Skip to main content

Posts

Showing posts from April, 2017

Keep Away from Idols

“Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen.” 1 John 5:21 KJV http://bible.us/1/1jn.5.21.kjv  This verse may seem short and simple, but this is a problem many people battle - every second of there lives. Keeping ourselves from idols is impossible. For man's ability that is! But before we explore how we can keep ourselves from idols, we need to learn WHAT and idol is. An idol is not only a bronze, gold or brass statue of an animal or person, it can also be something you love. Something you love TOO much, more than God. But it's not God who will face the consequences! You will now become a target for Satan. He will use any weak point to bring you down. And, in this case, it will be this idol. Now, the power to keep yourselves from idols is to obey God and keep yourself worshipping in Spirit and in Truth! 

Fix your Thoughts!

“And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.” ‭‭Philippians‬ ‭4:8‬ ‭NLT‬‬ http://bible.com/116/php.4.8.nlt

We can Never be Extinguished

“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it.” John 1:5 NLT http://bible.com/116/jhn.1.5.nlt  We are the light of the world. And according to this verse, we can never be extinguished. They may stand against us but they won't succeed! We always shine through the darkness! 

It's Your Duty, so Do It!

“That’s the whole story. Here now is my final conclusion: Fear God and obey his commands, for this is everyone’s duty.” Ecclesiastes 12:13 NLT http://bible.com/116/ecc.12.13.nlt  Whether you know it or not, your duty is to fear God and obey His commands. This who do not know God, even if they claim they have no sin, are sinners because they do not obey or take seriously this commandment. To fear God is not to have dread or terror - the Hebrew word for this is Pachad. No, the type of fear God wants us to have for him is Yare - to have respect, revere and acknowledge His position and power. God created you- and everything in it. He can decide to split you up in one second or destroy you for disobeying Him. But He let's you decide. Will you obey His commandments? 

You Have A Part to Play

“Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise.” Hebrews 10:23 NLT http://bible.com/116/heb.10.23.nlt  This is another Truth that founds our faith. No matter what happens, no matter what anybody says, no matter what comes we can always believe God's promises. When I come across passages in the Bible, It is good to replace an 'O Jacob' or 'O Israel' with your own name, showing that these promises are for you. God is always true to His promises- but you have a part to play as well. You must BELIEVE and not doubt! 

Grow your Faith!

“But you, dear friends, must build each other up in your most holy faith, pray in the power of the Holy Spirit, and await the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will bring you eternal life. In this way, you will keep yourselves safe in God’s love.” Jude 1:20-21 NLT http://bible.com/116/jud.1.20-21.nlt  According to this verse, what will bring us eternal life? Building our faith, praying in the Holy Ghost and awaiting the mercy of Jesus. Faith can only grow when it is on the right foundation. Mark 4 talks about the Parable of the Sower. How the seed that was sown on good soil produced plentiful harvest. Faith can only grow when it is built on the Word of God. The Bible isn't just the old leather book you see. It is the Word of God being taken to heart and being lived out. Grow your faith!

Act on Faith

“But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.” James 1:25 KJV http://bible.com/1/jas.1.25.kjv  Lots of us who say we are Christians are actually forgetful hearers. We hear God's Word and then, when the moment comes to remember it, we waver to the right or left and think 'it doesn't matter'. James is talking about a mirror: a mirror of faith. When you look, you should reflect faith, the substance of things hoped for, and act on faith! 

Continue in the Faith and Keep Strong

“Yours, O Lord, is the greatness, the power, the glory, the victory, and the majesty. Everything in the heavens and on earth is yours, O Lord, and this is your kingdom. We adore you as the one who is over all things.” 1 Chronicles 29:11 NLT http://bible.com/116/1ch.29.11.nlt  Sometimes, when we feel moany, grouchy and just fed up, we should take time to  admire God and His work and start to thank Him and NOT let any negative words flow out of our mouths. Sometimes the devil does these things to make sure we start to forget God, doubt him, speak negatively and just turn back to our old ways. The Bible says to endure, and Jesus NEVER said that trouble would not come in our lives. He said to cheer up because He has overcome the world! Have no fear, continue in the faith and keep strong! 

Understanding the Word of God

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” John 1:1 KJV http://bible.com/1/jhn.1.1.kjv What I wanted to talk about today was understanding God's Word. Many people do not understand God's Word and therefore preach it wrong! Let me give you this example:  If a book is written in Greek, will you not need to know Greek to read it? It is the same with God's Word! As He is a Spirit, you need to be spiritual to understand His Word. Being spiritual means to be prayerful, have the Holy Spirit as your guide when you read His Word. Read God's Word spiritually! 
God’s word is alive and working. It is sharper than a sword sharpened on both sides. It cuts all the way into us, where the soul and the spirit are joined. It cuts to the center of our joints and our bones. And God’s word judges the thoughts and feelings in our hearts - Hebrews 4:12

You are Sinless

Q&A: How does the bronze serpent in Exodus relate with Jesus' death and resurrection like He said it would?  "Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up," - John 3:14.  To answer this question, we must first recognise something. Jesus did not die as a carnal man but as sin. Don't believe me?  “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” 2 Corinthians 5:21 ESV http://bible.com/59/2co.5.21.esv  Jesus was made sin on the cross, and sin was the oppressor of mankind. Let's flashback to Moses: the people of Israel had disobeyed and serpents had come upon them. To cure them, God asked Moses to build a bronze serpent and put it up in a pole, and the people, if they looked, would be set free. But why use the image of the oppressor? As  sin was nailed to the cross, it was not Jesus receiving all that mocking, but sin. It was sin they were hang

Fortify Yourselves

“He will swallow up death forever; and the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces, and the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth, for the Lord has spoken.” ‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭25:8‬ ‭ESV‬‬ http://bible.com/59/isa.25.8.esv This verse talks about the coming of Jesus, the day that Christians wait for; a day of joy. All our tears will be wiped away! The Lord has already swallowed up death: through his death and resurrection. He defeated death: the main power Satan relies on to complete his mission to wipe out mankind. His only missions are to kill, steal and to destroy. None of these are good. Protection from Satan comes from God only, and we must fortify ourselves with His Word to remain strong in the Lord! 

Prayer shouldn't Be a Wishlist

Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” - Matthew 26:36 Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane. And by the way, happy Good Friday! In Matthew 26, Jesus prays. But his prayer, unlike the way we pray, was a prayer that enforced the will of God. It wasn't a 'wish list' of what he wanted and desired. It was a prayer that said: 'I submit to you, God'. Submission is not defeat. Jesus submitted, and God was able to go forth with his plan and, because Jesus was willing, mankind was saved and is the reason we're here today. When you P.R.A.Y, think about these things instead of a wish list: Praise God for what he has done in your life and the lives of those around you. Repent of any sins you have. These sins may be things you have done that are wrong or good things you should have done but didn't. Ask God to understand his will for your life. Also, ask for his will to be done in t

Don't pierce yourself with Mammon

For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs - 1 Timothy 6:10 Another warning of many about money. You see, love for money and God don't go together. It is either you serve one or the other. When you 'pierce yourself', it means you suffer great consequences for your greed. The Bible talks about having contentment instead of greed in Hebrews 13:5 because it is really God you need. He is the creator and gives everything - what do you lack (Psalm 23:1)?

Be that Walking-Talking and Readable Bible!

“For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.” ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭20:28‬ ‭NLT‬‬ http://bible.com/116/mat.20.28.nlt Jesus came to serve. Who? God. He wanted mankind to understand the He came to serve God, and was showing us, through His life, how he did this and how we can too. Jesus wants, as he gave his life, for us to give our all too in the ministry of teaching the Gospel. Your life should reflect the Bible. You should be that Bible people read, all the time! Be that Bible!

My Joy is Founded on the Lord

“Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice!” ‭‭Philippians‬ ‭4:4‬ ‭NLT‬‬ http://bible.com/116/php.4.4.nlt Sustaining as a Christian in times of trouble does not only involve perseverance but also joy. Joy is different from happiness as happiness can only happen when you are happy. Joy is when you are joyful in both the bad times and good. But how can you be happy in the bad times? Because your joy is founded on the promise of God. That is where your faith and hope is, which sustains your joy. And anything on the Word of God stands. Your joy is founded on God's Word - you know this situation is only for a while. Remember the promises of God always! 

Q&A: Is trying to follow God correct?

“So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time he will lift you up in honor.” ‭‭1 Peter‬ ‭5:6‬ ‭NLT‬‬ http://bible.com/116/1pe.5.6.nlt Have you ever been praised by people for your Christian work? If this is yes, good. But are you receiving nasty comments and persecution? If not, then this is bad. Let's see why: “What sorrow awaits you who are praised by the crowds, for their ancestors also praised false prophets.” ‭‭Luke‬ ‭6:26‬ ‭NLT‬‬ http://bible.com/116/luk.6.26.nlt Jesus warns that if we are not being tried for our faith, we do not serve God properly and lie like James says. Proper Christians are not of an evil heart, having discontentment and never learning from mistakes. Yes, God does give grace, but we need to learn from our mistakes and NOT do them again. Not TRY! Because the trying of humans has failed them when trying to follow God. We always slip when we 'try'. That is why God lives in us, to MAKE SURE we obey His Will, and

Look Into the Mirror

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” ‭‭John‬ ‭1:1‬ ‭KJV‬‬ http://bible.com/1/jhn.1.1.kjv God should be our mirror. We should daily look in to it, adjust our lifestyle and check up on our daily status. When you look into a mirror and your hair is wrong, you adjust! It's the same with the Word of God! Look into it daily and read it carefully! 

Light of Life

"Later, Jesus talked to the people again. He said, “I am the light of the world. The person who follows me will never live in darkness. He will have the light that gives life.” - John 8:12

God's love IS a biggie!

"For God so loved the world…" - John 3:16 The reason why I only chose this part of the verse is because I wanted us to focus on how large the love of God is. God's love is huger than words! Everyone says it like it's no biggie, but it really is! It is the best example of forgiveness we have. God's love is what keeps us alive! What else do you know about it?

Fear the Lord

“He grants the desires of those who fear him; he hears their cries for help and rescues them.” ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭145:19‬ ‭NLT‬‬ http://bible.com/116/psa.145.19.nlt When we fear God and walk in His paths as well as be obedient and submit to him, He will hear our cries for help. But sometimes he lets these things happen to test our faith maybe, or patience. Or sometimes it may be because of our ego of pride that we don't want to let go. God wants us to see our sin, acknowledge Him and repent as well as see the consequences. Fear the Lord.