Blog Archives - TheNewU

IN HIM

9/29/2025

September 30, 2025 IN HIM

Ephesians 1:13-14 “In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation-having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirt of promise, who is given us as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory.”

The words ‘in Him’ are found throughout Ephesians 1. Indeed, the overriding message of the gospel, and what makes living the Christian life possible is that we are in Him. We could not over-state the impact of what it means to be in Him. When one believes the gospel and accepts Christ as Savior, he or she is sealed in Him with the the Holy Spirt of promise. And here is a point we must not miss; we are God’s own possession-we are no longer our own. Living with the conscience reality that we are His possession has a great impact on our lives. What a blessing to know that it is God who owns us! As His possessions, He will work out His purposes for us and He will conform us to the image of His Son. Even though a believer may not understand that they are God’s own possession and even though they may resist walking in the ways of God, God will in His own time and in His own ways compete His work in them. But, we should not resist God or live according to our ways, but rather work with Him as He works in us. We are abundantly blessed in the here and now as a result of our union with Christ, but yet we have an awesome inheritance reserved for us. The Holy Spirit was given to us as a pledge of the inheritance that is ours. I encourage us to read the first chapter of Ephesians and as we read, ask the Holy Spirit to reveal more to us as to what it means to be in Him.
1 Corinthians 2:9 “but just as it is written, ‘Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard, and which have not entered the heart of man, all that God has prepared for those who love Him.”
Ephesians 1:4-5 “I thank my God always concerning you, for the grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus, that in everything you were enriched in Him, in all speech, and all knowledge,”

Blessings, Buddy

WE HAVE RECEIVED

9/28/2025

September 28, 2025 WE HAVE RECEIVED

1 Corinthians 2:12-14 “Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things freely given to us by God, which things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words. But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God; for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised. But he who is spiritual appraises all things, yet he himself is appraised by no man.”

It is a big deal; we have received the Spirit who is from God. Let that sink in. Yes, we human beings have the Spirit of God alive in us. And that makes a monumental difference in the life we live here on earth. We are no longer natural men and women. God has given us many things, and the Spirt of God makes these things known to us. One thing that God gives us is wisdom and this wisdom is not learned, but given to us. We access this wisdom by having our hearts turned to Him and by having a desire to learn of Him, and by reading His word with the mindset that His word is wisdom, is truth, is inerrant and life giving. The culture is constantly telling us to follow along; but the wisdom that is from God enables us tp discern the lies and enables us to act and live out of His wisdom. The point is that God has freely given us many good things; He is a good God who is eager to bless His children. That does not mean that we never experience trials and difficulties, but it does mean that He is there to help and comfort us in such times. We do not understand it now, but we can be assured that even in difficult and trying times, He is working all things for good to those who are called according to purposes. It is important, an essential that even though we live in flesh and bones, we are spiritual beings; we are not a body with a spirit, but a spirit with a body. Being spiritual beings who have been joined to God and who have received the Spirit of God, we can now live life the way God designed it to be lived. There are many believers who know God as their Savior, but have not come to the place where they live according to the Spirit; they are trying to live the Christian life in their own strength. Even though living according to the Spirt is a supernatural way of living, it does not mean that we are ‘weird’ or strange beings; it does mean that we know who we are in Christ and we hear and follow the leading of the Spirit and we reflect the life of Christ. The Holy Spirit will at times give us specific words to share or certain actions to take. Even though we are not weird, the world will not understand the life we live. So, let us thank God that He has given us many good things, most importantly, His Spirit.
Ephesians 1:3 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,”

Blessings, Buddy

BUT GROW

9/25/2025

September 25, 2025 BUT GROW

1 Peter 3:18 “But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.”
Colossians 1:9 “For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you asking God to fill you with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you may walk in a manner worthy of the Lord and may please Him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God.”

If we are not growing in the ‘grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior,’ we are not living according to the gospel and we likely regressing spiritually. No growth implies a problem, while growth implies health. It’s easy for us as believers to get to a place where we think we have pretty much arrived spiritually and we are content with where we are with the Lord. Don’t misunderstand; it’s a mystery, but we can be content, but still be moving forward in our spiritual growth. Growth requires energy and it requires setting growth as a priority. The primary way of growing in the knowledge of God is by studying His word, AND by obeying His word. Another mystery; embracing His word and doing what the word says fuels growth. What we do not need is knowledge for the sake of knowledge. We need knowledge (of God) as a track to run on. The knowledge of God leads to life, peace, joy and to all we need. When we have spiritual wisdom and understanding, we can live in a way that is pleasing to the Lord and in a way that
bears good fruit. So, if need be, reduce screen time, eliminate distractions, and set aside time to read and apply the word of God with the view of gaining a greater understanding of God.
2 Timothy 2:15 “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
Philippians 3:12 “Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.”

Blessing, Buddy

DO NOT BE ASHAMED

9/23/2025

September 23, 2025 DO NOT BE ASHAMED

2 Timothy 1:6-8 “And for this reason I remind you to kindle afresh the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline. Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, or of me His prisoner, but join with me in suffering for the gospel according to the power of God, who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, and not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity.”

Some believe, and rightly so, that the evidence of being filled with the spirit is boldness. I must confess that at times I find myself being timid when it comes to sharing the gospel. I wonder why would anyone hesitate to share what the Creator God has done in their life. The obvious question for each of us is since the evidence of being filled with the Spirit is boldness, are we bold in sharing our testimony and are we bold in living out the gospel. This is not to condemn us, but to cause us to examine our lives and determine whether or not we are timid when it comes to sharing our faith. It does not mean that if we are not timid then we will to be on the street corners wittinessing to everyone that passes. It does mean that we will share our testimony with others as the Spirit leads. As Paul implies in the passage above, we may suffer or be rejected by sharing our testimony, but if we are, we are in good company with Paul and a host of others. We do not have to be obnoxious or or have a ‘holier than thou’ attitude when we share our testimony; we can be bold in spirit but at the same time have a gentle and compassionate spirit. There are many many ways that we can express what God has done in us; again, the Holy Spirit will lead us and will let us know what we are to share. It is critical for us to remember that God has called us by His grace for His own purposes and we are now His ambassadors representing Him here on earth.
I Peter 3:15 “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and be ready always to give and answer to every man who asketh you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear.”
Acts 4:13 “Now when they saw Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus.”

Blessings, Buddy

September 21st, 2025

9/21/2025

September 21, 2025 YET I WILL REJOICE IN THE LORD

Habakkuk 3:17-18 “Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior.

If you live in a culture that is directly dependent on agriculture, when there are no crops and no sheep or cattle, you are in a dire situation. In our culture where there is an abundance of food, we may have difficulty understanding being in such circumstances; however, we can find ourselves in what seems to a barren land in other ways. To say that we can rejoice in the Lord in such times may sound far-fetched. Yet, because Habakkuk knew God and because of his faith in God, he could rejoice in the the Lord, no mater the circumstances; and yes, even if it meant death, he would still rejoice in the Lord. It’s all about knowing God; when we truly know God, we trust Him-always, in the good and the bad. Knowing God has a way of ridding us of fear and doubt; and knowing Him brings about His peace in us. There are many things that would distract us from a simple, child-like faith and trust in God who loves us and cares for us-even in dire situations. True life, and eternal life which we already have, is much bigger than the life we live here on earth. So, when things look bleak, when there seems to be no hope, when it looks like we have no provision, and when we see no way out of our pressing difficulties, let us make the choice to rejoice in the Lord because He is God and He loves us; God is not limited in any way. We hear it often ‘God works all things for good to those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.’ Whether we understand that are not, that it is true. May we rest in the goodness, faithfulness, and the power of God.
Isaiah 41:10 “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.”
John 16:33 “I have said these things to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

Blessings, Buddy

THROUGH MANY TRIBULATIONS

9/19/2025

September 19, 2025 THROUGH MANY TRIBULATIONS

Acts 14:21-22 “And after they had preached the gospel to that city and had made many disciples, they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch, strengthening the souls of the the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying, ‘Through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.’”

This is another one of those verses that is not often preached on or written about. Paul says something in this passage we just don’t particularly like to hear. Let me start by saying that we have been so blessed to live in a time and in a country where there is little persecution of believers compared to the persecution of the early church; we are beginning to see more for sure. We do not like tribulations, and that is normal and I am not saying we should like tribulations. However, according to this verse, it is through tribulations that we enter the kingdom of God. It’s my opinion that this verse is not specifically about salvation, but about living in the kingdom of God here on earth-about walking out the gospel. I am using ‘tribulation’ is a broad sense; for this blog, I am referring to tribulations as troubles and difficulties in general. Let’s be clear; some, if not many of our tribulations are self-inflicted-if I drive my car with low oil, I will for sure have engine problems. Some tribulations are not self-inflicted and are beyond our control. But here is the point; no matter what difficulties and tribulations we face, we need to respond to them in a kingdom of God way. There is no need to come ‘unglued,’ fret, be impatient or angry when things are not as we want them to be. We have been given a new nature, a new mind and a new spirit; now, no matter what we face, we can respond in a way that is pleasing to the Lord-and that is what its all about. Tribulations give us the opportunity to reflect who we are in Christ. So, even though we do not like tribulations, they are necessary if we are going to be expressions the kingdom of God on this earth.
2 Corinthians 4:17 “For our light and momentary affliction is producing for us an
eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison.”
James 1:2-4: My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.”

Blessings, Buddy

FINALLY MY BRETHREN

9/17/2025

September 17, 2025 FINALLY MY BRETHREN

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 ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

The battlefield is much broader than we may think and the enemy is not of flesh and bones. We are in a spiritual war and to win this war requires more than physical weaponry and human effort. Even though we are at war with an enemy we cannot see with our eyes, we can see spiritual forces working through flesh and blood. In fact, it seems that this warfare is primarily fought in the hearts and minds of human beings. The devil is a deceiver-and he is good at it.There are spiritual forces of wickedness and rulers of the darkness of this world that oppose God and His followers. The good news for us is that God has given us weapons with which we can defeat our spiritual enemies. Yes, we can be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Note; not our power, but His power. God has given us armor; the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, the sword of the Spirit-the word of God, and prayer. We are also surrounded by other believers who stand with us in this war. The key is that we stand in the strenght of the Lord, refusing to yield to or fall prey to the schemes of the devil. It is important to see that our battle is not with flesh and blood, but with spiritual forces who use flesh and blood to bring about all manner of discord and strife; desiring to have people, even believers, turn from God. The enemy loves it when we see people, flesh and blood, as our enemies. So, do not fight the wrong enemy; know who you (we) are fighting. This does not mean that we ignore what people may do that is wrong; sometimes we have to deal with flesh and bones. Those who yield to the spiritual forces of wickedness very often suffer in a physical way the consequences of their action. So, after all said and done, finally, be strong in the Lord.
2 Corinthians 10:3-5 “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. We are destroying speculations and every and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.”

Blessings, Buddy

WE HAVE A GOOD SHEPHERD

9/15/2025

September 15, 2025 WE HAVE A GOOD SHEPHERD

John 10:7b-11 “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All who came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal, and kill, and destroy; I came that they might have life, and have it abundantly. I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.”

One thing for sure; sheep need a good shepherd-and so do we. Apart from God, man believes that by his own wisdom and determination he must find and secure the life he desires; he thinks he is independent, the captain of his own ship. We may not think about it often, but what a blessing that we have THE GOOD SHEPHERD as our shepherd. There are many voices and many philosophies that say that if we follow them, we will find what we want; but they are thieves and robbers. God has simplified life. He has shown us the way that leads to life. It is a huge blessing to have all the options, all the possibilities, and all of the ‘what if’s’ eliminated and to know that there is one door that leads to life and one Shepherd who knows His sheep. Sheep who are shepherded by a good shepherd find rest, peace, nourishment, and protection. It’s amazing, but under a good shepherd, sheep have all they need. For us, because He is our good shepherd, we do not have to fret, be anxious, be fearful, or feel insecure; we can simply be His sheep. Because we are His sheep, we recognize His voice. Verse 5 tells us that when sheep hears the voice of a stranger, they will flee. That’s a good word for us. Again, let us know and let us live, knowing that we have a good Shepherd. The good Shepherd laid His life down for us-that’s our Shepherd.
Psalm 100:3 “Know that the Lord Himself is God; it is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; we are His people and the sheep of His pasture.”
John 10:14-15 “I am the good shepherd; and I know My own, and My own know Me, even as the Father knows Me and I know the Father; and I lay My life down for the sheep.”

Blessings, Buddy

BE READY

9/13/2025

September 13, 2025 BE READY

Matthew 24:44 “Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”
John 14:3 “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and take you to Myself, that where I am you may be also.”
Matthew 24:42 “Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming.”
Romans 14:11-12 “For it is written. ‘As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to Me, and every tongue shall give praise to God.’ So then each of us shall give an account of himself to God.”

Thinking about Jesus coming again can be a wonderful thought or it can be a fearful or anxious thought. It all depends if we are ready for His return. We use to hear a lot about Jesus coming again, but from my perspective, today we do not hear that much about His return. If you believe the word of God, it is a settled matter; He is coming again, and He is coming when we do not expect it. The two greatest events of all time is Jesus coming as Savior, and His coming back to earth to take His people to Himself. There is a tendency for us to live as though this life and this world is what it’s all about. For sure we are to live this life as unto the Lord, but the overriding mindset we should have is that this life is momentary and that we are destined to be taken up and forever be with the Lord. The idea of His return defies logic; we cannot understand how such an event could take place; His return will be unlike anything the world has ever seen or experienced. The obvious question is how do we live in a ‘ready state’ for His return. We are ready for His return when our heart is turned to Him, when we hear and obey His word, and when out trust is in Him. We can look forward to that awesome day when He suddenly appears to take us to Himself.
Luke 21:28 “But when these things begin to come to pass, look up, and lift up your heads; because your redemption draweth nigh.”
Hebrews 9:28 “So Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for Him.”

Blessings, Buddy

INCOMPREHENSIBLE

9/10/2025

September 10,2025 INCOMPREHENSIBLE

Ephesians 1:3-6 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him, in Him He predestined us to adoption as sons and daughters through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, with which He favored us in the Beloved.”

Even though it is incomprehensible, can we believe that we were know by God before the foundation of the world? Yes-we can believe that by faith. The most brilliant among us cannot comprehend the greatness and the power of our God; it is beyond our reasoning. It is a spiritual giant-step to come to know that we are Fathered by God-that we have His DNA. Our earthly father and mother got us here physically, but God is our true Father. I well remember one starry night several years ago; as I looked up at the stars, I heard in my spirit in no uncertain terms God speak to me. The words that penetrated my total being were “The God that made those stars is your Father.” I was amazed at what I heard. Had you asked me many years previous to that night if God was my Father, I would have certainly said that I knew that God was my Father-but that night it became real from ‘head to toe.’ The first thought I had after hearing those words was “What is there to fear to worry about?” The immediate answer I had was ‘nothing.’ God has blessed His followers with every spiritual blessing; we have been adopted into His family and joined to Him-not that we earned it or was worthy of such blessings, but solely because of His grace and mercy. He has chosen you and I and He loves us with unconditional love. In Christ, we are favored by God! We tend to focus more on the physical or natural to our own hurt; as we discover what it means to have God living in us through the Holy Spirit, our focus will be more and more on Him and His spiritual blessings. We are more spiritual beings than physical beings; we are not a body with a spirit, but a spirit with a body. So, let us be disciplined and wise enough to turn our attention and our focus to the things of God and let us take steps to grow in the faith. Growing in the faith is more than attending a church service once a week and listening to a message from the minister. Our growth starts with a desire to know God in greater ways, by studying His word, by spending time with other believers, by obeying His word, and by prayer and worship. Above all, let us know that God knew us long before our physical birth and that He has called us to be a part of His family and to enjoy a relationship with Him.

Psalm 37:4 “Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.”
Romans 8:29-30 “For those He foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, in order that He might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom He predestined He also called, and those whom He called He also justified, and those whom He justified He also glorified.”

Blessings, Buddy