Friday, December 9, 2011

Finding Strength in The Word of God

'Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might. '- Ephesians 6:10 ( Holy Bible - KJV)

Praise Jesus Christ!

Greetings my beloved 'Finish What You Start!' family!  It's great to continue our fellowship together.  I pray you had a Blessed 'Thanksgiving', and I feel constrained to remind you that every day is a time of Thanksgiving and praise to God for all He has done and continues to do on our behalf.  Remember, if He doesn't do another thing for us, His dying for our sins is more than sufficient for us to offer up the sacrifice of praise to Him on a continuous basis.  After all, is this praise really a sacrifice, considering the great measure He went to in order to ensure our Salvation?

Well, as we get closer to the day we celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, it is imperative that we understand that Jesus came not only to deliver us from our sins, but to give us the Power and Strength necessary to live a life pleasing and beneficial to God and to ourselves.  With this fact in mind the reality of this Resurrection Power of Christ gives us ample ammunition to overcome every adverse circumstance, by placing our trust not solely in our own abilities, but in the Word of God and in the ability of the Saving Power of His shed Blood on that brutal and rugged Cross.

With all that encompasses our daily walks with the Lord, it sometimes becomes difficult to garner enough strength to successfully navigate the sometimes rocky terrain we call life.  Let's face it, life has its ups and downs.  For the unbeliever, there is no adequate remedy for all the stress and adversities that come our way with the dawn of each new day.  Thankfully, you and I are saved by the finished Work of our Master Jesus Christ on Calvary's Cross.  If I may, let me just interject here for a moment.

If you are reading this and you do not have a relationship with God through His Son, Jesus Christ, today is the day of your Salvation!  It is not difficult to put your trust in Christ!  All you have to do is simply confess your sins, repent (meaning 'to turn away' from your old sinful lifestyle), and believe that God the Father, came to earth in the form of a man (His Son Jesus), and died on a cross to pay the penalty of our fore-parents Adam and Eve's disobedience in the Garden of Eden (as well as the penalty for our willful disobedience to God and His Righteous Laws ), and that God's Spirit (The Holy Ghost Spirit) raised up Jesus from the dead after three days and three nights!  Simply, by faith believe that there exists no other manner, way, or Name given under heaven whereby we must (or can) be saved ( Acts 4:12 ). 

Once you have, by faith, placed your trust in Christ, an entire new realm (The Kingdom of God also called the Kingdom of Heaven) becomes available to you, making you one of its beloved citizens, never again to be in bondage to the fear of death or any other fear for that matter ( Hebrews 2:15, 2 Timothy 1:7 ).  With a right relationship with God, we now have the ability to tap into the Strength that only Jesus can provide for the attaining of every God-given goal, dream, or desire. 

Without proper navigation of life's ups and downs we can become stagnant in the process of 'finishing what we start'.  As Christians, our adversary Satan attempts to steal the joy necessary to be profitable citizens of the Kingdom of God.  After all, the Bible declares that the Joy of The LORD is our Strength ( Nehemiah 8:10).  Without joy, we have no strength.  However, with the Joy of the LORD we have all the ability necessary for any undertaking.  Now the question must be, 'how do we receive or attain this strength?'.

Well, the main source of our strength is found in God and His Word - The Holy Bible.  The Bible is filled with a plethora of wonderful Promises in its Holy Pages.  These promises, if believed upon, are more than ample to strengthen our faith and resolve.  The world handles stress in their own way (i.e. - alcohol abuse, drug abuse, etc.).  We as Christians handle the rough patches of life by simply depending on Jesus.

All of us undergo some form of turbulence in our lives.  At times, the child of God suffers more adversities than the unbeliever, simply because we are no longer a part of the devil's army.  Because we have been transferred from death unto life, Satan and his angel's will attempt to hinder us, making our testimonies in Christ of none effect.  That is why we will not and cannot live a victorious life, pleasing unto God, unless we learn, believe, meditate on, practice, speak, and Trust His Word.

Trusting in the Word of God is essential to establishing a Christ-like character and demeanor.  Without faith in the Word of God, we become vessels of dishonour (2 Timothy 2:20-21) unfit for the Master's Use.  However, with an unwavering faith and commitment to God's Commands, Laws, and Instructions we, by The Grace of His Son Jesus, become ample vessels of Christ, displaying His Glory to all whom we come in contact with or connect.  Now let's further discuss what trusting in God's Word entails, and how we are to go about garnering this faith-filled trust!

Well, I believe the easiest method of learning to trust and rely on God and His Word is to simply put it to the test.  When I say 'put it to the test', I am in no way declaring that we are to tempt or try God as if He is unworthy of our total trust! What I am saying is that if Christ tells us to do something, we are to do it without any doubtful questions or assumptions.

One example of putting Jesus to the test would be believing God's Word which declares that He is Faithful and Just to forgive us our sins, if we confess them unto Him (1 John 1:9), thus turning from darkness unto His Marvelous Light Which is Jesus Christ.  Many of us say we believe the fact that we are forgiven, only to let Satan penetrate our thoughts with condemnation.  Once we have confessed to God our iniquities and turned from them, they ARE forgiven.  This is taking God at His Word no matter what we think or how we feel.  If we believe we are forgiven, we will, by His Grace, walk in newness of life, beholding the Strength and Power bestowed upon us by our Savior, simply because of His Love and our faith.  Knowing that we are forgiven of our sinful past is an act of faith that shows God that we wholeheartedly believe and trust in Him and His Word!  We ourselves, as well as various onlookers, will not be able to deny the proven fact that we have been changed into a new creature by faith in the Glorious Gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ ( 2 Corinthians 5:17 ).  But remember, we must first believe God before we patiently witness His Promises come to pass in our lives ( Hebrews 10:36).

Jesus, as The LORD, even declares in the Old Testament book of Malachi, that we can Prove Him in being sufficient to take care of all our desires by simply trusting Him in our giving of our Tithes and Offerings ( Malachi 3:10-12 ).  When we wholeheartedly believe in Jesus and His Word, without doubt or dissimulation, we WILL see all His Promises come to pass in our lives.  Remember, God is Trustworthy!  If He says it in His Word, He CANNOT lie!  When God says that He Swears by Himself ( Isaiah 45:23 ), that literally means that He is obligated to back up His Word.  However, He is not obligated to the one who continues to willfully sin and disobey Him, living a faithless lifestyle, expecting to reap all the benefits a faithful follower of Christ can expect in his or her life.  Remember God is about Covenant.  Jesus established His Covenant of the New Testament in the shedding of His own Blood ( St Matthew 26:27-28 ).  He has done His part.  Our part is to believe on Him and His Sacrifice, confess His Name, and believe through the Faith that He has given unto us that God (as the Father), has raised Him (Jesus - as God the Son) by His Holy Ghost Spirit from the grave ( Romans 10:9 ).  This is the faith that moves mountains ( St. Mark 11:22-24 ).  For if we believe ( and know of a surety) that Jesus died, and rose from the grave for our redemption, sanctification, and justification, we have all the faith necessary to live a courageous and bold life that honors our Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ.

Today's Scripture admonishes us to be strong in the LORD.  Realistically, that is the only way we can be strong.  There is no other way for us as Christians to 'fight the good fight of faith' ( 1 Timothy 6:12), and succeed at any battle unless the Lord Jesus is our Stay.  The world continues to advertise the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life ( 1 John 2:16 ).  This is evident in much of the media programming we face on a consistent basis today.  These destructive inundations are strategically geared by our adversary the devil, to continue to contaminate all that is Godly in our society with satanic ideals and ideologies that attempt to hinder the work of Salvation Jesus wants to accomplish in this life.  However, God's plan of redemption CANNOT be thwarted.  God will give us the strength necessary to preach and proclaim His Gospel to a lost and desperate world.  We as Christians need to find the strength of God to take back the media, and all forms of entertainment, for the Kingdom and Glory of God and His Christ! 

When we are truly strong in The LORD, we have all we need to overcome anything or anyone that will attempt to hinder our walks with Christ!  In sickness, we find God's Strength to be made whole.  In good health, we find God's strength to go into all the world to evangelize the lost ( St. Mark 16:15 ).  In confusion, we find God's Strength to bring clarity to all stressful situations.  His Strength is more than sufficient to grant unto us the Power necessary to accomplish all He has placed before us.  Remember, it takes the Strength of Christ Almighty to truly 'Finish what we have Started'!  When we read, meditate, and study God's Word daily, we will be established in His Faith, by the measure of Faith granted unto us by His Son Jesus Christ ( Romans 12:3 )!

You are much stronger than you ever thought you were!  You have all that it takes to be an effective agent in the Kingdom of our LORD!  Trust that God has already given you all you need to succeed!  You HAVE the 'Mind of Christ', the 'Love of Christ', and the 'Strength of Christ'Never let the devil make you feel weak!  For in Christ, even when you are weak, you are strong ( 2 Corinthians 12:10 )!  Abide in Jesus and His Strength, and His Spirit, Blessing, and Strength will continue to abide in you! ( Read St. John - Chapter 15)  Be Blessed!

(c) 2011 Writings With the Finger of God

Next Week: Love Matters