Thursday, July 31, 2008

To See God, Look At Jesus

Do you want to know God? Get acquainted with Jesus through the
pages of the Bible.

JOHN 12:44-45 NKJ
44 . . .Jesus. . .said, "He who believes in Me, believes not in
Me but in Him who sent Me.
45 "And he who sees Me sees Him who sent Me.

JOHN 14:7-10 NKJ
7 "If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also;
and from now on you know Him and have seen Him."
8 Philip said to Him, "Lord, show us the Father, and it is
sufficient for us."
9 Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you so long, and yet you
have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the
Father; so how can you say, `Show us the Father'?
10 "Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father
in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own
authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works.

Why am I stressing this point? It's simple. Most people think
highly of Jesus of Nazareth. After all, there is not anything
to fault with Him. But when it comes to God, most people blame
Him for a lot of bad stuff.

The truth is: looking at Jesus gives you a perfectly clear
picture of what the invisible God is like. Any other picture is
a lie and a distortion.

SAY THIS: God is like Jesus, and I find no fault in Him.

Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Jesus Perfectly Pleased The Father

God not only approved of everything Jesus did -- He was very
pleased with everything Jesus did.

JOHN 8:29 NKJ
29 "And He who sent Me is with Me. The Father has not left Me
alone, for I always do those things that please Him."

Why is it important for us to look at this?

Many people are unclear what God's will is in many areas. There
is much confusion over what many call "acts of God" which bring
destruction. But if we understand that Jesus always did God's
will perfectly, and that God was thrilled with everything Jesus
did, then we can examine what Jesus did and see what God's will
is.

Did Jesus ever make anyone sick -- even to teach them
something? Did Jesus ever tell anyone it was not the will of
God for them to be healed? Did Jesus ever tell anyone that God
would not love them and help them? Did Jesus ever destroy
anyone's property or steal it from them? Did Jesus ever kill
anyone's family member?

No. Never. Jesus did what was pleasing to God. Those things are
still not pleasing to God, and He should not be blamed for
them.

Is God pleased when people are helped? Is God pleased when
people are healed and delivered from bondage? Is God pleased
when people's needs are met? Is God pleased when people have
their sins forgiven? Is God pleased when people know that God
loves them?

Yes. Those are the things Jesus did, and He perfectly pleased
God.

SAY THIS: God is pleased when people are helped like Jesus
helped them.

Tuesday, July 29, 2008

God Is Like Jesus

If you want to know what the unseen Almighty God is like --
look at Jesus Christ in the pages of the New Testament.

Everything Jesus said and everything Jesus did was the exact
will of God -- and perfectly revealed God to us.

JOHN 1:18 TEV
18 No one has ever seen God. The only Son, who is the same as
God and is at the Father's side, he has made him known.

COLOSSIANS 2:9 Phillips
9 Yet it is in him that God gives a full and complete
expression of himself in bodily form.

Don't be satisfied listening to what someone else believes God
is like -- read the New Testament and see for yourself. Watch
Jesus of Nazareth in action and know that everything He did
perfectly pleased the Father God and perfectly revealed the
Father God.

JOHN 14:7-9,11 NKJ
7 "If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also;
and from now on you know Him and have seen Him."
8 Philip said to Him, "Lord, show us the Father, and it is
sufficient for us."
9 Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you so long, and yet you
have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the
Father; so how can you say, `Show us the Father'?
11 "Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or
else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves.

JOHN 12:44-45 NKJ
44 . . .Jesus. . .said, "He who believes in Me, believes not in
Me but in Him who sent Me.
45 "And he who sees Me sees Him who sent Me.

SAY THIS: Jesus fully and completely reveals God to me.

Monday, July 28, 2008

Jesus Revealed God To Us

2 CORINTHIANS 4:4 ICB
4 The devil who rules this world has blinded the minds of those
who do not believe. They cannot see the light of the Good News
-- the Good News about the glory of Christ, who is exactly like
God.

What is God like?

Before Jesus of Nazareth came on the scene, the human concept
of God was a bit fuzzy. (It still is for those who have not
understood this truth.)

But Jesus perfectly revealed to us what God is like. He was
(and is) Heaven's perfect representative.

COLOSSIANS 1:15 ICB
15 No one has seen God, but Jesus is exactly like him. Christ
ranks higher than all the things that have been made.

COLOSSIANS 1:15 WEY
15 Christ is the visible representation of the invisible God,
the Firstborn and Lord of all creation.

HEBREWS 1:3 WEY
3 He brightly reflects God's glory and is the exact
representation of His being, and upholds the universe by His
all-powerful word. After securing man's purification from sin
He took His seat at the right hand of the Majesty on high,

The scriptures above should have made it clear that God is like
Jesus. Now let's look at a verse summarizing the life of Jesus
on earth.

ACTS 10:38 NKJ
38 "how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and
with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were
oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.

Notice that Jesus went about DOING GOOD -- not doing bad. Not
hurting people, but helping people. That is what God is like.

SAY THIS: God is good and likes to help people.

Sunday, July 27, 2008

You Are A Citizen of Heaven

PHILIPPIANS 3:20 NRSV
20 But our citizenship is in heaven, and it is from there that
we are expecting a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.

As a believer in Jesus Christ, you have a new citizenship. Your
name is written in Heaven. Heaven is your homeland.

Because you are its citizen, Heaven is responsible for you. If
necessary, Heaven will send its soldiers (angels) to assist
you, and when necessary, to evacuate you.

Although we live on earth, we operate under the laws of our
homeland, Heaven, as well as the laws of earth.

As a citizen you have certain rights and obligations. To
understand them you need to read the Bible with the help of
illumination by the Holy Spirit. You need to ask the Lord to
teach you and give you understanding of these things.

COLOSSIANS 1:13 NRSV
13 He has rescued us from the power of darkness and transferred
us into the kingdom of his beloved Son,

As believers, we are no longer under the authority or control
of the devil. We have been transferred into a new kingdom.

One of our rights as citizens of Heaven is to resist the devil
and all his works. Anything that is of the devil, we do not
have to submit to.

SAY THIS: I am a citizen of Heaven. Jesus is my Lord and King!

Saturday, July 26, 2008

How God's Word Will Make You Free

John 8:31-32 NRSV
31 Then Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, "If you
continue in my word, you are truly my disciples;
32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you
free."

Notice carefully what Jesus actually said. It is not those who
"start in the word" or "try the word for awhile" who will be
made free. You must continue in Jesus' message -- His Word. It
must be His accurate message -- not just someone's idea of it,
or tradition.

Some translations use the word "abide" instead of "continue."
Abide means to stay somewhere continually. Either way, the
meaning involves staying with it.

Note that Jesus said in verse 32, "and you will KNOW the truth
. . ." Just hearing the truth does not necessarily make you
free. You must KNOW that it is the truth. When you KNOW
something, you will act on it. If you are not acting on
something, you do not yet truly KNOW it. You act on what you
know.

Hearing the truth is not enough. Loving the truth is not
enough. Even speaking the truth is not enough. You must
continue until you know that you know that you know that you
know. Only then are you at the point where truth will make you
free. The reason is that only then will you be able to act with
faith and boldness on God's Word.

The devil is against you and is intent on keeping you in
bondage. Only when you KNOW where you stand will you act in
faith and overcome the strategies of the devil.

You may ask, "How can I KNOW the truth? I just have weak
faith."

Jesus gave the answer: continue in His Word. As you continue in
the Word of God you will become convinced -- you will know --
you will have faith. When you reach the point of knowing
something -- you will act on that knowledge. In this way the
truth will make you free.

This works in every area of life: your relationships, your
health, your finances -- everything. Continue in the Word of
God in any subject -- and you will eventually see the fruit of
freedom in that area of your life.

God gave you His Word for your benefit -- not for His benefit.
He already knows the truth, and always acts on it. You are the
one who needs help. Because God loves you, He gave you His
Word.

SAY THIS: I will continue in the message of Jesus Christ. As I
do I will know the truth. As I act on that truth it will make
me free.

Friday, July 25, 2008

God's Word Will Make You Free

John 8:31-32 NRSV
31 Then Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, "If you
continue in my word, you are truly my disciples;
32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you
free."

Many people think God's Word will put them into bondage. (I
used to think that.) Like most of the world's ideas, this is
opposite to the truth.

A major reason people go their own way instead of turning to
Jesus Christ is because they think following Him and His Word
will restrict them and keep them from enjoying life. What a
deception!

The only way to know true freedom in this life is found through
the Word of God: the Bible.

Also notice that the "truth" Jesus refers to is found in His
Word. Just knowing any "truth" does not guarantee freedom.

If you desire freedom, you now know the guaranteed formula to
achieve it. Will you follow the directions?

SAY THIS: I will continue in the message of Jesus Christ. As I
do I will know the truth. As I act on that truth it will make
me free.

Thursday, July 24, 2008

How Much Does God Love You?

Only God can answer this question. Fortunately, we have a
book available where we can find out what God thinks: the
Bible.

(What a wonderful thought that is! We can read and know what
GOD thinks! Don't let yourself be robbed of this great
privilege by being too busy.)

PSALM 103:13 NIV
13 As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has
compassion on those who fear him;

One way we can begin to get an inkling of God's love for us is
to know what it is like to have our own children. Psalm 103:13
tells us that the same deep feelings a parent has for their
child, are also present in God toward us. The word in this
verse means much more than "compassion." It is a very deep
feeling -- hard to express in words. This is what God feels for
you!

(You may wonder why. I may wonder why God would feel that way
about you or me. All I can say is: parents can be pretty silly
over their children! I have seen some I didn't think were too
special, but the parents sure thought they were special!)

Another way we can judge how much God loves us is by what He
was willing to go through to redeem us and have us in His
family. A lot!

We are familiar with John 3:16, but often being familiar with
something keeps us from grasping it as fully and clearly as we
should. Think about it: God so loved the dirty, rotten,
rebellious world of people -- even those who hated Him -- that
He decided to suffer the punishment that justice demanded so
they could go free.

God loves you -- no matter who you are -- no matter what you
have done. He loves you more than you can imagine or
understand.

God loves you more than He loves Himself. That is proven by the
fact that He put your interest and your feelings ahead of His
own, choosing to suffer so you could go free.

How can anyone not love and worship such a Being as our
wonderful God?

SAY THIS: God loves me. God loves me. God loves me.

Wednesday, July 23, 2008

God Is Not Guilty

JOB 40:8 LB
8 Are you going to discredit my justice and condemn me so that
you can say you are right?

Many are quick to blame God for all the bad things in their
life and in the world. "After all, God is ultimately
responsible, isn't He?"

Is a parent responsible for the choices their grown children
make? Certainly, they had influence in raising their children.
But ultimately, each human makes their own choices and we are
each responsible for our own actions. We cannot blame our
parents -- our spouse -- or anyone else. If we choose to do
wrong, it is our choice.

People are guilty. The devil is guilty. Not God.

"But what about storms, earthquakes, and such?"

Jesus rebuked the storm in Luke 8:24. Are we to believe that
Jesus was rebuking something that God was responsible for?

Although it is not clear now to most people, one day it will be
clear to all: God is not guilty of anything. The devil and
people shoulder the blame for all the heartache, misery, and
pain on earth.

JEREMIAH 9:24 NIV
24 but let him who boasts boast about this: that he understands
and knows me, that I am the LORD, who exercises kindness,
justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight,"
declares the LORD.

SAY THIS: I repent of ever blaming God for any wrongdoing. God
is not guilty.

Tuesday, July 22, 2008

Words Bring Success

JOSHUA 1:8 NKJ
8 "This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but
you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to
do according to all that is written in it. For then you will
make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.

God's Word never changes. What God promised would work for
Joshua will work for you, also. The problem with most of us is
that we are just too busy to put God's Word first like we
should. But we are not too busy to work trying to get ahead.
Explain that.

God never lies. Follow His instructions given above and you
WILL have prosperity and good success. Maybe not in 10 minutes.
Maybe not even for 10 years. But you will. God promises it.

Notice that Joshua 1:8 does not just say to think about God's
Word. No -- the Word must continually be in your mouth! Words!

1 PETER 3:10 NKJ
10 For "He who would love life and see good days, let him
refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips from speaking guile;

Speaking and thinking in line with God's Word will cause you to
prosper and succeed. If you would like to see good days, the
Bible admonishes you to watch your words!

Never confess defeat. Confessing Jesus as Lord of every
situation brings glory to God.

SAY THIS: I will keep God's Word in my thoughts and in my
mouth. Then I will have good success in life.

Monday, July 21, 2008

The Difference Between Jesus and The Devil

John 10:10 NIV
10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have
come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

There is a stark contrast between the Lord Jesus Christ and the
devil.

Jesus is for you. He loves you and desires the best for you. He
loves you even more than He loves Himself. He proved it by
dying in your place. His desire is for you to have life in its
fullness -- life as God planned it to be -- both now and for
all eternity.

The devil is the opposite of Jesus. The devil is against you
and is always trying to steal from you, kill you, and destroy
everything that is good. The devil is selfish and does not care
about you or anyone else but himself.

Can you trust the devil? Yes . . . to be the devil. You can
depend on him lying and trying to always deceive you. The
purpose of this deception is always to draw you away from God
and His Word because that is your only source of help and
deliverance from the devil's strategies -- which are stealing,
killing, and destroying.

Can you trust Jesus? The answer should be obvious. Anyone who
cares for you enough to die in your place, suffering for you,
so you won't have to suffer, is trustworthy. Jesus promised to
never forsake you. He will never quit loving you and trying to
help you.

The trouble is, too many people hinder Jesus from helping them.
They believe and follow what the devil says, and turn away from
Jesus and the Word of God.

You need to invite and welcome Jesus Christ into your life --
in every area. He wants to help you, but will not force His
help on you. If you don't -- the devil may get into those areas
of your life and wreak havoc.

SAY THIS: God is a good God and the devil is a bad devil.

Sunday, July 20, 2008

You Are Righteous In Christ

ROMANS 5:1,9 YLT
1 Having been declared righteous, then, by faith, we have peace
toward God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
9 much more, then, having been declared righteous now in his
blood, we shall be saved through him from the wrath;

Not much preaching has been done telling believers they are
righteous. But the Bible clearly teaches it. It becomes even
clearer when you realize that often the same word that is
translated "righteous or made righteous" is instead translated
"just or justified."

(The Bible is full of rich truths, but they are not always on
the surface. It can take a little digging and study to realize
the riches available to you.)

"But I thought the Bible said there is no one righteous,"
someone may say.

Yes, it does say that in Romans 3:10, but it is quoting an Old
Testament passage to prove that both Jews and Gentiles were
guilty before God and needed salvation. It immediately goes on
to say in the next few verses (see below) that now we can be
righteous through faith in Jesus Christ.

ROMANS 3:21-22 NKJ
21 But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is
revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets,
22 even the righteousness of God which is through faith in
Jesus Christ to all and on all who believe. For there is no
difference;

ROMANS 3:24 YLT
24 being declared righteous freely by His grace through the
redemption that is in Christ Jesus,

SAY THIS: Because of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, I am
righteous before God.

Saturday, July 19, 2008

The Gift of Righteousness

ROMANS 5:17 NIV
17 For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned
through that one man, how much more will those who receive
God's abundant provision of grace and of the gift of
righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ.

The New Testament reveals the good news that God offers
righteousness as a free gift to everyone who receives the Lord
Jesus Christ.

Righteousness means right-wise-ness, or being right. So
righteousness is right standing, or good standing with God.

Righteousness is a GIFT from God -- not something you can earn
or achieve. God simply declares that you are innocent, as far
as He is concerned, because you believe in Jesus.

You are righteous if Jesus is your Lord. In fact, Jesus is your
righteousness. So, you are really as righteous as God is --
because He IS your righteousness. As a believer in Jesus, you
will never be more righteous -- no matter what you do.

1 CORINTHIANS 1:30 NIV
30 It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has
become for us wisdom from God-- that is, our righteousness,
holiness and redemption.

SAY THIS: I receive the gift of right standing with God through
my Lord Jesus Christ. Thank You Father God for this wonderful
gift.

Friday, July 18, 2008

Words Will Judge You

MATTHEW 12:36-37 NKJ
36 "But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak,
they will give account of it in the day of judgment.
37 "For by your words you will be justified, and by your words
you will be condemned."

ROMANS 10:9-10 NKJ
9 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and
believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead,
you will be saved.
10 For with the heart one believes to righteousness, and with
the mouth confession is made to salvation.

The reason we are taking time to look at the importance of
words is because most believers have neglected this area of
studying what the Bible teaches. So we need to spend extra time
on this subject.

Looking at Matthew 12:36-37 we see that according to Jesus our
words will play a big part in judging us. You may wonder why
that is the case, instead of just being judged by our actions.
Because words precede actions. What you say indicates what you
are thinking -- what is in your heart -- and all action is
dictated by what is inside us.

Also, notice in Romans 10:9 the important part given to
confessing the Lord Jesus in salvation. It is not enough to
just believe in our heart -- we must also confess with our
mouth that Jesus is Lord. (Confess means to speak in agreement
with. In this case we are agreeing with what God has said, that
Jesus is Lord.) This is the way faith works in every area. You
must combine believing in your heart and speaking with your
mouth.

This is not restricted to some future time of judgment. It is
working right now. Today "with the mouth confession is made
unto salvation (which means deliverance)." If you are in
bondage today, you can change it by the words you speak.

I did not say, "Just speak a word and you will be free." This
involves a change in what you believe in your heart. It
involves changing what is coming out of your mouth all day --
not just for a few minutes when you decide to "speak the Word."
But you have to start and now is the best time to get started.

SAY THIS: Lord, please help me to get started, and keep on,
speaking in agreement with Your Word.

Thursday, July 17, 2008

Hold Fast Your Confession

HEBREWS 3:1; 4:14 NKJ
1 Therefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling,
consider the Apostle and High Priest of our confession, Christ
Jesus,
14 Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed
through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our
confession.

HEBREWS 10:23 NKJ
23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without
wavering, for He who promised is faithful.

Your confession is what you say. You should persistently
continue speaking in faith, agreeing with what God has said,
regardless of circumstances. If it never seemed like it was not
working, there would be no need to hold fast, or hang on, to a
confession of faith.

Some people are surprised when they act on God's Word and it
does not immediately come to pass. But there is abundant
evidence in Scripture showing that is normal. God never
promised that everything would happen instantly. The time
period involved gives us opportunity to walk in faith and
please God.

Remember that authority is released through words. When we
speak in DIS-agreement with what God says, we are giving
authority in that area of our lives to our enemy. This is why
Scripture tells us to struggle (if necessary) to keep speaking
in agreement with God's Word.

Why does the Bible tell us to "hold fast" -- or you might say
"hang on tight" or "hang on for dear life." Obviously,
something or someone is trying hard to get us to turn loose.
Who or what do you think that is?

SAY THIS: With God's help, I will keep speaking in agreement
with the Word of God, no matter what the circumstances may say.

Wednesday, July 16, 2008

What You Say Is What You Get

MARK 11:23 NKJ
23 "For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain,
`Be removed and be cast into the sea,' and does not doubt in
his heart, but believes that those things he says will come to
pass, he will have whatever he says.

Jesus said that you will have whatever you say -- dependent on
believing and not doubting. Think of that. What you say
determines what you get in life. It did for the children of
Israel. And the Bible says the things which happened to them
are lessons for us.

NUMBERS 14:28 NKJ
28 "Say to them, `As I live,' says the Lord, `just as you have
spoken in My hearing, so I will do to you:

PROVERBS 6:2 NKJ
2 you are snared by the words of your own mouth; you are taken
by the words of your mouth.

Words can get you in trouble. And words can deliver you (see
Revelation 12:11 and Romans 10:10). Words control your destiny.

All of us face trouble in life and it can sometimes be tempting
to wonder why God does not help us sooner and in greater
measure. While there is much that we don't understand, we must,
on the basis of what Jesus said, realize we are responsible for
what happens because of the words we have spoken.

SAY THIS: Jesus said I will have whatever I say if I believe
it.

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

Life Can Be Tough

JOHN 16:33 ICB
33 "I told you these things so that you can have peace in me.
In this world you will have trouble. But be brave! I have
defeated the world!"

Jesus never promised us that everything would be perfect here
on earth. He recognized that we would encounter trouble. But
His instructions were to be of good cheer -- not to let it get
us down.

As we encounter difficulties in life, it will help us to
remember the big picture. First, God is our Father and has a
wonderful eternal plan for us. We are His children and He loves
us. Second, this time is but a training period for our future
life with God. We are supposed to be learning to trust God and
to obey Him.

So, every problem we ever face is an opportunity to walk in
faith and please God. Every problem is an opportunity to
overcome with God's help. How can we expect to receive the
blessings promised to the overcomer if we never have anything
to overcome?

What is the answer when we seem overwhelmed with trouble? Look
to Jesus. He has already won the victory. He has overcome and
defeated the world. In Him is victory.

You may ask how you can look to Jesus. It is mostly a matter of
focus -- what you choose to think on. What God says in His Word
will set you free and give you peace. What the circumstances
say is not the final word.

So, go to God's Word. Cling to the promises. Speak them. Sing
them. Shout them. Rejoice over them. And thank God for them.

Also, you need to develop a closer relationship with the Lord.
That is His desire and it should be yours. All relationships
are based on communication, so you must talk to the Lord to
deepen your relationship with Him. Develop the habit of talking
with Him about everything. You can speak freely to Him -- after
all He knows what you are thinking anyway.

SAY THIS: No matter what I face, the Lord is with me, and I can
overcome because Jesus already won the victory.

Monday, July 14, 2008

They Laughed Jesus To Scorn

MATTHEW 9:24 KJV
24 He said unto them, Give place: for the maid is not dead, but
sleepeth. And they laughed him to scorn.

Do others think you are crazy for being a follower of Jesus? Do
they think you are too extreme for believing the Bible
literally? Well, don't feel lonely. Jesus faced the same type
of problems. As we see in Matthew 9:24, sometimes people
derided Jesus. They did not just laugh at Him -- they laughed
Him to scorn. They made a big deal out of it.

It is the same today. When we believe what Jesus said, there
may be times when others think we are crazy. They may laugh at
us. They may even mock us for believing God's Word. That is
nothing new. But why should you let it affect you?

Often we are too concerned about what other people think. After
all, they are not our Judge. Nor are they our Provider. But God
is, and we should care what He thinks. That was the stance that
Jesus took.

We must remember that we are not in a popularity contest. Yes,
to some people the message we have to share will be received
with gladness and thankfulness. I am sure the parents of the
girl Jesus raised from the dead -- after He was laughed to
scorn -- were glad. But to others we are often not understood.

That really is the root of the problem. People are in darkness.
They do not understand what is really happening. They don't
understand there is a spiritual side of life. They do not
understand that the words we speak are important and carry
authority. They do not understand that with faith in God,
nothing is impossible. And people generally mistrust what they
do not understand.

So we must walk in love and be patient with people, knowing
that they are in darkness -- but someday they will see the
light. If we continue to walk in the light ourselves, we can be
the means of God's light beginning to shine into their lives
and bring understanding.

SAY THIS: I choose to believe the Word of God regardless of
what other people think. I am a believer, not a doubter.

Sunday, July 13, 2008

God Gives You Ability To Get Rich

DEUTERONOMY 8:18 ICB
8 But remember the Lord your God! It is he who gives you the
power to become rich. He keeps the agreement he promised to
your ancestors. So it is today.

I don't want to be critical, but so many preach, using this
verse, that God wants to prosper people for one sole purpose:
to give the money to God so He can afford to proclaim the
Gospel to all the world. But I just don't buy it.

I do believe God desires His people to be givers. And clearly
we should proclaim the Gospel to everyone. Being selfish is the
worst thing you can do. And usually the biggest enjoyment you
can get from something is to give it away to someone who is
thrilled with it.

But surely God is not waiting around till we get enough money
to finance Him. And surely God is not worse than normal earthly
parents. What earthly parent would give their children toys on
Christmas, then tell them the ONLY reason they were given those
gifts is so they could give them away to the neighbor kids?

I already said selfishness is wrong. If you are not a giver,
you are not in God's will. But God does not give you things
only for the purpose of giving them all to someone else.

Deuteronomy 8:18 is simple: it says God is the One making you
rich, and He is doing it because He said He would -- not
because we deserve it!

I especially like:

1 TIMOTHY 6:17 NKJ
17 Command those who are rich in this present age not to be
haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living
God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy.

God is not the kind of being who will make you just barely
scrape by -- He gives us RICHLY all things to ENJOY. God gives
to us because He enjoys it and because He keeps His word!

SAY THIS: I trust in the living God, Who gives me richly all
things to enjoy. He gives me the power to prosper because He
said He would.

Saturday, July 12, 2008

The Holy Spirit Is Your Helper 2

JOHN 15:26 NKJ
26 "But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from
the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father,
He will testify of Me.

Never forget that the Holy Spirit's desire and purpose is to
help you -- not to hinder you.

Also, remember that the Holy Spirit is a person, and should be
treated with the utmost respect.

Here are some ways the Holy Spirit desires to help you, and
will help you when you allow Him to.

Teaches Us All Things

JOHN 14:26 NKJ
26 "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send
in My name, He will teach you all things . . . .

Tells Us Things To Come

JOHN 16:13 NKJ
13 "However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, . . . He
will tell you things to come.

Abides With Us

We are not facing life all alone -- as an orphan would. The
Holy Spirit is with us continually -- living with us. When we
need help He is never far away, but always right with us,
waiting for us to call on Him for His help.

Empowers Us To Be Witnesses

ACTS 1:8 NKJ
8 "But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come
upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in
all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth."

Brings Life And Healing To Us

ROMANS 8:11 NKJ
11 But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead
dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also
give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells
in you.

Encourages Us

ROMANS 8:16 NKJ
16 The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are
children of God,

2 CORINTHIANS 13:14 NKJ
14 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and
the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen.

SAY THIS: Thank You Holy Spirit that You are my Helper! Thank
You for helping me!

Friday, July 11, 2008

The Holy Spirit Is Your Helper

JOHN 15:26 NKJ
26 "But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from
the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father,
He will testify of Me.

The Holy Spirit's desire and purpose is to help you -- not to
hinder you.

The Holy Spirit is the third Person of the Trinity of God. It
is difficult for humans to understand how there can be only one
God, as the Scriptures teach, yet He can reveal Himself as
three persons. So do not let it be an obstacle for you.

The Holy Spirit is a person, not just a force. He should be
treated with the utmost respect and shown the utmost gratitude.

Following are a few of the ways the Holy Spirit desires to help
you, and will help you if you allow Him to.

In Prayer

ROMANS 8:26 NKJ
26 Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do
not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit
Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot
be uttered.

One weakness of humans, compared to God, is in our limited
knowledge. We do not even know what is happening on the other
side of a wall, let alone the other side of the country. We
also do not know what people are planning to do, but the Holy
Spirit knows everything. And He will help us to pray accurately
and effectively.

One way the Holy Spirit helps us in prayer is by giving us
utterance in a language for prayer which we have never learned.
Thus we can bypass our minds with their doubt and lack of
understanding of what is best, and pray according to the
perfect will of God.

Guides Us

The Holy Spirit will, if allowed, guide you in every area of
life; from the words you should speak, to the spouse you should
marry, to the investments you should make.

JOHN 16:13 NKJ
13 "However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will
guide you . . . .

SAY THIS: Thank You Holy Spirit that You are my Helper!

Thursday, July 10, 2008

God Is A Father

EPHESIANS 3:15 Amplified
15 For Whom every family in heaven and on earth is named,
[that Father] from whom all fatherhood takes it title and
derives its name.

I have included these different translations, with the notes
from the margin, to show that the Bible says that all
fatherhood derives from God. In other words, God is the
original Father. Everything good that fathers are, was in God
first. All earthly fatherhood is but a replica of what was
first in God.

EPHESIANS 3:14-15 NIV
14 For this reason I kneel before the Father,
15 from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives
its name.

NIV NOTE: Or whom all fatherhood

EPHESIANS 3:14-15 NRSV
14 For this reason I bow my knees before the Father,
15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth takes its
name.

NRSV Note: Gk fatherhood

One mission of Jesus on earth was to show us what God was like,
to reveal Him to us. Jesus introduced the concept of God as
Father. The Jews did not know God as Father because the Old
Testament does not teach it. No other religion had looked to
God as a Father. Instead God was generally thought of as a
judge at best, and often as a despicable character who could
only be trusted to let you down; someone who would play tricks
on you just for his amusement, and delight in disappointing
you.

Concepts of God haven't really changed much, have they!

But Jesus revealed to humanity that God was not like they
thought -- He was a good Father. Not someone who would do them
wrong, but someone who would take care of them with their best
interest always at heart. Someone who would love them more than
they loved themselves.

How do you think of God?

SAY THIS: God, I am glad to know You are a Father. Please help
me to always remember that.

Wednesday, July 09, 2008

God Really Does Love You

1 JOHN 3:1 NIV
1 How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we
should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The
reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.

Yes, you have heard it before. No, you don't understand it yet.

Ephesians 3 mentions praying that believers would know the love
of Christ -- which is really beyond knowledge. In other words,
you need a divine revelation to understand God's love for you.

EPHESIANS 3:19 ICB
19 Christ's love is greater than any person can ever know. But
I pray that you will be able to know that love. Then you can be
filled with the fullness of God.

Yes, you know that Jesus died for you, that God watches over
you, protects you and provides for you. But that does not
really give you insight into how God feels about you. He could
do all that just because He felt obligated to take care of you
because He created you.

No. That is not the whole story. God LOVES you.

"But why would God love me? I don't even love myself" you may
say. Well, pray for a divine revelation -- that is really the
only way to know.

However, for those of you who are parents, this may help give
you a little insight. Think about the love you have for your
children. Can you adequately communicate how you feel to them?
Well, our human love for our children is just a shadow of God's
love for you, as His child.

SAY THIS: Father God, please help me to understand how much you
love me.

Tuesday, July 08, 2008

God Has Already Forgiven You

2 CORINTHIANS 5:19 AMPLIFIED
19 It was God (personally present) in Christ, reconciling and
restoring the world to favor with Himself, not counting up and
holding against [men] their trespasses [but cancelling them];
and committing to us the message of reconciliation -- of the
restoration to favor.

A popular idea is that God is really mad at people and can
hardly wait to punish them for their sins.

The truth is that God has already forgiven people. Now you must
accept His forgiveness to enjoy a restored relationship with
Him.

What a shame it is that people are estranged from God and go
without His help and blessing -- simply because they think God
is against them and would have nothing to do with them.

1 JOHN 2:12 NKJ
12 I write to you, little children, because your sins are
forgiven you for His name's sake.

No matter what you have done -- God has already forgiven you!
More than forgiven -- you are loved!

Forgiving you was God's idea -- you do not have to convince
Him. You must believe God forgave you and thank Him.

Jesus Christ already paid the price for all your sins -- and
God is no longer holding any sin against you! You have been
forgiven.

SAY THIS: Thank You Father God for forgiving me! Thank You Jesus!

Monday, July 07, 2008

God Loves You

You may find it difficult to believe -- but it's true -- God
loves you. His love for you is not based on your appearance or
your performance -- but on the fact that you are His creation -
- His child.

Just as a good parent loves their children, so God loves His
children -- and even more so. You will not be able to make God
stop loving you, no matter what you do or don't do. You can
displease Him, you can disappoint Him, you can anger Him -- but
you can't make Him stop loving you.

What are the practical consequences of God loving you? First,
it means you can trust Him. No one who truly loves you will
mistreat you. Second, it means God is doing all He can to help
you and bless you.

"Then why am I not more blessed, if God wants to bless me?"
Because you must cooperate with God to receive His blessing.
That is why we need continuing instruction from the Bible -- so
we can know how to receive all that God has for us.

The promise of Jesus is that if we continue in His Word it will
reveal the truth to us and make us free. That is the blessing
which God has provided for you through Christ because He loves
you: true freedom! Freedom from fear, freedom from confusion,
freedom from lack, freedom from sickness, freedom from strife,
freedom from sin.

SAY THIS: God loves me and desires the very best for me. That
is why He gave me His Word, so I could know the truth and be
free.

Sunday, July 06, 2008

What Does God Want From Me?

HEBREWS 11:6 NKJ
6 But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who
comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder
of those who diligently seek Him.

You may be working yourself to a frazzle trying to be perfect
so you can please God.

You may have tried so hard and become so frustrated that you
are about ready to give up. Well, maybe you should quit trying
to be perfect on your own -- because none of us will ever be
perfect through our own efforts, anyway.

God knows you are human. He does not expect perfection out of
you. If you were perfect you would not even need a Saviour.

God loves you and accepts you because He made you. And He is
able to make you into what He desires for you to be -- if you
will trust Him and allow Him to work in you.

God wants you to trust Him. He wants your love and respect. He
has certainly earned it and deserves it. Don't let the devil
keep you from giving to God what He really desires: your love
and faith.

What does God desire from you? Not perfect performance -- but
total trust. God wants you to believe that He is good -- a rewarder!

SAY THIS: I trust You Lord God. Thank You for loving me. I will
rest in your love, instead of worrying about my performance.
Work your will in me.

Saturday, July 05, 2008

Forgive!

MARK 11:25-26 NKJ
25 "And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything
against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may
also forgive you your trespasses.
26 "But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in
heaven forgive your trespasses."

You must forgive others. No matter what they have done. It is
the command of God. But it was given for our benefit.

To not forgive hurts you. Refusing to forgive is like
swallowing poison daily. It will destroy you.

Jesus said we should forgive when we stand praying. So we don't
have to wait until people apologize. Nor does forgiveness
require a long time.

Forgiveness is not a feeling. It is a decision to quit holding
something against someone. When we forgive people we must
release them and forget it.

You may think it is impossible to forgive someone who has
deeply wronged you. With God it is possible. He never asks us
to do something we cannot do.

LUKE 6:35-38 NKJ
35 "But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for
nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will
be sons of the Highest. For He is kind to the unthankful and
evil.
36 "Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is
merciful.
37 "Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and
you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.
38 "Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed
down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your
bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be
measured back to you."

Whatever we measure out is what will be measured back to us. If
we want others -- including God -- to show mercy to us and
forgive us -- we must forgive and be merciful to others.

It is not enough to forgive only those people who have wronged
us a little. We must forgive everyone!

MATTHEW 18:21-22 NKJ
21 Then Peter came to Him and said, "Lord, how often shall my
brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?"
22 Jesus said to him, "I do not say to you, up to seven times,
but up to seventy times seven.

Surely Jesus was not setting a maximum limit on the number of
times we should forgive. He gave an absurdly high number so we
would realize He meant for us to forgive without limit -- just
as He forgives us.

LUKE 23:33-34 NKJ
33 And when they had come to the place called Calvary, there
they crucified Him, and the criminals, one on the right hand
and the other on the left.
34 Then Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know
what they do." And they divided His garments and cast lots.

Jesus set a perfect example of forgiveness for us when He
forgave those who mocked Him and crucified Him. But this kind
of forgiveness is certainly beyond normal human ability or
experience. It takes the power of God to do it. When we are
born again we have access to that power through the love of God
inside us.

EPHESIANS 4:32 NKJ
32 And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one
another, just as God in Christ also forgave you.

We are commanded to forgive others in the same way God has
forgiven us! Having God's help is necessary to do that.

COLOSSIANS 3:13 NKJ
13 bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if
anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave
you, so you also must do.

It is not optional. If we desire God's blessing and fellowship
-- we must forgive others as He forgave us.

SAY THIS: With God's help, I will forgive.

Friday, July 04, 2008

Be Who You Are

1 CORINTHIANS 15:10 NIV
10 But by the grace of God I am what I am....

ROMANS 12:2 Wuest, An Expanded Translation
2 And stop assuming an outward expression that does not come
from within you and is not representative of what you are in
your inner being but is patterned after this age; but change
your outward expression to one that comes from within and is
representative of your inner being, by the renewing of your
mind, resulting in your putting to the test what is the will of
God, the good and well-pleasing and complete will, and having
found that it meets specifications, place your approval upon it.

God is a brilliant Creator. He only makes originals -- not
copies. According to Ephesians 2:10, you are God's work of
art.

God made you unique. So be all that God created you to be.

Don't try to be someone else. Don't try to be an ear in the
Body of Christ, if God made you a foot. Just be yourself.

This does not mean that you cannot improve, or grow. Growth is
part of God's plan. And we can certainly learn from others, and
imitate excellent actions and attitudes.

But too many people are insecure and hope to gain acceptance
from others by conforming to what they think will make them
popular or successful -- even though they hate it and know they
are not being real.

ROMANS 12:2 Phillips
2 Don't let the world around you squeeze you into its own
mould....

Don't let the world pressure you into conforming.

Express the originality that God put within you. God made you
the way you are for a purpose -- His purpose.

This is not to encourage rebellion, of course. But it is not
God's plan for us all to be identical and do everything in the
same way.

I am not saying you have to try to be different. Just be who
God made you -- without fear.

Not everyone may like you, or what you do. But that is normal.
You can't always please everyone. Make it your aim to please
God by expressing what He made you.

ROMANS 12:2 NLT
2 Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let
God transform you into a new person by changing the way you
think. Then you will know what God wants you to do, and you
will know how good and pleasing and perfect his will really is.

The Bible reveals many truths about who we are once we receive
Jesus Christ. We actually receive new life, a new standing with
God, and new ability. As you feed the Word of God into your
thinking, that new life will be able to manifest more and
more.

SAY THIS: I am what I am by the grace of God. I will be what
God made me and fulfil His plan for me.

Thursday, July 03, 2008

Lack Of Knowledge

HOSEA 4:6a NKJ
6 My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.

People wonder why many Christians experience so much trouble in
life without ever achieving victory. The reason, according to
the Bible, is a lack of knowledge.

The Bible tells us the devil is out to destroy us, but it also
makes clear that we can overcome his attacks. The real problem
lies with our ignorance.

Real knowledge produces faith. When we really know something,
we have faith in it. Then we will act on that knowledge.

The reason God's people are destroyed by calamity is not
because God doesn't love us, or because God is not able to help
us. It is simply that we don't know the truth. If we really
knew the truth, we would act on that knowledge. Acting on true
knowledge makes you free -- it does not destroy you or put you
into bondage.

JOHN 8: 31-32 NKJ
31 Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, "If you
abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed.
32 "And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you
free."

God's Word is our instruction book. When we act on it, things
will work for us. God allows us to make choices. When we make
the right choices, we will be blessed.

Don't let the devil condemn you with this message. Instead, let
it give you hope. You can learn God's Word and act on it more
accurately in the future -- and be blessed!

SAY THIS: God gave me the knowledge in the Bible so I could
know the truth, act on it, and be blessed.

Wednesday, July 02, 2008

Honor Your Parents

EPHESIANS 6:2-3 NKJ
2 "Honor your father and mother," which is the first
commandment with promise:
3 "that it may be well with you and you may live long on the
earth."

Think about this: God himself promises that if you will honor
your parents you will have a long and blessed life.

What a promise!

So we need to learn from Scripture what God means by "honoring"
our parents, so we can do it and be blessed.

MATTHEW 15:4-6 NLT
4 For instance, God says, `Honor your father and mother,' and
`Anyone who speaks evil of father or mother must be put to
death.'"
5 But you say, `You don't need to honor your parents by caring
for their needs if you give the money to God instead.'
6 And so, by your own tradition, you nullify the direct
commandment of God.

Here we have Jesus telling one way that people are to honor
their parents: by caring for their needs.

So honoring your parents is not just speaking politely to them,
or telling others that they are great parents. If your parents
have needs, you should help them. In this way, according to
Jesus, you are showing them honor.

Here is Mark's account of the same speech:

MARK 7:10-12 NLT
10 For instance, Moses gave you this law from God: `Honor your
father and mother,' and `Anyone who speaks evil of father or
mother must be put to death.'
11 But you say it is all right for people to say to their
parents, `Sorry, I can't help you. For I have vowed to give to
God what I could have given to you.'
12 You let them disregard their needy parents.

Obviously, letting your parents go with unmet needs, when you
could meet them, is the opposite of showing them honor.

Of course, the words we speak and the attitude we have toward
our parents, also indicates how we honor them.

The word translated honor means to value or prize. God is
telling us we should value our parents highly. When you
consider something valuable you take care of it, and speak well
of it. This is how you should treat your parents -- if you
desire God's blessing.

(This is not to say we should honor parents above God and His
will. Parents should not control the lives of grown sons or
daughters. But, no matter what, our parents deserve love and
respect -- not necessarily obedience.)

SAY THIS: I will honor my parents and God will bless me.

Tuesday, July 01, 2008

Jesus Prayed

LUKE 5:16 NKJ
16 So He Himself often withdrew into the wilderness and prayed.

But why?

Jesus prayed and He is our example. If prayer was necessary for
Jesus -- how much more so for us.

JOHN 13:15 NKJ
15 "For I have given you an example. . . .

LUKE 6:12 NKJ
12 . . . He went out to the mountain to pray, and continued all
night in prayer to God.

MARK 1:35 NKJ
35 . . . a long while before daylight, He went out and departed
to a solitary place; and there He prayed.

Jesus obviously impressed His disciples with His prayer life,
and the importance of prayer. They asked Him to teach them to
pray -- the only thing recorded that they ever asked Jesus to
teach them.

LUKE 11:1 NKJ
1 And it came to pass, as He was praying in a certain place,
when He ceased, that one of His disciples said to Him, "Lord,
teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples."

SAY THIS: Jesus knows more than I do, so I will follow His
example and spend time in prayer with my Father God.