Category: Developing faith & perseverance

How to Know You’re Hearing from God

Colossians 3:15 clearly tells us how. It says, And let the peace (soul harmony which comes) from Christ rule (act as umpire continually) in your hearts [deciding and settling with finality all questions that arise in your minds….

If you follow God’s leadership, you will have peace, joy, righteousness, and you’ll bear good fruit. What you won’t be is confused and frustrated.

God never leads us to busy ourselves so much that we’re stressed out all the time and have no joy. And He won’t try to confuse your mind—that’s the enemy’s job.

To find where your peace lies, simply ask yourself: Is there a scripture that applies to my situation? What does the Word say I should do?

For example, if there’s something you want to buy but you don’t have enough in your bank account to buy it, it’s probably best to wait because God doesn’t want us to be in debt (see Romans 13:8).

Many times, God’s Word sounds a lot like common sense. I encourage you to let the peace in your heart decide with finality every question that arises in your mind.

God’s Perfect Plan for your Life

“The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” — II Peter 3:9

God doesn’t want anyone to experience permanent death (2 Peter 3:9). He loved us so much that He devised a plan to free us from the grasp of sin and provide forgiveness for all time.

In the Bible, John 3:16 says, “God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.”

Before time began, God has existed in three Persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. There is no division between these three Persons. Though it’s difficult for us to understand, they are one God. Jesus Christ is God’s Son, and He is also God.

So when the Bible says, “God loved the world so much that He gave His one and only Son,” we see that God really gave Himself.

Because humanity failed to live according to God’s standard and had fallen into spiritual death, Jesus humbled Himself and came to earth to live as a man. He lived a sinless life and performed many miracles. But the world rejected Him and crucified Him on a cross.

He died on that cross and was buried in a tomb, but three days later, He rose from the grave.

What the world didn’t realize was that dying on the cross was Jesus’ plan all along. Through His death and resurrection, He removed the barrier between humankind and God. Because He was also God, Jesus conquered sin and death on our behalf so we could truly live.

Boldness in Christ

“But as for you, the anointing (the sacred appointment, the unction) which you received from Him abides [permanently] in you….” — I John 2:27

God has great plans for our lives. It’s exciting when He puts dreams and desires in our hearts, but it can also be challenging. Because fear always comes against us when we try new things. That’s how the enemy tries to keep us from moving forward—through fear. But instead of giving in to our fears, we can choose to be bold, confident and courageous through Christ.

It’s important to understand that courage isn’t the absence of fear; it’s moving forward when you feel afraid. And if we will do that, God will lead us straight through our fears into His perfect will for our lives.

God doesn’t want us to live timid, shy, weak, wimpy, fearful, boring lives. He wants us to be bold, confident and courageous, unafraid to try new things. And it never ceases to amaze me what God will do through a person who simply steps out in faith.

In the Bible, Joshua is a great example of someone who took a step of faith in the face of fear. You see, when Moses died, God charged Joshua with the huge task of leading the people of Israel into the Promised Land. Fear must have come against him at every turn. But Joshua pressed past his fears so he could embrace his God-given destiny.

When God asks you to leave the familiar behind, let His Word encourage you to keep moving forward. Because when you step into what God has for you, His anointing makes the impossible possible.

First John 2:27 says, “But as for you, the anointing (the sacred appointment, the unction) which you received from Him abides [permanently] in you….”

I want you to let that sink in: God’s anointing abides permanently in you. So why should you live a boring life when there’s a great life available to you?

I encourage you to trust that what you feel down deep in your heart really is God.

You may not get a lot of encouragement from your family and friends, especially in the beginning. But if you’ll be bold enough to follow God instead of your fears, He will prove Himself to you.

Having a Relationship with God

When you think of religion, what comes to your mind—a set of rules, regulations and obligations or a deep, intimate relationship with God?

I like to consider myself someone who has a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ. I believe He died so we could have a living, vital relationship with God, not just a bunch of rules and regulations we’re forced to follow.

Yes, there are certain guidelines God wants us to follow, but His purpose in giving them is to protect us from the consequences of sin.

When we have a real relationship with God through Christ, life gets exciting because He stirs up a passion inside us to love people—and we don’t have to struggle to do the things He calls us to do. It just happens naturally.

God’s Power to Acheive

We have been saved by grace…through faith. What a wonderful gift! Sadly though, too many Christians live the way it’s described in Galatians 3:3: …Having begun [your new life spiritually] with the [Holy] Spirit, are you now reaching perfection [by dependence] on the flesh?

That’s a really good question to ponder. How do we get ourselves into that place? I think whether we realize it or not, many of us enter into a relationship with God by faith, but then try to maintain that relationship by our own methods. We believed Him for our salvation, but try to make that salvation work on our own.

It’s so sad too, because all this effort is fruitless. We work and work to change ourselves only to end up frustrated time and time again. Sure, maybe we see some small changes here and there, but only when we ask God for His help and depend on His Spirit to lead us, will we begin to see real, lasting changes in our lives.

There’s a beautiful illustration in the book of Zechariah of the way things should be with us. It describes a golden lampstand with a bowl on top that is being continuously supplied with oil from two olive trees on either side of it.

Now, that oil represents God’s Holy Spirit. And this lamp is being continuously supplied with oil through that bowl. That’s what we need…a continuous supply of God’s power. You see, we cannot fix ourselves; it just won’t happen by our strength or power, or our own effort, but only …by My Spirit [of Whom the oil is a symbol], says the Lord of hosts (Zechariah 4:6 AMP).

That’s the power of grace. And we certainly need this kind of power to meet all our issues and obstacles in life.

 

 

 

What Are You Meditating On?

Part of studying is meditating—rolling something over and over in your mind or pondering it. If you know how to worry, you know how to meditate on aproblem all day long, if you let yourself. I call this “stinkin’ thinkin'”.

We don’t really know how messed up our thinking is until we study God’s Word and realize what we should be thinking. The Word is like a mirror. It shows us the way we should be and the way we are. Until I looked in the Word, I thought everybody else was the problem, not me.

Continue reading “What Are You Meditating On?”

God’s Perfect Timing

But let endurance and steadfastness and patience have full play and do a thorough work, so that you may be [people] perfectly and fully developed [with no defects], lacking in nothing. —James 1:4

“Due season” is God’s season, not ours. We are in a hurry. God isn’t. He takes time to do things right. He lays a solid foundation before He attempts to build a building. We are God’s building under construction. He is the Master Builder, and He knows what He is doing. We may not know what He is doing, but He does and that will have to be good enough. We may not always know, but we can be satisfied to know the One Who knows.

Continue reading “God’s Perfect Timing”

The Power of a Committed Life

Does God want people to be rich? I can’t simply say yes or no, so let me explain it like this: God wants His people to have everything they can handle and keep Him first in their lives, be a blessing to other people and keep a good attitude.

So do I believe God wants people to have possessions and material wealth? Yes, if they can handle it. So you can challenge me and ask: “What do you tell the housewife whose husband has left her with three kids, a broken refrigerator, busted car and she doesn’t have my life? What do I tell her?”

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Confessions for a Healthy Self-image

Today I want to share with you some powerful truths that are based in God’s word. I encourage you to confess these words over and over, so they will change your thinking and become part of your belief system about yourself. As you confess them with a heart full of faith, doing your best to believe them and act on them, you’ll be well on your way to a healthy self-image. Continue reading “Confessions for a Healthy Self-image”

We win!

My prayer for today!
Lord, I thank You that darkness doesn’t have the power to overcome me! It may try, but Your Word guarantees that darkness doesn’t have the ability to overcome the light! I am so thankful that I am Your child, that I live on the winning side! When the devil tries to discourage me, from the cares of this life, help me remember that in the end we win!