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Showing posts from May, 2017

Q&A: What Really Happened in the Garden of Eden

“Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced his perfect love.” 1 John 4:18 NLT http://bible.com/116/1jn.4.18.nlt  Perfect love expels fear. I am so sorry to say this but, you CANNOT love . What? 😡 But I'm a Christian!  This is because once you become a Christian, your former self is destroyed, and you become a new man. The Holy Spirit now uses you to perform as Him. Wherever people go, they don't see you. This mortal body was just given to you so that you could be visible on earth. A real Christian is actually seated at the right hand of God with power. Wherever you go, people see Jesus.  So, what really happened in the Garden of Eden?  We all know the story of Adam and Eve. How Eve was tempted to eat the forbidden fruit by a serpent and eventually tempted Adam to do it as well. When Satan said they could define good and evil by themselves, he kn

LOVE!

“Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.” 1 Corinthians 13:7 NLT http://bible.com/116/1co.13.7.nlt Many Christians make a big mistake when they think that after becoming a Christian, life is going to be easy. Sorry to burst your bubble, but it only gets harder. Why? What do you expect, it's like turning from being a lion to cheetah. The battle will be harder. We've got to fight a good fight if faith, and show love in all circumstances. 

Remain Holy!

““I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb. Before you were born I set you apart and appointed you as my prophet to the nations.”” Jeremiah 1:5 NLT http://bible.com/116/jer.1.5.nlt  God did it, so we act upon it. There's one thing many new-born believers get wrong when they become followers of Christ. They believe they are holy, as soon as they are saved, which true. After all:  “God has united you with Christ Jesus. For our benefit God made him to be wisdom itself. Christ made us right with God; he made us pure and holy, and he freed us from sin.” 1 Corinthians 1:30 NLT http://bible.com/116/1co.1.30.nlt Good. So what's wrong? The thing is, they believe they are holy and still continue to sin! God didn't just make you holy. He did it, and gave you the power to remain sinless and to resist sin! He told us through Peter, that we should remain holy, as God is holy.  “But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God who chose you is

Don't read the Killing letter

“The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.” Hebrews 1:3 NIV http://bible.com/111/heb.1.3.niv  The Son is the radiance of God's glory. Wow. And the Son is the sustainer of all things, and he does it through the power of His Word. His Word is all you need. Not money, not a car, not a job, not a business, not a house, but the Word. The thing is, that when people read the Word or teach It, they teach it in its letter form. And what does the Bible say about it?  “He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant—not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.” 2 Corinthians 3:6 NIV http://bible.com/111/2co.3.6.niv It is the Spirit that giveth life, and we know that it gives it to the full (the Spirit is Jesus) and from earlier lessons, we

Rely on Jesus

“Are any of you sick? You should call for the elders of the church to come and pray over you, anointing you with oil in the name of the Lord. Such a prayer offered in faith will heal the sick, and the Lord will make you well. And if you have committed any sins, you will be forgiven.” James 5:14-15 NLT http://bible.com/116/jas.5.14-15.nlt  For God to do something in your life, you've got to have faith. For example, if you want your car painted yellow, you must make an effort for it to happen, which is an example of what I mean when I say you should have faith. Asking for things from God requires belief. If you don't believe in God, you do not receive. Faith means to rely on, believe in and to cling to. Rely on Jesus! 

Why run after these?

““This is what the Lord says—the Lord who made the earth, who formed and established it, whose name is the Lord:” Jeremiah 33:2 NLT http://bible.com/116/jer.33.2.nlt  The Lord God. Someone we should revere and worship, but instead people mock Him and make fun of his name. They persecute us, unknowingly. I mean what do you expect? They are darkness, duh 🙄 ! God made the earth, formed and established it, and look at how we use the gift of freewill. To cause terror attacks, to kill, to lust, to prostitute. Why? Jesus is the only thing that can make your life safe. Why run after all these? 

Destined for Glory!

“Ephraim is joined to idols; leave him alone!” Hosea 4:17 NIV http://bible.com/111/hos.4.17.niv  What are you? Are you joined to your idols? Idolatry. This isn't just the common (even nowadays!) bowing down to bronze or silver gods and building shrines. This can also be anything you worship more than God. Your car, for example. Your iPhone, your Hive-controlled radiator. There is one thing you must never do in life: NEVER GIVE GOD A REASON FOR YOU TO FOLLOW HIM, as it has many consequences. If you are destined, for the Kingdom of God, God will make sure that nothing will distract you from completing your destiny in Christ. Before this happens though, God will give you many warnings that you're on the wrong track. Think about Jacob. He wrestled God, and He touched his hip, and it was dislocated. Forever. Jacob didn't recover from that and had to manage, but that showed him that God wanted to use him. This may a little daunting at first, but as long as you REMAIN

KEEP a PRAYER schedule!

“Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.” 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 NLT http://bible.com/116/1co.6.19-20.nlt  Listen to the voice of the Lord! If God says you are His temple, you must honour  God with your body, as well as your life. Many people call themselves Christians but put tattoos on their bodies, even when God says not to. Even if it is a Christian tattoo, you've disobeyed. Want proof?   “Do not cut your bodies for the dead, and do not mark your skin with tattoos. I am the Lord.” Leviticus 19:28 NLT http://bible.com/116/lev.19.28.nlt  God did not give any exceptions to what tattoos. Don't put them on your body! If you have, unknowingly, repent of your sin and continue walking in Spirit and Truth. God wants us to be in Spirit which means being consistent in prayer. Start a pr

Keep CALM, carry ON!

“Jesus spoke to the people once more and said, “I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.”” John 8:12 NLT http://bible.com/116/jhn.8.12.nlt  We have the light that leads to life.  Since the beginning of time, there has always been a Fight for supremacy. It's either light or darkness. Victory or defeat. We've been fighting for a long time, but the decision is left for us to decide. What do we want? Do we want lives of light? When Jesus comes in our lives, the work isn't easy. In fact, I have to say, it's harder! But who said it was going to be easy? Because we are lights, and most of this world lives in darkness, and we have just moved from darkness to light, there's obviously going to be conflict,  🙄 !  Just keep calm, and carry on in the faith, because Jesus is by your side. 

From PROUD to HUMBLE!

Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and exalt and glorify the King of heaven, because everything he does is right and all his ways are just. And those who walk in pride he is able to humble. Daniel 4:37 | NIV We all know that Nebuchadnezzar wasn't very easy to work with. In fact, he was probably the most stubborn man in the world! But God was merciful. Very merciful to him, as he could have killed the king on the spot. When Daniel and the three Hebrew boys stood up to him- they had this verse in mind:  However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace. - Acts 20:24 They considered life worthless and said: 'Even if God will not help me or not, I am still going to honour Him.' They denied themselves for Christ, and did not try to save their lives. They obeyed no matter what! Plus, it proves that what Jesus said was right:  For who

Why won't God hear me?

“The Lord is more pleased when we do what is right and just than when we offer him sacrifices.” Proverbs 21:3 NLT http://bible.com/116/pro.21.3.nlt  Doing what is right. I'm sorry to say, but we cannot do what is right as humans. We try, get enticed, and go back again to our sin. But, we don't have to try anymore. The Holy Spirit helps us to do what is right. But it is you who decides whether or not to listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit. Maybe you've been complaining about God not hearing you, how he doesn't listen. Well, there is no direct way to talk too God, and if there was one, it'd be very complicated. Let me explain about this hearing thing in this story:  There is a man and his wife living in the same house. The wife is a bit deaf. The husband has tried many times to try and get her to hear properly, but can't. He then goes to the doctor. The doctor says, stand 30-40 inches away from her and call her name. The man did so, and called her

Falling for Tricks

“But you are chosen people. You are the King’s priests. You are a holy nation. You are a nation that belongs to God alone. God chose you to tell about the wonderful things he has done. He called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.” ‭‭1 Peter‬ ‭2:9‬ ‭ICB‬‬ http://bible.com/1359/1pe.2.9.icb  We are chosen. Wow. Before, we were blind and couldn't see the Truth, but somehow, God had always loved us, even when we sinned and revelled against Him. He made us a nation that belongs to Him only, so no-one can steal us! Unless, we decide to be stolen. You may not think so, but there are many so-called Christians who lead themselves to be drawn away, with full consciousness of what they're doing. It's not Jesus who gives us away, it's US! We are to easy to entice. We just fall for the trick, especially when we are looking for something. He uses lasting enjoyment and things to entice us, but as Christians, as long as we are fortified with the Armour of God, he ca

Never Forget Who You Are

““Physical training is good, but training for godliness is much better, promising benefits in this life and in the life to come.”” 1 Timothy 4:8 NLT http://bible.com/116/1ti.4.8.nlt  Hmm. Training for godliness. And, even in this new earth for the believers, this framing brings benefits as well. How do I train for godliness? Read the Word. Pray. Allow the Spirit to work. Jesus wants us to remain pure and godly, to continue to RAP (Read the Word, Allow the Spirit to work, Pray.). Now, look at Joseph. He was destined for the throne, as God showed him in his dreams. But his life was just like a rollercoaster. But did you know that all of the trials Jospeh faced were training experiences? To test His love for God, and to teach him about people and the rollercoaster of life. He did get to the thrown, but he never forgot that God was with him. Joseph was being prepared, and not once did he forget who He was. I tell you for sure, nothing in your life happens for nothing. Joseph i

The Active Word

“Peter’s words pierced their hearts, and they said to him and to the other apostles, “Brothers, what should we do?”” Acts of the Apostles 2:37 NLT http://bible.com/116/act.2.37.nlt There's something I want to point out about the word 'pierced' in this verse. It is not the type of pierce that may happen for example, if your grandma dies. No! This piercing is a proving of Scripture: “For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires.” Hebrews 4:12 NLT http://bible.com/116/heb.4.12.nlt The bit in bold is what I want you to look at. These people who were listening to Peter's words (even though they were really the Holy Spirit's words), were pierced with the Word of God. It began to judge their hearts and expose them. They decided to see that they were dirty and change. The Word was living and active in

Light or Darkness?

He reveals deep and hidden things; he knows what lies in darkness, and light dwells with him. Daniel 2:22  |  NIV  According to Daniel 2:22, where does light dwell? In Him, the Lord. Darkness cannot penetrate light. Jesus said in John 8 that he was the light of the world, and He also said (in another verse) that we were lights too. We are meant to lead everyone to the light. Not go to a party on Sunday, when you're supposed to be in church. Let Christ lead, and for Him to lead, His commandments must be obeyed for the rewards and treasures in Heaven to be given. I mean, you wouldn't disobey your boss, especially if he says he'll give you a promotion soon. It's the same with God. You must obey Him, and let your light shine. What will it be...light or darkness? 

Delivered from Affliction, Every Time!

“Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me.” 2 Corinthians 12:9 NLT http://bible.com/116/2co.12.9.nlt The power of Christ strengthens us and sustains our Spirit, beaming powerfully especially in our weakness. There is nothing in this world we need apart from God - and His grace. His grace is why he has mercy and why there is forgiveness. But we should not purposely put God to the test! It is wrong! There are many things that are wrong, that even people who call themselves Christians disobey. For example, following the world and acting like it. We all want to be noticed, to be stars - to be on top of the web. But the thing is, we don't belong to the world, so how can we suddenly conform to be one with it? Satan is the God of this world - so if you want to have worldly success, you need to be of the world. We are the lights, and because we

Follow Him!

“If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake and for the sake of the Good News, you will save it.” Mark 8:35 NLT http://bible.com/116/mrk.8.35.nlt  Jesus is talking about the life of those who follow Him. The Good News is the message we bring to others. I've been reading Mark 4, the parable of the Sower, and we've got to make sure that we don't get chocked by the thorns.

Waging War for What I Want? Uh-uh.

"You want what you don't have, so you scheme and kill to get it. You are jealous of what others have, but you can't get it, so you fight and wage war to take it away from them. Yet you don't have what you want because you don't ask God for it." - James 4:2 NLT Whoa. This pretty much explains why, no matter how many times people try to get something by killing or scheming, they always fail. Nothing good can come from anyone else. You kill, you scheme and you conspire just to get what you want. They're are many severe consequences, just like in the case of David's act if adultery. His sin affected the rule of his kingdom, and the kingdom of his sons. Fighting and waging war is a common way that people think will get them things. It's a lie, but Satan covers the truth with a veil so they continue going blindly, fighting one another. It is expected though:  “Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe.

Maintaining the Being Sinless Ability

But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God’s grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many! - Romans 5:15 NIV  Whoa. Today I want you to go and meditate on this verse. Think through what it means. I'll give my thoughts:  Basically, this verse is talking about the death of Adam brought sin. And the gift that came from Christ destroyed sin. This means that we are sinless. But God couldn't just leave it there! So he gave us the ability to be sinless AND MAINTAIN IT! We can do this by reading His Word and obeying it, and we can also keep praying to stop Satan's attacks. And I mean commanding prayer! 

What Spirit?

The one who keeps God’s commands lives in him, and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us. 1 John 3:24 | NIV We know, according to 2 Timothy 1:7, that God has not given us a Spirit if fear. Alright then, what Spirit has God given us? Well, let's read:  “God didn’t give us a cowardly spirit but a spirit of power, love, and good judgment.” 2 Timothy 1:7 GW http://bible.com/70/2ti.1.7.gw  So, it is a Spirit of power, love and good judgement. What power has he given us? Well, the Bible says that Jesus lives in us and we are in Him. Which means we also have the power of Jesus, to heal, deliver and save others. The power in Christ is incomprehensible and is our weapon to defeat Satan. This power must be kept running; like petrol is needed for a car. Our 'petrol' is the Word and our oil is prayer. But it's not just reading the Word. It is understanding it by revelation, which you can only get through the

Satan's Tricks: Don't Fall for the Mirage!

“You come from your father, the devil, and you desire to do what your father wants you to do. The devil was a murderer from the beginning. He has never been truthful. He doesn’t know what the truth is. Whenever he tells a lie, he’s doing what comes naturally to him. He’s a liar and the father of lies.” ‭‭John‬ ‭8:44‬ ‭GW‬‬ http://bible.com/70/jhn.8.44.gw  Many people fall for Satan's lies, many without knowing. Sometimes it's even Christians who are part of the guilty party! Satan can use the things of the world to lie to us. It may not be a direct lie- but it is not the Truth. He especially uses money to lure people in, through cult or fake groups, which claim to be Christian. But nothing He gives or says is true! The Bible says in the book of James chapter 1:  “Every good present and every perfect gift comes from above, from the Father who made the sun, moon, and stars. The Father doesn’t change like the shifting shadows produced by the sun and the moon.” ‭‭J

Count it Joy!

“My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.” ‭‭James‬ ‭1:2-3‬ ‭KJV‬‬ http://bible.com/1/jas.1.2-3.kjv Remember to count it joy! 

Hold on to the Truth

And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love. - Romans 5:5 We need God's love in us as humans, as without God all things are impossible. Humans find it impossible to love each other. Our holding on to the hope of the Truth, keeps us going and keeps us alive. 

Connect to the Word!

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. - John 1:1.  To understand the Word of God, we need to know who He is. Many Scriptures tell us:  - He is the creator.  - He is Jesus (John 1 says the Word became flesh) - He is the sustainer of all life.  - He saved us by dying on the cross for our sins.  There are many, which I cannot possibly name now. Understanding the Word cannot be done with the human mind, but by His Spirit. God's Spirit sustains all of life - you couldn't walk, move or talk without Him! God's Spirit uncovers all things, reveals and speaks the Truth. we can connect with the Spirit through His Word and through prayer. Connect to the Word! 

Part 3 - Understanding the Word of God

  “Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies” (John 11:25).   Some of us don’t understand the story of Lazarus. Especially when Jesus says that Lazarus’ sickness wouldn’t end in death. But, physically, it did! But the thing is, Lazarus loved Jesus, and he believed in Him. And let’s hear what happens when you believe in Him: “For God so loved  the world that he gave  his one and only Son,  that whoever believes  in him shall not perish but have eternal life. ” (John 3:16) Did you read that? Because Lazarus believed in Jesus, he did not die! So it was true when Jesus said Lazarus was sleeping: “After he had said this, he went on to tell them, "Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going there to wake him up." (John 11:11) Understand God’s Word by revelation, and not by information. 

Part 2 - Understanding the Word of God

“I have treasured your promise in my heart so that I may not sin against you.” Psalms 119:11 GW http://bible.com/70/psa.119.11.gw  We need to be like David, and store God's promise, His Word, in our hearts NOT in our minds. There are many people who preach with information from there head. But we shouldn't be speaking from information stored in our head. God cannot use us if we are still living and working in our five senses? We cannot! We have to understand God by spirit, like I said in an earlier post. It's like a book written in Greek; you need to know Greek to read it. It's the same with the Word of God! Because God is Spirit, and He is His Word, you need to be spiritual and understand His Word by revelation.   “Obey my commands so that you may live. Follow my teachings just as you protect the pupil of your eye. Tie them on your fingers. Write them on the tablet of your heart.” Proverbs 7:2-3 GW http://bible.com/70/pro.7.2-3.gw We can only fo