"I am..." Watch your mouth!

 We need to understand how important our words are. How  powerful they are.`    `     We must remember who we are and in whose image we were created.  Everything we see in this physical world was created by words. Therefore, if we are created in the image of the one who created all things by his word, our words must also be creative. I do hope this makes sense. I know that there will be some that will not agree, and there will be backlash, and that is ok. Maybe this post was not meant for you, but I do hope that it comes before those who need it. 

We are going to talk about a simple phrase, "I am...."  How many times in one day do we say this? We say things like I am tired, I am sick, I am broke and on and on. We say things that agree with the physical world or our current condition or situation. When we say these things, we are just affirming and releasing those things into reality, into our physical world. Let me say that again, our words release and endorse what we are in agreement with. We are prophesying our future. The bible has a good bit to say about our words, they hold the power of life and death, our tongues are hard to tame, our tongues are a two-edged sword..... I am sure there is more. We will speak death and curses one minute and praise God the next. Now, this makes me curious: are words not just a means of communication?  Sometimes we say things without giving them much thought. I would be a liar if I said I have never said something uncalled for, unnecessary, or negative. Well, let me tell you what the bible says about our words. Matthew 12:36 warns us that we will be held accountable for every careless or useless word that we speak. What does this mean? It means that if we speak it, it will be and we will see the consequences thereof. Therefore, our words must be very important in the eyes of God. Our words are confirmation of what we believe. Matthew 15:18 says this, But those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man. 

We must take care when things like anger or sudden fear presents itself. We need to learn to take a minute and choose our words carefully, instead of letting emotionally charged situations dictate the words we speak.  James 1:19 tells us to be  swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God. Once words are spoken, they can not be unspoken, but you can renounce and repent. These are not just words on paper to take up space. I know this may sound a little bit much, but it is what it is. 

Let's close with this. As you go through your day and are tempted to be in agreement with the worldly, the physical, the untamed emotional aspects of situations and circutmstances, pause and consider what you are saying. Are you saying I am tired or are you saying I am renewed like the eagle, I am sick or I am healed by his stripes, I am broke or I am blessed coming in and going out.  God called things that are not as though they are (Romans 4:17). Think on things above, not below Colossians 3:2-10. When we learn to speak God's word, instead of emotionally driven words we will see atmospheres shift from negative to positive and sometimes you have to be the one to bring that shift.

I know this was short, thank you for reading. As always, please note these are my bible study notes. I share as things are put on my heart. Much love, be blessed and be a blessing.   

Get dressed for the banquet!

Good day, I hope this finds you blessed. 

I often wonder, as a believer in the death and resurection of Jesus Christ, how many of us actually adopt that new identity that  we now proclaim? How many of us take off those grave clothes and replace them with the new glorious robe, ring, and sandals?  How many proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord but still live according to the world with its chaos and confusion?

I am not sure that this post will sit well with everyone, you have the religous and then you have the believers. This post will most likely be for the believers and probably will not be anything new, but still, it has been brought to my attention, placed on my heart to talk aboout this. 

I encourage you to read and soak in Luke 15:11-31. For this discussion let's focus on verses 20-22.  The young man, who was beat down, oppressed, and depressed decided that he had messed up, that he could no longer go it alone "so he got up and went to his father. Is there anyone reading this that is beat down, oppressed, just at the end of the rope? Are you tired and troubled beyond your limits?  If so, know this, you have a father on your side. I am not speaking of an earthly father, but rather the creator of all things, who has the power to transform our lives, run to him, seek him. Now back to the verse(s)   "But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him. The son said to him, "Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son. But the father said to his servants, Quick! bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let's have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine who was dead, is alive again; he was lost and is found. So they began to celebrate. I think this is beyond beautiful, makes me shout for joy.  So what are you dressed in? is it the grave clothes of this world? fear, pride, anger, unforgiveness? or have you put your knew clothes on, love, peace, joy, self control, patience.... 

Notice verse (22) I can't even get my thoughts together at the moment, this is beyond amazing. He took the dirty grave clothes  from the son and replaced them with new, spotless, glorious new clothing. He clothed him with salvation. Now apply this to your life, my life. Do we still have our grave clothes on?  He did not leave the son wearing the same old filthy grave clothes. Are we still thinking in patterns of death, destruction, chaos, and confusion, or have we put salvation, the new man, have we changed our minds or no?  Honey, take them old grave clothes off, change your mind and put on the new glorious clothes and get dressed for a banquet. Get ready to eat at the table set for you, in front of your enemies. Get ready to feast on the goodness of God. 

Now let's look Matthew 22, soak it in. Not sure where to start with this one but I will give it a shot. Verse 1 The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son. He sent his servants to those who had been invited to the banquet to tell them to come, but they refused to come. Then he sent more servants and said "Tell those who have been invited that I have prepared my dinner....But they paid no attention and went off about their daily lives, in their grave clothes, concerned and consumed with worldly things..... Verse 8 The wedding banquet is ready but those I invited were not worthy (they never got dressed for the banquet, the never sought their new identity.) Therefore go into the highways, and as many as you shall find, bid to the marriage banquet. So the servants went and gathered all they could find, both good and bad and the  wedding was furnised with guest.  And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which did not have on a wedding garmet: and he said to him, Friend, how did you get in here without wedding clothes? The man was speechless.  Then the king told the attendants, "Tie him, hand and foot, and through him outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."  I don't know about you but I do not want to be the one not dressed, not prepared for the banquet. I do not want to be left outside, in the darkness. 

If I have anything to say about this, it would be this, don't miss the invitation, don't be so caught up with worldly things that you  miss salvation. Trade those grave clothes for the new robe, ring and sandals. Surrender, it all. 

I pray that if this was someone that it find them and encourage them.  Either way, it blessed me and hopefully you. Much love. 

Repent

 September 6, 2025

On my way to the grocery store, I got a word that needs to be shared.  It is for anyone preaching/teaching a gospel that is less than Isaiah 53 and all of the New Testament examples of salvation. Which would not be a gospel at all, considering that 'gospel' means 'good news'. If you are preaching/teaching salvation in a manner less than forgiveness, healing, and deliverance. Repent. (Galatians 1:8) (Mark 7:13)

If anyone is preaching/teaching a gospel that does not have the power to transform us into new creations, or teaching a kingdom that is far away, and that the works of the apostles are dead.  Repent. (Romans 10:8) (Hebrews 13:8) (John 14:12)

Our churches are full of people claiming salvation, with no testimony; they are still sick, suffering, and oppressed due to bad theology and traditions of men making God's word of no effect. Yoking them to works, as if they (or we) could do enough to earn salvation. Repent.

God is rebuilding his church! I hope you are part of it. 

Let's pray

Father, Your kingdom come, Your will be done.

For the Kingdom, the power and glory are yours. 

Amen, Amen, and Amen.

Calling out the Lies of the Devil. Literally

 Good day, I hope this finds you well and blessed.  Today's topic may not sit well, but the truth is sometimes offensive. Please know that I personally am not trying to offend anyone, nor make light of anything going on in one's life.  I will not spend a lot of time with formalities this morning. As we (the church) need to wake up, step up, and tell the truth about things. So let's get started.  

Let's talk about salvation, healing, and deliverance, and how we have been deceived. I will start with a few questions. What do you believe salvation means? Do you think that God still heals? What are your thoughts on deliverance? What are your thoughts on spiritual warfare? What does it mean to be oppressed and/or possessed? I think that many people may have questions concerning these things, and I am hoping to help in some way. 

We will start with salvation, what many preach and believe, versus what the bible says. Isaiah 53 says that when Jesus was crucified and resurrected, he accomplished these things.  1) He took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows. 2) he was pierced for our transgressions and crushed for our iniquities; he bore the punishment that should have been ours so that we may have peace. 3) and by his stripes we are healed. Please note that number 3 does not leave room for question, as many believe. It concerns me that so many get stuck on that one. Now let's go back to verse 1 of Isaiah 53, "Who has believed our report and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed." I can tell you there is one who believes it, that knows it to be true, and he is the same one who doesn't want you to believe it. Since the Devil knows that salvation includes healing and deliverance, he wants nothing more than to have you believe differently. He wants you to think that salvation means you will go to heaven after suffering through life and dying. He surely does not want you to know that the kingdom of God is within you, that you are forgiven, healed, and delivered.  He does not want you to believe that salvation is for now, while you are living, because if you knew this, then you would be walking in the victory that Jesus died for.  I hope this makes sense and touches some hearts. 

I often hear people say if it is God's will, then he will heal. There again, misled. How dare I say this?  1 Timothy 2:4 says this: "who (God) desires all men to be saved and come to the knowledge of truth." Amen. Now pair that with Isaiah 53, the definition of salvation. This would make it God's will that all men be healed and delivered. It is my understanding that the Greek word for salvation is sozo. If you would like to look that up, you may find the definition interesting. 

Now what about eternal life? My bible tells me that eternal life is this: "that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent." So when we know God and his word and live by them, we are no longer ruled by a fallen world but now have a solid foundation. One could look at it this way: "We are no longer conformed to this world, but have been born again and are now citizens of a glorious land where we are ruled by God. To live by God's word is not only the "do not's", there are many things that we should do that are of great benefit to us. God brings health and healing, counsel and comfort, through his word. Of course, the Devil would want you to believe that the benefits of salvation are for after you die.

John 10:10 Does the devil not come to steal, kill, and destroy?. John 8:4 The devil is a liar, a deceiver; he can tell no truth because there is no truth in him. We, the church, have to start calling out the enemy. We have to recognize and deal with the lies of the devil for what they really are. From mental health to physical health, chaos and destruction, oppression and possessions, these are all lies of the devil, but the world we live in tells us that it knows the cause and has the cure. The world will tell us that, based on circumstances, family history, etc., these things should be expected, and as long as we conform to this world, we will most likely see these things come to fruition.

Let's look at some biblical examples of how Jesus dealt with sickness and disease. I hope you will see that everyone saved by Jesus was healed and delivered.

Mark 5: (Mental Health)

"They (Jesus and his disciples) went across the lake to the region of the Gerasenes. When Jesus got out of the boat, a man with an impure spirit came from the tombs to meet him. This man lived in the tombs, and no one could bind him anymore, not even with a chain. For he had often been chained hand and foot, but he tore the chains apart and broke the irons on his feet. No one was strong enough to subdue him. Night and day among the tombs and in the hills, he would cry out and cut himself with stones."  Self-harm, mental illness. How did Jesus deal with this: "Come out of him, you evil spirit." He did not send him to a doctor to be medicated or to counseling to talk about it. He cast that spirit out. Please note that I am not making light of any situation; I am only telling you that is how Jesus dealt with this. 

Mark 9:17-27 (Siezures)

"A man in the crowd answered, "Teacher, I brought you my son, who is possessed by a spirit that has robbed him of speech. Whenever it seizes him, it throws him to the ground. He foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth, and becomes rigid." There again, Jesus  dealt with this in this manner, "you deaf and mute spirit, come out of him and never enter him again." 

Luke 13:10-12(infirmities)

On a Sabbath, Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues, and a woman was there who had been crippled by a spirit for eighteen years. She was bent over and could not straighten up at all. When Jesus saw her, he called her forward and said to her, "Woman, you are set free from your infirmity."  Then he put his hands on her, and immediately she straightened up and praised God. 

Please also read Mark 5:21-29 (raising the dead and healing the sick)

This is the point I am trying to make. We let the Devil get away with too much; instead of calling him out, we sweep his lies and deceptions under the rug, usually calling it theology when in reality it is a doctrine of demons.  We claim that sickness and disease are normal and that the doctors and their medications will take care of them (Note: I am not against doctors, but rather the lies of the Devil). We linger in unforgiveness and then give it a name other than what it really is. We do not resist the Devil; we pamper him and make him feel at home.

The fact is that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Meaning he still does the things that he did then, today. The power and authority of God's word is the same today as it was then. But there again, through watered-down and wrong teaching, the word of God has become of no effect in our lives. (Mark 7:13). 

In closing, I leave you with this. Every example in the New Testament of salvation is healing and deliverance. I cannot find anywhere that says differently. We, as followers of Jesus, are told to heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, and drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give. But wait, I hear a conflict rising, "but he was talking to the first disciples." Yes, he was, but are we not disciples? A disciple is a follower and student of Jesus. 

I hope that this has encouraged you as much as it has me. Much peace and love to you.

Freedom in Forgiveness

Good day. As always, I hope this finds you blessed.  

As the title states, today's topic may help you (and me) be set free; that is my prayer anyway. Please understand that these are my Bible study notes. By no means do I know everything, but I will share what I learn. So here is what I have learned about unforgiveness and how it affects our lives and it is not pretty.

Let's start the conversation with a simple truth: unforgiveness is a trap, not for the perpetrator, but for us, the ones who may be hurt or offended. This may be common knowledge for some, but I still see many suffering with this. Matthew 18:21-35 gives us a clear picture of unforgiveness and the consequences thereof. Let's read verses 32-35 "Then the master called the servant in. "You wicked servant, he said, "I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. Shouldn't you have had that mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you? In anger, his master turned him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed. This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart. This is God's word, not mine. I am not sure about you but I do not want to be turned over to the jailers to be tortured. Unfortantely this is exactly what happens, we get handed over to be tortured. Now, before you jump the gun and say something like a good God would not let that happen, we must consider our choices.

So now let's talk about forgiveness, what it is, and what it is not. The worldview of forgiveness would have us think that it is a form of condoning or accepting the act or acts of another and even considering forgiveness as a weakness. This my friend is pride based and a lie. Forgiveness means that we choose not to be bound by the offense, often it takes much courage to truly forgive instead of taking the accepted and expected worldly approach. It does not mean that we condone it but rather that we simply will not allow that action, circumstance, or situation to take a prominent position in our thoughts which can become life-altering. Are you curious as to how unforgiveness is life-altering? Let me tell you that unforgiveness is one of the tactics used by the thief to steal, kill,  and destroy. Oftentimes it drains our peace, love, and joy leaving us bitter and angry, which can be passed down to generations. I know this to be true as I lived many years quiet angry and a bit hard-hearted. But God. 

It concerns me that oftentimes, we say we forgive but in reality, we just tuck that offense away in our memory to use at a later time.  We need to make sure that when we forgive someone we truly let it go, not particularly forgetting, just not letting it have a place at our table. We don't want to be stuck in the emotions that were caused by offense. If you are saying or thinking that this is easier said than done, you would not be wrong.  But I tell you that when we forgive it has great benefits for us. Colossians 3:13 tells us this "Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. Now, let's look at how we were forgiven. Hebrews 8:12 tells us this "For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more."  I'm not sure about you, but I am so thankful for this. Let's look at the underlined section of the verse, "Will remember their sins no more." Stop here for just a minute to look at the worldly understanding versus biblical understanding.  I don't think that this means entirely forgotten, but rather that the offense, the hurt, or the anger and disappointment no longer has power over us, it no longer affects or directs our thoughts, our words, and our lives. Now, I must ask, is there something in my life that I just can't seem to let go of?  This may be something I need to pray over, asking for revelation on any hidden unforgiveness. And yes, we can have hidden unforgiveness. When we choose unforgiveness we are held in that place of offense. These feelings/emotions fill our minds and take over our lives, rooting out our peace and joy. I am not trying to criticize or condemn; I am only trying to show how unforgiveness is a trap for us, not the perpetrator.  Often, the person or persons do not realize that you hold anything against them, and sometimes, they don't care.  Now, all the while, the subject or object of our unforgiveness is out living life, unbothered and unaffected (most of the time, but not always). Please, please do not think that in any way I am belittling anything that has taken place in your life; I truly only want to help.  Unforgiveness is such a cruel trap that can have a lifelong effect on not only us but future generations. If I can get anyone to understand this, it could be life-changing.

I will end this post with this Proverbs 19:11 tells us "A man's wisdom gives him patience: it is to his glory to overlook an offense."  I would like to make a statement here, I believe that too often we look at God's word as rules that we must follow in order to get to heaven, this leaves us saying and doing the right things while in our hearts we may still be far away from relationship with God the Father. 

Please accept my apologies if this is a little jumbled up, with grammatical errors and/or typo's after all these are just bible study notes. I hope that you are blessed or encouraged by this. Much Love.

Working out our Salvation, and surrender Philippians 2:12

Salvation is a lifelong endeavor, it is not a one time thing of simply believing in God, saying the sinner's prayer, and being baptized.  There is more, so much more. I hope today's topic is well-received, helpful, and encouraging to someone.  Also, remember that these are notes to myself as I learn and grow in my own salvation, I just choose to share as I learn.  

So, we have declared Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, been baptized, and perhaps joined a church. We are saved and on our way to heaven after we die. Amen and hallelujah. Now what? Is this all there is? NO. Is there more? YES. Will my life change? YES. Will I see change? YES. These are all good questions, and today, I want to talk about growing in our salvation. Yes, we can and should grow. 

 Philippians 2:12 states, " Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling." Wait, what? Am I not saved? I proclaimed Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior and was baptized. Isn't that all I have to do to be saved? Maybe you had a moment when Jesus came into your life and your heart and cleaned the temple. Either way, this is just the beginning. 

Now, as a follower of Jesus, we will face trials and persecution but those things are opportunities to grow in our faith, trust, and salvation. Oftentimes when these things come into our lives we end up asking God why did you let this happen? and sometimes we may be angry with him or perhaps hurt. Please do not think for a minute that I am making light of any trials, I am only trying to give a point of view to perhaps change one's perspective on things.  By no means, will I tell you that it is easy, it is not. Now, back to working out our salvation.

If you were to ask me the steps to working out our salvation it would be this. Relationship, knowledge, surrender, and application.  First and foremost, we must build a relationship with God our Father. I am not talking about how we run to him when things are not going well, but we spend time with him daily, just like we would a spouse or a child,  We need to give him a place in our lives, making him our first love. I am not saying that we no longer love family and friends, I am saying that when we give him first place our love will only grow for those around us. This may require a shift in our discipline, just like we train ourselves to get up every day and go to work or school, we have to train ourselves to do this. 

Next would be knowledge. Hosea 4:6 tells us this "My people perish for lack of knowledge." I don't know about you but I don't care anything about perishing. So how do we combat and correct a lack of knowledge? 2 Timothy 2:15 Study to show oneself approved unto God, a workman that need not be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. We must study the word of God, be it alone or in a group setting. While studying, if you come to something you do not understand, you can ask for wisdom and understanding. James 1:5.  This in itself is so very important, we can and should ask for wisdom, not only when studying but when faced with any and all trials, big, small, or seemingly insignificant.  Bring God and his word into the situation, do not try to resolve things through your own knowledge, and then, when things get worse or go south blame God. 1 Corinthians 3:18-19 tells us that we are deceived if we think we are wise by the standards of this age and the world we live in. Sure we may come up with some "brilliant" plan to resolve situations and it may look good to us, but at the end of the day, it is all foolishness if God is not part of the plan. 

Working out our salvation means surrendering. Not only our hearts but our thoughts. I am only recently learning that our trials are really opportunities, opportunities to fine tune our faith. Before when I was faced with trials I thought that perhaps I had done something that deserved punishment, but that is not so. When faced with trials we have a tendency to let our emotions take over, be it anger, sadness, rage, etc. When this happens our peace and joy disappear leaving us stuck in/under the control of our current emotional status brought on by the trial. It seems that any faith we may have had in God's word concerning that situation gets tossed out of the window. We should remember that righteousness and salvation are measured by our faith in God's word. 

Now let's talk about the application of God's word. This is the importance of knowing God's word through bible study and revelation. It appears that we often view the Bible as a book of rules and laws that keep us under condemnation, but seldom do we see it as an instruction manual.  Have you ever tried to put a child's toy together without an instruction manual and ended up with parts and pieces left over. How frustrating is that? So, I ask are you currently frustrated? If so, I ask have you looked in the manual, have you asked for help and guidance? Perhaps, you have found a verse or two that would be helpful in your situation and are leaning on that promise, but I ask have you moved on that promise? Have you taken any action to move toward that promise or are you waiting patiently (or not) for God to make it happen? I feel like we often think that God sees our situation and is holding out until the last minute before help is sent. We look at faith from the standpoint of mental assent rather than an action. I tell you faith requires action on our part. We can see this throughout the Old and New Testament.  Let's stop here for a minute, God does perform mighty and wondrous things on our behalf without action on our part. But as mentioned above when faced with trials we may not see that as an opportunity to grow but only as trouble. We could look at Abraham, Moses, the centurion with a sick servant, the lepers that were healed and sent to the priest, over and over again some form of action was required.  

So in closing, I say this, if you are feeling defeated consider inviting God into the situation. Ask for wisdom and guidance, and don't go it alone. Surrender those burdens to the Lord "Come to me, all you who are weary and heavy burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. (Matthew 11:28-30), Don't tie a string to those burdens where you can pull them back, hand them over and cut the string and move on. Is it not he (God) who fights for us (Exodus 14:14).  God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble (Psalm 46:1).  Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread, for it is the Lord your God that goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you (Deuteronomy 31:6-8). And the last one for today 1 Peter 5:7 cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. I hope this has blessed someone today, as it surely has me. Prayers and love always.

Worry is not prayer. A short and sweet reminder.

Worry is not prayer. Though we may think it is. I believe that some may think that to worry is being humble. That is not being humble, let's look at this:

    Matthew 6:25-34.  “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?  Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?  Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?“And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin.  Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith?  So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.  But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 

Oh, how I love this teaching. I spent so many years worrying about situations thinking that create some sort of change.  I was thinking that God would see my worries as prayers. But honestly, my worry was due to a lack of trust or faith. Needless to say, it did not help at all.  What it did do was steal any peace or joy and quite honestly made me sick. When I look back I can see just how much time was stolen by worry. So, keep in mind that worry does nothing other than steal time and make one sick, but thankful prayer changes everything. 

God did see my worry, and quite honestly he was probably shaking his head and saying "Child go to my word" for I have given you everything pertaining to life and godliness, just go. Seek me and my wisdom, trust me, and have faith. I hope that this has blessed someone, it was a great reminder for me. 

 Be blessed and have a great day. 

The thief is after our knowledge!

 Good Day, I hope this finds you well.  I know it has been a minute since I last posted and I apologize for this.

If you have read any of my Bible Study posts before, you may have noticed that I usually start with Hosea 4:6 "My people (God's people) are destroyed (or perish) for lack of knowledge." Let's look at this a bit closer with the perspective of how the thief confuses us by redefining things if not completely redefining then at least twisting it just enough to cause doubt. The Biblical definitions of Sin, Salvation, Heaven, love, and more all seem to have been hijacked, and tainted by worldly definitions. Why is this important? As I stated before, if and when we understand God's word we are a danger to Satan.  We share it and slowly start dismantling the thief's kingdom when we learn it. Today, I look at this in more detail. John 10:10 tells us that the thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy. What better way to do that than to keep us from the truth and power of God's word? He knows that if we understand God's word, he is defeated. So how does he keep us from this knowledge? One way is by confusing us with twisted and modified definitions. Another is to make us think that God's word is no longer alive and active. Mercy, I could go on and on here, but I will spare you. 

Remember this Mark 4:15 Some people are like seed along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that has been sown in them.  Believe me when I say, that too often we hear the word and believe it, and as soon as we do something will come along to cause us to question it literally stealing the thing that we just believed. The thief comes through many means, it could be religious doctrine and theology, men's traditions that have been passed down for generations, doctor's reports, and situations and/or circumstances, all of these can influence our belief in some way.  Let's talk about this.

Let's start with sin, what is it? Is it our actions? Is sin something that we can overcome ourselves?  We tend to believe that sin is our actions and it is, but our actions are merely the fruit of the true sin which is doubt, unbelief, and rebellion against God and his word, wrong thinking. Look at Genesis 3 and read how it was that mankind fell into sin. "Did God really say?" We see that the thief caused Eve to question and doubt in her mind that God had said what he said and that he meant it. Now, if you look at this correctly you will see that the sin began when she questioned God's word. All it took was an ounce of unbelief. Sin is generally taught as only our actions, leaving us struggling to change things while we may still have a bit of a wrong mindset.  Sure, we may be able to stop the act of sin, but until we change our minds we will remain in confusion, doubt, and unbelief leaving us in the same miserable place. This is the reason that we are told to change or renew our minds. I really hope that this is understood, I am not saying that our actions or behavior is not sinful, I am just trying to make the point that the root of sin is our unbelief, our doubt, and questioning and our sinful actions are the fruit of this.  This needs to be dealt with. We need to get in the Word and renew our minds, we must be born again.  I only say these things trying to show how we have been deceived in our understanding of things because if we don't have a clear understanding then we will remain defeated, waiting on death and heaven.  

Now that we have a better picture of sin let's look at Salvation, no matter what you have been told or led to believe, it is more than going to heaven after you die.  As a matter of fact, I can find no example of Jesus telling anyone to just stay stuck in the pit, due to our sinful wrong thinking, just hang in there and you will go to heaven when you die.  The examples of salvation that I see throughout the New Testament are healing and deliverance. In Matthew 9:5-8 Jesus, speaking to the Pharisees after healing a paralyzed man said this, "Why do you entertain evil thoughts in your hearts? Which is easier to say, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Get up and walk?'  I would like to add Matthew 8:13 "Go! Let it be done just as you believed it would." I only give these few examples to reinforce the above description of sin and to show that when our sins are forgiven healing and deliverance come along with that.  Are you willing to admit that perhaps we are thinking wrong?  I really could talk about this more.  The deceiver has convinced us that healing and deliverance are separate from salvation, but that is not what I see, actually, I see the opposite of that. If we looked at salvation more like being rescued we would be more likely to understand that there should be a change in your life, considering you are no longer hostage to our kidnappers.  I do hope this makes a bit of sense.

Heaven (the Kingdom of God) and when we experience it.  Luke 17:20-21 And when he was demanded of the Pharisees when the Kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The Kingdom of God cometh not with observation: neither shall they say, Look here! Or, Look, there! For, behold the kingdom of God is within you. Amen and thank you, Jesus. Also, consider reading Matthew 13.  Luke 17:20-21 tells us plainly where heaven is. Do you think heaven is within you? Or has religious theology told you something different. It seems that we have been presented with a picture of heaven somewhere far off that we can not get to until we die, and we must die, but not a physical death, we must die to self.  What is die to self, this is a little tricky but I will give it a shot. Basically, we repent which means we change our minds, from what you might ask from believing everything that we experience with our physical senses that are generally "me" focused. For me, I personally got to the point of "I can't do this anymore, I can't take anymore" basically at the end of my road.  I suppose you could say, I could no longer deal with "myself" and all of the stuff, so I gave it to God, and let it all go basically accepting what Jesus paid for on the cross. You might say I forgave myself.

These are just a few examples there are many definitions that have been twisted and I could not possibly mention them all but if you retain anything from this post let it be this, "My (God's) people are destroyed for lack of knowledge." So that when you are faced with something, perhaps you will consider approaching it from a biblical standpoint instead of a worldly one.  I pray that we understand that often we are our own worst enemies and that we have been given the power to take every thought captive and bring to the obedience of God's word. We must tend our garden keeping all of the weeds out.  I hope that this has blessed you in some way, as I have been blessed.

Please remember that these are notes that I take as I study and grow, and as I grow, these notes will surely get modified, so anything I might say should be taken to the Lord in prayer—not only my notes but any and all words that you hear, read, or think. Be blessed, be fruitful, and most of all, Give thanks to God our Father, who has a great plan for us. 

God is patient with us, a word of encouragement. 2 Peter 3:9

Good day, I hope this finds you well and blessed, highly favored. Today let's talk about the patience of God.  Have you ever heard someone say, "In God's good timing" or "If it is his will", especially regarding healing (and most other breakthroughs).  Phrases like this usually come from a religious perspective, taking any of the responsibility that should be ours and placing it in God's hands. Yes, he knows and sees all, but from the beginning, he has given us the option to choose (Deuteronomy 28,29 & 30). This would be our free will.  You see, God did not create us as puppets, that he could control, if that were the case then we would not need to have this conversation.  Our free will is a huge factor when it comes to realizing and experiencing the promises of God and salvation. So let's dive right into this.

In 2 Peter 3:8-9. " But do not forget this one thing, dear friends. With the Lord, a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like a day.  The Lord is not slow in keeping his promises, as one may understand slowness. But rather he is patient with us, not wanting anyone to perish, but that everyone come to repentance. " It is not God that is slow, by no means. We are the slow ones.  We are slow to realize that healing, peace, provision, deliverance, and so forth are sitting on the table and we have been invited to the feast. That is enough said, but we will discuss this anyway.  Now, pair this with Philippians 2:12 where Paul tells us that we are to work out our salvation. Sorry, I am getting a little off course as usual. 

Now, back to God's patience. Let's go to the Old Testament for this. You will find examples of God's patience, goodness, and mercy throughout the Old Testament. In the book of Exodus, we see God's people on a Journey. This journey should only have taken days, but they spent years trying to get to the land promised by God.  All the while, they grumbled, complained and at one point they thought that they should have stayed in Egypt (because this was easy, comfortable, and familiar). Now, all the time they spent wandering in the wilderness, God showed himself to be patient and merciful even amid their rebellion.  They had become frustrated, and doubtful. They had let physical experience overtake the high places in their minds, their thoughts. But still, for 40 years, God took care of them, patiently waiting for them to return their thoughts, and their minds back to him. And yes, at one point God sent snakes, and disease on them, this was after they built a golden calf to worship because they had given up hope while "waiting" on God. There is too much to talk about when it comes to the book of Exodus for one post, but I look at Exodus as a picture of life before Jesus, the old man. I don't know about you, but I am so thankful that the God I serve is a patient, loving father. Hallelujah and amen. Giving God all the praise. 

The journey begins upon accepting God's word as truth.  It is a journey of letting go of all of the previous mindsets, traditions, habits, and rituals. This journey will take us out of our comfort zone, requiring us to rethink many of the things that we once considered to be true. One could call it a journey of consideration, where we begin to compare our thoughts and actions to the word of God. I am not saying that it is always easy as some things will be easier to let go of than others, but that is ok because he knows how we were created. This is the process of mind renewal,  some of it God does, but we also have a part to play.

We can find examples of God's patience all through the bible. I pray that you are encouraged by this and if you are doubtful, then please study it out for yourself. It is often our perception of things that keeps us just short of the goodness of God. It may be a good idea to take a close look at how you see things, it could make all the difference. As always, I hope this has blessed and encouraged you. 

More verses on God's patience

Exodus 34:6-8

Romans 2:4

1 Peter 2:21     1 Peter 3:20

2 Peter 3:9

Nehemiah 9:30

Psalm 103:8

Jonah 4:2

LynnTFbyGrace@yahoo.com

Kingdom Life: Phillipians 2:12 Salvation and Surrender

Today's subject, again, is Salvation (being saved) and the part we play. Bonus: the word saved (resued) gets its origin from the Greek word SOZO. From what I can find, the definition of SOZO is to save a suffering one (from perishing). For example, one suffers from disease. It means to make well, heal, and restore health. So let's dive into this.

As I grow as a Christian it has become apparent that not all who believe in Jesus as Lord and Saviour have experienced the benefits of salvation. Maybe, it is because salvation (being saved) from a biblical perspective, is presented to us as only securing a home in heaven, therefore leaving us stuck in the same condition(s) as before we believed. This may be due to wrong teachings, no teaching, misinterpretations, circumstances, and situations. If we review the above definition of SOZO ( saved) it does not mention that this is something we have to wait for.  The reason for this is that salvation is for now, while you are alive, look at it as being rescued. Believe me, Satan does not want you to know this. He is the thief and has all intentions of keeping us in the condition of the world, our previous condition before being saved, and out of God’s kingdom. Think of it this way, if you were stuck on a train track with an oncoming train and someone plucked you from the tracks and saved (rescued) you, would you not reap the benefits of that immediately? Would you live and not die? Would you rejoice and be thankful? or would you go back to the tracks and wait for the next train? I'm just saying, it seems that too often we believe in Jesus, but do not expect the benefits of salvation until we physically die. Do we think he suffered and died just to leave us in the same dreadful condition that he found us in?  I think not. Anyway, let's continue on to the part we play in our salvation.

Are you familiar with Philippians 2:12 where we are told that we must work out our own salvation?  What does this mean? Does this mean that we save ourselves? No, definitely not, but we do have a part to play.  Yes, Jesus paid the price in full,  the ransom to set us free from the things that hold us hostage. I ask, is there anything that you can find in your life that may be holding you hostage, stealing your peace and joy? Perhaps it is fear, unforgiveness, hurt feelings, sickness, loneliness, depression, anxiety, etc. These things are not related to the abundant life Jesus paid for. In John 10:10 we are told that the thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy: but I (Jesus) have come so that they might have life, and have it more abundantly.  I don't know about you but I can't stand a thief and when I think about all of the years that I spent held hostage by wrong thinking and putting hope and faith in things that were not worthy, I get a bit angry. I have good news, we do not have to live a life being held captive by a fallen world, we can be saved and rescued from these captives and live the abundant life that Jesus has come to give us. A life of peace, with a firm foundation. 

So how do we work out and grow in our salvation? In Matthew 11:28-30 we are told "Come to me all who are weary and heavy burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." The part we play in our salvation is surrender, letting go of all the wrong thinking and worldly ways. We can take all of our burdens, things that steal our peace and joy, and lay them at his feet.  The more things that we can let go of and hand over to Jesus the more peace and joy we will have. This includes sickness and disease. Now, I am not saying this is the easiest thing to do, it takes work, because those things have become familiar to us. Sometimes we hold onto those things for a very long time.  We are so easily misled by symptoms, doctors' reports, news, and social media (you know all of the things in this world).  They all present to us information which we then turn into expectations that turn us away from God and cause us to turn our eyes to the world.  No matter what the burden is, we can take it to Jesus. 

In closing, we need to be willing to let the finished works of Jesus work in our lives, let the old man die, and be willing to renew our minds, and graciously accept our new identity. The identity of someone who has been rescued and saved.  I hope this has blessed and encouraged someone today. Keep fighting the good fight and strive for the salvation that was bought at a high price. Live like you are saved. 

Kingdom Life-(part 2) Power and Authority!

 In my last post (Kingdom Life) I talked about several things, one of them, not being conformed to this world and the other being the choice we have between life and death. Today we will continue studying these things along with the power and authority that we have been given.

As always, I will start with Hosea 4:6 "My people perish from lack of knowledge" and Romans 10:14 "How can they believe in one of whom they have never heard  And how can they hear unless someone proclaims him. And who will go to tell them unless he is sent?

So, as I said above this is a continuation of my last post. I am hoping to pick up where I left off. We often hear about the power and authority, the power of God's word, but it seems that we lack when it comes to teaching the application of said power and authority (God's word). We see in Luke 10:19 that Jesus has given to the 70 disciples "Behold, I have given you authority and power to trample upon serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of  the enemy, and nothing in any way shall harm you." Not only did he give that power and authority to the 70, but to us also. This power and authority is found all throughout God's word.  It is in our thoughts, our words, and our hearts. Deuteronomy 30:14 "But the word is very near you, in your mouth and your mind and in your heart so that you can do it." Unfortunately, we seem to discount his word when it comes to the world we currently live in, putting more faith in man, careers, etc., than we do in God.  We have let the value of  God's word be pushed to the back of our minds, almost like it has passed away like it was only effective then and not now. This leaves us at the mercy of the fallen world. We believe in God and in Heaven but are waiting to die to receive all that he has provided for us. Well, guess what, God's word is still alive and active and the same yesterday, today, and forever, Amen.  It is based on the same unchanging principles, that my friend, is unshakeable, unchanged. So today, let's talk about this.

Let's start in 2 Corinthians 10:3-6 Paul is addressing the church of Corinth reminding or teaching them that "Though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does.  The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds (our wrong thinking.) We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ (God's word.) And we will be ready to punish every act of disobedience, once your obedience is complete." This my friend, is the battle.  Our weapons of defense are how we think, and what we do with our thoughts when we are confronted with the worldly lies of the devil. This is so important to learn, I can tell you that for many years I lived in the same condition as the world.  I simply had no clue that we were supposed to be in control of our thoughts. Yes, I spent much of my youth in "church", No, this was never talked about.  How is it that we do this, by knowing exactly what God's word is concerning all things of life? Not just a few things, but all things.  This takes a relationship with God, the relationship is built through seeking and study. Unfortunately, I believe many have the notion that God is so far away that we will see the promises and goodness of God after we die.  That he is so far away that a relationship is impossible. If you refer back to Deuteronomy 30 and look at verses 12-13 you will see that God is always near, just waiting for us to turn our trust and faith back to him.  To turn our backs on the fallen world. Sorry, I think I am getting a little too wordy here.  The point I am trying to make is that we can choose what we think about, do we choose life and blessings or sin and death.  Yes, I said sin.  Throughout the bible our wrong, misguided thinking is considered wicked and evil (this is where sin takes root), because our focus and love is on the world and its things, not on our creator. I really hope this makes sense.  

Strongholds, it is more than addictions to drugs, alcohol, and such. A stronghold can be our mindset, our thoughts, and strong opinions that we may not be willing to let go of. We need to understand that our personality is really a reflection of our mindsets, whether good or bad, our actions and reactions are a clear image. I really do hope that this is making some sense.  There again, I am getting away from my goal here. Our power and authority start in our thinking and our words. Basically, if we think like the world, then we will produce worldly fruit, fear, anger, aggression, anxiety, depression, sickness, and confusion. If we think on the word of God, then we will produce the fruit of the Holy Spirit, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23.) I don't know about any of you, but I personally was soul-tired from all of the worldly things, the normal things of the world.  The world will tell you that it is normal to feel all of the negative emotions and will suggest many solutions, but they are generally short-lived, simply masking the root of the issue.  

As always, it is my hope and prayer that this helps. I hope that you are blessed. 

Much Love

Throughfaithbygrace.com

Kingdom Life!

As always, I hope this finds you blessed, in good health, and at peace. I am spending little time with formals today, as today’s subject is important. So, let’s dive straight into the thick of it.

Hosea 4:6 tells us “My (God’s) people perish for lack of knowledge.” With that said, I ask, Are you perishing? Let's talk about this. 

Do you feel like life is a constant battle, a struggle as if everything always works against you? Do you find yourself feeling anxious, fearful, stressed out, or depressed? Do you worry about all of the “what ifs” of life? If you do, please know that you are not alone.  Unfortunately, this is the expected normal condition of our world. We (or at least many) are born into this mindset. We have been conformed to a fallen world, thinking that there is no other option, but I have good news, there is an option. One with a solid and unshakable foundation. Speaking from my own experience, I did not know this for the majority of my life, I attended a denominational church that preached the Kingdom of God will only be experienced after death, that God was far away and always angry, just waiting on us to make a mistake so he could pour out his wrath on us. This left me in a place of struggle, always praying for change, praying for God to come down from heaven and intervene, and praying that things would work according to my plan. I had not been taught, for whatever reason, that God had already provided everything needed and that the Kingdom of God was not far away, therefore I kept looking to the world to satisfy my needs.  I have learned and continue to learn that the Kingdom of God is for now(Matthew 6:9-13), that God is not sitting in the heavens waiting to pour out his wrath (Psalm 145:8).  Anyway, enough about that. Let's look at some biblical teachings that I am hoping will help.

Let's start with Romans 12:2 which tells us that we are not to be conformed to this world. Now why would Paul tell the church this? What else would we be conformed to?  The thing is that our thoughts, behavior, and reactions are shaped and formed by the normal traditional ways and expectations of the physical world we live in, whether good, bad, or ugly. Leaving us depending on a broken world filled with confusion and instability for peace, joy, and provision when none can be found. Sure the world tells you that it can give you these things and you may see small short-lived times of peace between the battles. But there is only one place where an everlasting peace can be found: in God's presence.  Now don't go thinking I have fallen and bumped my head, because, yes, we can live in this world and be in the presence of God.  So, I ask, are you tired of raging storms, and never-ending battles?  Then hopefully this will help.   

Now let's look at Deuteronomy 28 (please read) where we are told about blessings for obedience to God's word and curses when we don’t. Let's pause here for a minute and talk about obedience.  I think we often think we are obedient to God when we strictly follow the 10 commandments, and maybe some of the religious laws, I believe we have been taught that to do these things we prove ourselves worthy in the eyes of God. I am not discounting or belittling following the 10 Commandments, I am just saying there is much more to obedience.  Things that are in God's word, that maybe we just glance over.  It is important to know that God's word is our armor, shield, and protection. I think it would be safe to say, that everyone would prefer to be blessed rather than cursed. If you move on to Deuteronomy 30 you will see that we are offered life and prosperity or death and destruction. Unfortunately, not everyone is aware that we can choose. Now, we need to understand the choices.  To choose life, would be when we accept the word of God as living and truthful, meaning that we use God's word to judge the things of this world. If we do not know God's word, then we are defenseless against all of the things the world throws our way. I would love to spend more time on this, but that would require a book and a bestseller has been written already. 

Before we go much further we need to understand that when the bible refers to life and death, it is on a spiritual level. Also, understand that to prosper does not always refer to financial prosperity, though it definitely has a place. Spiritual death is when we go through life without giving God thought and consideration in our daily lives, when we completely ignore his power and strength leaving us confused, defeated, fearful, angry, anxious, and so on and so forth. Spiritual life is when we rely on and trust in God, giving our thoughts, attention, and expectations to his word. Daily we are faced with this choice, in every situation we must choose what we believe and how we react. So I ask are we going to choose life and blessing or curses and death.  It comes down to the word of the world versus the word of God. We have to choose which one we accept as truth.    

Ask yourself these questions.  Am I living life to its fullest, or am I just living from one problem to the next? Is my soul at rest with comfort and peace, or do I only see negative things that cause disruption and turmoil?  This is generally what we call human nature or our personality, but did you know that these things are all related to the curse we are born into. Now, I am not trying to condemn anyone.  I am simply giving you the information that hopefully will prick your heart and create a desire to learn more about God's word.

I will wrap this up for now with these verses.  Proverbs 23:7 As one thinks in his heart, so he is. What we think about, and what we focus our attention on and base our expectations on is the difference.  If we focus on worldly things, we will produce the fruit of the world.  Or we can choose to think on the word of God, as told in Philippians 4:4-8 "Rejoice in the Lord always, I will say it again: Rejoice!" Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your request to God.  And the peace of God which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable-if anything is excellent or praiseworthy-think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me put into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.  

Finally, please note that we produce the fruit of our thoughts.  Our thoughts are so very important, and we can choose our thoughts and our reactions, we just have to realize that we do have a choice. If we only see the negative things, then that is what we produce.  As always, there is so much more to discuss on this topic, but like I mentioned before, that would require a book, and there is already a best seller, that covers it very thoroughly. 

Watch for future post that will cover more on this topic.

Be Blessed, Love to all. Feel free to leave comments, questions, or prayer requests.  

Throughfaithbygrace.com

 

No Trespassing! Guard your heart!

Proverbs 4:23:

Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.

When you think of trespassing, what comes to mind? Perhaps you think of uninvited people who enter your home, encroaching on your personal space, crossing lines that have been put into place to identify what is yours. Today we will talk about personal boundaries and just how important they are. The world we live in is fast-paced and busy. Often we find ourselves exhausted both mentally and physically. This can leave our hearts in a vulnerable condition, letting our guard down and getting lured into the schemes of the world. Our thoughts and hearts can stray into dangerous areas that do not profit us in any way. But, I have good news, we don't have to fall subject to the world, with all of its agendas and lies all designed to keep us in a constant state of fear and worry. So let's talk about building boundaries and guarding our hearts. Yes, we have to build those boundaries, but do not worry God has given us the tools, we just need to use them.

Let's start with the fundamentals:

Romans 3:4

........ Let God be true and all men be liars. This is not optional when it comes to safeguarding our hearts. So which one is true? God or man? Oftentimes we are faced with circumstances that work to convince us that God's word must not be true. Physical symptoms, doctor's reports or national headlines. These things can be very persuasive, but we must stand against all of those things knowing that God's word is true and the final authority.   

Next, Romans 12:12 tells us "Do not be conformed to this world........." Wait, what? Now this statement will leave an unknowing world, a world that walks by sight, scratching its head. What is it that separates us, sets us apart. In 1 Peter 2:9 we get a better picture, "But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of the darkness into his marvelous light." We can also look at 2 Corinthians 5:6-7 "Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. We live by faith, not by sight."

Now, you may be asking, how do I walk by faith, putting aside the things I see and feel?

Psalm 119:9-16. "How can I keep my way pure? By living according to your word. "I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands. I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you. Praise be to you, O Lord; teach me your decrees. With my lips, I recount all the laws from your mouth. I rejoice in following your statutes as one rejoices in great riches. I meditate on your precepts and consider your ways. I delight in your decrees. I will not neglect your word." Amen and praise the Lord.

Let's put this in a list:

1) Live according to God's word. Knowing God's word is essential. I am concerned that we may just glance over parts of God's word viewing them as irrelevant to today's world. Never considering that those could be the word(s) that we need. So when you are reading God's word and come across something you do not understand or see relevant, ask Him. This is how we build a relationship with the Father.

2)Seek him with all of your heart. We must seek him with a genuine desire. Driven to know him and his ways.

3)Hide his word in your heart. Our words reflect our thoughts and what is in our hearts, and we know that our words are powerful. Meditate on God’s word. After all, were we not created in the image of the one who spoke life into existence?

4) With my lips I recount all the laws that come from your mouth. We must learn to speak his words to the mountains in front of us, not the words that agree with what we see. When we speak his words that contradict the things we see, then we are walking by faith, not by sight. Our words bring us into agreement, it could be with God or the world.

These things bring us to a point of rejoicing in the fact that we have a savior, a father that we can trust to guide us and provide us with all the things we need. As always it is my prayer that these notes help, bless, and encourage.

Salvation

 Salvation is for now.

Just a short reminder.

Isaiah 5:13 tells us, Therefore my people are gone into captivity because they have no knowledge

and their honorable men are famished and their multitude dried up with thirst. 

Then in Hosea 4:6 My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge because they have rejected

knowledge.

So let’s look at the definition of  SALVATION (Merriam Webster) as preservation from destruction or failure; b · deliverance from danger or difficulty.  It seems

that we have possibly misunderstood the word salvation, narrowing it down to life after death, with no

benefits while we are living. But I disagree, salvation is so that we may live in the present, in this foreign

land, an abundant life.  This abundant life does not specifically mean money, it means, health, healing, and

freedom from the worries of this world. It means that we have a greater one that goes before us, with his

sword and shield.  I am not saying that there will not be challenges, I am saying that we have wonderful

counsel in those challenging times. Let me present an example that may help us to understand what I am

saying. Let’s say you are enjoying a nice summer day, perhaps at the beach, and you notice someone has

fallen into the water, they are struggling to keep their head above water, and you throw them a lifeline.

After you have thrown them a lifeline, do you just leave them in the water struggling to stay afloat and

carry on about your business leaving them there to rescue themselves, or do you pull them to safety so they

can live? Don’t get me wrong, eternity with God the Father is the goal but I am afraid that we often forget

or overlook the current and present benefits of salvation. The fact is that salvation does not leave us where

it found us. Salvation does not leave us frantically struggling to keep our heads above water. Salvation leads

us to a better place.  

How did we lose sight of this, did someone preach to us a different gospel?

  

Unfortunately, the subtle serpent, the ruler of this world has blinded us, causing us to believe that salvation

is only referring to where we will spend eternity. Keeping us captives of the lies of this world. Of course, this

is his goal, to keep us blind so that we fall into the pits and traps that he has so cunningly laid out, causing

us to live life in a constant struggle.  I would like to present a question.  Do you think that Jesus died on the

cross only for us to go to heaven after we die?  Really think about this question.  That said, I can see why

many “Christians”  that believe in God, still live as captives and slaves.

We have become convinced that if we say the sinner’s prayer, that is simply enough. We just sit back and

wait on our life to change, while we continue to follow along with the world never considering that we need to

build a relationship, based on thanksgiving for the things we have been rescued from. Sure we may join a

church, and we may follow the rules, but it seems that we forget to seek the Saviour as a father and friend. 

Leaving us with traditions, routines, and work that will not get us far.  In a sense, this only brings us more

bondage, because work without a relationship is “me” based.  This is a religious spirit. This will be a subject

for a different day.  I am not saying that good works are a bad thing, nor am I saying that we should not do

good works,  I am simply saying that we can not attain salvation through those works.  Salvation is a gift, it

is freedom from a fallen world, freeing us from corruption and wrong thinking.  Salvation desires and requires

a relationship with the Savior. This is the gospel, the good news. Jesus died on the cross so that we no

longer have to live a life guided and molded by the world, his resurrection is the most precious and valuable

lifeline we can have.  Remember this (John 10:10) NIV The thief (subtle serpent) comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life,

and have it to the full.  

I am sure some of the religious are going to bring up one thing, I hear it often John 16:33 ……In this world,

you will have trouble…….. Let’s now look at this verse from a different lens, let’s start with the sentence

in the middle of the verse, “In this world, you will have trouble.” But I have told you these things, so that

in me you may have peace.  Take heart, I have overcome the world.  I will most likely have a post on this

in the near future. 

I pray that you have found this helpful in some way, I pray that God the Father blesses you.