Tag: Word of God

Living Under the Divine Authority of the Word of God

Mark 1:22
The people were amazed at his teaching, for he taught with real authority–quite unlike the teachers of religious law.

The Jews were astonished at the great truths that Jesus was teaching. The nature and importance of what He was teaching was unlike anything that they had ever heard. The teaching of Jesus was distinctly different from the teaching of the Scribes, who relied so heavily on traditions. The manner in which He taught was also different. He taught with such grace, such gravity and such majesty. His teaching was rich in evidence and power. He taught as if He had the authority to do so and needed to rely on no one else for the basis of His teaching. He taught independent of all men, all tradition and the religiosity that preceded Him. He taught fully dependent on His Father in heaven.

What made Jesus’ teaching distinctly different from the teachers of the law was that He taught and lived under the absolute authority of Almighty God. Everything that Jesus did was based on the truth in God’s Word. No wonder he stood out from teachers of the law who based their teaching on every other form of authority. Some sought their authority based on the things that they had reasoned through their own logic. Some sought their authority based on the traditions that history had revealed to them. Some sought their authority based on the trending ethics and morals of their culture. Some even sought their authority based on their emotion. It is no wonder that the people were able to recognize the brilliance of Jesus’ teaching.

Although we may never be teachers, we must decide under what authority that we will make our daily life decisions. Shall we make our life decisions based on our own reasoning? Shall we make our decisions based on what traditions teach us? Shall we make our life decisions based on what is trending in our culture? Shall we make our life decisions based on how we feel? If we follow any of these false forms of authority, we will open ourselves up to short-term regrets and eternal risks.

Let us make all of our life decisions under the only real authority. Let us build and sustain our lives based on the absolute authority of God’s Holy Word.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for sending us the Truth, Your Son, Jesus. We thank You for the amazing and life-changing doctrine that He delivered to us with divine authority. We praise You for inspiring the authors of the Books of the Bible so that we might have the Good News of the Gospel for presentation throughout the ages. We pray, Lord, that our lives will be living testimonies to the way, the truth and the life that Your Son secured for us on the Cross. May the world around us be drawn to Your Son, Jesus, as they see us living under the divine authority of Your Holy Word. We ask all these things in the name of the Witness to the People, Jesus Christ.

The Joy Found Through Spiritual Discernment

1 Corinthians 2:14
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.

Check out the news. The foolishness of carnal men and women rejecting the things of the Spirit of God are rampant in our society. Carnal men and women look upon the things in the Bible as absurd and contrary to reason. They find the truths in God’s Holy Word to be weak and distasteful. They are quick to ridicule anything having to do with Jesus and delight in bashing anyone who stands up for their Christian beliefs.

It is easy to see why Jesus said that it was so hard for the rich man to get into heaven. In his comfort, the rich man feels no need for a Savior. The rich man finds all of his satisfaction from the things of the world. Unfortunately for the rich man, he will soon enough find out that the cravings of his flesh will never be satisfied. His flesh will always demand more than he is ultimately able to attain.

Fortunately for all of us, the Creator placed a void in our hearts that can only be completely and perfectly filled by Jesus. Nothing of the flesh can bring the satisfaction that is derived from fulfilling the spiritual need that is within us. If we will recognize the folly in our carnal ways and surrender to Jesus Christ as our Savior, we will find satisfaction far beyond anything the earth promises or can deliver. Only when we are inspired by the Holy Spirit to submit to the governance of the King of Kings, and not to the kings of the earth, will we receive the fullness of life that Almighty God planned for us.

Let us seek spiritual discernment. Let us learn how to reject the empty promises of this world. Let us flourish in our joy as we learn to live in the fullness of the indwelling spirit of Jesus Christ.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for creating a void in our hearts that only You can fill. We bless the name of Jesus who died for our sins so that we can be deemed worthy to become His disciples and live under His Lordship. We pray, Lord, for the strength and the wisdom to see the folly in the things of the earth. May we live in the fullness of Our Lord, Our Master and Our King. We ask all these things in the Precious Name of Jesus Christ.

Becoming a Repository of God’s Truth

2 Timothy 2:15
Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.

The Bible is the infallible Word of God. The Bible is a repository of God’s truth. The truth is held there for us to absorb and apply to our lives. But we have to persistently study the Word of God to find the truth. Or as the scripture indicates, we must rightly handle the word of truth. To rightly handle the word of truth requires study and hard work. It is good work but it does require industry, diligence and application.

It is work that cannot be done without the grace of God. The grace of God is extended to us as we strive to arm ourselves with the truth. His grace provides the Holy Spirit to insure our understanding of His Word and to show us how to apply it to our lives. Keenly aware of our need for His truth in our lives, Our Heavenly Father encourages us with the promise of comfort through our struggles when we seek His truth. He then delivers on His promises by comforting us as He shines divine enlightenment on our lives even when we are going through the darkest of times.

Through yet another extension of His grace, He will use us to comfort others as we have been comforted. We will find this play out in every area of our lives. When we struggle with anything, we might as well look around because there will be someone near us who is struggling with the same thing. As the Holy Spirit directs changes in our lives through the application of God’s Word, we should prepare ourselves to comfort others with what we have learned and experienced. As we receive revelation, we should be alert to passing the truth on to others in need. It is all a part of rightly handling the truth.

Let us build ourselves up through the diligent study and application of God’s Holy Word in our lives. Let us look to comfort others with the divine comfort and inspiration that we have received through our right handling of His truth.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You that Your Word is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, constantly drawing us to the way, the truth and the life that is in Your Son, Jesus. We thank You that Your Word enlightens us and comforts us in our struggles. We pray, Father, that the Word that we have received from You will be at work within us. May that good work in us pour forth, as we become founts of the Living Truth for the thirsty that surround us. We ask all these things in the name of the True Light and the Truth, Jesus Christ.

The Long Journeys of Intercessory Prayer for Salvation

Mark 2:5
And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”

As we examine God’s Word, we find that Jesus never healed anyone physically without mentioning that their sins had been forgiven. It is the will of God the Father that none shall perish. It is consistent with our position as disciples of Jesus Christ that we focus our prayers on the needs of the unsaved people who surround us. We surely may pray for their natural needs, but our responsibility as true intercessors calls us to pray first for their supernatural needs. The proper prayers of an intercessor will always focus first on salvation and then on provision, just as Jesus focused on deliverance and then healing.

As we take on our intercessory roles for salvation, we need to know that often we will be on a long journey. Jesus, who controls the timing of all things, understands that the journey can seem unbearably long to us at times. He is well aware that in our weakness we tend to give up when we see those around us losing the battle to time. Thus, in Luke 18:1, Jesus taught us “to always pray and not lose heart”. In doing so, He sought to give us confidence in knowing that all things are set and delivered according to His perfect eternal timing. And He certainly sought to emphasize that He never drops any man from His salvation plan nor should we.

Let us seek deliverance first, then healing. Let us come into agreement with the Father’s will that no man shall perish. Let us not lose heart when we find ourselves on the long journeys of intercessory prayer for salvation.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You giving us Your Son to instruct us how to pray in accordance with Your will for all men. We ask for the supernatural inspiration to pray for all the people who surround us. We pray for the fortitude to maintain our battle for their salvation even when it seems that the war is being lost. We beseech You, Father, that You would show us how to bring our prayers into alignment with the plans that You have for those that we pray for. We celebrate our roles as intercessors. May You bless us, Lord, by allowing us to see the fruit of our labors. We ask all these things in the name of the Deliver and Healer of all men, Jesus Christ.

God’s Contractual Duty to Deliver on His Promises to Us

Genesis 9:13
I have placed my rainbow in the clouds. It is the sign of my covenant with you and with all the earth.

Almighty God provided the rainbow as a sign to all living creatures that He would never flood the earth again. When we see a rainbow, we are certainly reminded of His covenant with us. But why stop with the intermittent rainbow? We can look at all of creation and be constantly reminded of the many other covenants and promises that Our Heavenly Father has set aside for us. He has so many promises of provision and protection that are ours to claim. We serve a perfectly gracious God that is bound to deliver to us the awards of His contracts with us.

Unfortunately, we spend more time seeking the good things of the earth instead of the good things that God has in store for us. While the good things we seek in life may indeed be things that any righteous person would deem good, they will fall short of satisfying us if they are not what God has in His will and plan for our lives.

The irony is that getting the good things from God is so simple. All we have to do is abide in Him and we will be given all the good things that He promises us. We need to seek the relationship first and He will provide all the things that He knows will satisfy us perfectly.

Let us become spiritual attorneys. Let us work to discover every contract that Almighty God has agreed to on our behalf. Let us strive to come into right relationship with His covenants. Let us proceed to the courts of heaven and present our claims. Let us rejoice as we learn to live in the fullness of His awards.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for the many promises that You have made to us through Your Holy Word. We praise Jesus, who made it possible for us to receive all that You have set aside for us. We humbly come before You, Father, to proclaim our desire to spend our lives seeking an intimate relationship with Your Son instead of seeking the things of this world. We pray that Your grace be with us always as we learn to choose the good things of Your kingdom over the good things of this earth. We ask all these things in the name of the fulfillment of Your covenant with us, Jesus Christ.

When the World Tries to Change Our Understanding of What is True

Psalm 119:125
I am your servant; give me discernment that I may understand your statutes.

Discernment is one of the greatest gifts that we receive from the Holy Spirit. It is surely discernment that allows us to function properly in this out-of-control world that we live in. Without discernment we cannot recognize what is true and what is false. With the enemy working overtime to make what is right appear wrong and what is wrong to appear right, we must rely on the Holy Spirit to provide the understanding that we need to make good spiritual decisions.

It is by the grace of God, and not by our experiences in life, nor in any human teaching that we are able to understand the Word of God. We have the necessary enlightenment of God’s Word through our prayers, our study of the Scriptures and the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit. It is in this manner that God allows us to discern the gradual shades of evil that are introduced into to our lives everyday by the media and the humanist agenda. We have been subjected to small doses of re-written history and contrived teaching via the media until we wake up one day and we find that we have accepted things to be true that simply are not in accordance with God’s Word.

Let us seek the Holy Spirit to provide us with the clarity of mind to know the truth in all things. Let us live by and proclaim the statutes that God’s Holy Word teaches. Let us use our Holy Spirit inspired discernment to reject the errant messages being espoused by the world.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for the gift of discernment that You provide through Your Holy Spirit. We bless the name of Jesus who has given us victory over the evil that tries to change our understanding of Your truth. We pray, Father, that Your Holy Spirit will fill us with the understanding and discernment that we need to walk according Your statutes. May we seek Your truth daily. As we serve You, may the world know us by our living testimony to Your ways. We ask all these things in the name of the Word and the Truth, Jesus Christ.

The Treasure That is Ours Through the Cross

John 16:8
And when he comes, he will convict the world of its sin and of God’s righteousness and of the coming judgment.

Jesus instructed His disciples that the Holy Spirit would come to them after He departed the earth. He let them know that the Holy Spirit would be their counselor. He taught them that the Holy Spirit would convince them of their sin and reveal to them the penalty for sin that is required by a righteous and holy God. He also let the disciples know that the Holy Spirit would be their comforter. He taught them that the Holy Spirit would be with them to show them the need for their Redeemer and the value of the gift of salvation.

We received Jesus’ teaching about the Holy Spirit in the Holy Word of God. We have been taught through the Bible of the role of the Holy Spirit in inspiring us with the promise of Almighty God to forgive our sins if we confess them before Him and repent. As we go through the process of asking for forgiveness, the Holy Spirit will remind us that the only reason that Our Heavenly Father can forgive us is because Jesus Christ died on the Cross for our sins and that had Jesus not become sin for us, Almighty God in His righteousness could not forgive our sin.

Let us praise the Lord for the work of completion that the Holy Spirit is doing in our lives. Let us celebrate anew each time that the Holy Spirit leads us to relish and savor the gift that we have been given. Let us rejoice and give thanks each time that the Holy Spirit begins a new work in our hearts so that we may fully value the treasure that is ours through the Cross.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for sending the Holy Spirit to convict us of the folly, fault and filth of our sins. We thank You for the Holy Spirit who leads us to Your Son, Jesus. We bless the name of Jesus for He is the only way that we can avoid the penalty of separation from You for all eternity because of our sins. We pray, Lord, that we will be forever mindful and eternally thankful for the Holy Spirit that You have provided to be Our Comforter and Our Counselor. We ask all these things in the name of Our Holy and Righteous Lord, Jesus Christ.

Finding Peace, Power and Strength During Times of Trouble

Isaiah 40:29
He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength.

With so much going on around us that we are troubled by, but have no control over, it is easy to become frustrated at our station in life. With so much evil in the world today, it is very easy to become despondent and depressed. But how is this so?

How is it that we do not now trust in that which has been recorded throughout history and is prepared for our understanding in God’s Holy Word? How have we missed being enlightened to the ways in which Almighty God has been forever with us when we have the experiences of good men through their own observation and the God-inspired writings of His apostles and His prophets to instruct us? How have we not learned that the Maker and Former of all things, who upholds, governs and judges all that is under His kingdom, never tires of providing for and protecting the creatures that He created for His own glory? Why do we continue with our foolish frets and fears and not find peace in the storm when the One who vanquishes all that comes against us is always with us?

We should not be surprised at our weakness or lack of understanding. God was perfectly aware that we were not capable on our own to cope with the torments of our own flesh and the attacks of the enemy. Through His immeasurable grace He sent His Holy Spirit to dwell within us. For those that He knew were weak, He provided all the strength required for victory.

Let us gather up our strength in the Lord when we are challenged by the enemy. Let us seek His might when we are being overwhelmed by the world and tormented by our own flesh. Let us rest on His promises as we claim our victories over our troubles.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for providing all that we need to overcome this world. We bless the name of Jesus who died on the cross so that we might have victory over all evil. We rejoice in knowing that Your Holy Spirit is always with us to provide peace, comfort and strength through all trials. Father, we pray that our hearts and minds are put to rest with the certainty of Your presence and Your promises. May those around us be comforted by the peace that they see in our lives during times of trouble. We ask all these things in the name of our ever-present Lord, Jesus Christ.

The God Given Clarity of Mind to Know the Truth

Psalm 119:125
I am your servant; give me discernment that I may understand your statutes.

Discernment is one of the greatest gifts that we receive from the Holy Spirit. It is surely discernment that allows us to function properly in this out-of-control world that we live in. Without discernment we cannot recognize what is true and what is false. With the enemy working overtime to make what is right appear wrong and what is wrong to appear right, we must rely on the Holy Spirit to provide the understanding that we need to make good spiritual decisions.

It is by the grace of God, and not by our experiences in life, nor in any human teaching that we are able to understand the Word of God. We have the necessary enlightenment of God’s Word through our prayers, our study of the Scriptures and the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit. It is in this manner that God allows us to discern the gradual shades of evil that are introduced into to our lives everyday by the media and the gullible public.

Do not be fooled. We are all part of the gullible public. We accept our small doses of re-written history and contrived teaching via the media until we wake up one day and we find that we have accepted things to be true that simply are not in accordance with God’s Word. Lord, please provide us with the clarity of mind to know Your truths.

Let us guard against believing the supposed truths that the world is trying to deceive us into accepting as the new standards. Let us pray that we may see the truth through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and the reading of the Scriptures.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for the gift of discernment that You provide through Your Holy Spirit. We bless the name of Jesus who has given us victory over the evil that tries to change our understanding of Your truth. We pray, Father, that Your Holy Spirit will fill us with the understanding and discernment that we need to walk according Your statutes. May we seek Your truth daily. As we serve You, may the world know us by our living testimony to Your ways. We ask all these things in the name of the Word and the Truth, Jesus Christ.

Our Experiences Provide the Foundation for Us Providing Faith and Hope to Others

2 Corinthians 1:4
He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us.

God’s Holy Word teaches us that we should rejoice in our trials because they are the building blocks of character in our lives. They certainly do build character and perseverance in our lives if we turn to the Lord to get us through the challenges we face.

But beyond the character building in our trials, there is an entirely different dimension that we benefit from. We not only gain in character, but we gain more – much more. We gain life experiences that we are able to share with others who find themselves going through the same thing. God prepares us to be comforters for others in their time of need.

Our past experiences give us the foundation for offering faith and hope. It is our obligation to make suitable returns for what we received by comforting others. It is our duty to join them in prayer, praise and thanksgiving as we seek a good end to their trials and ours through Jesus Christ.

Let us turn to our model, our suffering King, Jesus Christ as we face the trials of life. Let us grasp our cup of trembling with the same resolve and confident hope that Jesus did as He faced the Cross. Let us learn to rejoice in the face of suffering for we are being prepared to comfort others in their suffering.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for the consolations and comfort that we find when we turn to Your Son, Jesus, in our times of need. We bless the name of Jesus for the abundance of all of the fruits of His sufferings that are poured out in a greater amount than our own suffering, providing us relief from our distress and trouble. Lord, we pray that You build our faith and hope through our trials, so that we may be comforters for those in our lives who are going through their own trials. May it all be for the glory of Jesus. We ask all these things in the name of the One who suffered all on our behalf, Jesus Christ.