Blog Archives - TheNewU

WITHOUT FAITH

1/30/2024

January 30, 2024 WITHOUT FAITH

Hebrews 11:1,11:6 “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” “And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarded of those who seek Him.”
2 Corinthians 5:7 “For we walk by faith, not by sight.”

The word faith implies something other than logic and reason; faith is believing without seeing. When Jesus walked the earth, people could see Him, but only through faith could they believe He was the Son of God. Faith is not something we muster up in our own minds. Romas 10:17 tells us that ‘faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” The word of God is the solid foundation for faith. With God, faith in Him is what is paramount. Yes, we have a mind and we have reasoning abilities; however, the life we live is to be based on faith that comes as a result of believing the word of God. We likely have many questions and may not understand the preplexities of life, but even so, we must make the choice to live according to our faith that believes that God is who He says He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him. It’s a rather astonishing statement, but the verse above tells us that without faith, it is impossible to please Him. Some think that it is foolish to live by faith; they say we must be smart, use good common sense, and make logical decisions. For sure there is nothing wrong with being smart and using common sense; but our decisions and the choices we make must ultimately be made on the basis of faith. There will be times when logic calls for a particular action or response, but faith says something else that goes against logic. Sometimes logic and faint do not conflict. So, let us hear the word of God that we might have faith; then let us live by faith in our all-knowing, all-powerful God who is not limited by human wisdom and logic. We have every reason to have an abiding hope in God for all that He has in store for those who have placed their faith in Him.
1 John 5:4 “For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world-our faith.”
Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make straight your paths.”

Blessings, Buddy

January 28th, 2024

1/28/2024

January 28, 2024 KEPT IN PERFECT PEACE

Isaiah 26:3 “You will keep in perfect peace, him whose mind is steadfast, because He trust in You.”
Colossians 3;2 “Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.”
Romans 8:6, 12:2 “To set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.” “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is-His good, pleasing and perfect will.”

A commodity in short supply in our day is peace. There is a lot we could fret over today and a lot of things that would rob us of peace. Yet, in spite of the turmoil surrounding us, God says there a way for us to live in perpetual peace. He has not said that we will be exempt from trials and diffculties, but He has promised us peace in the midst of the storm. That is amazing; that even when we experience great difficulties, and even when we encounter the not so big things that would irritate us or frustrate us, we can remain in the peace of God. Again, there are things that happen that we do not like and there are trials in this life just as Jesus said there would be; but in those times, we can have our minds steadfastly set on the Lord and without reservation trust Him. When we set our minds on ‘earthly things’ (fame, fortune, material gain, status, and the like) and not on the ‘things above,’ we will not experience the peace of God. To set our minds on fleshly things is death. It is not wrong to own material possessions nor to work in order to have the financial means to meet our needs; we are to see those things as gifts from God, but not put our security in those things. The world is always drawing us to conform to the ways of the world; rather than conforming to the pattern of the world, we have the opportunity of being transformed by renewing our minds. To renew our mind is to choose to think the thoughts that are based on the ways of God and the word of God-it’s that simple. With a renewed mind, we will know and experience the blessings that God has for us, and we will experience life that fulfills our deepest longings.
Philippians 4:6-7 “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your request to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

Blessings, Buddy

January 25th, 2024

1/25/2024

January 25, 2024 NOT THE HEARERS

Romans 2:13 “for not the hearers of the Law are just before God, but the doers of the Law will be justified.”
James 1:25 “But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.
Romans 8:2 “For the law of the Spirt of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.”

Nothing is more clear in the scriptures than the fact that salvation is based on grace and not on works. However, one can elevate this truth to the point that they can downplay the importance of good works; almost to the point that it does not matter what you do. We live in a culture that puts a premium on knowledge; knowledge is certainly important, but to obtain knowledge for the sake of knowledge is an empty goal. Even as believers, we can be guilty of being content just by attending bible studies and hearing good sermons. So, it is clear that we cannot be saved by good works or by works earn God’s love and approval. It is also clear that good works are crucial in the life of the believer. So-what’s the deal with works you might ask. Because the Holy Spirit lives us, because we have been made new creations, and because we have been made righteous in Christ, we do good works because that is who we are; good works are a result of who we are as sons and daughters of God. The commands in the scriptures are not rules we must keep; the scriptures reveal the nature of God. For example, the scriptures tell us to be givers-God is a giver; we are instructed to be patient-God is patient. The verse in James encourages us to look ‘into the perfect law, the law of liberty.’ When out of our new identity we ‘do the scriptures,’ we are blessed and we are liberated from the unfulfilling self life. The same verse tells us that we are to persevere; being about good works is to be a way of life where we act on the word of God. Romans 2:13 tells us that the ‘doers of the Law will be justified.’ So, let us not be hearers only, but doers of God’s word.
John 14:15a “If you love Me, you will obey My commandments.’ (We obey Him because we love Him.)
Ephesians 2:10 “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”
Matthew 5:16 “In the same way let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”
Matthew 7:21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of My Father.”
Titus 2:14 “Who gave Himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession who are zealous for good works.”
(To reemphasize: we are saved by grace, not by good works. But good works are a fruit of being saved.)

Blessings, Buddy

PERFECTING HOLINESS

1/22/2024

January 22, 2024 PERFECTING HOLINESS

2 Corinthians 7:1 “Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.”

The Holy Spirit in us is the power and the presence of God. An important truth that we must not miss is that we have a part to play in living out the gospel; we must work with Him as He works in us. God does not desire a family of robots; He desires a people who have their hearts turned to Him, a people who respond to His drawing and His invitation to come to Him, and because He is holy, He desires a holy people. The Holy Spirit is always drawing us to the Father and He is always desiring that we live in a way that is pleasing to God-and He is equipping and empowering us to do just that. In simple terms, this verse is telling us to discard anything about our life that is unlike God. We are instructed to cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit. If we are doing things in the flesh that are ungodly, we must lay those things aside. We can also have a spirit about us that is not pleasing to the Lord-such as being impatient, angry, ill-tempered, lazy, and etc. If we are sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit, He will bring to our attention anything contrary to the ways of God. God may also use other people and circumstances to show us certain aspects about us that we need to lay aside. The Holy Spirit is not about condemning us, and neither should we condemn ourselves. The Spirit shows us, draws us, and empowers us to live in a way pleasing to the Lord. There will be times that we need to make adjustments in our lives-laying aside what we need to, and putting on what is like God. We are not yet fully perfected; but we are to be about perfecting holiness-about living as children of a holy God. It is a reality check; instead of waiting for God to zap us into holiness, we are to be about cleansing ourselves! Of course, we can cleanse ourselves only because the Spirt enables us to do so. We are to be cleansing ourselves ‘in the fear of God.’ Yes, we should have a fear of God-but a healthy fear of God. After all, we are accountable for how we live as His sons and daughters. Because God loves us and cares for us, and has given us great promises, let it be our deepest hearts desire to live according to His ways. Amazingly, He enables us, who live in flesh and bone, to live holy lives, pleasing to Him in all we do.
1 Peter 1:14-16 “As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lust which were yours in your ignorance, but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; because it is written, ‘You shall be holy, for I am holy.”’
1 John 4:17 By this, love is perfected with us, that we may have confidence in the day of judgement; because as He is, so also are we in this world.”
Blessings, Buddy

THE WORK OF THE HOLY SPIRIT IN US

1/20/2024

January 20, 2024 THE WORK OF THE HOLY SPIRIT IN US

John 14:16, 16:13a “And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, to be with you forever.” “When the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all truth,”
Galatians 5:22-23 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.”
Romans 8:14, 5:3-5 “For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.” “Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts though the Holy Spirt who has been given to us.”

God gives us the Holy Spirit for a reason. Above are just a few verses that gives us insight on the work of the Holy Spirt who lives in us. Certainly, all the books in the world could never exhaust the subject of the Holy Spirit and how He works in the lives of believers. In these few sentences, let us be reminded that the Holy Spirt was given for specific reasons, and also be challenged to see if we can see evidence of His work in us. It is possible for a believer to ignore, or grieve the Spirt of God; He does not force Himself on us. However, may you and I not be guilty of that. What a blessing that God has given us the Holy Spirit as a Helper. God knows that we need help! We cannot live this Christian life without the Holy Spirit being our Helper. A most important way that the Holy Spirit helps us is by guiding us into all truth. Our enemy’s primary weapon that He attempts to use against us is that of presenting lies to us. Because the word of God is truth, we must have our perceptions and our thought life based on the word of God. Rather being led by our own dictates, we must be led by the Spirit of God; the Holy Spirit will lead us. When we are lead by the Holy Spirt, the Spirit will produce certain fruits and characteristics in us-see Galatians above. Through the sufferings in life, the Spirit produces endurance, character, and hope-that is why we can rejoice in our sufferings. One of the greatest works of the Holy Spirit is that through Him, the love of God has been poured into our hearts. Here is the big question for us-and the main point of this blog. Are we yielded to the Holy Spirit and are we conscience of His work in us, and are we experiencing the fruit of the Spirit as listed in Galatians 5:22-23. This is not meant to condemn us, but to encourage us to live according to the Spirit, and not according to the flesh-or anything outside of God. We have an all-sufficient Helper with us all the time.
Romans 8:9 “You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of God does not belong to Him.”

Blessings, Buddy

PLEASANT PLACES

1/18/2024

January 18, 2024 PLEASANT PLACES

Psalm 16:5-8 “The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely i have a delightful inheritance. I will praise the Lord, who counsels me; even at night my heart instructs me. I have set the Lord always before me. Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure, because You will not abandon me to the grave, nor will You let your Holy One see decay. You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.”

The Old Covenant is primarily about God dealing with His people in the natural; what God did in the natural under the Old Covenant is a picture of the spiritual in the New Covenant. The application of the first verse above is that our life in Christ is indeed a ’pleasant place,’ and our ‘boundary lines’ refers to the fact that He encompasses all of our lives. All we do should be within His realm and under His lordship. ‘Being in Christ’ is not just semantics or a discussion reserved for theologians; being in Christ and Christ being in us is the cornerstone of the New Testament. As believers, we have been joined to Christ; He is our life; we have died to our life. (It is possible for believers to revert back to living according to their flesh; to walk according to the flesh instead of walking according to the Spirit.) The mystery is that when we die to our lives and experience Christ as our life, we truly live to the fullest and our deepest longings are fulfilled. The psalmist states that he has a ‘delightful inheritance.’ Being in Christ does not mean that we will be exempt from difficulties in this life; it does mean that He will strengthen us and comfort us in the trials. We tend to focus on the here and now-and that is understandable; however, the inheritance that is ours should capture our hearts. What Christ has reserved for us is beyond our imagination. This is a crude illustration: but if one is homeless and without any resources, gets notification that in 30 days he will be receiving an inheritance for a million dollars, sleeping under the bridge will be no problem whatsoever. We live in the here and now, but let us not lose focus on what God has for each of His children. As you read the New Testament, it is evident that the believers were looking forward to the inheritance that was theirs in the Lord-even when they were experiencing great trials. God is with us; He counsels us; He instructs us; and we will not be shaken. Because we are in pleasant places in Christ, we have a glad heart and we rejoice. He will never abandon us. He makes known to us the path of life; and in His presence we are filled with joy! So, no matter our circumstances, let us turn pour hearts and minds to all that God has in store for those who know Him.
2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold; all things have become new.”
Blessings, Buddy

WALKING WORTHY

1/15/2024

January 15, 2024 WALKING WORTHY

Ephesians 4:1-3 “I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, entreat you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing forbearance to one another in love, being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

The gospel gives us specifics as to how we are to live. God has a certain nature and certain characteristics; and the instructions in the scriptures as to how we are to live are indicative of His nature. God knew that in our own strength we could not live according to His ways, thus He gives us His Holy Spirit who enable us to live as unto the Him. The amazing thing is that He does not do away with our individual unique personalities and temperaments, but He expresses Himself and His nature through each of us. He may, and He will, adjust some things about us that that need adjusting. (One may say that they are impatient by nature, but God can transform that person into being patient.) It is ever so important for us to know and understand that the motivation for doing the right thing or being the right person is not to gain His approval or His love and acceptance. Instead, we walk worthy and live righteously BECAUSE that is who He is in us, and we have been joined to Him. Religion is man trying to earn God’s favor and acceptance by keeping certain rules and regulations; living the Christian life as described in the gospel is all about us dying to ourselves and letting Christ live His life in and through us. Back to specifics; through out the Scriptures we find specific instructions on how we are to live. These instructions are actually pointers or indicators as to what God is like; and when His life is being expressed in and through us, we will find that these lived-out instructions are a part of our lives. We can thank God that we do not have to be rule keepers when it comes to living the Christian life; living life as unto the Lord is a result of Christ living His life in us. Understanding this truth takes the pressure off of us trying to live godly; the life of Christ in us sets us free to be who we are in Him. When He is our life, we will become expressions of the nature of God-kindness, gentleness, joy, peace, patience, forgiveness, honoring one another, love, boldness-and so much more. The greatest and most liberating news ever is that the same Christ who died for us, who was raised from then dead, now lives in us, making us new creations who by the life they live, are expressions of God.
Colossians 2:6-7 “Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.”
Ephesians 5:8 “For at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light.”

Blessings, Buddy

January 12th, 2024

1/12/2024

January 12, 2024 BE STRONG

Ephesians 6:10-12 “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the full armor of God, that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm.”

If anything, these verses put to rest any idea that if you give your life to Jesus, everything will be good and life will be rosy. It is a given; we are at war. The war we are engaged in is primarily a spiritual war, but it also has implications in the natural, or physical. Another given is that the only way to win this war is by the power of the Lord. We often act as though people-flesh and blood-are our enemies-but that is not true. The enemy may use people, but people are not the enemy; it’s the ‘spiritual forces of wickedness’ that are are often manifested through people. We must realize that we live in a dark world, but we also must realize that we are light in the darkness. The goal of our enemy is to ‘steal, kill and destroy.’ John 10:10. BUT, God has overcome our enemy, but He has not yet annihilated him; He is using the devil for His own purposes. That’s where you and I come in to the picture; this world is our training ground where we must learn to overcome the enemy through the power of the Lord. It’s a deep subject, but God is showing to all the universe, to all the spiritual beings, that what Jesus accomplished on the cross enabled those who accept Jesus as Savior, to overcome our adversary, the devil. When Jesus rose from the dead, Satan was defeated once for all and the power of sin was broken. Satan, even though defeated, is still walking about trying to defeat and cause problems for believers, who are God’s chosen possession. Our part is to know that we will face spiritual forces of wickedness, but also to know that God has given us His armor that assures victory over our enemy. Only as we put on His armor are we able to stand; His armor is faith, the word of God, worship, and a godly mindset. So, even though we face spiritual forces of wickedness, and we will have skirmishes with our enemy, we have no need to fear or to be dismayed. Two primary weapons that our enemy uses are lying and deception. Do not listen to his lies and do not be deceived by his tactics. No matter what battle we face, we have the privilege and the choice to be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might.
1 Corinthians 16:13 “Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.”
2 Timothy 1:7 “For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.”

Blessings, Buddy

PERFECT LOVE

1/10/2024

January 10, 2024 PERFECT LOVE

1 John 4:15-19 “Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in Him, and he in God. And we halve come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in Him. By this, love is perfected with us, that we may have confidence in the day of judgment; because as He is, so also are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love cast out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love. We love because He first loved us.”

We often hear the word love; so much that it has likely lost it’s meaning and impact. What the world refers to as love, has nothing in common with the love of God. I believe that it is possible for one to be a believer and yet not know the love that comes from God. It is a major, spiritual red letter day when anyone, when any believer, comes to ‘know and believe the love which God has for us.’ One may be totally convinced in his or her mind that God loves them, but yet not know His love experientially; God’s love needs to be revealed. Revelation comes from God, but the good news is that He wants to reveal His love for us. Our part is to seek Him first and to have our hearts turned to Him; in His time and in His way, He will reveal His love to us. God’s love is perfect; and His love can be ‘perfected’ in us. His love gives us confidence and it cast out fear. It is interesting to see from the verses above that if one is fearful, he not perfected in the love of God. Being ‘perfected’ means that we have come to know and that we believe the love God has for us. It is no small deal to know the love of God. It’s one thing for a person to love us, but something else for God to love us! God is all powerful, all knowing, everywhere present, and absolutely rules over all; YET, He loves you and I. When we come to know the love of God, we discover that there is nothing to fear, nothing to fret over, no need to be anxious, no need to stress—all because the God of creation loves us. We are totally secure in Him. In His love, nothing comes into our lives that He does not allow-and even when the difficulties comes, He comforts us and He uses it for good. When we experience the love of God, we become like Him-not Him, but like Him! That is amazing. His love fills us and out of His love in us, we love as He loves. His love is expressed through our actions, our attitudes, our spirits, and our desires and motives are formed on the basis of His love. Living out of and in the love of God is indeed a supernatural life. His love compels us to be expressions of His love.
Ephesians 5:1-2 “Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; and walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given Himself for an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling savour.”
Romans 8:31 “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us.”
Blessings, Buddy

BE FILLED WITH THE SPIRIT

1/7/2024

January 7, 2024 BE FILLED WITH THE SPIRIT

EPHESIANS 5:18, 4:30 “And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.” “And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit.”
1 Corinthians 6:19 “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirt within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own.”
Acts 11:24, 13:52 “For he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirt. And a great many were added to the Lord.” “And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.”

It is impossible to live the Christian life as God intended without being filled with the Holy Spirit. When a person accepts Christ as Savior, the Holy Spirt comes to live in that person. However, it is possible for a believer to not yield to the Spirt; as Ephesians 4:30 tells us, a believer can grieve the Holy Spirt who has been given to us. We grieve the Holy Spirit when we live according to our flesh, and not according to the Spirit. We may be doing all the things a Christian should be doing-attending church, praying, reading the Bible, being faithful, and being a ‘good’ citizen; yet we may do all these things without being filled with the Spirit. Being filled with the Spirit is not the same as receiving the Spirt at salvation. Being filled with the Spirit is a matter of emptying ourselves of self, the flesh and yielding wholly to the Spirit of God. We empty selves by turning our minds and hearts to the Lord and turning form the self-centered life; we tell God that we need His Spirit to fill us; we say yes to the things of God; and we yield everything about us-our health, our future, our possessions, our career, our reputation, and our thought life. Being filled with the Spirt is not a one time occurrence, but a way of life; as we go about our day, we have an attitude of being filled with His Spirit. When we live according to the Spirit, we will experience the peace of God and the pressures and frustrations that come as a result of living according to self will be gone. The Spirit equips us and empowers us to be overcomers even in the most difficult times and circumstances. As one of the verses above reminds us, we are the temple of God. Let us live by the Spirit.
Galatians 5:22-23 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such there is no law,”
Romans 15:13 “Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”

Blessings, Buddy