, but like Israel we have almost lost it,we need to bring back the awe of God to our land, to recover our sense of the sacred.

We must repent, confessing our sin to the living God who makes ethical requirements of us. When we return to Him with our whole heart, acknowledging His authority over us.

Then we must remove the foreign gods from among us. That's right. "Little-g" deities like the god of comfort, the god of beauty, the god of gain and ease and activity all of these must go if the awe of God is to return. Then we are to serve God only, and God alone. He is not to be just a part of our lives, but our entire lives, He is to be involved in every endeavor, every relationship, every dream and desire.

Romans 14:7-9, 11-12 HCSB For none of us lives to himself, and no one dies to himself. If 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. Christ died and came to life for this: that He might rule over both the dead and the living. For it is written: As I live, says the Lord, every knee will bow to Me, and every tongue will give praise to God. So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God.

The culture, the ark and the Bible

God’s grace is great and extended to mankind, this is true but His grace is not extended forever . God has had enough and His wrath is being poured out righteously with His  judgment too those who have rejected Him. Our call as sons and daughters of our Heavenly Father is to share with mankind His love, His truths, His coming again. The job of mankind is either except Him or reject Him, but either way their choice is made and God is sovereign over them.

Rom 1:18-32 -18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, 19 because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. 20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, 21 because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Professing to be wise, they became fools, 23 and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man--and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things. 24 Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves, 25 who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. 26 For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature. 27 Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due. 28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting; 29 being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers, 30 backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, 31 undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful; 32 who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them.

You see the key words starting out here are "The Wrath of God is revealed"

We can see around us what God's wrath is, the depravity of mankind. Man is turned over to his own wicked desires evil has become good and good evil. When you read through these verses you see the wrath of God and the consequences of man's rebellion. 

We can look back at the account of Noah as see how God works. While reading the account of Noah: God has brought some details to mind that are easily overlooked, because we are not reading about them they are lost in the flood if you will.

Genesis 6:5 Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. 6 And the LORD was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. 7 So the LORD said, "I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth, both man and beast, creeping thing and birds of the air, for I am sorry that I have made them." 8 But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD. ... 11 The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. 12 So God looked upon the earth, and indeed it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth. 13 And God said to Noah, "The end of all flesh has come before Me, for the earth is filled with violence through them; and behold, I will destroy them with the earth. 14 "Make yourself an ark of gopherwood; make rooms in the ark, and cover it inside and outside with pitch. ... 17 "And behold, I Myself am bringing flood waters on the earth, to destroy from under heaven all flesh in which is the breath of life; everything that is on the earth shall die. 18 "But I will establish My covenant with you; and you shall go into the ark--you, your sons, your wife, and your sons' wives with you. ... 22 Thus Noah did; according to all that God commanded him, so he did.

Genesis 7:1 Then the LORD said to Noah, "Come into the ark, you and all your household, because I have seen that you are righteous before Me in this generation. ... 4 "For after seven more days I will cause it to rain on the earth forty days and forty nights, and I will destroy from the face of the earth all living things that I have made." 5 And Noah did according to all that the LORD commanded him. ... 10 And it came to pass after seven days that the waters of the flood were on the earth.

Matthew 24:36 "But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only. 37 "But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. 38 "For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, 39 "and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.

You've probably read the story of Noah over and over but when you put it with the words of Jesus in Matthew , there is a new light shining on them. You see Noah lived in wicked times, so wicked that God was not happy with mankind and destroyed them except for Noah and his family, but what you don’t see is Noah engaging the culture, he didn't get sucked into the name calling, the backbiting, the games the world plays, he just did what God told him to do, as a matter of fact the Bible says twice that “Thus Noah did; according to all that God commanded him, so he did. “

Are we to do the same? Yes!

Noah figured out that what God said was going to happen, and even though he had never seen rain or knew what it was he built the ark according to the directions God gave him. It took him over 100 years to build the ark day and night he was faithful God. We know he was ridiculed and laughed at for his obedience but the Bible says “Thus Noah did; according to all that God commanded him, so he did. “

Don’t stop reading yet and think I have thrown in the towel on standing up for what is right, I haven’t God has just said to me to approach things His way and not mine, and it is not easy to do in this culture when you see death coming to those who refuse to accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.

God’s way is above our ways and Noah knew this, he preached while they built the ark to all who would listen, the Bible said he found grace with God and was considered righteous in the eyes of God, and he was a preacher. Jesus said the culture was one of drunkenness and foolishness and people only cared for themselves they lived life as they wanted without God.

And we see that today in our society more and more, the irony is this:  man is foolish and rebels against God always has and will because we are slaves to sin, before Christ calls us and sets us free. We have no free will until Christ gives it too us. Without Christ we are held in bondage and have no way of escape, after Christ is in us we do have the choice to not sin.

But when man sins it is because of our nature, but when we try to override the laws of God, the law of morality we are saying that we are above God, that our ways are greater and we have crossed a line that God will not tolerate.

When politicians live in immorality today and promote a culture of greed through laziness telling the masses we will provide for you, when politicians say it is okay to murder children and destroy the lives of women by the millions through abortion and they try to legislate marriage as an open act to whomever we please, man with man woman with woman we have trampled on the words of God and have set ourselves to be god and God says He is a jealousy God and will not tolerate idolatry.

When the serpent came too Eve in the garden remember what he said

Genesis 3:1 Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, "Has God indeed said, 'You shall not eat of every tree of the garden'?" 2 And the woman said to the serpent, "We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; 3 "but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, 'You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.' " 4 Then the serpent said to the woman, "You will not surely die. 5 "For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."

See verse 5 for God knows you will be like Him, and from that first bite of deception mankind has wanted to be god,  the devil has deceived us into his own lie where he says he will raise his throne above God’s and be seated, and mankind has been drawn in.

We need to be as Noah, and don’t fight the world,  that is what they want to show everyone that we are hateful bigots serving a bigot for a God, even though that is not truth they use all the can to deceive one another into believing their own lies.

There are churches out there that have embraced the world’s philosophy, and excepts whatever comes their way as truth, some do it for money, some do it for numbers, but all do it for their father the devil who is the father of lies.

The Bible says this

2 Corinthians 3 But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. 4 For if he who comes preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or if you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted--you may well put up with it!

And run we should, we should stay busy like Noah doing what God tells us, and when history is written may it be said of us  “Thus we did; according to all that God commanded him, so he did. “

One day soon Jesus is coming back, those who are His disciples will leave with Him and never face the judgment of God, and those who have rejected and mocked God will face the fury of a righteous God whose anger will burn against them forevermore for they have condemned themselves already.

Just for a quick side note here also, you see in chapter 7 of Genesis the Bible says twice that God left the door of the ark open 7 days before He shut it waiting for anyone else to join Noah and his family, no one came and the population of the earth was wiped away except Noah and his family.

When Jesus breaks the sky and calls us home there will be 7 years of tribulation God will receive unto Himself all those who persevere through this time of judgment and receive Him into their lives.

If you don’t know who Jesus is, or if you’re not sure what it means to be forgiven and set apart and receive Jesus into your life as Lord and Savior you can, it will not be an easy road many claim to be followers of Christ but few are.

But know this we are all sinners and fallen short of the glory of God, but yet while we are sinners Christ died for us, and in His death and resurrection He gives us life, abundantly and eternally for all those that call upon His name, and confess Him as Lord and Savior. Christ alone is our way to God the Father. Once we are in Him, and He in us, we are forever His, nothing can separate us one day He will return and call us home, what a day that will be. Ask Jesus to change you confess to Him you have sinned we all have,  believe in your heart and mind and confess Him before your family friends and wherever you go and you shall be saved.

JOY

A wise old man once saw a lovely and happy young wife and said, "I would love to meet your husband. He must be very special because I can see it on your face." The Bible explains: A merry heart makes a cheerful countenance, but by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken (Proverbs 15:13). We should remember the Bible says the fruit of the Spirit is joy (Galatians 5:22). Happy homes are healthy homes.

Much can be said about a happy home. God's Word says laughter is medicine: A merry heart does good, like medicine, but a broken spirit dries the bones (Proverbs 17:22). The mandate from Scripture puts the responsibility for joyful family life on both the husband and wife. Our homes are to be refuges of happiness, not battlegrounds of sorrow.

God's Word insists that husbands live joyfully with the wife whom you love all the days of your vain life which He has given you under the sun, all your days of vanity; for that is your portion in life, and in the labor which you perform under the sun (Ecclesiastes 9:9). It is important we not just endure our husband-wife relationship but that we bring joy to it. This is urgent, because the joy of the Lord is your strength (Nehemiah 8:10).

We would like to thank Bible Discovery TV for providing this plan. For more information, please visit: www.biblediscoverytv.com

Psalms 119 : 1How happy are those whose way is blameless,

who live according to the Lord’s instruction!

2Happy are those who keep His decrees

and seek Him with all their heart.

3They do nothing wrong;

they follow His ways.

4You have commanded that Your precepts

be diligently kept.

5If only my ways were committed

to keeping Your statutes!

6Then I would not be ashamed

when I think about all Your commands.

7I will praise You with a sincere heart

when I learn Your righteous judgments.

8I will keep Your statutes;

never abandon me.

בBet

9How can a young man keep his way pure?

By keeping Your word.

10I have sought You with all my heart;

don’t let me wander from Your commands.

11I have treasured Your word in my heart

so that I may not sin against You.

12Lord, may You be praised;

teach me Your statutes.

13With my lips I proclaim

all the judgments from Your mouth.

14I rejoice in the way revealed by Your decrees

as much as in all riches.

15I will meditate on Your precepts

and think about Your ways.

16I will delight in Your statutes;

I will not forget Your word.

ג

Fear is a lie

Fear, all experience it at one time or another. As a child of God we should not fear tomorrow or today or be held captive by yesterday. We have been freed from the bondage of fear.

 

Fear traps you, holds you back from life and disables you.

The Bible says in1 John 4: 18 There is no fear in love; instead, perfect love drives out fear, because fear involves punishment. So the one who fears has not reached perfection in love.

Jesus is that perfect love and in Him we have all we need to overcome fear, He will never leave or forsake you, He never changes, He provides for us protection, peace, eternal security and our daily needs. If you have Him you have everything, if you don't have Him your held by fear.

 

Today trust Him and know all things work together for our good and His glory and let His perfect love cast out your fears.

Freedom

For freedom Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not be subject again to the yoke of slavery.
Gal 5:1


Freedom, man longs for it everywhere, people die for what they believe freedom is. But outside of Christ there can be no freedom for freedom is a gift from God.


The chains of religion invoke mankind to slavery so they may earn something they can not, salvation , if your religion demands or suggest that you must work for or work to keep what God alone gives freely, you have become a slave and are deceived. 


1 But false prophets arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. These false teachers will infiltrate your midst with destructive heresies, even to the point of denying the Master who bought them. As a result, they will bring swift destruction on themselves. 2 And many will follow their debauched lifestyles. Because of these false teachers, the way of truth will be slandered. 3 And in their greed they will exploit you with deceptive words. Their condemnation pronounced long ago is not sitting idly by; their destruction is not asleep. 4 For if God did not spare the angels who sinned, but threw them into hell and locked them up in chains in utter darkness, to be kept until the judgment, 5 and if he did not spare the ancient world, but did protect Noah, a herald of righteousness, along with seven others, when God brought a flood on an ungodly world, 6 and if he turned to ashes the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah when he condemned them to destruction, having appointed them to serve as an example to future generations of the ungodly, 7 and if he rescued Lot, a righteous man in anguish over the debauched lifestyle of lawless men, 8 (for while he lived among them day after day, that righteous man was tormented in his righteous soul by the lawless deeds he saw and heard) 9 - if so, then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from their trials, and to reserve the unrighteous for punishment at the day of judgment, 10 especially those who indulge their fleshly desires and who despise authority.Brazen and insolent, they are not afraid to insult the glorious ones, 11 yet even angels, who are much more powerful, do not bring a slanderous judgment against them before the Lord. 12 But these men, like irrational animals - creatures of instinct, born to be caught and destroyed - do not understand whom they are insulting, and consequently in their destruction they will be destroyed, 13 suffering harm as the wages for their harmful ways. By considering it a pleasure to carouse in broad daylight, they are stains and blemishes, indulging in their deceitful pleasures when they feast together with you. 14 Their eyes, full of adultery, never stop sinning; they entice unstable people. They have trained their hearts for greed, these cursed children! 15 By forsaking the right path they have gone astray, because they followed the way of Balaam son of Bosor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness, 16 yet was rebuked for his own transgression (a dumb donkey, speaking with a human voice, restrained the prophet's madness). 17 These men are waterless springs and mists driven by a storm, for whom the utter depths of darkness have been reserved. 18 For by speaking high-sounding but empty words they are able to entice, with fleshly desires and with debauchery, people who have just escaped from those who reside in error. 19 Although these false teachers promise such people freedom, they themselves are enslaved to immorality. For whatever a person succumbs to, to that he is enslaved.
2 Pet 2:1-19


4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of his great love with which he loved us, 5 even though we were dead in transgressions, made us alive together with Christ - by grace you are saved! - 6 and he raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, 7 to demonstrate in the coming ages the surpassing wealth of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you are saved through faith, and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 it is not from works, so that no one can boast.
Eph 2:4-9


Are you tired of being enslaved to sin? Being held captive by death? Then call upon the name of Jesus Christ and be saved, for salvation and freedom come by no other name they are found in Christ alone.

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