“Purity of Heart”

 “Purity of Heart”

 

 Teach me Your ways, O LORD, that I may live according to Your truth! Grant me PURITY of HEART, so that I may HONOR You.  Psalm 86:11

 

This Psalm is a PRAYER of David, David was a man AFTER GOD’S OWN HEART. He was a person who KNEW GOD and TRUSTED in Him. And I believe that David SOUGHT after God continuously. SEEKING to KNOW Him more DEEPLY.  NOTICE: David says:  “TEACH me YOUR WAYS, O LORD.” Now, if DAVID was KING, why would he HUMBLE himself to be the STUDENT and GOD the TEACHER? Why would he not think that he KNOWS ALL he SHOULD KNOW? 

 I believe that David was so CLOSE to GOD that he wanted to TRUST HIM MORE than he did.  David’s plea was that God would TEACH him His ways, that David might LIVE according to GOD’S TRUTH, not his own. David wanted to be OBEDIENT to GOD in his DAILY LIFE. And David’s desire was that GOD would grant him a PURE HEART, for David to HONOR GOD, and NOT HIMSELF.

David’s prayer was based on his KNOWLEDGE of WHO GOD IS, this is how David felt about God’s CHARACTER: “O LORD, You are SO GOOD, SO READY to FORGIVE, SO FULL of UNFAILING LOVE for ALL WHO ASK for YOUR HELP.” (v 5) “For You are GREAT and perform WONDERFUL DEEDS.  YOU ALONE ARE GOD!!”(v10)

David’s prayer was a declaration of his FAITH in GOD’S AWESOME, UNFAILING LOVE and POWER to do ALL that DAVID would ASK or NEED.  And DAVID desired to KNOW GOD’S WAYS, so that he could DEDICATE himself WHOLEHEARTEDLY, to GOD, and that is why DAVID asked God to GRANT him PURITY of HEART. 

David lived in FEAR for his LIFE, because he was a MAN of WAR, and there were many of his enemies that would have LOVED the opportunity to deliver David’s HEAD on a silver platter. But that was NOT to be.  David prayed for STRENGTH in the FACE of PERIL, which was based on GOD’S GREATNESS. 

In verse 13 David proclaims:  “I will give GLORY to YOUR NAME FOREVER, for YOUR LOVE for me is VERY GREAT.  You HAVE RESCUED me from the DEPTHS of DEATH.”  

What kind of RELATIONSHIP do you have with ALMIGHTY GOD?  Is it like King David’s?  Do you have the DESIRE to be taught GOD’S WAYS, that YOU might LIVE ACCORDING to His TRUTH? And how many times have you asked GOD to give you a PURITY of HEART?  Are you interested in DEDICATING YOURSELF to GOD WHOLEHEARTEDLY?  I PRAY that you have done all of these things and that you have a CLOSE, INTIMATE RELATIONSHIP with HIM. If you don’t KNOW HIM, but have been CONVICTED about your LIFESTYLE CHOICES, This is what YOU NEED to do:  FIRST, ADMIT that YOU are a SINNER, and have NO RELATIONSHIP with GOD.  Then you MUST BELIEVE that GOD’S ONLY SON, JESUS CHRIST, SUFFERED, BLED, and DIED on an OLD RUGGED CROSS, but DEATH and the GRAVE had NO HOLD on Him.  In THREE DAYS, JESUS came OUT of the GRAVE, HE was RAISED from DEATH and the GRAVE. And He is NOW ALIVE in HEAVEN, making intercession for YOU before GOD.  YOU MUST CONFESS your SINS to Him and ask Him for His FORGIVENESS.  You MUST be WILLING to TURN AWAY FROM your SINS and TURN TO GOD with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART.  YOU MUST ACCEPT God’s Gift of SALVATION and ASK HIM for a PURITY of HEART.  Do this NOW, while you STILL can.  He’s WAITING and COMING SOON!!! 

Don’t Be LEFT BEHIND!!!                                                  

“Not Condemned or Condemned Already”

“Not Condemned or Condemned Already”

 

For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be SAVED.  John 3:17

The sole reason for Jesus, the Son of the Living God, to come to this world was to bring SALVATION to this WRETCHED, WICKED WORLD! God loved this WORLD so much that He GAVE his ONLY BEGOTTEN SON, so that WHOEVER BELIEVES in Him would NOT PERISH but that they would have EVERLASTING LIFE.

And for those who BELIEVE, LOVE, and will ACCEPT JESUS as their SAVIOR and LORD, will NOT be CONDEMNED, but those who do NOT BELIEVE is CONDEMNED ALREADY. You see, there is ONLY TWO groups of people in this world, the UNBELIEVER, and the BELIEVER.  

Those who do NOT BELIEVE in CHRIST and have REJECTED His SALVATION, because of their sins, they are CONDEMNED, here and now.  And they live in DARKNESS, the place of HIDING, where EVIL DEEDS are done.  Even those who are DISOBEDIENT CHRISTIANS, will commit sins and the difference is the UNBELIEVER does NOT BELIEVE in JESUS and has REJECTED God’s Invitation to COME OUT of the DARKNESS and into the GLORIOUS LIGHT (which is JESUS CHRIST). But the UNBELIEVER, hates the LIGHT when they continue to SIN and REJECT JESUS as their SAVIOR and LORD.  They prefer to LIVE in DARKNESS.

And the DISOBEDIENT BELIEVER, is one who TRULY BELIEVES in JESUS, the SON of the LIVING GOD, who IS the SAVIOR of the WORLD and they have TRULY ACCEPTED Him as their SAVIOR and the LORD of their LIFE.  BUT what makes them DISOBEDIENT is that they FELL to TEMPTATION and SINNED against GOD. If they are TRUE BELIEVERS, they have the Holy Spirit living in them and He will bring them UNDER CONVICTION, until they CONFESS THEIR SINS. 

So, the question is: Are YOU CONDEMNED or NOT CONDEMNED? If you are NOT CONDEMNED, because you are a BELIEVER in the LORD JESUS and have TRULY given your HEART and LIFE to Him, but you have SINNED against Him, you MUST, with a CONTRITE and REPENTANT HEART, CONFESS your SINS to Him and ask Him for His FORGIVENESS. TURN AWAY FROM the SIN and CONTINUE your TRUE RELATIONSHIP with JESUS and GOD.

If you are an UNBELIEVER, and you know GOD has been dealing with your HEART, about your SINFUL LIFESTYLE and NOT BELIEVING in His SON, the LIGHT of the WORLD. YOU, have the opportunity NOW, to become a TRUE BELIEVER and be NOT CONDEMNED.  This is what you MUST DO to RECEIVE ETERNAL LIFE IN HEAVEN.  And to ESCAPE HELL with ALL its HORRORS and NO WAY to ESCAPE, once you are there.  You MUST ADMIT that YOU are a SINNER in NEED of the SAVIOR, JESUS CHRIST.  You MUST BELIEVE with ALL your HEART that HE DIED for YOU and is in HEAVEN, making intercession for YOU, before GOD. You MUST CONFESS your SINS to Him and ask Him for His FORGIVENESS.  You MUST BE WILLING to TURN AWAY FROM your SINFUL LIFESTYLE and TURN TO GOD with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART.  You MUST ACCEPT God’s Gift of SALVATION and NOT BE CONDEMNED!! Do this NOW, while you STILL can.  He’s WAITING and COMING SOON!!! Don’t Be LEFT BEHIND!  Be RAPTURE READY!!!

 

 

“An Expression Of FAITH”

 “An Expression Of FAITH”

 

Simon Peter replied, “Lord to whom would we go? You have the words that give Eternal Life.  We BELIEVE, and we KNOW you are the Holy One of God.”  John 6:68-69

In verses 22 through 59, Jesus is explaining His statement of being, “The Bread of Life” to a crowd of people who were following Him. And when He explained the implications of being, the BREAD of LIFE, and that they should BELIEVE and ACCEPT HIM as the ONE that God has sent. But the people were confused and could not understand what Jesus was talking about.  Many of the people, who were disciples (followers) of JESUS, WALKED AWAY from Him.

At the time, when many of the people had WALKED AWAY, Jesus turned toward the TWELVE disciples, and asked, “Are you also going to leave?” And Simon Peter replied, “Lord to whom would we go? YOU have the WORDS that GIVE ETERNAL LIFE. We BELIEVE, and we KNOW YOU are the HOLY ONE of GOD.”  Peter was able to express his FAITH, because he KNEW that there was NO OTHER WAY to receive ETERNAL LIFE except BELIEVING that JESUS is the HOLY ONE of the ALMIGHTY GOD. 

In verse 44, Jesus tells the people that NO ONE can come to Him unless the Father, who sent Him draws them to Him. There is NO OTHER WAY for HUMANITY to receive ETERNAL LIFE. Only the HOLY SPIRIT gives LIFE. SALVATION can NOT BE GIVEN through human effort. It is ONLY through the SHED BLOOD of JESUS CHRIST, SON of the LIVING GOD. 

The SPIRIT ALONE, gives ETERNAL LIFE. The WORKS done by human effort accomplishes NOTHING. However, the WORDS of CHRIST JESUS are SPIRIT and LIFE.  This is what one MUST DO to RECEIVE ETERNAL LIFE: when GOD deals with your HEART, and you feel a TUGGING on your HEART to SURRENDER your HEART and LIFE to God by:

ADMITTING you are a SINNER in NEED of the SAVIOR, JESUS CHRIST, the SON of the LIVING GOD!

BELIEVE with ALL your HEART, that JESUS, SUFFERED, BLED, DIED, and ROSE from DEATH and the GRAVE and that He is in HEAVEN, INTERCEDING for you before GOD.

CONFESS your SINS to Him and ASK Him for His FORGIVENESS. And be WILLING to TURN AWAY FROM your SINFUL LIFE-STYLE and TURN TO GOD with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART.

You MUST ACCEPT God’s Gift of SALVATION and be ABLE to EXPRESS your FAITH to those you meet. Share the GOOD NEWS; JESUS SAVES!!!

DO this NOW while you STILL can. He’s WAITING and COMING SOON!!!  Don’t Be LEFT BEHIND!!!

 

 

“Slave or Not a Slave”

“Slave or Not a Slave?”

 

Are you a slave? Don’t let that worry you—-but if you get a chance to be free, take it. And remember, if you were a slave when the Lord called you, you are now FREE in the Lord. And if you were FREE when the Lord called you, you are now a SLAVE of Christ.  1st Corinthians 7:20-22

The Apostle Paul is speaking to the Corinthians, concerning their status of being a slave or not being a slave. He told them NOT to WORRY, but if they ever got the opportunity to be SET FREE, they should take it.  He reminds them that IF they were a SLAVE when the Lord called them, they were FREE now in the LORD. 

However, IF they were FREE when the LORD CALLED THEM, they were NOW a SLAVE of the LORD JESUS CHRIST.  FREEDOM is a PRECIOUS thing and SHOULD BE enjoyed by EVERYONE.  Being a SLAVE, means to be OWNED by SOMEONE other than themselves, and to SERVE their OWNERS and OBEY them at any cost.

Now, the fact of the matter is that we ALL are SLAVES to SOMETHING or SOMEONE. Our scripture tells us that:  “IF you were a SLAVE when the Lord called you, you are NOW FREE in the LORD.”  For those who are NOT FREE in the LORD, because they are HELD CAPTIVE by their TASKMASTER, which would be the WORLD, and the SINFUL THINGS that the WORLD offers, it is NOT CHRISTLIKE in any way. And the REASON is that this OLD WORLD has become very WICKED and people like to be their OWN TASKMASTER, which will lead them to an ETERNITY in HELL, with ALL its HORRORS, and NO WAY to ESCAPE, once they are there. 

For those who are FREE when the Lord CALLS them, they become SLAVES of Christ Jesus.  God paid a HIGH PRICE for YOU and ME to be able to spend our ETERNITY in HEAVEN with ALL its BLESSINGS.  And that PRICE was the DEATH of His ONLY SON, who SUFFERED, BLED, DIED and was RESURRECTED from DEATH and the GRAVE.  It is the TRULY FREE BELIEVER’S responsibility to be OBEDIENT to God’s LAWS and to SERVE our MASTER, the LORD JESUS CHRIST, with LOVE, JOY, PEACE, and FREEDOM, which is NOT FREE.

So, if you have NOT given your HEART and LIFE to GOD, through the LORD JESUS, but you are being ENSLAVED by this SINFUL WORLD, and your TASKMASTER is the devil, then you MUST ADMIT that you are a SINNER in NEED of the SAVIOR, the LORD JESUS, who GAVE His LIFE to SAVE your SOUL from an ETERNITY in HELL with ALL its HORRORS.  You MUST BELIEVE with ALL your HEART, that JESUS DIED for YOU and that He is ALIVE in HEAVEN, making intercession for you before God.  You MUST CONFESS your SINS to Him and ASK Him for His FORGIVENESS.  You MUST be WILLING to TURN AWAY FROM your SINFUL LIFESTYLE, and TURN TO GOD, with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART.  You MUST ACCEPT God’s Gift of SALVATION and be set FREE with the SPIRIT of CHRIST being your NEW TASKMASTER.  Do this NOW, while you STILL can!!!  He’s WAITING and COMING SOON!!!  Don’t Be LEFT BEHIND!!!

 

“ToTRUST God is to KNOW God

 “To TRUST God is to KNOW God”

 

Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek His will in all you do, and He will show you which path to take. Prov. 3:5-6

 

TRUST: CONFIDENCE, ASSURANCE, CERTAINTY, DEPENDENCE, RELIANCE, these words describe what SHOULD BE in our MIND and HEART, when we CONSIDER the word: TRUST, especially in dealing with RELATIONSHIPS. It is to YOUR BENEFIT to KNOW the PERSON or even the THING you will put YOUR TRUST in. In other words, do you have CONFIDENCE in them? Why? Do you have the ASSURANCE that they will ALWAYS be around when the NEED ARISES? Will you have the CERTAINTY that they will DO what they SAY they will DO. Can YOU have DEPENDENCE on them in your RELATIONSHIP? What about RELIANCE, can you RELY on them, especially ON THEIR WORD?

Our verse instructs us to; “TRUST in the LORD with ALL your HEART.” WHY? Because He will SAY what He will DO and DO what He SAYS! And HOW do I KNOW this is TRUE? I KNOW because I KNOW HIM. And I KNOW about Him because I READ His WORD (Bible). I am His Child, and I have a CLOSE RELATIONSHIP with Him. And He WALKS with ME and TALKS to ME. I am NEVER ALONE because, He is ALWAYS WITH ME. And I CAN TRUST in Him for ALL my NEEDS, and in EVERY SITUATION.

God tells us NOT to DEPEND on OUR OWN UNDERSTANDING, and we are to SEEK His Will in ALL we do, and He will SHOW us the PATH we SHOULD take. And through the WORK of His HOLY SPIRIT, we can have the CONFIDENCE, ASSURANCE, CERTAINTY, DEPENDENCE, and RELIANCE, in GOD ALONE. How can a person TRUST GOD?

First, you MUST HAVE A RELATIONSHIP with Him and to do that you MUST BE DRAWN to His SON, the LORD JESUS CHRIST, who SUFFERED, BLED, DIED and RAISED from DEATH and the GRAVE to GIVE HUMANKIND an ETERNAL LIFE in HEAVEN and to be able to ESCAPE HELL, with ALL its HORRORS and NO WAY TO ESCAPE, once you are there. You MUST ADMIT that YOU are a SINNER in NEED of the SAVIOR, JESUS CHRIST. You MUST BELIEVE with ALL your HEART that JESUS DIED for YOU and that He is ALIVE in Heaven, making intercession for YOU before GOD. You MUST CONFESS your SINS to Him and ASK Him for His FORGIVENESS. You MUST be WILLING to TURN AWAY FROM your SINFUL LIFE-STYLE and TURN TO GOD, with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART. You MUST ACCEPT God’s Gift of SALVATION and TRUST in the LORD with ALL your HEART; do NOT DEPEND on YOUR OWN UNDERSTANDING. SEEK His WILL in ALL you do. And He WILL DIRECT your PATH. DO this NOW, while you STILL CAN!!!  He’s WAITING and COMING SOON!!!  PLEASE, Don’t Be LEFT BEHIND!!!

 

“So, how is Your Earthly Tent?”

“So, how is Your Earthly Tent?”

For we know that when this earthly tent we live in is taken down (that is, when we die and leave this earthly body), we will have a house in Heaven, an ETERNAL body made for us by God Himself and NOT by human hands.  2nd Corinthians 5:1

So, how is YOUR EARTHLY TENT?  I am OLD, and my EARTHLY TENT lets me know, every morning just how OLD I am.  And I am SO looking forward to my PERMANENT MOVE to Heaven, where I will have a BRAND-NEW BODY, one that is FASHIONED by the CREATOR, Himself, THE ALMIGHTY GOD. 

The Apostle Paul tells us that, we GROW WEARY in our PRESENT bodies, and long to put on our Heavenly bodies like NEW CLOTHING. And we WILL put on Heavenly bodies; we WILL NOT be spirits WITHOUT bodies. And LIVING in this EARTHLY TENT, we GROAN and SIGH, but it’s NOT that we want to die in order to get RID of these bodies that clothe us.

But we want to put on our NEW BODIES so that these WORN OUT, EARTHLY TENTS will be SWALLOWED UP by LIFE.  NOT just life but ETERNAL LIFE in Heaven, which GOD Himself has PREPARED US for and He has GIVEN His HOLY SPIRIT as a GUARANTEE.  Though we KNOW that as long as we LIVE in these BODIES, we are NOT at HOME with the Lord.  Remember we LIVE by BELIEVING and NOT by SEEING. 

We are FULLY CONFIDENT, and would rather be AWAY from these EARTHLY TENTS, when that happens, we will FINALLY be at HOME with the Lord. What a TIME that will be!! Whether we are HERE in THIS BODY or AWAY from this BODY, our GOAL is to PLEASE GOD!! We MUST ALL STAND BEFORE CHRIST to be JUDGED.  We will RECEIVE WHATEVER we DESERVE for the GOOD or EVIL we have DONE in our EARTHLY TENT. So, HOW IS YOUR EARTHLY TENT?  Are you READY for the JUDGMENT SEAT of CHRIST?

Here is WHAT you MUST DO to RECEIVE HEAVEN as your ETERNAL DWELLING PLACE, with a NEW BODY that is FULLY EQUIPPED for ALL ETERNITY.  When the HOLY SPIRIT of the LIVING GOD visits you, you must ACCEPT His invitation and ADMIT that YOU are a SINNER in NEED of the SAVIOR, the LORD JESUS CHRIST, God’s ONLY Son, who SUFFERED, BLED, DIED. And was RESURRECTED from DEATH and the GRAVE.  You MUST BELIEVE with ALL your HEART that JESUS DIED for YOU and that He is ALIVE in HEAVEN making Intercession for YOU before GOD.  You MUST CONFESS your SINS to Him and ASK Him for His FORGIVENESS.  You MUST BE WILLING to TURN AWAY FROM your SINFUL LIFESTYLE and TURN TO GOD, with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART.  You MUST ACCEPT God’s Gift of SALVATION and RECEIVE a NEW BODY and GET RID of YOUR OLD, SINFUL EARTHLY TENT. And ACCEPT WHATEVER YOU DESERVE at the JUDGMENT SEAT of CHRIST JESUS.  Do this NOW, while you STILL can!! He’s WAITING and COMING SOON !!!  Don’t Be LEFT BEHIN

“Yielding to God”

 “Yielding to God”

 

Do not let sin control the way you live; do not give in to sinful desires.  Romans 6:12

Yesterday, we talked about “The Great Rescue”, how the LORD JESUS gave His LIFE to SAVE us from standing before the ALMIGHTY GOD and being JUDGED for our SINS.  He YIELDED Himself to GOD’S Plans for RESCUING us from an ETERNITY in Hell with all its HORRORS, and NO WAY to ESCAPE, once you are there.  He took the PUNISHMENT that you and I should have to take for our OWN SINS.  But He YIELDED HIMSELF in OBEDIENCE to God’s plan to RESCUE US from such a HORRIBLE DESTINY. 

You understand that the LORD JESUS CHRIST is ALL MAN and ALL GOD. Really you don’t have to understand how that can be, just KNOW IT and BELIEVE IT (John 14:10).  So, Jesus, God’s ONLY SON, LOVES like His FATHER GOD, and that LOVE was aimed at humanity to RESTORE the RELATIONSHIP between GOD and HUMANITY. This LOVE that the FATHER and SON have for human beings not ONLY RESCUED us but RESTORED our RELATIONSHIP.

This is why our verse, today, tells us:  “Do NOT let SIN control the way you live; do NOT give in to SINFUL desires.” Instead, those who have been RESCUED should YIELD THEMSELVES to GOD and His PLANS for their lives. 

In verses 17-19, the Apostle Paul says: “THANK GOD! Once you were SLAVES of SIN, but now you wholeheartedly OBEY this teaching we have given you. Now, you are FREE from your SLAVERY to SIN, and you have become SLAVES to RIGHTEOUS LIVING. Because of the weakness of your human nature, I am using the illustration of SLAVERY to help you understand all this. Previously, you let yourselves be SLAVES to impurity and lawlessness, which led ever DEEPER into SIN. Now you MUST GIVE yourselves to be SLAVES to RIGHTEOUS LIVING so that YOU will become HOLY.”

If you are a TRUE BELIEVER and are STRUGGLING with some aspects of your OLD SINFUL NATURE, you NEED to PRAY for God’s AMAZING GRACE and ask Him to HELP you develop a STRONG STEADFAST FAITH. Work HARD to STAY AWAY from those things or people that are causing the PROBLEMS and YIELD yourself to GOD for a RESTORATION of your RELATIONSHIP with Him. If you are an UNBELIEVER, you are a SLAVE to WHATEVER your sinful nature desires. And if you continue to let your SINFUL NATURE control your actions, you are a SLAVE to the SIN and headed to an ETERNITY in HELL, with ALL its HORRORS and NO WAY to ESCAPE, ONCE you are ALREADY THERE. So, this is WHAT you MUST DO to CHANGE that DESTINY:  You MUST ADMIT that YOU are a SINNER in NEED of the SAVIOR, JESUS CHRIST, who DIED for YOU, so, you could LIVE your ETERNITY in HEAVEN with ALL its BLESSINGS. You MUST BELIEVE, with ALL your HEART that JESUS DIED for YOU and that He is ALIVE in Heaven, making intercession for you, before GOD. You MUST CONFESS your SINS to HIM and ask Him for His FORGIVENESS.  You MUST BE WILLING TO TURN AWAY FROM your SINFUL LIFESTYLE and TURN TO GOD, with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART. You MUST ACCEPT God’s Gift of SALVATION and YIELD YOURSELF to GOD and STOP YIELDING to that WRETCHED SINFUL NATURE. Do this NOW, while you STILL can. He’s WAITING and COMING SOON!!!  Don’t Be LEFT BEHIND!!!