Thursday, March 24, 2011

Faith without works is dead

God has been dealing with me about faith lately. Just believing God for him to bring that certain prayer to past. The lord showed me if I really did have faith in him, I should be walking in obedience. Faith is more than just wishing and hoping, but its takes a belief that is God is doing to do what he said. Jesus said in his word,And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive. ( Matthew 21:22) My heart is rejoicing because this is God's word. God isn't man that he should lie. ( Number 23:19 He word will come to pass and bring forth fruit in our lives. He isn't slack concerning his promise to us. The word says, " hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?" I feel like the apostles today," Lord increase our faith!" Luke 17:5.
Hebrews 11:8 By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went. The lord showed me this today, reading Abraham testimony, that he had enough faith in the spoken word of God that he obeyed God. So many of us say we have faith, but were is our obedience to what he is asking us to do! I'm praying for a specific unspoken prayer, and God told me if you want me to bring the prayer to past, I need to see your obedience. The scripture says, without faith its impossible to please God and faith without works is dead. I believe that "works" is the obedience. Without obeying God, there is no faith. You can say, all you want, " I believe", "I believe", " I believe", but your not walking in obedience. The scripture says, Abraham  in faith, went out, in obedience to God's voice, not knowing where he was going, but he had faith in God. God, help us to walk in obedience.













Friday, March 18, 2011

Monday, March 14, 2011

Where he leads I will follow...bearing my cross

The lyrics to "Where he leads" states I will follow ( Christ) through the water, the gardens, dark Calvary, judgments and then to glory". Paul was a mighty apostle/disciple of God. In his early days he persecuted the Church of Jesus Christ until he had a encounter with the living God and he was forever changed. I know sometimes when I read the word and I see all the testimonies and miracles that God worked through him and I think, "Lord, give me Paul boldness, his courage, his fire, his testimony" But His life didn't just consist of "mountain tops" with Jesus Christ. He followed Jesus through the gardens, the valley and persecutions. In 2 Corinthians 11, talks about everything that Paul suffered for the kingdom of God and everything he's encountered as Christian.
Sometimes we forget that part as Christians, ( I know I do). We want all the heavenly and miraculously experiences with Jesus, but we are hesitant to walk through the Garden of Gethsemane with him. I feel that God has been saying that to me for the last day, "Are you willing?" "Are you willing to walk with me through the Garden Gethsemane" The Garden of Gethsemane was a deep place of agony. The word of God says, that Jesus spirit was so heavy that he felled upon the ground and prayed. He said, "Father take this cup from me,but not my will, but your will be done..." He sweat was like droplets of blood, that's how heavy and burden Jesus was for the sins of the nations. He knew what the will of the father was and he willing and even in his weakness, his heart's cry was, "Not my will, but your will be done".  The Lord is saying to me personally, " I'm going to take you through some deep places while doing the work of God...Are you willing to follow me? Are you willing to take the cup, I'm giving to you? Are you willing to follow me? I don't believe God is just saying this to me, I believe that God is saying this as well to those of us who are listening to the heart of God. We all must bear our cross. ( 27And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple. Luke 14:27) We can't say we want Jesus, but yet we aren't bearing our cross, we aren't following after him through the Garden or to the cross.

Saturday, March 12, 2011

Reasonable Service

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. Romans 12:1
As Christians, we like to think that this life of Christ is extreme, difficult, or out of the ordinary. We seem to think that we are doing God a huge favor just for walking with him. In Romans, Paul says in so many words, I beg you that you give your lives as a daily sacrifice to God. Our lives should be holy, pure, set-apart, ready for God's return. Reasonable service means that, what God is calling us to is fair and sensible request. What more could we do? When God himself gave us his son Jesus Christ to die for the sins of the world. It was my sin, It was your sin, it was the world's sin that nailed him to the cross. Someone had to die, a payment was needed for the transgressions and God gave himself for us.
"13Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; 14Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works." Titus 2:13-14 That is why the standard for us as Christians is to deny ungodliness, and worldly lust and to live soberly and righteously and godly in the present world! Oh God...The scripture says, Looking for that blessed hope of the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior and Jesus Christ! Christ gave himself for us. He gave himself for me! So he can redeem you and I! What more can we do, BUT to give him our lives!! Its our reasonable service....