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CONTINUAL

6/16/2024

June 16, 2024 CONTINUAL

Galatians 5:16-17 “But I say to you, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things you please.”

You are probably familiar with this verse. There is a danger in being ‘familiar’ with verses in the scripture. Our familiarity can cause us to not hear the message of the verse in the present tense; we read a verse and we say ‘I know what it is saying,’ and we quickly pass over it not allowing its message to penetrate our hearts and minds. As I read the above passage this morning, I was reminded of a truth that is so important to grasp. It is not a one-time, or an occasional act where we deal with the flesh and it is no longer and issue. The flesh sets its desire against the Spirit; there is never a time when the flesh is not set against the Spirit. The flesh has no other desire than to hinder the work of the Spirit in us. Likewise, the Spirit sets its desire against the flesh. We must realize that there is an epic battle taking place in us and there is no break time from the battle. It sounds like a miserable life, right? God always has solutions for the dilemmas (what we think are dilemmas) we face-they are dilemmas to Him. There is sure victory over the flesh and securing this victory is not difficult. If we walk by the Spirit, we will not carry out the desire of the flesh. The battle is not won by us trying trying to defeat the flesh; the battle is won by yielding to the Spirit. We do resist the desire of the flesh, but we win by yielding. This verse says that we cannot do the things we please-that may sound like bad news to us. We do not live in a neutral position in life; life is not about us; as believers, we do not have the privilege of doing just whatever we please at the moment. We belong God and we are called to walk according to His ways-not ours! The awesome good news is that when we walk according to the ways of God, we are totally fulfilled and we experience joy and peace. In verses 19-21 you can see the evidence of the deeds of the flesh. But, in verse 22-23 we see the fruit that comes by walking according to the Spirit: “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.” For us, let us be aware that we must continually chose to yield ourselves to the Holly Spirit of God who lives in us; as we do, we will experience victory over the flesh.
Romans 6:13 “Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been bought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness.”

Blessings, Buddy

DEVOTED

6/14/2024

June 14, 2024 DEVOTED

2 Corinthians 11:2-3 “For I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy; for I betrothed you to one husband, that to Christ I might present you as a pure virgin. But I am afraid, lest as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds should be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ.”

Paul was concerned for the believers that he had led to Christ; they were joined to Christ and He was their one ‘husband.’ Paul’s heart desire was that they would live in devotion to Christ, faithful to Him. If Paul was with us today, I am sure he would have the same concerns. Adam and Eve, who walked with God, proved that man can be deceived and led astray by the craftiness of the devil. The definition of craftiness should get our attention: “Cunning skill in achieving one’s ends through indirect, subtle, or underhanded means.” Satan is a master at scheming and deceiving. However, we do not have to buy into or fall victim to his schemes. We have been given the Holy Spirit to guide us and impart to us the wisdom of God. The word ‘devoted’ is a critical word that identifies just where the battle takes place. Either we are devoted to someone or we are not devoted; there is no in between. We devote ourselves to what or who we love; being devoted means that we have passion for whatever or whoever we are devoted too. That reality gets us to where our enemy attacks. If we are walking with the Lord, Satan will rarely temp us to commit some hideous sin; instead, he will try subtly to draw our attention away form God and entice us to focus on self. This is where devotion to Christ comes in; if our passion and love is for Christ, we will recognize the schemes of the enemy ever how subtle they may be. If I am devoted to my wife, and I am, then I will easily hear any ‘voice’ that would draw me from my devotion and lead me astray; on the contrary, if I am not devoted to my wife, I would open myself up to the scheming of the devil. Being devoted to Christ does not mean that we will never sin or be drawn away from Christ for a brief period, but it does mean that I will know when I am am being tempted to go in a way contrary to Christ, and realizing that, I quickly return to my devotion to Christ. The encouragement for us today is to be alert to the craftiness of the devil and be truly devoted to Christ.
1 Corinthians 4:2 “Moreover, it is required of stewards to be found faithful.”
Matthew 6:24 “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.”

Blessings, Buddy
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YOU HAVE ETERNAL LIFE

6/11/2024

June 12, 2024. YOU HAVE ETERNAL LIFE

1 John 5:11-13 “And the witness is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life. These things have I written to you who believe the name of the Son of God, in order that you may know that you have eternal life.”

We will not one day be eternal beings; those who have the Son, are now eternal beings. God has already given us eternal life. We must not view life in the short term, waiting to some day receive eternal life. It is spiritually healthy (and I believe physically healthy) to view ourselves as those who will never die, even though our natural bodies will die. The death of our natural bodies is simply the doorway to our life with God in heaven; it is a transfer from limited life on earth to the unimaginable life in the presence of God. The major issue in all of life is whether or not we have the Son. When our faith is in Jesus as Savior, we have the Son. Paul wanted the believers of His day to know that if they believed in the name of the Son of God, then they had eternal life. How awesome to know that whether we die of old age or our life is taken by an accident or sickness, the real us lives on! We no longer have to fear death; it has lost its sting. So, see yourself as who you really are-as one who is an eternal being because you have the Son. Having the Son makes all the difference in this life and the one to come. We are totally secure in Christ.

John 10:27-28 “My sheep listen to My voice; I know them, and they follow Me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of My hand.”

Blessings, Buddy

THAT YOU MAY KNOW

6/10/2024

June 10, 2024 THAT YOU MAY KNOW

Colossians 4:6 “Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned, as it were, with salt, so that you may know how you should respond to each person.”
Ephesians 4:29 “Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.”

Our words are powerful; they can build up tear down. Many lives have been greatly harmed by critical words, just as many lives have been greatly blessed by encouraging words. In our sphere of life, we are in contact with people, whether it be family, friends, co-workers, neighbors, store clerks, or whoever; we find ourselves in situations that call for words. At times, we may be caught off guard by what someone says to us and we may not know how to respond. James says a lot about the power of the tongue; “it makes great boast;’’ ‘it is a fire, a world of evil;” “it corrupts the whole person, sets the course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.” Those are shocking words-but true. Thank God that through the Holy Spirit, we have control over our tongue. 1 Peter 3:10 tells us “For ‘whoever desires to love life and see good days, let him keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking evil.’” We may mistakenly think that it is going to be a great challenge to control our tongues; however, this verse in Colossians gives us the key, or the how too, to speak the right words. “Let our speech be always with grace.” Grace is the track that our words are to run on; grace is to be the guiding force-the origin of our words. Grace does away with harshness, anger, judgement, hostility, and impatience. Grace is to be the filter of our words. Note that our speech is to be always with grace. No matter what is said to us or done to us, we will know how to respond if we are operating in grace-the grace that God gives. It is a liberating truth to know that we do not have to respond in like manner to those who speak out of anger, or frustration, or whatever. The really good news is that when someone speaks in a wrong way to us, it is a golden opportunity to show that God in us makes us different-we can speak words of grace even in the most difficult moments. As alluded to above, it is only by the power of the Spirit in us that we can always speak graceful words. Let us be reminded that our words tear down, or build up; our words can be expressions of the character of God and a picture of His kingdom. (Speaking graceful words does not mean that all of our words are sweet and rosy; sometimes we must speak corrective words and we must deal with conflict-but it is to be done in a graceful spirit.)
Proverbs 18:21 “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit.”

Blessings, Buddy

BUT ON THE POWER OF GOD

6/8/2024

June 8, 2024 BUT ON THE POWER OF GOD

1 Corinthians 2:4-5 “And my message and my preaching were not were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith should not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God.”

We may find ourselves thinking that miracles and the demonstration of the power of God took place primarily in the days of the early church. For sure mighty miracles occurred during the days of the early church. Miracles served a purpose; they were demonstrations of the power of God. Paul and other writers of the New Testament did not present the message of the gospel with persuasive and smooth words but through the demonstration of the Spirt and of power. In the western world, we do not see many obvious miracles today-and I’m not sure why that is-that’s another subject. So, how do we see this message of Paul being worked out in our lives today? For staters, we should be praying that God would move in miraculous ways today. There is one foundational truth in this passage that we can embrace and act on today-even as we yearn to see the power of God manifested in greater ways. First, let us not live or have our faith based on the wisdom of men. In our culture, many or moved by persuasive words; many decisions made today are based on the wisdom of men. (Wisdom is good-if it’s the wisdom of God.) Sad to say, many churches or led by those who have persuasive speech and not by demonstration the power of the Spirit. Paul made it clear that his message and his preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom. With that being said; even though we may not be seeing ‘great’ miracles, God is nonetheless at work in the lives of believers and He does do miracles today. Actually, if we are walking by the Spirit and not by the flesh, we experience many miracles. It is a demonstration of the Spirit when He directs our steps, when He impresses us to do a certain thing, when He directs our minds to godly thoughts, when He gives us opportunity to bless someone, etc. The point for us is to look for His miraculous works in the ‘small’ ways and in the ‘big’ ways. (All miracles are big.) Expect the Holy Spirit to be at work in us. Our faith is not to rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God. We belong to an all-powerful God and He makes His abode in us. Truly, our very life as a son or daughter of God is a miracle! We can live supernaturally.
2 Perter 1:3 “His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us to His own glory and excellency.”

Blessings, Buddy
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MORE BLESSED

6/6/2024

June 6, 2024 MORE BLESSED

Acts 2:35 “In everything I showed you that by working hard in this manner you must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He Himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.”
2 Corinthians 9:6-7 “The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will reap bountifully. Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”

There is no greater contrast to the old nature and the new nature than that that of giving. The old nature is all about acquiring whatever it thinks will satisfy. In fact, the culture aggressively promotes the idea of getting; just notice the advertising that is designed to convince us that we need whatever they are promoting. In fact, the economy is built on people buying goods and services. Do not get me wrong; I am thankful for the opportunity to be able to buy the things I need and I am thankful for the free enterprise market. ‘Things’ are not in and of themselves evil; the problem is when we see things as satisfying our deepest longings. Another problem is that when we are seeking things to bring us a sense of satisfaction, we limit our resources that could be used to bless others. Also, there is the issue of time; one may not be out to acquire things to satisfy but they may be seeking to find satisfaction in a hobby or some activity, thus not having time to invest and bless others. Again, I’m not against hobbies-just do not see them as what fulfills us. The awesome truth is that God is a giver and He loves seeing us being cheerful givers. God designed us and He knows what we need more than we know; we are wired to be givers; when we give we are blessed. What short-circuits our being givers is our yielding to our flesh, our old nature that is always focused on self and on getting. The liberating truth is that our deepest longings are satisfied when we give-not when we get. There are numerous ways to give; time, financially, acts of kindness, praying for someone, a note of encouragement, and etc. The point is; let us live according to our true design and look for ways to give. We do not need to be focused on acquiring. As we live as unto the Lord, He will provide all of our needs and more. Enjoy the blessings God has given, but let our heart be set on being a cheerful giver. It is great gain to live in simplicity with a view of blessing others just as God has blessed us.
Luke 6:38 “Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”
Blessings, Buddy

REMEMBER WHO YOU ARE

6/4/2024

June 4, 2024 REMEMBER WHO YOU ARE

Genesis 1:27 “So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.”
Psalm 139:13-14 “For You created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.”

We were not just created; we were created in the image of God! In the hustle and bustle of life, we may forget who we are. We have not evolved; we have been created. Remembering who we are takes us above the ‘mere human’ mindset. No one fully understands the full implications of being made in the image of God; but we know it is awesome to bear the image of God. I cannot even imagine God knitting me together in my mothers womb! I can relate to Psalm 139:6 “Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain.” This may sound like a stretch, but we have God’s DNA. Even though the sin of Adam and Eve had a devastating impact on mankind, it did not erase the fact that we are created in the image of God. We know that God is loving, that He is compassionate, that He is forgiving, that He is creative, that He is just and righteous. Those same traits are in us. Sin on our part and not knowing who we are will lead to us not expressing the image of God that is within us. Every believer has in him or her an innate desire to express the attributes of God-that’s who they are. What greater news could there be for you and I that we are created in the image of God. Because we are in His image, we can be those who do what God would do; we can bring peace, love, forgiveness, hope, purpose, healing, and wisdom to any situation! Living in the image of God is a super-natural life; we are not limited to the natural tendencies of human nature; we have been given a new nature. So, in the routines of life, in the good times and in the difficult times, remember who you are! Live out of your true identity.
Ephesians 4:24 “And put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.”

Blessings, Buddy

WHY SO DOWNCAST

6/2/2024

June 2, 2024 WHY SO DOWNCAST

Psalms 43:5 “Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise Him, my Savior and my God.”
1 Peter 5:7 “Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.”

We live in a day when discouragement, hopelessness and depression are widespread. If one is focused on the world, then there is much that would lead to discouragement. If one is dependent on circumstances for how they feel emotionally, then surely there will be many days when they are disappointed. We all at times experience times of discouragement to one degree or another. Sometimes we know why we are discouraged and sometimes we have no idea why we feel downcast. Note that the writer of the above Psalm talked to himself-and that’s a good habit for us as well. We are rather complex people; we have a mind, a soul (emotions) a spirit, a will, plus we as believers have the Holy Spirit living within us. One thing for sure, our spirit must rule over our minds. The mind is the battle ground. (As a side note; believing the lies of the enemy leads in discouragement.) We are not doomed to live in discouragement; there is good news for those who know God; there is a remedy. We are to acknowledge when we feel downcast-that’s the first step in getting rid of the blues. We need to ask ourselves why we feel the way we do. Here is the remedy that always works; no matter what adverse circumstances we are facing, no matter what bad decisions we may have made, no matter what others or doing or not doing, and no matter our health, we can put our hope in God. He is our hope. And note, the palmist said that he was going to praise God-even though he evidently did not ‘feel’ like doing so. Praising and worshiping God has a way of lifting us up. So even though we feel downcast, let us turn our thoughts to the faithfulness of God and cast our anxieties, our feeling of being downcast, our doubts and fears, and all that’s within us, upon Him. Let us remind ourselves that through the good and the bad, we are to persevere and to live in a way that is pleasing to Him. Finally, understand that He invites us to cast our cares upon Him-to leave our burdens with Him.
Philippians 4:6-7 “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayers and petitions, 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

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LACKING NOTHING

5/30/2024

May 30, 2024 LACKING NOTHING

1 Corinthians 1:4-5 “I thank my God always concerning you, for the grace of God which was given you in Christ Jesus, that in everything you were enriched in Him, in all speech and all knowledge, even as the testimony concerning was confirmed in you, so that you are not lacking in any gift, awaiting eagerly the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ, who shall also confirm you to the end, blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful through whom you were called into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.”
Colossians 2:10 “and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power.”

What God has done in in us is greater than we presently know. We may find ourselves struggling or being anxious even though He has equipped us and made us sufficient for anything and everything we face in this life. We do have needs; we may need a job, or need wisdom for a particular situation, we may need healing, etc., but in those needy times, the Holy Spirit guides us and enables us to be at peace even in times of need. We have been enriched in Christ Jesus and this enrichment touches every aspect of our lives; “in everything you were enriched in Him.” We may live as though the physical aspect of life is the most important; however it is more critical thar we be healthy in our relationship with God-to be spiritually healthy. When we know who we are in Christ, and when we are aware of how we have been enriched in Christ, we are able to navigate life in such a way that we live in peace and are able to overcome the challenges we face. The enrichment we receive includes knowledge; in Him we have an understanding and we know what we are to do; we no longer have to live in confusion and uncertainty. In many scriptures, there is a connection between how we live today and waiting for the revelation of Jesus Christ-His return. Being eager for His return and looking for His return has a way of impacting how we live in the present; certainly we want to be found ready when He comes again, living this life as He has called us to live. He has made us complete in Him; we have the Holy Spirt to enable us and guide us. God has not left us lacking in anything! Our part is to believe the awesome work that God has done on our behalf and to live in the reality of who we are in Him. Even in trials of life, we are not lacking.

2 Corinthians 3:5 “Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to consider anything as coming for ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God.”

Blessings, Buddy

HOW WE KNOW

5/28/2024

May 28, 2024 HOW WE KNOW

1 John 3:22-24 “and whatever we ask we receive from Him because we keep His commandments and do the things that are pleasing in His sight. And this is His commandment, that we believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as He commanded us. And the one who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him. And we know by this that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given.”

As I often say, most have a tendency to complicate things. Even in Christian circles, there is a tendency to complicate the gospel. There are endless teachings on contradictory beliefs and interpretations of the scriptures. Some believe this and some believe that. All of this is to our shame. As someone said, ‘The bible contradicts itself, but only in our minds.’ It is good to do extensive study of God’s word and to search out the scriptures, to be a student of the word, and to be challenged by His word. However, we must approach the word with the awareness that God revealed His word in an understandable way; He did not complicate it; He desires for us to know His word. Also, to truly understand His word, we need the Holy Spirit to reveal the truth of His word to us. The most important thing for us is to believe what He has said in His word; there are some things in His word that we may not fully understand, but nonetheless we must believe what He says whether we understand or not. Like so many passages of scripture, the above scriptures have a clear and simple message, a message no one could miss. For example, there is a connection between receiving form Him and keeping His commandments and doing the things that are pleasing to Him. Is that difficult to understand? And what does He command? That we believe in the name of Jesus Christ and love one another. Again, that is impossible to misunderstand. And, it’s quite simple; but abiding in Him results in keeping His commandments. We do not have to wonder if we are abiding in Him because we have been given the Holy Spirit to make us aware of the fact that Jesus abides in us. Back to the first line of the above scriptures: it says whatever we ask we receive from Him! That does not make God a heavenly Santa Clause. It is saying that IF we keep His commandments and IF we do the things that are pleasing in His sight, then ask what we may, and we will receive. As we walk with Him, we will become aware of what we are to ask of Him. Even though what we receive from Him may look a little different from what we envisioned, be assured that He always answers our prayers in His time and in his way. But, stay in the simplicity lane and keep His commandments and do the things that are pleasing in His sight-then make your request known to Him-you will receive.
John 14:21 “He that hath my commandments, and keepth them, he it is that loveth Me: and he that loveth Me shall be loved by My Father, and I will love him, and will manifest Myself to him.’
Blessings, Buddy

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