Does God make mistakes?

Does God ever make a mistake?   

 

NO

 

God doesn’t and can’t make a mistake, but sometimes it may feel like He has. But we don’t get to see things the way God does. God has a view that encompasses not just the now but also the future. Our view is limited by our understanding while God’s perspective is infinite. There have been many times in my life, during a trial or difficult situation where I found myself questioning God but the ultimate result was something good for me. Whenever this happens, I always find that I was wrong because I couldn’t see the whole picture and the truth is I didn’t have the wisdom to trust God.

 

 

8 "For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways,"
declares the LORD.
9 "As the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.
Isaiah 55:8-9

 

 

So what does that mean when you question God and how it appears he is working in and around your life? If you do question God have you sinned, are you a bad person or is your faith weak or in question? I say absolutely not.

 

The Bible holds Abraham up as “THE” example of faith, even calling him a friend of God.

 

8 "But you, O Israel, my servant,
Jacob, whom I have chosen,
you descendants of Abraham my friend
Isaiah 41:8

 

But even Abraham had questions about what God was doing and if it was the right thing. But he was a man of great faith and he handled his questions differently than most do. He didn’t yell, scream and accuse God of not looking out for him. A lot of people today give up on God when they don’t see results immediately and discount the fact that things worthwhile are worth waiting for.

 

But Abraham was very different from the doubters of today. He did have questions, just like you and I do from time to time. Just like us, he had a difficult time trying to understand why God did this or didn’t do that.

 

So if he had the same questions and concerns that we have, what made him so special? Why did God single him out, call him righteous and more important friend? To see what made Abraham different than those around him and attempt to apply the same ideals to ourselves we have to ask a very simple question.

 

Where is God in your life?

 

• When you have choices to make in life do you go to the Lord in prayer or do go with your feelings?

 

• When someone expresses their thoughts and opinions to you do you evaluate them against what the Bible says?  Do you evaluate your thoughts and opinions the same way?

 

• When your feelings enter into the picture do allow the Word of God, written in your heart to kick in and take over?

 

If you can honestly answer yes to those questions then you are on the right path.  If you answered any with a no (if you are honest we will all at best answer, "a lot of the time") then that is the area of your life you need to concentrate applying faith. Let’s look at what made Abraham the man of faith, the example of faith as described in the Bible. What was different about Abraham?

 

Abraham was God’s friend.

 

And the scripture was fulfilled that says, "Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness," and he was called God's friend.

James 2:23

 

Abraham walked in harmony with God. The questions he did have didn’t come from a rebellious heart or hostility, they were just questions and he looked to God for the answers. No matter what happened Abraham always had an attitude, “When God speaks, I will respond in faith”. Not only would he hear God, more importantly he would listen to what he had to say.

 

By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going.

Hebrews 11:8

 

That passage of scripture shows how seriously Abraham took God’s Word and that’s what faith is all about. True faith, the faith assigned to Abraham says when God speaks and gives me direction; I’m just going to start walking. We have to have the same respect and sense of awe that Abraham had for God. We have to look really hard at where we’ve put God and His Word in our life.

 

While God doesn’t reveal Himself to us in the same manner He did to Abraham, He has spoken to us all very clearly in His Word, the Bible:

 

1In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, 2but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe. 3The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.

Hebrews 1:1-3

 

 

 

God has chosen different avenues to speak to His people in the past with individuals such as David and Solomon and the Old Testament Prophets and Seers. But today we have the message of Christ, revealed in the New Testament and the promise of the Holy Spirit to guide is in finding God’s will for our lives. We have to show the same reverence and respect for the written Word of God we have today that Abraham showed to the Word received from God. In order for us to try and emulate the faith of Abraham, we need to know a little more about him. Let’s look at a specific situation he encountered which resulted in him having questions about what God was doing, and how he handled it.

 

 

This passage will show us 3 very admirable qualities Abraham had and we should strive for.

 

 

 

1. Abraham was a generous and hospitable man.

 

1 The LORD appeared to Abraham near the great trees of Mamre while he was sitting at the entrance to his tent in the heat of the day. 2 Abraham looked up and saw three men standing nearby. When he saw them, he hurried from the entrance of his tent to meet them and bowed low to the ground. 3 He said, "If I have found favor in your eyes, my lord, do not pass your servant by. 4 Let a little water be brought, and then you may all wash your feet and rest under this tree. 5 Let me get you something to eat, so you can be refreshed and then go on your way—now that you have come to your servant." "Very well," they answered, "do as you say." 6 So Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah. "Quick," he said, "get three seahs of fine flour and knead it and bake some bread." 7 Then he ran to the herd and selected a choice, tender calf and gave it to a servant, who hurried to prepare it. 8 He then brought some curds and milk and the calf that had been prepared, and set these before them. While they ate, he stood near them under a tree.

Genesis 18:1-8

 

 

Three men paid Abraham a visit and he was very hospitable to them, giving them food and a place to stay. At first Abraham didn’t know was that he was hosting the Lord and two angels, he’s just being a good host. We are told to act the same way in the New Testament.

 

 

Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it.

Hebrews 13:2

 

And while they were enjoying Abraham’s hospitality, the conversation turned to his wife Sarah.

 

9 "Where is your wife Sarah?" they asked him. "There, in the tent," he said. 10 Then the LORD said, "I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife will have a son." Now Sarah was listening at the entrance to the tent, which was behind him. 11 Abraham and Sarah were already old and well advanced in years, and Sarah was past the age of childbearing. 12 So Sarah laughed to herself as she thought, "After I am worn out and my master is old, will I now have this pleasure?" 13 Then the LORD said to Abraham, "Why did Sarah laugh and say, 'Will I really have a child, now that I am old?' 14 Is anything too hard for the LORD? I will return to you at the appointed time next year and Sarah will have a son." 15 Sarah was afraid, so she lied and said, "I did not laugh." But he said, "Yes, you did laugh."

Genesis 18:9-15

 

Sarah overheard and thought the exact same thing anyone of her age would have thought, “No way is that going to happen, I’m too old”. And God’s response was to ask her the question – “Is anything too hard for the LORD”? And you and I would do well to burn that phrase into out thought process:

 

“Is anything too hard for the LORD”?

 

The same God who gave Abraham and Sarah a child under “impossible” odds, is the same God who can look at whatever issue is going on in your life and say “No sweat. I’ve got that for you”.

 

 

 

2. Abraham was a confidant of God.

 

 

God was through with Sodom and Gomorrah. Known for their extreme wickedness, these towns were a constant challenge to God and even after many opportunities to repent; they chose to thumb their noses at Him. Their time was up and God believed Abraham worthy of His confidence:

 

16 When the men got up to leave, they looked down toward Sodom, and Abraham walked along with them to see them on their way. 17 Then the LORD said, "Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do? 18 Abraham will surely become a great and powerful nation, and all nations on earth will be blessed through him. 19 For I have chosen him, so that he will direct his children and his household after him to keep the way of the LORD by doing what is right and just, so that the LORD will bring about for Abraham what he has promised him." 20 Then the LORD said, "The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great and their sin so grievous 21 that I will go down and see if what they have done is as bad as the outcry that has reached me. If not, I will know."
Genesis 18:16-22

 

So the Lord was pleased with Abraham and even chose to confide in him His plans to visit Sodom and Gomorrah to determine their fate. Today we to can be a “friend of God”! In the Gospel of John we are told:

 

 

You are my friends if you do what I command.
John 15:14

 

Do you want God to speak to you?

 

Would you be interested in God speaking to you like a friend?

 

How would you like to have God confide in you and let you in on His plans?

 

You can have that and a whole lot more. God will speak to you today through His living breathing Word, the Bible. The Bible has everything you need to know to be successful in life and engage His blessing to level He has planned for you. And any good friend will tell you some things you don’t want to hear sometimes, but things you need to hear. And Jesus being the friend He is, has some tough stuff to share with us.  While there are many ideas and principles expressed in the Bible that are easy to take to heart, others… Not so much.

 

I took the little scroll from the angel's hand and ate it. It tasted as sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I had eaten it, my stomach turned sour.
Revelation 10:10

 

 

The scroll was the written Word of God. And while the promises of eternal life, redemption of sin and a one on one relationship with God are sweet, other scriptures are little harder to swallow, and can even becoming sour if not addressed properly.

 

Is there a passage of scripture that doesn’t sit too well with you or even makes you feel a little uncomfortable?

 

Test me, O LORD, and try me, examine my heart and my mind…
Psalm 26:2

 

 

I would challenge you to give some consideration to anything you find in the Bible that does give you question, and ask God to put His microscope on it and it’s relation to your life. I feel confident that when you do, you will see things a little differently.  I also believe you will find God is right, you're wrong.

 

Abraham sure did…

 

 

3. Abraham presented his questions to God, no one else.

 

 

When God shared His plan for the destruction of Sodom he was filled with concern and doubt...

 

22 The men turned away and went toward Sodom, but Abraham remained standing before the LORD. 23 Then Abraham approached him and said: "Will you sweep away the righteous with the wicked? 24 What if there are fifty righteous people in the city? Will you really sweep it away and not spare [f] the place for the sake of the fifty righteous people in it? 25 Far be it from you to do such a thing—to kill the righteous with the wicked, treating the righteous and the wicked alike. Far be it from you! Will not the Judge of all the earth do right?"
Genesis 18:22-25

 

 

Abraham did question God but look how it did it. He approached God and simply asked his question. He didn’t rebel, he didn’t curse he just asked God about it.

 

 

Abraham had family that lived in Sodom and had even helped saved it from attack of foreign kings. He just couldn’t wrap his head around the idea that everyone in Sodom could be bad enough to wipe out the whole place. Abraham had a concern over God’s decision. God had always proven Himself to be just and the idea of killing the righteous people of Sodom along with the wicked ones just didn’t seem right. So God responded to his concerns.

 

 

26 The LORD said, "If I find fifty righteous people in the city of Sodom, I will spare the whole place for their sake."
27 Then Abraham spoke up again: "Now that I have been so bold as to speak to the Lord, though I am nothing but dust and ashes, 28 what if the number of the righteous is five less than fifty? Will you destroy the whole city because of five people?" "If I find forty-five there," he said, "I will not destroy it."
29 Once again he spoke to him, "What if only forty are found there?" He said, "For the sake of forty, I will not do it."
30 Then he said, "May the Lord not be angry, but let me speak. What if only thirty can be found there?" He answered, "I will not do it if I find thirty there."
31 Abraham said, "Now that I have been so bold as to speak to the Lord, what if only twenty can be found there?" He said, "For the sake of twenty, I will not destroy it."
32 Then he said, "May the Lord not be angry, but let me speak just once more. What if only ten can be found there?" He answered, "For the sake of ten, I will not destroy it."
33 When the LORD had finished speaking with Abraham, he left, and Abraham returned home.
Genesis 18: 26-33

Abraham eventually found out the truth, God was just. He already knew that there weren’t any righteous people in Sodom; Abraham’s problem was he didn’t have all the info God did and didn’t have the benefit on providence.

 

Conclusion

 

 

So the original question was “Does God make mistakes”? Without question the answer is no. But will we have opportunity to question God? Without question the answer is yes.  But when he did question what God was doing in and around his life, he still had faith that God would do what he said he’d do in the end. Abraham lived by faith. So when you do question if God is really working in your life, and you will, we have to commit to trusting God to do what he says he’s going to do.

 

• You can’t know what God has promised and wants to do for you if you don’t read the Bible.
• You can’t have the attitude that God can and will do anything He wants to for you if you don’t test your desires and needs against his Word.
• You can’t be a friend of Jesus if you don’t follow His command. How will you know His command if you don’t read the Bible?

 

God will show you the way and confide His plan for your life. It’s written in the pages of His Word.

  

How can you have confidence enough to boldly approach God with your questions and know you have that right. You find your rights as a Christian and the authority you’ve been given in the Bible.

 

God’s promises and hope for us are so easy to grasp if we just open the pages of His Word and take them. If you do I promise you God will speak to you. The only way you can unleash the abundant life that He has in store for you is to engage the principles found in this book and commit to following them no matter what. Once the Bible becomes the final authority in your life all argument is over.

 

It really is that simple. Find a time everyday to read the Bible and ask God to reveal his thoughts and will to you. Test what you do against what you read. Be prepared to listen. And follow those words without question and without hesitation.

 

 

And if you do that then you will have something in common with Abraham and I don’t know about you but being the same category of one of God’s friends sounds good to me!

 

Grab God's blessing today!

 

Jeff

Local Church Bible Publishers

Local Church Bible Publishers Green goatskin hand-sized KJV- with Concordance


What a great looking Bible at first inspection.

Likes:

I love the color and the size is just right in my opinion. The font size is huge! The LCBP website doesn’t reference the size (at least that I can find) but it’s at least a 10.5, maybe 11. I really like the maps in this Bible just because they look cool. They have a retro look that is very neat but just my opinion.




Dislikes:

The binding material “feels” thin, especially when compared against Cambridge and Allan bindings. The cover is also pretty stiff and I think this has as much to do with the lining material as anything else. And I don’t like the presentation pages. But I don’t care for presentation pages in any Bible so this isn’t a specific issue with this Bible but a personal preference. And while the quality of the chain type gilt line inside the cover is nice, I don’t care for it.

Overall the quality is nice especially for $50.

I’m not a photographer but hope the pictures will show and reference some of my comments.

The Bible looks really cool right out of the box with the semi-full yapp curved over nicely. I was a little concerned about how a green Bible would look but the color is very nice. As I mentioned, the binding is stiff if compared to an Allan or Cambridge goatskin Bible, along the same lines as a calfskin binding from Cambridge. The two black ribbons are thin and stiff but seem to be good quality and softened up with just a little rubbing.

The lining material is bonded leather and maybe the cause of the stiffness? And the pictures below show the chain type gold gilding I’m not a fan of. Wouldn’t lay flat at Genesis 1 and had to get into Leviticus to have enough paper weight to flatten it out.

The paper quality and gold page gillting is very comparable to the NASB Foundation bonded and genuine leather editions. The one I have makes a “crinkling” noise when I run my finger up and down the gutter just like the Allan and Crossway PSR printed in China that was sewn too tight. I really like the maps and think they look cool and old school.

 

I can only give my opinion here.  While this is a nice Bible it is nowhere near the caliper of an Allan or Cambridge .  I would compare this with Lockmans NASB in genuine leather - click here for a >>>>> nice comparision<<<<<  This is a nice Bible and well worth the 50 bucks, no question.




Most importantly it has one thing missing that every Bible regardless of translation should have…

“The End” printed in the final page of Revelation!

God's instruction manual

I believe God left out the “thou shall” and “thou shall not” out of the New Testament for very good reason. He wanted us to look up the answers for ourselves. The book of Hebrews tells us that God chose to speak to us through His son, Jesus Christ in these last days. In the Gospel of John we have Christ explaining to us how He will do so:


25"These things I have spoken to you while I am still with you. 26But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.
John 14: 25-26


The Holy Spirit will direct us to remembrance of the words of Christ and those words are in the Bible. As Christians we are to walk by faith, not by sight (2 Cor 5:7) and I believe that nothing pleases our Lord more than seeing His children with their hands on His Word and allowing it to direct their life. Only by dedicating ourselves to an in-depth study of God’s living, breathing and inspired Word can we truly discover His will and find the promises He makes us.

Many so called preachers have attempted to soften the Gospel message to make it more palatable and given rise to the greatest need ever for deeper, personal study of scripture. Only by active understanding of sin, its nature and our inability to deal with it on our own can we see the magnitude of the sacrifice that is represented by the cross. Only through the Holy Spirit guiding us through the very thought’s of God found in scripture can we re-new our minds and line our thoughts with His.

The Bible is the instruction manual to the abundant life Christ has promised available whenever we need it. The test of life is open book so any failure we take on is only by our choice.

"Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away."
Matthew 24:35

If life is throwing you a curve ball, go read the instructions, it’ll help!


Peace,

Jeff

Hearing the voice of God

I love to open the Bible and explore answers to questions I receive from my Sunday school class and my blog. One of the questions that seems to find its way to me over and over...

"How does God speak to us"?

It's a very difficult question to answer because as Christians, we have a personal relationship with Christ and therefore we can have vastly different experiences. The one thing I can say conclusively is there is no reference in the Bible that we should be listening for an audible, personal revelation from the voice of God.

It is true the Bible is full of examples where God did speak to those of His choosing. Many times we see this referenced as His Spirit but occasionally God did provide very specific and very audible instruction to individuals concerning His will. In the era of instant information and a society based on giving us what we want, and giving it to us NOW; it isn’t surprising that many believers today want that same kind of experience.

I can’t say that the idea isn’t an attractive one. Hit your knees, close your eyes, open your ears and wait for God to speak and direct life. Unfortunately God hasn’t chosen that way to reveal Himself to me. And I believe the Bible doesn’t tell us to expect to hear from God directly for a really good reason.

How would you discern the voice really was from God?

Making that determination would require that we then interpret whatever revelation we received based on our own understanding and feelings. And the Bible does have some very specific things to say about that…

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding

Proverbs 3:5

Whoever trusts in his own mind is a fool, but he who walks in wisdom will be delivered.

Proverbs 28:26

In my fallen state I can justify just about anything I want to. I can even create a scenario in my mind that would allow for God to be OK with something I want to do if I really want to do it bad enough. As long as I trust in myself or lean on my own understanding I’m more than likely going to do whatever I want to do. What if the Word from God I was waiting on was an answer to sleeping with a woman I wasn’t married to? And what if I “heard” the following...

“Go ahead and sleep with her, you’re in love and that’s as good as being married”.

Or maybe I’m praying for direction about taking a mission trip with my Church and my bad knee starts to hurt. Well then wouldn’t that mean God didn’t want me to go?

As soon as I give myself the authority to interpret whatever voice I claim to hear, my sinful nature has the opportunity to take over. Our sinful nature will go against what the Bible says about premarital sex almost every time. And mission work is hard and sometimes thankless so my selfish nature is going to find any reason not to do it.

If God did choose to speak to us, how would someone separate normal day to day aches and pains or the euphoria of sexual attraction from the voice of God? Is the Spirit moving in me or did I just eat some bad pizza?

God didn’t leave us a mechanism or means for discernment on that level. And if we don’t have clearly defined ways to define God’s “voice” over our own desires, how do we know with certainty what His will is for us?

All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.

2 Timothy 3:16-17

The written Word of God, the Bible, is the only absolute source of truth and guidance to knowing His will. When the Bible becomes the final authority in your life there is no room for argument and personal feelings can’t cause distortion. According to Peter who not only heard the voice of the Lord but knew Him personally:

And we have something more sure, the prophetic word, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts,

2 Peter 1:19

Peter, the rock Christ determined to build His church on, identified scripture as the best way to know want God wants us to know. Does God speak to us today? Without question the answer is yes and he does so in the pages of scripture. So what drives the constant desire to “hear” God’s voice in so many Believers today? I believe John MacArthur sums it up better than I could…

"Why do some believers still look beyond the Bible for a special, personal word from the Lord? At the heart of their desire for fresh revelation is a fundamental lack of faith in the absolute sufficiency of God’s Word. They simply don’t believe the Bible gives enough answers for the problems and struggles in their lives; or they don’t grasp the degree to which Scripture is living and active — that it is God speaking to us clearly and distinctly.

I trust that you’re not entertaining that kind of thinking. If you reject the sufficiency of Scripture — or even if you simply look to supplement it with fresh, personal revelation from God — you cut yourself off from the only reliable source of God’s truth. The Bible isn’t a book of static, lifeless words. It’s alive and active in the hearts of God’s people. It’s the vessel through which the Lord performs His transforming work, sanctifying and shaping us into His likeness. It’s not simply the record of what God has said in the past — it’s what He’s saying to you and me every day. His Word remains perpetually applicable and relevant.

Because God does speak to His people through His Word, there’s no more serious undertaking than studying the Bible. Understanding biblical doctrine isn’t an academic pursuit for believers — it’s knowing His mind. By studying Scripture, we’re able to grasp His instructions for all matters of life and godliness".
John MacArthur Newsletter May 2010

Fortunately we will be able to not only hear His voice one day but stand, face to face with Christ. But until then we have to walk by faith, not by sight and that faith can only be built on the firm foundation scripture offers. There is no substitute for making the study of the Bible a priority in your life.  If you are still waiting to hear the voice of our Lord in your life… Find your Bible, open it up and start reading. I promise you He has something to say.

Be blessed today by opening God’s Word!

Jeff

Claiming God's promises

A few weeks ago I wrote about the covenant promise God made with Abraham. That was really just a history lesson for us because we are under a new covenant with God, a better one…

  

31 "The time is coming," declares the LORD,

"when I will make a new covenant

with the house of Israel  

and with the house of Judah.  

32 It will not be like the covenant

I made with their forefathers  

when I took them by the hand

to lead them out of Egypt,

because they broke my covenant,  

though I was a husband to them. "  

declares the LORD.

33 "This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel  

after that time," declares the LORD.  

"I will put my law in their minds  

and write it on their hearts.  

I will be their God,

and they will be my people.

34 No longer will a man teach his neighbor,

or a man his brother, saying, 'Know the LORD,'

because they will all know me,  

from the least of them to the greatest,"

declares the LORD.  

"For I will forgive their wickedness  

and will remember their sins no more."  

Jeremiah 31:31-34

Why is it called new? The New Testament uses two different Greek words for "new": Neos means new in contrast to old. Kainos means "new" in the sense of "unique".

… to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.

Hebrews 12:24

This scripture identifies Jesus Christ as the mediator of the new covenant, is the only scripture where kainos is used in reference to the new covenant. Every other passage uses neos. So the "new covenant" is unique.

But the ministry Jesus has received is as superior to theirs as the covenant of which he is mediator is superior to the old one, and it is founded on better promises.

Hebrews 8:6

  

This passage tells us the new covenant is better than the old because it has better promises. These promises weren’t part of the previous; they were unique to the new covenant. Chapter 8 in Hebrews Mentions three promises.

Change of Nature

  

Israel didn't have the heart or nature to obey God 

Oh, that their hearts would be inclined to fear me and keep all my commands always, so that it might go well with them and their children forever!

Deuteronomy 5:29

The old covenant contained no condition for internal motivation to obey God. In the new covenant God promises to put His laws into the mind and write them on the heart of His people (Hebrews 8). Obeying God's law is not a normal human response, Romans 8:7 say’s “the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God's law, nor can it do so”. The new covenant promises the power to obey God, through the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit, a unique feature of the new covenant.

Sanctification is the process of the Holy Spirit convicting us of our sin and changing the way we perceive sin. This process is not a onetime thing it’s a daily commitment to lining up your mind with God’s word. The nature has change into one of a personal and intimate relationship with God.

Forgiveness of Sins

…"For I will forgive their wickedness  

and will remember their sins no more." 

Jeremiah 31:34

Forgiveness of sins, also necessary for a relationship with God is another new promise and unique benefit of the new covenant. The Levitical system of sacrifices cannot take away sins it just covered them up. Therefore, forgiveness of sins was unique to the new covenant. The Passover wine represents the new covenant in Christ's blood, which was shed for the remission of sins.

Eternal Inheritance

  

Eternal inheritance is another unique and better promise offered in the new covenant. Eternal life is a never ending relationship with God. 

Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.

John 17:3

We are heirs of God through Christ, and what meaning would eternal life have apart from God?

If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.

Galatians 3:29

  

And the promise is the New Covenant with God, with Christ a Mediator, the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit, forgiveness of sin and eternal life. And as an heir you have a right to boldly pursue what God says is yours.  

I’m not sure why but a lot of people think they have to walk on eggshells and delicately wonder over these things. The Bible clearly says you are an heir and you have a right to your stuff.

11Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called "uncircumcised" by those who call themselves "the circumcision" (that done in the body by the hands of men)— 12remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. 13But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ.

Ephesians 2:11-13

The term covenant adds weight to this binding blood bought promise. Man might break his promise but God won’t. God is perfect and Holy and He has to do what He says He is going to – every time, no questions asked.

The covenant promise that we are entitled to is between God and us, and once entered into cannot be broken. Not even death releases God from this covenant because the covenant transcends it. Let’s look back at verse 12, the word “foreigner” is translated from the Greek word Xenos which means “without the knowledge of OR new and unheard of”. So prior to being born again you just didn’t know anything about this.

So now that we are saved and have an inheritance that we are entitled to, what’s next?

  

The Bible is the covenant we have with God. You have to read it to understand God’s promise.

What happens if you don’t read the Bible and understand the covenant God has made with you?

  

Ephesians 2:12 says you will have no hope. And you will have no hope because you wont have the benefit of God’s word in your life because you can’t benefit from the Word of God if you don’t know it. In theory you could go to heaven without ever reading the Bible…

That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

Romans 10:9

But if you go through life without knowing and understanding the Word of God, you will be living without God’s provision.

The Bible is God’s perfect an inerrant word. You have to

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  Hold on to His Word
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  Stand on His Word
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  Believe in His Word
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  Take it and never let it go

You don’t connect to the provision and power of God with tears and pleas; you connect to the power of God through faith. Faith comes from knowing God’s Word and having it written on your heart, and having confidence and understanding the promises He has made to you.

Faith and the will of God can’t operate where it isn’t known.  (Ephesians 2:12 strangers/foreigners)

I’m not saying that God won’t work in and improve your life if you don’t read your Bible and increase your knowledge. But anything He chooses to do is only going to happen by grace and the efforts of others in prayer for you.

Without a study and understanding of Gods word your life can’t unite with the will of God and the amazing specific plan he has your life. You have and inheritance from your Father and He left you His last will and testament, the Bible. Read it, understand it and boldly demand what you’ve been promised.

Hope is a right of your inheritance. Could you use some hope in your life? Take it, God promised it to you so you can walk boldly through any problem knowing you’re covered. Look at

Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, "So shall your offspring be."

Romans 4:18

Before Abraham became fully persuaded, he hoped against hope. He decided to not listen to what the world had to say. The world said he was too old to have a kid, the world said Sarah was too old and barren, it would be impossible to have a child. But what did Abraham do? He hoped against hope and trusted God to do what He said He was going to do. And that paid off pretty good for him I’d say. And just like Abraham when the world is beating you down and things look hopeless, you can get some hope in the Word of God.

How could anyone go through life without hope? There is an entire world full of people that we are surrounded with everyday that don’t know about the hope that God has for them. And it’s up to us to make sure they know where to come and get it.

We have been given the winners manual for life in the Bible. The Bible is hope and that hope will overcome any situation. I know this because God promises it and spells it out very clearly in the Bible. And I get my hope from this book everyday. And when people tell me I can’t do something I set my mind to or that I’m crazy for the things I believe in I just tell them it’s too bad they can’t see what I see. And when it doesn’t look like I’m going to succeed I say just wait. Because you can’t see what I see and you don’t know what I know but keep on watching because it is going to blow you away when it happens.

That’s faith

That pleases God

That faith will see you through anything

Because I get my faith through hope and the source of my hope is God.

People can’t be your source. Man will always disappoint you. The Bible has to be your source. You have to read it to have the advantage of knowing God’s promise. God’s promise has no “but” in it. Read it, read it every day, that’s it.

God gives us the reason to know and understand his Word and wraps it up very nicely in a beautiful piece of scripture found in 1 Peter.

…"God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble." 6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. 7 Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. 8 Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 9 Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings. 10 And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.

1 Peter 5:5b-10

I feel that that is one of the most beautiful passages of scripture in the Bible. I’m encouraged to know that through grace alone, God’s mighty hand will touch me. I’m reassured that I can rest because He will take on any burden I allow Him to take.

I know that the God will show me the way to remain in control and the means to resist any temptation I encounter. And I take comfort in knowing that I’m not alone in my suffering and that when I have suffered, and only for a little while, God will restore me and build me up greater than before.

All that and a whole lot more is promised to us… You’re just going to have to read the rest of it yourself.

Grace then peace,

Jeff

Become fully persuaded!

Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised. This is why "it was credited to him as righteousness." The words "it was credited to him" were written not for him alone, but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness—for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.
Romans 4:20-25

Abraham didn’t waver through unbelief which means he never doubted, even for a second, that God would do what He said he was going to do.  And how much was he persuaded?  Abraham was fully persuaded. You can’t be more persuaded than “fully”.

And the Bible tells us that - that belief, that faith was credited to him as righteousness.

Have you have ever wavered in believing God’s promise?  Have you ever had any doubt about your faith? Have you ever questioned if God really would do all the things and stuff you’ve been told He can do?

I’m not proud to say it but I have too.

So how was Abraham able to become so sure, so positive, have this absolute faith that Paul talks about in Romans?  That must have been some meeting that took place for him to have had this unshakable confidence in God’s promise.

Let’s take a look at that meeting….  Genesis 15, we are going to start at verse 1.

After this, the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision:

"Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward. "

But Abram said, "O Sovereign LORD, what can you give me since I remain childless and the one who will inherit my estate is Eliezer of Damascus?" And Abram said, "You have given me no children; so a servant in my household will be my heir."

Then the word of the LORD came to him: "This man will not be your heir, but a son coming from your own body will be your heir." He took him outside and said, "Look up at the heavens and count the stars—if indeed you can count them." Then he said to him, "So shall your offspring be."

Genesis 15:1-7

Abram believed the LORD, and he credited it to him as righteousness.

Look at that. Abraham believed and God immediately credited it to him as righteousness.  God made His promise to Abraham that he would be the father of a great nation years ago but Abraham didn’t waver and believed God immediately and God credited it to him as righteousness.

And today we have an amazing parallel to Abraham. Abraham didn’t do a bunch of good works then get counted as righteous.  He believed God would do what He said he would do.  He trusted God and it was counted as righteousness.  When?  Immediately there was NO lag time.

The KJV uses the word counted instead of credited and I like that because it infers that God is keeping track of things.  The original Hebrew word used was “chashab” which translates to being charged or imputed.  You can’t have “chashab” removed or taken away, it’s yours.  SO in other words when God writes your name in His book, you’re counted and God’s pencil doesn’t have an eraser.

And while that might sound too easy, he believed and immediately he was credited as righteous, it isn’t any different than the measuring stick God uses for all of us.  We don’t work to become righteous; Jesus did that for us…

Consequently, just as the result of one trespass was condemnation for all men, so also the result of one act of righteousness was justification that brings life for all men. For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.

Romans 5:18-19

We make it too difficult.  We don’t have to work to become righteous, God gives it to us.  You can’t do enough good works or try hard enough to get into heaven, that will never work.  Just like Abraham we must simply believe God…

That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

Romans 10:9

So if we believe that through Christ we have been justified and the cross was His act of obedience, and we believe in our hearts that God raised Him from the dead…  We have been given the righteousness of Christ Himself.

It’s that simple and we make it too difficult. Believe and be counted as righteous. And you don’t have to do anything else for God to mark you as counted, as chashab, in His book.

So, Abraham believed and God continued…

He also said to him, "I am the LORD, who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to take possession of it." But Abram said, "O Sovereign LORD, how can I know that I will gain possession of it?"

Genesis 15:7-8

God tells him that He is the one that gave him everything he had and He was adding to that a child, their heir he asked about. And the response of Abraham is one that you have probably made yourself…

“How can I believe you God”? He told God to prove it to him. And isn’t that really the question everyone wants to ask?

God, how can I be sure...

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  You’re going to take care of me?
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  You’re going to protect me?
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  You’re going to take care of my kids?
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  You’re going to help me pay my bills or get a job?

How can I be fully persuaded you are telling me the truth God?

Unfortunately most people who make a profession of faith, are born again then stop right there and never ask God that question. That’s too bad because just like Abraham, we have the right to boldly ask God to confirm His covenant with us. The apostle Paul tells us that through Christ:

Let then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

Hebrews 4:16

We have the right to approach God and have Him confirm His promise to us so that we can have the faith to be able to live a life that knowing that:

God said it

I believe it

I'm going to heaven

I’m going to read my Bible everyday and God WILL speak to me

That’s it. Nothing really bold or difficult about that once you realize that God has to do everything He says He’s going to do. Once you have confidence that God will do everything He says He’ll do. To build your faith you need confidence.

So how Abraham was able to be confident in God’s promise?

So the LORD said to him, "Bring me a heifer, a goat and a ram, each three years old, along with a dove and a young pigeon."

Abram brought all these to him, cut them in two and arranged the halves opposite each other; the birds, however, he did not cut in half. 11 Then birds of prey came down on the carcasses, but Abram drove them away.

As the sun was setting, Abram fell into a deep sleep, and a thick and dreadful darkness came over him. Then the LORD said to him, "Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own, and they will be enslaved and mistreated four hundred years. But I will punish the nation they serve as slaves, and afterward they will come out with great possessions. You, however, will go to your fathers in peace and be buried at a good old age. In the fourth generation your descendants will come back here, for the sin of the Amorites has not yet reached its full measure."  

When the sun had set and darkness had fallen, a smoking firepot with a blazing torch appeared and passed between the pieces. On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram and said, "To your descendants I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates- the land of the Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites, Hittites, Perizzites, Rephaites, Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites and Jebusites."

Genesis 15: 9-20

God told Abraham to make a sacrifice, a very specific sacrifice with specific instructions. But more importantly Abraham just did what he was told to do, no questions asked. And each of us must decide for ourselves what sacrifice we are will to make for our relationship with Christ. I have come to believe that the relationship you have with your Maker is directly related to what you are willing to give up in its pursuit. Every un-godly activity in your life is another layer between you and God and the more of these you remove, the closer to Him you get. We have to replace the things of the world for the things of God. It really is that simple. We have to do what the Bible tells us to do, without question and give God a shot at making good on his promise.

Remember that at the time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world.

Ephesians 2:12

Those who are separate from Christ are operating in their own power. And when we, as born again Christians begin to operate in our power instead of God’s, we are separating ourselves from Him and the power He has made available to us all. We have to get out of the way and let God work in our life. Look back at verse 12, Abraham was under God’s power when he went into this deep sleep and when Abraham had gotten out of the way and let God do His thing, that’s when He came down and sealed the covenant with him. And when you stop working and trying, when you make the choice to get out of God’s way, he’ll seal His covenant with you too.

Grace and Peace from Him!

Jeff

Have you suffered lately?

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice”.

Philippians 4:4

There is little doubt in my mind that Paul was an optimist.  The Pauline Epistles are an amazing collection of encouraging words written to a people who at the time needed a lot of encouragement.  In the early church Christians died for their faith and beliefs as a common occurrence.  Our Brothers and Sisters from that era were often used as sport and feed to lions in public displays at the Coliseum.  Early Church records reference groups of Christians huddling together in prayer, as the lions attacked their cries of joy and prayer were often heard over the screams of pain.  The Roman Emperor Nero is said to have coated Christians in pitch and burned them alive to light his garden at night and better see the chariot races that took place for his enjoyment.  I know that I wouldn’t want to trade places with those in the past and they would probably laugh at what I call suffering.

And Paul gave us a little glimpse of how easy his life was in 2 Corinthians 11:23-28 and here is a quick list of his joy:

·         whipped with 39 lashes (5 different times)
·         beaten with rods (3 different times)
·         pummeled with stones (1 time)
·         shipwrecked (3 times)
·         adrift at sea (one night, one day)
·         journeys (frequent)
·         danger from rivers
·         danger from robbers
·         danger from his own people
·         danger from Gentiles
·         danger in the city
·         danger in the wilderness
·         danger at sea
·         danger from false brothers
·         toil and hardship
·         sleepless nights (many)
·         hungry and thirsty (often)
·         cold and exposed
·         the pressure of anxiety for all the churches (daily)

And the reason Paul found joy in these things was that his circumstance forced him to turn to God.  Joy is a gift from God and it doesn't depend upon circumstances but found in Jesus' unchanging character and promises.   Jesus is the only way to true strength and the power to endure ANY circumstance.  Paul found his joy in Christ, not life and we all need to look beyond the present, finding joy in the promise of our future – Heaven.  That’s a good trade any day.

While our problems today don't compare to those of the early Church, they are still very real to us and have very real impact on our lives.  So how do we deal with them, how do we find joy in all things like Paul did?  When I find myself in a bad spot looking for the good in a specific season of my life I find tremendous comfort in the follow verse:

As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. These things I have spoken to you that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.

John 15:9-11

I like knowing that Christ takes a personal interest in my joy and He offers it freely if only I choose to receive it.

Be blessed today!

Jeff

Barrier to prayer

I took this down recently but have decided to repost it due to a LARGE number of request...

Recently a friend asked me to pray for them in reference to some trouble they were having with their “Ex”. Of course me being me, I felt the need to add response to their email in addition to adding the appeal to my prayer list. Hand out some good Godly advice before I got to their request.

I made some good suggestions and my reply was full of Biblically sound advice. Pray for them no matter how hard it may be. Satan can and does use the unsaved to mess with our lives. Ask that God give you, and them, direction. Concentrate on being the parent you need to be – not them. I even referenced a difficult situation I had recently with my Ex that I didn’t feel was right. I made sure to include that I had approached God in prayer for them even though with some difficulty. In other words – You think you have it bad, listen to this!

Feeling pretty good about what I offered up I pressed the send button.

Before I shut my laptop I noticed a daily devotional from Greg Laurie that I read everyday titled "Barrier to prayer" in my inbox. I always like reading his stuff and opened it up. Little did I know it would have the effect on me that it did.

The barrier to prayer was forgiveness.

Reading through this devotional about forgiveness was a very humbling experience for me. See my friend had described a scenario that I felt needed to be addressed with prayer because I had been handling a similar situation that way. (I have a bad habit of thinking I know all the answers sometimes, OK – all the time) Like most devotionals this one was lead into by scripture:

So if you are presenting a sacrifice at the altar in the Temple and you suddenly remember that someone has something against you, leave your sacrifice there at the altar. Go and be reconciled to that person. Then come and offer your sacrifice to God.

Matthew 5:23-24 NLT

I do pray for my Ex-wife frequently but it wasn't until I read that devotional that I realized that while I had forgiven her in the past, I was harboring new resentment that had re-ignited the old. All the prayer for her soul was being muffled by a mountain of resentment. I felt like I was making a sacrifice by praying for her, but as the scripture said - God would rather I leave that at the altar and forgive her.

I had told my fried the ONLY thing you can do FOR your Ex was pray for them. I was wrong. As much as we should pray for the "difficult" people in our lives, we also have to forgive them. Even if they haven't asked or think they need forgiving.

The entire premise of being a follower of Christ hinges on forgiveness. I forgot to put that at the top of the list of things He has done for me and it usually makes the bottom of the list of things I want to do.

Being passionate for Christ comes easy to me. Loving Christ comes naturally when I see Him working in and improving my life. And learning about Christ is awesome. Being humbled by Christ hurts a little bit, but I always welcome it, most of the time after the fact. But forgiving like Christ forgave me – not so much. And forgiveness is what allows everything else to be fully engaged. Without forgiveness we can't experience the fullness of God or be blessed to the extent He wants to bless us. God expects us to do the same thing for others that He did for us.

I keep all the lessons, sermons and devotionals I’ve written over the past few years in a file and can access them by different topics. I searched “forgiveness” and found something I wrote in the series for the “One Month To Live” challenge:

"Forgiveness isn't about you and them-it's about you and Him"

 

I love how God chooses to reveal Himself in my life. This time He made sure that little devotional about forgiveness was in my inbox right after I gave someone what I thought was good advice. God’s way of telling me I don’t know it all. Love that.

I asked God to help me forgive my ex-wife this morning –again. Maybe He can get to work on her soul now that He can hear my prayer...

Do you have anyone you might need to forgive or ask forgiveness of?

 

Blessed only by Christ love,

 

Jeff