TheNewU
  • Home
  • Blog
  • About Me
  • Resources
  • Contact Us

LET  US  NUMBER  OUR  DAYS

12/31/2018

0 Comments

 
December 31, 2018                                        LET US NUMBER  OUR  DAYS
Psalm 90:12 “So teach us to number our days, that we may present to Thee a heart of wisdom,”
Psalm 90:17 “And let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us, and do confirm for us the work of our hands.”
Even though we may not think about it often, we know that our days on planet Earth are numbered. We tend to take life for granted. For the believer, there needs to be no fear of death because Jesus defeated death, but there does need to be a healthy fear of not living as the Lord calls us to live. Time is valuable, it is a precious commodity, and it is a gift to us. Time cannot be taken back and time must be spent on something-it cannot be saved. The all-important decision for each of us is that of deciding how we will spend our time. It’s not about just knowing that our days are numbered, but about how we invest the time we have. It is a very real possibility for us to one day realize that what we spent so much time on in life was not all that important. I recently read about a survey of older people that dealt with what they wished they had done differently, or things that they wished they had done in life. As you can imagine, there were all sorts of “I wish I had ……….” Because mankind was created in the image of God, we have an innate desire to be productive and creative, and to have dominion. Obviously, this creativity and the desire to be productive and have dominion can be misguided by both believers and non-believers. The admonition to number our days has the clear implication that we are to use our time in a way that pleases the Lord. Actually, only those who know the Lord and who walk in His ways have the wisdom to know how to spend the time they have. Those who know God as Savoir, have been given the Holy Spirit and it is the Holy Spirit who gives us wisdom, who guides us, who gives discernment and who gives us the power to live life as God designed. On one hand, we are flesh and bones, human beings who live in a fallen world, yet we have been made new and given new hearts, new minds, and new spirits, and because we are new creations, we are able to live in a way that far exceeds life in the natural-not knowing God as Father. After all said and done, the most critical decision, the decision with the most lasting impact is that of deciding to walk according to the Spirit, and not according to the flesh.  May we seize the moment, may we value every moment, and may we make good use of our time. Using time wisely includes finding times of rest and relaxation, and enjoying life. We discover our DNA, we find our purpose, we find our ‘completeness’ when we see time as a gift from God that is to be spent with the wisdom that He gives. You and I have this moment-may we invest it wisely and in a way that produces results that matter.
Ephesians 5:15-17 “Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days or evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.”
Proverbs 16:3 “Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established.”
Blessings,

Buddy
​
0 Comments

PAYING  CLOSE  ATTENTION

12/28/2018

0 Comments

 
 
 
December 28, 2018                                              PAYING  CLOSE  ATTENTION
Hebrews 1:2: “in these last days He has spoken in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world.
Hebrews 2:1-3: “For this reason we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it. For if the word spoken through angles proved unalterable, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompense, how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation?
The greatest event in the life of any person is that of being born again, whereby they are adopted into the family of God. A great sacrifice, a great price was paid when God sent His Son to make our salvation possible-a price beyond our imagination and comprehension.  In our day we live in a culture replete with distractions: iPhones, information over-load, financial pressures, careers ,broken relationships, the pursuit of entertainment-and the list goes on- that could easily cause us to drift away from the truth of the gospel. Even though the early believers lived in “simpler” times (so it seems), they too had to be on guard against drifting from the truth of the gospel that had been delivered to them. The verses above are a reminder to us; reminding us that the Creator God has spoken through His Son, and what God has said and demonstrated through His Son is the most critical, and the greatest thing ever spoken to human beings. John the Baptist was the forerunner of Jesus, and the baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist was the beginning of Jesus’ ministry on earth.  Hour by hour, day by day, Jesus taught and demonstrated the kingdom of God, and He did so with great authority and power. Jesus ministry on earth was the cataclysmic moment in all of world history and what He taught and demonstrated is to serve as a catalyst of our lives. As Jesus made so clear, the kingdom of God and the kingdom of this world are in sharp contrast, and the two kingdoms do not overlap and there is no gray area-every person belongs to one of the two kingdoms. As believers, we must not only understand the message of the gospel, we must “pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it.” Seeking, learning, experiencing, and expressing the gospel as a way of life is to be our mode of operation, and the desire of our heart. Let us remember just how great our salvation is, and let us be a people who live according to the kingdom of God even in a world that does not know Him. It is a healthy fear for us to understand that if we neglect this great salvation that God made possible to us by the sacrifice of His Son, we will bear the consequences of such neglect. You and I have every reason to pay close attention to what God has said and what God has done.
Luke 11:28: “He replied, ‘Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it.’”
Blessings,
Buddy

​
0 Comments

BEWARE  OF  THE  POWER

12/25/2018

0 Comments

 
December 25, 2018                                 BEWARE  OF  THE  POWER
Proverbs 18:21 “Death and life are in the power of the tongue; and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.
1 Peter 3:10 “For, ‘Whoever would love life and see good days must keep their tongue from evil and their lips from deceitful speech.’”
Ephesians 4:29 “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.”
James makes a shocking statement in James 3:8 when he says “but no human being can tame the tongue. It is restless evil, full of deadly poison.” Without any doubt, we have all spoken words that we wish we could take back. Countless number of people have been hurt by the words that others have spoken to them; relationships have been broken and the emotions and well-being of those who have had demeaning words spoken to them are wounded. We would likely agree that having control over the tongue is one of the greatest, if not the greatest, challenge we face in life. It is true that our tongue can speak damaging words, words that tear down, words that are lies; but it is also possible for our tongue to speak words of life, and words that build up. James is saying that apart from the power of the Holy Spirit working in us, and apart from walking according to the Spirit, we in fact do not have total dominion over our tongue. A sobering, and a frightening truth is that our words reveal what is in our heart. To walk according to the Spirit, to know and to live out of the new creation we are, is no small issue to say the least. As we live in the realization that we are sons and daughters of God who have been given new hearts, new minds, and new spirits, the words we speak will be wholesome words, words that are helpful and words that help build others up. It is primarily with our words that we reveal our mind and our heart. We live in a world where there is trouble on every hand, where there is strife, discord, challenges, broken relationships, addictions…..and you name it. As believers, we have the wonderful opportunity to speak words that help, that encourage, that build up, that give hope, and words that are life. Realizing the power and the potential of the words we speak should motivate us to make sure that we are walking according to the Spirit so that our tongue is not ‘an unruly member,’ but a tongue that speaks words that edify. It is amazing, but we have the ability and the power to speak words that represent the heart of God! The world does not need more people who condemn and who criticize and tear down with their words. Let us be conscience of the fact that every day we have the opportunity to speak words of life-to bring light to the darkness. May the words of our tongues be instruments that God uses to reveal His love to those who hear our words.  
Colossians 4:6 “Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.”
Proverbs 15:4 “The soothing tongue is a tree of life, but a perverse tongue crushes the spirit.”
Psalm 141:3 “Set a guard over my mouth, Lord; keep watch over the door of my lips.”
Blessings,
Buddy

​
0 Comments

WHAT'S  MOST  IMPORTANT  ?

12/22/2018

0 Comments

 
December 22, 2018                                    WHAT’S  MOST  IMPORTANT ?
Colossians 3:23 “Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a result. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.”
Acts 17:28a “For in Him we live and move and have our being.”
I remember being at Christian retreats where the leader would ask us to write down the list of what our priorities should be in life. We all knew that the ‘right’ order of priorities would be: 1.God 2.spouse 3.children 4.vocation. This order of priorities sounds so right, right? Later in my spiritual journey, I began to realize that this type of listing of priorities is not right after all. In reality, how would you ever live in such a way that your kids were number three in importance and your wife was number two, and your job was way down the list at number four? We should see our life more like a circle with God at the center, and around the perimeter of the circle are all the things pertaining to our life, such as spouse, children, church, vocation, hobbies, and etc. In this concept, everything we do flows out of our relationship with God, and everything becomes important. I also realized that making a list like we did at the retreats reveals a deficiency in our understanding of our relationship with God and the ways of God; it also indicates that we are trying to earn our way into a right relationship with God, and trying to earn it always leads to frustration. It is a red-letter day when we come to realize that God is at the center, that our life and all we do flows out of Him. Colossians 3:4 tells us that Christ IS our LIFE; not in theory, but in reality. We are in error when we compartmentalize God to certain areas of our life or to view some things we do as secular, and some as spiritual. Whether it is going to church, going fishing, painting the house, or whatever, all we do can and should flow out of our relationship with God who is our Father. To get to this point, something dramatic must take place in the deepest part of us. The understanding and the revelation that is critical in coming to this place is that God has made us new and has given us a new –not refurbished- heart, a new mind, and a new spirit. We have a new identity, and this identity is based on Christ being our life. When we come to know our true identity, we naturally want to do the things that please Him and that reveal His life in us; the struggle to be ‘spiritual’ is gone. As in my last blog, our part, and our choice is to walk according to the Spirit-that’s it! Yes, we can revert back to our old ways and walk according to the flesh-but why do that? So, what is really most important? It is to walk by the Spirit. Let us receive the gospel; lets us acknowledge that Christ is indeed our life; let us walk in our new identity; and let all that we do flow out of our relationship with our Father. Knowing AND walking in our true identity is the only door way to abundant, overflowing life. If you do not know or experience your true identity, read His word in light of learning who He says you are in Him and ask Him to reveal it to you in your heart and in your spirit. Today, confess with your mouth that He is your life-then do all you do as unto Him!
John 7:33 “He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.’”
Blessings,
Buddy

​
0 Comments

THE  CHOICE  EVER  BRFORE  US

12/19/2018

0 Comments

 
December 19, 2018                                  THE CHOICE  EVER  BEFORE  US
Galatians 5:16 “But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry the desires of the flesh.”
Romans 8:5 “For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.”
Often, there is a misunderstanding of the gospel among some believers that results in spiritual stagnation. In a subtle way perhaps, and perhaps even a deception of Satan, some believe that our place is to wait on God to bring about the needed change in us or to make us spiritually mature, having the view that ‘it’s all up to God.’ This view sounds ‘spiritual’ for sure, but nonetheless, it is not based on the plain teaching of the gospel. If not careful, we can began to over-analyze and to make complicated what it means to be a Christian and lose the ‘simplicity that is in Christ.’ 2 Corinthians 11:3. Knowing and walking in the simplicity of Christ does not mean that we do not need to read and study the scriptures and to mature in the faith and grow in the Lord. The beauty is that the things we are admonished to do in scripture become natural to us and are the things we want to do when we know deep within our identity in the Lord. 1 John 5:3 tells us that His commandments are not burdensome. Many believers spend a life time of spiritual frustration, trying their best to live the Christian life, not knowing the joy of the Lord and not enjoying their walk with the Lord. To ‘muddle’ means to “to bring into a disordered or confusing state” and if not careful, we can do just that in regards to living the Christian life. We must remember that it is not God who complicates life or makes things difficult, but He has made a way for us to live in the simplicity of Christ. God has made a way for you and me. The good news, the liberating news is that after all said and done, we basically have only two choices when it comes to living the Christian life. We must moment by moment, day by day, make the choice of either walking by the Spirit, or walking by the flesh (the ways of our old self). God does not force us to walk by the Spirit-that is our choice. The reason for studying the scriptures is to learn of God, to discover what it means to be his son or daughter, and to learn how to please Him in all we do. The scriptures should not be viewed as a book or rules and regulations that we must keep in order to be a ‘good Christian.’ The scriptures reveal our identity, who we are. The Spirit of God in us always leads us in the right path and always leads us to life. To walk in the Spirit is not some strange or mysterious thing we do, but is simply following the leading of the Holy Spirit of God who lives is us. The Holy Spirit in us is our life-line to our Father in heaven; the Holy Spirit reveals truth to us, and He reveals the ways of God to us-AND He gives us to power to live life according to the gospel. So, let us respond to and walk in the marvelous simplicity we find in Christ by simply choosing to walk according to the Spirt-it’s really not difficult. The message is clear; God sent His son that we might experience life to the fullest. Follow the promptings of the Spirit.
Galatians 5:16 “But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desires of the flesh.”
John 6:63 “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life.”
Blessings,
Buddy

​
0 Comments

GUARD  YOUR  THOUGHTS

12/16/2018

0 Comments

 
Dec 16, 2018                                         GUARD  YOUR  THOUGHTS
2 Corinthians 10:5 “We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”
Romans 12:2 “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.”
One of the most important actions one can take in this life is that of taking dominion over his thought life. We all say that we believe that what we think is important, but many fail to actually take steps to alter their thought life when needed. We are quick to say that we are born with a positive attitude or a negative attitude and that there is little we can do about it-‘I am who I am’ view of ourselves when it comes to our thought life. It is a fact that our basic, core thoughts, direct our life. We are bombarded with outside forces that would cause us to think and dwell on things that are harmful to us. Also, if we walk according to the flesh-who we use to be-and not according to the Spirit, our thoughts are not of a healthy nature. The main point is not whether every thought we have is just what it should be, but that we take ownership of our thought life and consciously manage it. For example, we may have a wrong thought flash across our mind, but what we do with that thought is the important thing. Someone said that an initial thought is like an airplane flying over, asking permission to land in our mind. If we are walking with the Lord and we have a wrong thought but we refuse to ‘let it land’ and we reject the thought because it does not please the Lord, then no sin has been committed on our part. So, it’s not about perfection in our thought life, but about managing our thoughts as we walk in the Spirit. However, as we come to know our identity in the Lord and as we live out of our new heart, new nature, and new mind, we will find that our thought life, even when confronted with temptation, is in keeping with what pleases the Father. Managing our thought life is not as difficult as it may appear. God has made us overcomers and has given us the power to rule even our thought life and our hearts. It is really as simple as telling our mind what to think about or what not to think about. The admonition to direct our thoughts is seen in Colossians 3:2: “Set your mind on the things above, not on things that are on the earth.”  We have the privilege and the power to replace wrong thoughts with the right thoughts. As we read in Romans 12:2, the renewing of our mind is not a one-time action, but is a way of life; we are to be continually being transformed, and this transformation process takes place when our minds are under the influence and direction of the Holy Spirit. We are not robots; we are sons and daughters of God and we are made in His image and we have been made new creations. In Romans 8:11 we are told that the Spirit will give life to our mortal bodies, and that life is all encompassing, reaching even to our very thought life. Victory comes when we take dominion over our thought life. Let us filter our thoughts through the following verse.
Philippians 4:8 “Finally, brothers, whatever things are true, whatever things are honorable, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things or of good report; if there is any virtue, and if there is any praise, think about these things.”
Blessings,
Buddy

​
0 Comments

COME  LET  US  REASON

12/13/2018

0 Comments

 
  • December 14, 2018                                    COME  LET  US  REASON
  • Isaiah 1:18 “’Come now, and let us reason together,’ says the Lord, ‘Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool.’”
  • God spoke to Isaiah through a vision, and in this vision, God was declaring how His people had turned from Him and was living in rebellion and in opposition to His ways and His purposes for the nation of Israel. This verse comes in the middle of the vision and it is specifically about God desiring to forgive His people for their sins. As we read the entire chapter, we see a beautiful picture of the heart that God has for those who know Him. Certainly, it is a tremendous blessing to know that God forgives our sins; who has not been in need of God’s forgiveness? No matter how dark our sins may be, no matter what the sin is or was, God makes us as ‘white as snow’ when we acknowledge and confess our sin to Him. In addition to God being a God who forgives, we see in this chapter that God longs for His people to come to Him. God cares for us. He wants us to enjoy fellowship together. Sometimes we tend to see God as being ‘up there’ or distant-but God is present and He is personal. In John 15:15, Jesus calls us His friends. Can we grasp the fact that God is always pursuing us, drawing us to Himself simply because He loves us and desires fellowship with us? God is holy and He has made us holy because we are in Him. We see in Isaiah 1 that it was un-holy living, the sins, that separated the people from God’s blessings and fellowship with Him. We may be quick to condemn the people in Isaiah for their great sin, but let us make sure that we are living as unto the Lord and not according to our own desires. If we know God as Savior, we have been joined to Him and have been made holy; our life is not our own. In 1 Peter 1:16 we read: “Be holy, because I am holy.” The main thing I want us to see from Isaiah 1 is that God is real and He has desires; He desires us. God is approachable-in fact He invites us to come to Him-to talk to Him, and to enjoy Him. How wonderful it is to hear God our Father say “Come now, and let us reason together.” There is nothing that we cannot talk to Him about-our fears, our doubts, our hurts, our trials, our joy, our love, or anything else. Just as a child may talk to their father about all sorts of things, so can we talk to our Father.  And the key truth for us to grasp, is that God wants to enjoy us and for us to enjoy Him! Jesus came and made it possible for us to be fully restored to God. Our part is to walk in holiness-doing the things that please Him. If we sin, let us be quick to confess it as unconfessed sin breaks our fellowship with Him. Walking in holiness is not difficult, but becomes natural when our heart is turned to Him and when we discover our true identity in Him-that we have a new heart, a new mind, and a new spirit.
  • Mathew 11:28 “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.”
  • Mathew 19:14 “But Jesus said, ‘Let the children alone, and do not hinder them from coming to Me; for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”
  • Psalm 16:11 “You make known to me the path of life; You will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.”
  • Blessings,
  • Buddy
0 Comments

ARISE  AND  SHINE

12/11/2018

0 Comments

 
December 11, 2018                                                 ARISE AND SHINE
Isaiah 60:1 “Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.”
Ephesians 5:14 “Awake, sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.”
Isaiah 40:31 “But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.”
Sometimes we lose sight of the truth; we forget the basics; we become dull; we begin to coast and live on auto pilot; the routines of life become just that-routine; we live without vision; and we become responders more than initiators. Sorry for starting off this blog on such a negative thought! However, I know that in my own experience of life, I sometimes fall into one or some of these tendencies. Unless we guard against it, our familiarity with the scriptures, and even with our view and understanding of God, can cause us to lose the newness, the freshness, and the power of what it means to be a part of God’s kingdom. In God’s kingdom, there is no room for boredom and ho-hum living-no matter your age or your plight in life. One of the main ways of not becoming a casualty of ‘familiarity’ is to actively apply, or put into action the admonitions and the commands found in God’s word; if we fail at this point then we are living according to our own ways, and our ways always puts us on a downward slope. Let us hear the warning of Proverbs 14:12: “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.” Walking in the ways of God always leads to life. Can we realize afresh, may the Spirit of God remind us, of what it means to be joined to Him, to be re-born, to be a child of God, to be forgiven, and to be the temple of the Holy Spirit? Because Jesus rose form the dead, we too can walk in newness. Romans 6:4. If our faith, our knowing God the creator does not energize us for life, then we are overdue for a spiritual check-up. Many mistakenly segment or compartmentalize the gospel and view some things they do in life as ‘spiritual’ and some things as secular or non-spiritual. The gospel of God, when the truth of it is grasped, dramatically impacts every part of our life; God living in us through His Holy Spirit makes all things new and takes us out of the ho-hum life and causes us to live a super-natural life. As believers, we go about many of the same task and routines as non-believers-we work, we play, etc., BUT there is a world of difference. As we walk with the Lord, as we live out of our new identity in Him, all that we do has purpose-has life- and is energized by God. The call of God for us to rise and shine has no age restrictions, nor any other restrictions, but is a call to every believer “for our light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon us”. God is not limited; God has done what is necessary for us to live life to the fullest-even in the difficult times. Daniel 11:32b gives us a tremendous promise: “but the people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits.” Are you, am I, doing exploits as a result of knowing our God, or are we living in a rut, on auto pilot, just taking life as it comes? God the all-powerful One, the creator, the life giver, lives in us-how can life be monotonous or boring? If we have lost the zest for life, let us take time to rekindle our love for Him; let us read His word to renew our acquaintance with Him; lets us obey what He says to us through His Spirit and through His Word; and let it be our heart to please Him in all we do. Go ahead-do some exploits!
Proverbs 29:18 “Where there is no vision, the people perish; but he that keepeth the law is happy.”
Colossians 3:23 “Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men,”
Blessings,
Buddy

​
0 Comments

AVOIDING  SPIRITUAL  DERAILMENT

12/8/2018

0 Comments

 
December 8, 2018                            AVOIDING  SPIRITUAL  DERAILMENT  part 2
Hebrews 2:1 “For this reason we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away from it.”
1 Timothy 4:15 “Be diligent in these things: give thyself wholly to them; that thy progress may be manifest unto all.”
Ephesians 4:24 “and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth.”
As we said in the last blog, one of the main reasons for spiritual derailment is that of being disappointed with God and with the fact that things did not work out the way we expected and hoped for. If we are to go on to maturity in the Lord, we must get beyond being disappointed with God and with people. Since we tend to see whatever we are looking for, we must make sure that we are looking at life, and people, and circumstances in a way that is in keeping with life in the kingdom of God. We all live out of our core values -what we believe in the deepest part of our being; therefore, what our core values are is the all-important factor in how we live life. It’s not what we say we believe-it’s what we believe that matters. At some point, we have to come face-to-face, and perhaps even wrestle with the word of God; His word is sharper than any two edged sword and it penetrates and divides the soul. Hebrews 4:12. Do we believe, do we accept as true all that God has said in His word, or do we tend to filter His word through what we believe?  There is a way for us to avoid spiritual derailment and disappointment and it comes down to what we believe. To begin with, many have a wrong view and understanding of the word of God because for the last one hundred years are so, we have heard a sub-standard gospel preached. (That’s another subject for another day.) If there is one clear truth in the word of God, it is that at salvation, we are made new creations with a new heart, a new mind, and a new spirit; the power of sin has been broken and we are set free form our old ways.  Only as we know our true identity in the Lord can we live in such a way that our life is in complete harmony with the ways of God and only then can we enjoy God. Living out of our new identity totally transforms our view of life-including how we view, and how we deal with trials and difficulties. We must make sure that our expectations are based on the truth and in line with the teachings of scripture. For example, it is a faulty expectation to expect a life free of trials because the scriptures tell us that we will have trials. 1Peter 4:12-19 and John 16:23. As you read the New Testament you soon see that the life of the early believers was not a life of ease. We can avoid spiritual derailment when our life, the way we live, is grounded in our new identity as new creations. Sure, we will have tribulation, but we can overcome whatever the trial may be by responding out of our new person. No matter what is going on around us, we can be people who forgive, who love, who are kindhearted, who have compassion, who have hope, who encourage, who give, and who have a solid trust in God our Father in all situations. May we embrace all that God allows to come into our lives knowing that He is working our His purposes. There will be times when we hurt, when we weep-and that is ok, but God will comfort us in those times. Let us divest ourselves off any disappointment and discouragement and let us live in accordance to our true identity in Him, overcoming whatever comes our way.
1 Peter 1:6-7 “In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”
Blessings,
Buddy

​
0 Comments

AVOIDING  SPIRITUAL  DERAILMENT

12/5/2018

0 Comments

 
December 5, 2018                                   AVOIDING  SPIRITUAL  DERAILMENT
James 4:15 “Instead you ought to say, ‘If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.’”
1 Peter 4:12 “Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you;”
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.
My father worked for the railroad and one of the main priorities for the railroad was to avoid derailment of the train; we do well if it is our priority to avoid spiritual derailment. Many believers who once had a passion for God have lost that passion and are now sitting on the side-line of life, content to be spectators. One major reason for this is that discouragement and disappointment sets in because of unmet expectations-things did not turn out the way they expected or hoped for. There has been a false and unbiblical message put forth that promotes the idea that if you except Jesus as Savior, everything will be well, or if you have enough faith, everything will be fine. This view of the Christian life sets us up for disappointment and discouragement. What is our response when we pray for someone who is sick and they are not healed-or when we lose our job-or when our house is destroyed by fire-or when our child is born with less than perfect health-or when a friend is killed in a car accident? Can we and do we say in those times that God is good, that He is a God of Love? Let’s face it-life can be and will be tough! As believers, we need to develop strong spiritual backbones. In order to honestly confess that God is good in the midst of a trial, we may need to adjust our core view of life in such a way that it lines up with God’s view and God’s purposes in life. At the heart of this issue is trust in God; is our trust in Him dependent upon circumstances, or is it set as concrete in the deepest part of our being? Job gave a perfect example of trust in God when he said “Though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him:” Job 13:15. In addition to trust, we must deal honestly with the scriptures; nowhere are we promised a life free of trouble, but on the contrary, we are told that there will be trials in this life. 1 Peter 4:12. We are not to live expecting the worse, with a doomsday attitude, but are to live knowing that difficulties will come our way. God could put an end to all trials, but He has chosen not to do so-not because He does not care or that He wants to see us suffer, but because He is up to something big. Even though we do not like troubles, God is using the tough times for a greater purpose. His over-riding purpose is to continue the process of transforming us into His image and getting us to a place that we are overcomers in life. Jesus is all about overcoming darkness with light, about setting the prisoner free, about breaking the chains that bind, about giving sight to the blind-and we have been given the same ministry. Jesus was born into a fallen world, and even though God in His own timing will fully redeem even the world, we still live in a fallen world replete with problems and trials, but at the same time, we have been personally redeemed and made overcomers. You might say that our first priority as a believer, is that of discovering that God has made us overcomers-and to be an overcomer, we must have things to overcome-thus the trials and difficulties. We can represent God; we can bring His peace, His grace, His light, and His comfort in the midst of the greatest trials-whether it’s a personal trial or a trial that someone else is experiencing. There is more to be said on this in the next blog, but for now, settle in your heart that God has made you an overcomer, and that He is always good-even when we do  not fully understand.
Romans 8:37 “No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.”
Blessings,
Buddy

​
0 Comments
<<Previous

    Buddy Fitzgerald

    Archives

    January 2025
    December 2024
    November 2024
    October 2024
    September 2024
    August 2024
    July 2024
    June 2024
    May 2024
    April 2024
    March 2024
    February 2024
    January 2024
    December 2023
    November 2023
    October 2023
    September 2023
    August 2023
    July 2023
    June 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

Web Hosting by FatCow