A New Heart

Ezek.36:26  A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh.

The promise of God is to restore man. He takes a heart that is callous and cold, a heart that is void of spiritual life, dead in trespasses and sin, and breathes in new life. The old heart’s affections were set on thing of this earth, its focus was on pleasing the carnal nature. The new heart given to the one who turns their heart over to the Creator is made alive. God, through Christ fills the heart with His Spirit and a new life in Christ has begun. The blood of Christ now flows through. cleansing the heart of all impurities. We are no longer harden by sin and enslaved to the world. His Spirit has given new life. “All things have passed away, behold all things are become new.” (2 Cornith 5:17)

Trails and Afflictions

1 Peter 5:10 The God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, establish, strengthen, settle you.

Becoming a saint or a godly Christian come only through trails and afflictions. It is God’s desire that all that serve Him be made perfect in the image of His Son. Not perfect in our humanity, but made perfect in our love to Him and others. His goal is to establish us to a place that we know where we stand and our faith is   able to detect deception from Satan. We are made strong to withstand the fiery darts of the enemy. When all hell breaks loose in our lives, we settled the question long ago. No matter what happens, I believe in a God who cares and is able to take us through.

New Commandment

John 13:34  A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.

The evidence of discipleship in Christ has always been seen in the way they love people. How does one love in a way that conveys God’s love? Human nature strikes out in retribution or malice to those who treat us unkindly. The carnal nature seeks to please self and put our own needs and wants first. If there is time and resources, then we may reach out to help and show kindness to others. But the love of God goes beyond human duty or responsibility. It even touches our enemies. It goes to even those we may not agree with. This commandment is new to humanity. The Love of God can now dwell in our hearts by faith. Helping us to love others regardless of the circumstances and situation.

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.