Sunday, December 29, 2013

We have nothing in ourselves, but possess all things in Christ!

The moment you decide to completely surrender to the grace and mercy of Christ, a peace that bypasses all understanding consumes and fills you, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ, and it never leaves you!! The empty void in your heart is finally filled! There is nothing better than this gift of salvation! It will cost us everything, but considering Jesus Christ is our greatest treasure, there is no loss! The world won't understand, because the natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned (1 Corinth 2:14). 

The LORD calls His people unto repentance and turn from the wicked ways of this world. He says, "And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh" (Ezekiel 36:26). He can wipe our slates clean, and make us brand new! Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come! He says, "Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest" (Matt 11:28). For GOD says, "At just the right time, I heard you. On the day of salvation, I helped you." Indeed the "right time" is now. Today is the day of salvation!







Sunday, December 22, 2013

Oh, that you would choose life!

Our life is fleetingly short. Most of us would rather choose to passionately build our life around our own dreams that lasts temporarily, rather than abiding in the perfect will of our MIGHTY GOD. But He answered and said, "It is written: 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God" (Matt 4:4). As I walked into a local city cemetery this afternoon, I wondered how many souls of the deceased are in glorious eternity spent at the feet of the LORD JESUS CHRIST, and I wondered who is currently in torment from rejecting Him? 

Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it (Matt 7:13-14).

Man is like to vanity: his days are as a shadow that passeth away (Ps 144:4).

And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent (Acts 17:30).

He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water (John 7:38)
.

Saturday, December 21, 2013

Don't start rationalizing, overthinking it; instead, focus on Jesus!

Have you recently experienced a day, a week, or even a month that seemed like something extremely inconvenient was always happening? "Why is this happening to me," or you would probably ask yourself, "What have I done wrong?" 

The hardest part about going through a season of trials, and tests is remaining "calm" despite of adversity, especially when you're in the presence of family members, coworkers and acquaintances who don't know who Jesus Christ is. Aren't we supposed to be the great and godly examples of how a Christian lives, no matter what we face on a daily basis? How on earth are we able to remain composed, and plaster on the "I'm always at peace" pokerface expression, when we feel like we are emotionally sinking and drowning inwardly? Wouldn't that be considered to be fake in who we are, and what we say we believe in? The problem is not our reactions to life's challenges, but rather not fully surrendering to our MIGHTY GOD, and the Author and Perfecter of our faith. 

He commands us to trust in the LORD with all our heart, and lean not unto our own understanding. In all our ways, acknowledge Him, and He shall direct our paths (Proverbs 3:5-6). In other words, "don't stress, don't panic, He is still in control, and He knew this was going to happen! Don't start rationalizing, overthinking it; instead, completely focus on Jesus. He will give you further instructions, wait on Him!" 

We will always need more intimacy with GOD Himself, we will always need to study and read His Word, we will always need to pray without ceasing, and we will always need to fully surrender to His perfect will; no matter how many years we've been truly saved, or no matter how many times we've read the Bible!  

We are to (daily) present our bodies as a living sacrifice, holy, and acceptable to GOD, which is our reasonable service and be not conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of our minds, that by testing we may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect (Romans 12:1-2). By surrendering and trusting in the LORD with all of our heart, we are pleasing our Master, our Creator, our Shepherd, which is what we truly desire to do. :) 

When something totally unexpected happens, let's continue to praise our MIGHTY GOD! We will worship Him in Spirit, and in truth. We worship Him for who He is, and the amazing fact that He will always reign! "I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the LORD GOD, "who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty" (Revelation 1:8).




Friday, December 6, 2013

We are no longer slaves to sin!

According to the free dictionary, the definition of carnality is the practice of finding satisfaction in activities related to fleshly desires and appetites, especially the sexual. The definition of carnal is worldly or earthly; temporal. BECAUSE OF WHAT CHRIST HAS DONE FOR US, WE CAN SURRENDER TO HIS PERFECT WILL! THEREFORE IF ANY MAN BE IN CHRIST, HE IS A NEW CREATURE! We are no longer slaves to sin! Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness (Rom 6:16)? And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it (Luke 9:23-24).

This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would. But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God (Galatians 5:16-25). 

See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil (Eph 5:15-16).