Courage of Your Faith

 Joshua 1:9

Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.

The enemy is camped all around us. Satan is using people given to their lust and selfish desires to fight against those who have the courage to stand up for truth and the gospel of Jesus Christ. For too long, those who mock God and deny that Jesus is the truth and the way have controlled the culture of this world. Evil is called good and good is called evil. They have rejected the word of God, and have refused to acknowledge that He is Lord. They have become reprobates and haters of God, being deluded by their corruption that they believe their own lie. In the face of this type of opposition, God says to be of good courage and don’t back down from their accusation. Greater is He that is in us than he that is in the world. Charlie Kirk was a man who demonstrated courage for his faith and for the word of God. That is what he desired to be known for, his courage to defend and persuade others to give their lives over to Christ. To believe that Jesus could bring them out of their sins. Much has been said since his assassination on September 10th and his courage has been passed on to thousands of believers. Don’t be afraid of what the enemy can do to you. Like Paul, to live is Christ and to die is gain. Today is the time to let our voices be heard, the cry of the Lion of Judah, and roar it across our land. Jesus is Lord and is the answer to our world’s sinful condition. Be courageous and fearless in this present world. God has promised to be with us.

We Speak Truth

 Psalms 19:14

Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer.

To have the approval of God is all that matters in life. We seek to please people and those around us for various reasons. Everyone desires to be liked by others and to have a good reputation. It is important that we speak in such a way that others are edified and find comfort in the words we speak. But often, when we speak the truth, it goes against the way someone is living and behaving. Your words are not met with approval. Your words are received as judgmental.
 This has been a week of reflection for me and many who call themselves Christians. Charlie Kirk was killed because he spoke words and truth that were acceptable to God and unacceptable to those who have rejected the truth of God’s word. To please God is to have faith in Jesus as the Messiah and redeemer of our hearts. This, above all, is what makes us acceptable in the sight of God. Charlie was a defender of truth and moral righteousness, but beyond standing for living a righteous life was the hope he gave to others that Jesus was the answer for this generation. How we speak is as important as what we speak. The words of our mouths must be spoken in love and kindness, for this is acceptable in the sight of God. Let the words of our mouth speak truth, and our thoughts be virtuous. When defending the truth, we must tell it in a way that points to Jesus. May the words of our mouths speak Jesus. For He is our only hope for this generation.

The Mind of Christ

 Phil 2:5
Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:

To have the mind of Christ is only made possible through the fellowship of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit leads a person to understand that they were born with a carnal mind, and it is through the death of Jesus on the cross that the carnal mind can be transformed and be made new. The Holy Spirit at Pentecost filled the believers with His power, and fire consumed the remnants of the carnal mind. The mind of the world and the self-life are radically opposed to those who stand up for truth and proclaim that having the mind of Christ is the only way to have perfect peace and comfort. Having the mind of Christ is rooted in love and humility. Jesus so loved the world that He came to this world and gave His life so that others may live. He, who was equal to God, humbled Himself to the very people who desired to kill him. He spoke love and truth everywhere He went. Such was the life of Charlie Kirk. He was a Christian that lived and understood the mind of Christ. He spoke truth with love and grace to those who debated him and to those who hated him for the truth He spoke. The Holy Spirit used Charlie’s boldness to convict sinners and convince them that Christ was the answer to life’s problems. The liberal left of our culture have turned their hearts away from God, and have consumed their lust to gratify the carnal mind and appetites of the flesh. Those who have the mind of Christ have bowed their knees and have confessed that Jesus is the Lord of their life. One day, every man, including those with the carnal mind, will bow their knees and recognize that Jesus is the way, the truth, and life that leads to eternal life.

Persecution of Christian

 Romans 12:14
Bless them which persecute you: bless, and curse not.

Persecution has always been what caused the Word of God to spread across the world. It is not new to our generation and certainly not in other parts of the world where preaching Jesus is certain death. But in the USA, for years, persecution has been the ridicule of believers who stand against the evil of this day. In our current culture, evil is called good and good is called evil. The events of this last week have awakened the church of Christ across the world. Being murdered for standing for the truth of God’s word has not happened in the public arena. The murder and assassination of Charlie Kirk has caused a shock wave across America and the world. Charlie was not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ and preaching against the wicked culture of our day. He proclaimed Jesus on the campus and universities across America with open debate and discussion. His motto was “Prove me Wrong.” He was a master apologist defending truth from God’s word. His murder was an attempt to silence the voice of truth and reason. His words were used by the Holy Spirit to convict people of their sin. Across the liberal media, he is being persecuted for speaking against the woke lifestyle of this age. He is accused of hate speech because he dared to call sin for what it is.  He gave hope to those that were trapped in their sin, he lifted Jesus Christ as the answer to sin and evil. Because he spoke and preached a gospel of deliverance, he was martyred for his faith, and the liberal media is celebrating his death, while the rest of the world is grieving the loss of a man of God who did not fear what man could do to him. Throughout history, those who dare to proclaim that Jesus was the way to God, that He had the power to forgive sin were scorned, ridiculed and even put to death. We curse not those who persecute us, we pray that they will come to see Jesus and know the truth that he died so that we may live. May the life of Charlie put a fire under each one of us to share the grace of God, and not be ashamed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ..

He is All Things

 Rev. 4:11
Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.

Revelation reveals Christ in all of His glory. He is the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end of all things. “And He is before all things, and by Him all things consist.”(Col 1:17). He is our all in all. All things for every circumstance in life. We wake up in the morning and breathe in all that Jesus has given us. We go through our day and submit our will to the one who will work all things for good so that He will receive glory, honor and praise. We end our day with thanksgiving for all the things He has done and will do. He is worthy today and into eternity to be praised and glorified. Who can stand before Him and not bow the knee and worship Him? We worry about many things in life. He knows our frame, that we are weak and need Him to make the impossible happen. We can do all things through Christ, who gives us the power to do what is needed. In return, we give Him all the glory for all the things He has done and will do. We don’t have to wait till we get to heaven to cast ourselves before Him as John saw the 24 elders do. We live each day knowing that He is in control of all things in our lives, and we give Him praise. He is worthy as we lift our voices to Him in praise. We are His creation and worthy of our worship in word and deed.

Living without Sin

 1 John 3:6
Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither known him.

I am not a Greek scholar, but I desire to read God’s word with an open heart.  Sin takes place when we break God’s law. It is a willful transgression against the known will of God. We are born into this world with a sin nature, and we come to realize that we are spiritually lost without a Savior. Christ, who knows no sin, came to earth to give His life as the supreme sacrifice to forgive us of our sin. This is salvation in a nutshell. By confessing our sins to Christ, we have acknowledged that we are sinners. We now abide in Christ and have turned away from our sinful way. We no longer willfully commit sin when we abide in Him. A person who willfully goes against the known will of God is ignorant of God and God’s will to set them free from the bondage of sin. We realize that we are human and born into a world where sin is ever before us. Temptation is real and Satan is relentless in his attempt to cause a follower of Christ to violate one of God’s commandments to live holy and righteously in this present world. Many Christians have fallen for the traps of Satan and have fallen into sin. Many have made shipwrecks of their lives and have left the Way for whatever reason. It is not God’s will that any person be lost, but His will that we live in fellowship with Him. God’s word is full of dos and don'ts, and keeping track of every law leads one to live in bondage and fear, but Jesus simplified it all by telling us that the law can be wrapped up in two statements. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and your neighbor as yourself. So how does one live a life without sin? Are our words and actions pleasing to Jesus? The Holy Spirit came to dwell in us and to guide us in all we do. We sin not, because we know Him, and because we know Him and love Him, we desire to please Him.

God is Ready to Pardon

 Neh 9:17b
.. but thou art a God ready to pardon, gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and forsook them not.

The children of Israel historically wavered in their faith. Any time things started to get bad, they would turn from trusting God and relying on the gods of the world around them. We find over and over again that God would deal harshly with their sin, but would always make a way to turn back to Him. Nehemiah recalls the days they were set free from Egyptian slavery, and it was not long after they were complaining about the prospects of dying. Because of their unbelief, they were made to wander in the wilderness for 40 years, the consequence of their disobedience. But God did not cast them away, He would not forsake them. We serve a God who is merciful and full of grace. If any man wavers, or falls into sin, we can go to Christ, who is our advocate to the Father, and be forgiven. Like the story of the prodigal son, God’s arms are wide open, ready to pardon. He is a God of second chances, and extends His mercy to any who will turn to Him with a sincere heart of repentance. God does not tolerate sin and will not abide by it. Through the blood of Christ, He has provided a way of escape. We don’t have to succumb to the temptation of Satan and fall into sin. Our faith does not have to waver in times of temptation. He will not forsake us in our time of need. We can overcome temptation with the help of the Holy Spirit and the power of God. But it is possible that one could fall from fellowship and communion with God, but one does not have to despair, for God is slow to anger, and of great kindness, and will not forsake His own. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9)