Spirit of Fear

2 Tim 1:7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

“Fear not, I am with thee” It is the tendency of human nature to fear the unknown. The “what if’s?” of life bring anxiety and unwanted stress. Something brought fear to Timothy’s life to point of bringing him to tears. He had a strong grandmother and mom who put their faith and trust in Christ. Timothy had this same quality in his life. He loved God and wanted to be a man of faith. We need to be reminded that God does not want us to fear life and its problems. He desires to give us power over circumstance, relieve us of unneeded stress. And a spirit of love that keeps us kind and forgiving.

Looking After Others

Philippians 2:4  Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.

There’s a saying, “look after yourself because no one else will” This is the philosophy of the  world. Those that live in Christ, live not for the things of this world, nor are they worldly minded. The wisdom from above is to live each day as a servant, doing to others as you would have them do to you. The philosophy of Christ is to be kind and affection one to another with brotherly love; in honor preferring one another. (Roman 12:10) This is more than just one act of kindness, but a lifestyle that reflects what it means to live in Christ. It is not about being 1st or the best, but about putting others 1st and being your best to give your best to others.

Knowing Christ

Philippians 3:8 

Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ.

There is nothing in this world more important than knowing Christ. Our relationship to Christ is what really matters in life. We seek acceptance, pleasure, and happiness, but all is waste compared to winning the prize of eternal life with Christ. There are people that measure their worth by how many “likes” they get on social media, how many “friends” they can gain on Facebook. Yes, God made us with these desires. We all have a need to be wanted and accepted, but in reality, Jesus is all we need. He is our all in all. Without Him, it matter not who befriends us or what pleasures we experiences, they don’t compare to the love and friendship that Jesus can give us. In Him, we never walk alone, in Him we are never alone, in Him we can win the battle, and in Him we have eternal life.

Help When Tempted

Hebrew 2:18 For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succour (help) them that are tempted.

Most of the time when we are tempted it is to do something that violate a rule or principle of living standards. Tempted to do give in to base natural desires that are prohibited by God’s word. Tempted to cast away our faith when things don’t go the way we think they should. Tempted to trust our own understanding and doubt God’s ability to handle the situation. Temptation is a suggestion that brings us to a crossroad of making a decision. Do we do what is right, or do we give in to our human and fleshly weakness? To be tempted or face temptation, is not sin. It can be seen as a test of our faith, or an attacked from Satan to destroy what God is trying to do in our lives. Jesus, the God Man came to this world to experience what it means to be tempted. He defeated the devil and is now able to identify with us who also face temptation. He is there to help us, to assist us, to give us aide when we are tempted. We but need to call on His Name, trust in His blood, ask for His help and He will carry us through.

The Step of The Lord

Prov. 16:9 A man's heart devises his way: but the Lord directs his steps.

With anticipation, our hearts are set for that special occasion. We have made our plans and we can’t wait. Such is life as we plan out our day or look to the future, until the unexpected happens, something we did not plan. An interruption in our well made plans. We become frustrated that the course of events do not work out the way we hoped. Life happens, and we shack our head. It is in moments like these, that we need to bow our heads commit our ways to the Lord and let Him direct our steps. “The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord” Ps 37:23. It is good to make plans and set goals, but ultimately our lives belong to God and He determines the path that is best for us. 

Can God Forget?

Isaiah 43:25 I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins.

How is it possible for God to forget? He knows the past, present and future. I believe it is impossible for God to forget anything that happens, but I do believe that God forgives and will not hold us accountable for the sins we have committed. “If we confess our sins, He is faith and just to forgive.” He remembers not, or wipes clean our slate as it was never there. He does not bring them up and dangles them before us, sin is gone, cast into the sea of God’s forgiveness. As far as the east is from the west, our sins are cast away.  Satan may bring up the past, for he never forgets, but when God looks at our past, all He sees is the blood of Christ that has cleanse our heart from all unrighteousness. If your sin has been confessed to God and forgiven, don’t look back, keep your eyes on Jesus, walk in the light of God’s love. Stay under the blood of Christ. His blood causes God to “forget”.

The Still Small Voice

1 Kings 1912  And after the earthquake a fire; but the Lord was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice.

Life is filled with a lot of noise, and we are in need of finding a place where we shut out the world and the

 clamor. The world vibes for our attention and keeps us from listening to the still small voice of God. The responsibilities of work, the amusements and entertainment of life, and everyday conversations with others. All are part of life, and are good and acceptable, but if not put in their place, they can keep us from hearing the voice of God. We need to find our cave, open our ears and hearts, and hear what God has to say to us. It is here that we find solace and begin to know God in an intimate way.

Beyond Rules and Rituals

Mark 10:19  Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Defraud not, Honour thy father and mother.

Jesus names 5 of the ten commandments given on the tablet of stones to Moses. These commandment address how man is to treat others. Avoid sexual immorality, Don’t hate or harbor a desire to kill a human being, Don’t take that which does not belong to you, Always tell the truth, and respect those in authority over you. Such is the implications given to us is the way a godly person should live. But God’s commandments is not in the things we do or not do, but it is what is written on our hearts. The new commandment of God is focus on how we treat others and how respect live in the eyes of God. Yes, He has “things” that we should not be doing, and if we love Him, we will not do them. But his commandments go way beyond rules, regulations and rituals. His commandments abide in us and us in Him.

Making Right Choices

Act 1:24  And they prayed, and said, Thou, Lord, which knowest the hearts of all men, shew whether of these two thou hast chosen..

Know how to make the right choice is not always easy. The apostle essentials “flipped a coin” and prayed that God would bless the choice base on the which way the coin landed. Sometime there is no right or wrong decision. We do what the best we can with the knowledge we have and trust God to take care of the rest. 

Moved with Compassion

Matt 14:14 And Jesus went forth, and saw a great multitude, and was moved with compassion toward them, and he healed their sick.

What does it take to be moved with compassion? A life emptied and spilled. A life surrendered to God’s Love. A person who has experience the love of Jesus can be moved to show kindness. It is possible to show acts of kindness from a humanitarian spirit. The call to duty to help a fellow human being, or pity for the less fortunate. But doing so is mere human efforts. 

Wisdom From God

Prov 4:7, Jame 3;17 Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding…the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.-

 The world seeks for pleasure, power, and popularity. We seek happiness in the approval and in our relationships with others. The love of money drives them to forsake all that is right to gain a few more coins. Getting rich and making a name is what motivates some to throw their life’s energy into obtaining their dream. It is good to have goals and ambitions, but not so good when getting wisdom from above is not life’s priority and eternal destination. Getting wisdom from above is to follow Jesus and to pattern our life to be a reflection of righteousness. Getting wisdom will bring contentment. Knowing that our life is being ordered by God and our will is submitted to Him is to have wisdom from above.