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“live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature.”
Galatians 5:16
Imagine if Christianity was just a giant book of rules — thousands of things you should do or not do. Think of how overwhelming this would be! You would feel as if you had to be perfect to be accepted by God.
The good news is that Christianity is NOT a huge list of rules. Christianity is the good news that Jesus Christ died for our offenses against God - our sins. When we try to live the Christian life, we can ask God the Holy Spirit to fill our lives with His love and His power and His grace.
Paul said, almost 2,000 years ago to people in
Fear has been a part of our emotional makeup since the fall of man. When Adam and Eve rebelled against the Lord, they hid themselves from Him and were afraid as recorded in Genesis 3:10.
Things haven’t changed much. Anxiety often affects our thinking. It controls our actions. Anxiety can keep us boxed in and unwilling to go into unknown territory.
Let the truth help you defeat fear. God is Almighty. Through the Savior’s perfect life and his sacrifice on the cross, our two greatest enemies have been defeated, Satan and death. Jesus set us free from slavery to sin. The Devil has lost control over our lives. What’s more, we no longer face eternal separation from God. Jesus’ physical death has become the gateway to heaven, where we can live with the Father forever.
God is always with us. God called Abraham to move away from all that was familiar. But God promised to remain nearby. In Matthew 28:20, we’re similarly reassured by Jesus. Through the indwelling Holy Spirit, we as believers have God not only near us but also in us. Nothing can ever separate us from Him. That includes past mistakes, present circumstances, or difficult people.
God is actively involved. God promises His help. He always keeps His word. God knows what is happening in our lives. He can turn hardships into a time of spiritual growth and ultimate blessing.
God Himself is the reason we should not be afraid. Grasp the truth of His power, presence, and involvement. We should use them to disarm the landmine of fear.
“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”
John 14:27 (NIV)
God’s peace. How can you have God’s peace in the midst of a storm? When Jesus was with His disciples in a boat, a great storm came over them. Even in the midst of the storm, Jesus slept peacefully.
If you have a crisis in your life — if you have problems — if you have issues with your family — Jesus is with you. He can give you His peace — peace in your heart — even in the midst of a storm.
Here are three things you can do to experience God’s peace:
“Ask and you shall receive; seek and you shall find; knock and the door shall be opened to you.”
Matthew 7:7
If you have accepted Christ as your Savior, God is now your Heavenly Father. Jesus said we should ask the Father in His name
“Praise the Lord, O my soul. O Lord my God, You are very great; You are clothed with splendor and majesty.”
Psalm 104:1
Let us focus on giving praise and thanksgiving to our wonderful Lord and Savior. Just think of all the things we have to praise God for! Here are just a few…
There are so many things to praise God for! The Bible says “Enter His gates with thanksgiving, and His courts with praise.” “Give thanks to the Lord, bless His name
“…All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Matthew 28:18 - 20
The last recorded words Jesus spoke to His disciples were “…You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in
We are to be Christ’s witnesses — to tell others about Jesus. This is a wonderful privilege — to share the life changing message of Jesus Christ with the world!
How do we do this? Dr. Bill Bright, in Transferable Concept #5, shares these key points: We are to Prepare by 1) Be sure you are a Christian; 2) Be sure there is no unconfessed sin in your life; 3) Be filled with the Holy Spirit; 4) Be prepared to communicate your faith in Christ.
Then, we are to Go by 1) Praying; 2) Going to others; 3) Talking about the Lord Jesus; and 4) Expecting God to use you.
Be filled with the Spirit.”
You can be filled with God’s Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is God — here on earth, but invisible — who came to live in the lives of those who have accepted Christ as Savior.
You do not have to try to live the Christian life on your own power without help. The Holy Spirit can give you God’s power in your life to overcome sin. The fruit of the Holy Spirit in your life will be love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, and self-control. God can help you live the Christian life by His power — His Holy Spirit — in your life!
“We love Him because He first loved us.”
1 John 4:19
There are certain key things that every new believer in Christ should know. The first is that you are God’s child — God loves you! You can be sure that God loves you forever.
You can also know that God loves you so much that He came searching for you, even when you are lost. The parable in the Bible of the woman with the lost coin tells us this. “Suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Does she not light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.’ In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”
In the same way, God gave His only Son Jesus Christ so that we might come to have eternal life. Let us pray that: you and I will have God’s heart of love for those who do not know Christ.
God’s love for us is wonderful! Let us share His love for the world with those who do not know Him.
Not only is anxiety an uncomfortable feeling, it also leads to negative consequences. Reasoning becomes cloudy when overwhelmed with worry. So an anxious person will have trouble making wise decisions. Fear of failure may also lead to procrastination or a lack of productivity. Apprehensions can devastate personal and spiritual growth, relationships, and work. So conquering fear is important. Four steps can help.
First, you need to identify the fear. Ask yourself about the circumstances surrounding your feelings and what triggered them. What message are you telling yourself? Then turn to the Lord. Remember, God loves you and desires an intimate relationship with you. He’s in sovereign control of your situation, so bring your fear to Him.
You should rebuke the fear before God. You have the authority and power in Jesus’ name to reject what isn’t from Him. Meditate on passages such as Matthew 10:31 and Proverbs 1:33. Let God’s truth replace any wrong thinking.
Finally, cling to your heavenly Father. Take your focus off your circumstances, and look to the One who promises His help. Scripture from Isaiah 41:10 gives this assurance: “Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you. Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.”
Circumstances are external and often beyond your control. But your response originates within. It’s amazing how fears diminish in the Father’s presence.
(Jesus speaking) “Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven.”
Matthew 9:2
You can be forgiven! This is the wonderful message of Jesus Christ. “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
Jesus Christ came to earth to die on the cross for our sins. He was perfect and sinless; we deserve the penalty for our sins. He took that penalty Himself when He died in such pain and agony.
Now when we accept Jesus Christ as our Savior He sets us free from the law of sin and death. Even as Christians, we may sin. But God promises us that if we ask Him He will forgive us our sins.
That is the great news; and we want to share it with the whole world.
“Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness; come before Him with joyful songs.”
Psalm 100:1, 2
Rejoice in the Lord always.” What does it mean to “rejoice in the Lord?” Does it mean just that we thank God for the good things in our lives?
While that is important, rejoicing in the Lord is much more than this. It means praising Him for Who He is as well as for what He does.
It means recognizing that we will spend eternity in heaven with God since we have accepted Jesus as our Savior.
God is loving and kind and we can tell Him we love Him.
Even in tough circumstances, God is good all the time.
He is our heavenly Father and He loves us.
The psalmist wrote, Be still and know that I am God. Paul exhorted the Philippians to be anxious for nothing. And Peter instructed hsi readers to cast all their cares on God.
How can someone stop worrying and be still? Only through prayer and trust in the loving God. Those who cast their cares on Him can set aside the noise and confusion, ambitions and strivings, and enter into the peace of God.
This doesn’t mean that those who are still before the Lord will escape life’s dangers and dilemmas, but it does mean they will have the ability to live with tranquility in the midst of them. Though trouble may remain, the confusion, apprehension, and despair begin to fade away. Such people show poise under pressure; they’re unshaken by life’s alarms; they radiate peace wherever they go.
If you’ve never acquainted yourself with the depths of God’s love and His call for you to live in that love, your life will be filled with anxiety and cares. You’ll often be fretful and restless - always looking for that illusive something more.
When you learn to turn your confidence toward God and cast your cares on Him, you can be calm in the midst of life’s demands.
Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth."
2 Timothy 2:15
You can study about God! God is the most wonderful being in the universe. He created the heavens and the earth; He loves us so much He sent His Son Jesus to die for us; He sent His Holy Spirit to live inside us as Christians. He is loving, and just, and kind, and merciful. We have so much to learn about Him!
You can learn about God and how to live a Christian life. There are good books to help you, but the best source is the Bible itself.
I encourage you to take some time each day to learn about God.
This week, can you please pray that:
When I joined the church that I’m now a member of I was asked to give a verse that was important to me, a verse that talked about my understanding of the truths of God’s Word and that testified to my belief in Christ. I chose Acts 4:12:
Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.
There are two key parts to this verse. The first is that salvation can only be found in Christ. The second is that we must be saved by belief in that name.
No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thornbushes, or grapes from briers. The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks.
When I joined the church that I’m now a member of I was asked to give a verse that was important to me, a verse that talked about my understanding of the truths of God’s Word and that testified to my belief in Christ. I chose Acts 4:12:
Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.
There are two key parts to this verse. The first is that salvation can only be found in Christ. The second is that we must be saved by belief in that name.
Thanks everyone for your input on the various Bible studies I have to choose from. I was over whelmed on Sunday by the sheer number of choices, but God definitely spoke to me about which one to do and He used you all to confirm what I was feeling. The study starts next Wednesday, and I'm really excited about it! It's been quite a while since I've been able to participate in a women's Bible study, and I've missed them!
This is off topic, but I did want to say that I've been busy with some other paintings, but I haven't posted them to John yet. My camera seems to be getting worse and worse. Mae agreed that I need a new one after seeing my last attempts to photograph my work. So, I was able to order an "early Christmas present" that should arrive next week! I can't wait to get it, but until then, I won't have any new paintings posted. It's hard being patient too, because I have a couple of really cute ones to show you all!
