Renewing of Your Mind

"Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like him." Colossians 3:10

We are forgiven of our sins and because of this we are free from our old ways. We no longer need to be chained to guilt or behave immorally. Instead, allow yourself to be renewed and refreshed. Learn the heart of God by reading the Bible today and putting into action the teachings of Christ. It is with him you will find freedom. 

"Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable-if anything is excellent or praiseworthy-think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me-put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you." 

Philippians 4:8-9 (NIV)

"You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one body." 

Ephesians 4:22-25 (NIV)

"Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect."

Romans 12:2 (ESV)

"So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day."

2 Corinthians 4:16 (ESV) 

"Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ."

1 Peter 1:13 (ESV) 

Million Dollar Question

This week I was asked a "million dollar question":

What helps me obey God?

I sat and pondered on this question for a moment and then I responded which I will share with you.

I obey God because if I do not what else do I have?

The things in life I have experienced, because of the choices I made, has resulted in me relying on God as my primary source of existence, life, purpose, etc.

Without the realization of God and His purpose, then I am just going through the motions of life as a FOOL. I wake up everyday to go to work for a paycheck, then I come home eat, sleep, and then do it all over again. What kind of life is that?

With the realization of God, I am made anew--I am refreshed to have a sense of purpose. Through the realization of God I am a new creature. All the wrong I have done has been erased!!! Knowing this gives me peace. On this alone, I will follow and obey God for his GRACE that he has given me that I do not deserve. He should of struck me dead for the things  that I have done, but instead he said :

"Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart; and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." Matthew 11:28-30 (KJV)

"Therefore I say unto you, take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on." Matthew 6:25 (KJV)

"But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with stripes we are healed." Isaiah 53:5 (KJV)

Therefore, I obey God because he is the only one who has been there for me. When family and friends turned their back on me , God stood right by my side. He stayed with me through my "mess". He took a beating and was persecuted for my "foolishness". For that, I will obey God because obeying Him is good for me. When I do not obey God, all "hell breaks loose"and I am not at peace. But when I obey God my path is set straight and I see the light before me and I am at peace. Thanks be to God for his GRACE!!

"There is a way which seemeth right unto man, but the end thereof are the ways of death."
Proverbs 14:12 (KJV)

Why do you obey God?

Our Hearts Must be Right to Follow God

I think sometimes as Christians, we get in the habit of thinking following God is easy--just do what the Bible says and follow the commandments and we are SAFE!!!!

Well that's not true---if it were, then we would not have needed Jesus to come down off his throne to save us. Thank goodness!!! By HIS GRACE, we do not have to live like that anymore.

Consider this scripture:

Matthew 19:16-22

"And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life? And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments. He saith unto him, Which? Jesus said, Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Honour thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
The young man saith unto him, All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet?
Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me. But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions."

From this we can see the rich man was grieved...his heart was sad because he had to sell all his possessions. It is important to note that we do not have to be poor in order to follow God or to even be considered as a Christian. The issue becomes when we allow our money/things to become more important than God. That was the issue with this rich man.

Therefore, it doesn't matter how many laws we keep or how good we are. If our hearts aren't right then we are not considered his.

Jeremiah 17:9 (KJV)

" The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? I the Lord search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings."

Luke 10:27 (KJV)

"..Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all they heart and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind....

Having Faith Gives Us Access to God's Grace

" Faith is the access to God's Grace."

Understanding God's Grace

God established many covenants with man, in order to have a personal relationship with man.

In the beginning there was God before the foundation of the Earth. It was God who spoke existence into all creation-- except one thing. God did not create man by speaking man into existence. God created man by breathing life into him. 

After man and woman was created, God told Adam that he would be God over the Earth and God will be God over the heavens. God created man in his own image and likeness. He gave Adam equal power and authority to rule over the Earth. When Adam sinned he gave that power and authority over to Satan. 

When Adam sinned we lost:

1. Our mind- to use our brains to full capacity because we are no longer perfect.
2. Perfection- we are know suspetible to many diseases and each generations life spans gets shorter.
3. Relationship- our connection with God and access to Him changed.

This is often known as the Adamaic Covenant.

Because of this, God had to create a covenant with man because He wants to have a  relationship with us. He created the Noahaic Covenant establishing that he will never destroy the Earth/Man with water again. God flooded the Earth initially and destroyed everything except for Noah and his family and selected animals. He destroyed the Earth because it was filled with wickedness and all kinds of perverse things. But God promised Noah, no matter how bad man becomes he will not destroy it by water again. To establish this covenant he created the "rainbow" as a sign of remembrance of this covenant.

There are other covenants such as: Mosaic, Davidic, and New Covenant. I just wanted to give you an idea of God's Grace. God loves each and everyone of us. If God did not love us, then he could of just taken back his covenants and wipe out the Earth and start over. He's God----he doesn't have to explain Himself to us. But that's not what He wants to do. He wants to have a relationship with each and everyone of us. God took time to make each and everyone of us uniquely in his image.

It's only through His Grace and love that we are able to receive His blessings. In order to receive His blessings we must believe that what God says is true. This requires faith. Hebrews 11:1.

"Faith is comfortedness in God's word"

"He saved us and called us before the foundation of the Earth, before time began." Hebrews 4:1 (KJV)

Faith summons the answer from God. We need to have faith in order to receive the "hook-up" from God. Faith is the "hook-up". You cannot use your physical tools and expect to fight in a spiritual warfare. You must have faith in order to fight in spiritual warfare.

The Truth about FEAR

Fear is:

False
Evidence 
Appearing 
Real

God did not give us the spirit of fear. Anything that is not of God is of the Devil. 

"For God hath not given us the spirit of fear, but of power and love, and of a sound mind." 2 Timothy 1:7(KJV) 

"Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom." Luke 12:32 (KJV) 

The purpose of Fear is to keep us distracted from staying on the path that God has shown us. Sometimes the enemy doesn't even have to do anything, we take care of distracting ourselves by the things we do.

For example, the sin in your life sometimes creates fear which is the result of one's own sin and guilt. If you have committed a sin or done anything evil, your fear is probable the god of your own conscience and trying to get your attention. You need to repent, confess your sin, seek God's forgiveness, and set it right.

"So that we may boldly say The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me." Matthew 13:6 (KJV) 

"There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is no made perfect in love." I John 4:18 (KJV)

"The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the Lord is the strength of my life, of whom shall I be afraid?" Psalm 27:1 (KJV)  

"And the Lord, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake the; fear not, neither be dismayed." Deuteronomy 31:8 (KJV) 

So if God is for us and with us all the time--who can be against us? The spirit of fear is not of our nature and must go immediately!! We as Christians operate in the power and authority of God only. He has already won. Let us endeavor to stay the winning team! Amen. 

Gateway to Heaven: Be Poor in Spirit

"Blessed are those who are poor in spirit." Matthew 5:3 (KJV) 

This is the first principle needed to enter into the kingdom of God. Before God can use you, you must have a sense of "uselessness" and be humble enough to waive your "white flag" and let God know that you need his help.

"This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles." Psalm 34:6 (KJV)

"When the poor and needy seek water, and there is none, and their tongue faith for thirst, I the Lord will hear them, I the God of Israel will not forsake them." Isaiah 41:17 (KJV)

". . . and the poor have the gospel preached to them." Matthew 11:5 (KJV) 

"As sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things." 2 Corinthians 6:10 (KJV)

"And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said, blessed be ye poor; for yours is the Kingdom of God. Blessed are ye that hunger now for ye shall be filled. Blessed are ye that weep now for ye laugh. Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from their company, and shall reproach you, and cast our your name as evil, for the son of man's sake rejoice. . . your reward is great in heaven." Luke 6:20-23 (KJV)

Being "poor" does not mean being poor in terms in physical conditions. God is concerned about your heart condition. You must be "poor in spirit". To be poor in spirit is related to being humble and meek.

In order to be humble we must strip away any pride and willing to be lowly in rank. In order to be meek we must be willing to be submissive and patient.

" And he said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven." Matthew 18:3-4 (KJV) 

Walking with God is Not "Easy"

Problems arise with walking with God when we refuse to acknowledge his presence. Have you ever wondered when you were "lost" living in the world, why your plan did not work ? It may have worked temporarily , but I guarantee you that whatever you do, if it is not in line with God's plan for your life it will always fail. I am a living testimony of this. For years I ran away from God until I exhausted all of my options and abilities in the natural sense, that I had no choice but to run towards God.

God tells us:

"Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart; and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." Matthew 11: 28-30 (KJV)

Sometimes its hard for us as Christians to have a relationship with God because we cannot see God nor tough him. We are human creatures who requires a lot of different things. Unfortunately, this is the essence of FAITH. If we do not have our faith or place our trust into the one true God then what do we have?

"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for the evidence of things not seen." Hebrews 11:1 (KJV)

"But without faith it is impossible to please him; for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them tha diligently seek him." Hebrews 11:6 (KJV)

Just because we are Christians, does not mean that we are immune from "life" happening to us. We will still experience pain, hurt, anger, and disappointments of life; however, when we are saved by God's through Jesus Christ we are better equipped to deal with such encounters.

"And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience: And patience, experience; and experience, hope: And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us." Romans 5:3-5 (KJV)

"My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing." James 1:2-3 (KJV) 

"Because strait is the gate and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it." Matthew 7:14 (KJV) 

Following God's way is hard if we try to walk with God in our own strength. We are only able to walk with God through the Spirit of God. 

"I can do all things through Christ which strengthen me." Philippians 4:13 (KJV)

Which team would you rather be on? There are only two paths we can choose in life. We can choose the path of death and destruction, which Satan will be our ruler and we are his servant. Or we can choose the path of life and eternal blessings, which God will be our ruler and we are his servant.

"No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and the other..." Matthew 6:24 (KJV)

Spreading "His" Word

God has qualified all of us to be messengers of "His" word. 

Jesus told his 11 disciples to:

"Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature." Mark 16:15 (KJV)

God told Moses that he will tell him what to say. So why do you think God will not assist you in preaching the message? God is the one that can qualify you to preach HIS word.

"And Moses said unto the Lord, O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither heretofore, nor since thou hast spoken unto thy servant: but I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue. And the Lord said unto him, Who hath made man's mouth? or who maketh the dumb, or death, or the seeing, or the blind? have not I the Lord? Now therefore go, and I will be with thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt say." Exodus 4:10-12 (KJV)

Paul tell us to:

"But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry." 2 Timothy 4:5 (KJV)

There are numerous scriptures throughout the Bible that indicates that our primary purpose in life is to preach "His" word and bring his lost "sheep" back to him. Therefore, be mindful in your Christian endeavors from shunning those who are not "ordained" according to man's laws to preach the gospel. Pray to God and he will give you the ability to discern what His truth is.

"Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you and , lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world." Matthew 28:19-20 (KJV) 

"Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves." Matthew 10:16 (KJV) 

We all must "study yo shew thyself approved unto God a workman that needeth not be ashamed rightly dividing the word of truth." 2 Timothy 2:15

God's Grace=Freedom

The GRACE of GOD gives us FREEDOM. 

"Moreover the law entered, that the offense might abound, but where sin abounded, grace did much more abound." Romans 5:20

When we confess our sins to God we are given a "fresh start", a "redo", a "new life" because of the Grace of God. 

Romans 6:1-4 (NLT Version) Personalize the scripture to be applicable to you

"What shall I say then? Shall I continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall I who died to sin live any longer in it? Don't I know when I was baptized into Christ Jesus I was baptized into His death? Therefore, I was buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father even so I also should walk in newness of life."

Romans 6:12-14 Personalize the scripture to be applicable to you

"Therefore I will not let sin reign in my mortal body, that I should obey it in its lusts. And I will not present my members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present myself to God as being alive from the dead, and my members as instruments of righteousness to God. For sin shall not have dominion over me, for I am not under the law, but under grace."

In order for sin to "reign" over you, then you must be habitual in your sin. In order for sin not to rule over us, it requires effort on our part to not allow it to.

 

Personal statement for dealing with sin ruling over me

" Sin shall not reign over me because I am under Grace. Sin will not reign over me because I am not under the law." 

1 Corinthians 6:12

"All things are lawful for me, but all thins are not (HELPFUL/EXPEDIENT) : All things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any." 

 

We have to deal with the authority of sin over our lives. Sin should not have authority over us because we are under grace. Just because the law aka the world says it is okay, does not mean it is spiritually and morally oaky.

2 Corinthians 12:7-9

"Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three time that it might depart from me. And He said to me, "My Grace is sufficient for you, for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Therefore  most gladly will I rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ Jesus may rest upon me."

 

God knows if he "removes" are weaknesses/thorns, that we will result back to the law and exalt ourselves. When I am weak, He is strong.

• God's grace gives me power

God's power works best in our weaknesses/infirmities. Every time we "slip" we have the power to get back up because of God's grace. Which means we have the power to see the "slip" coming. 

Graced for Good Works

The shift from the law, to love...

God's grace is:

1. God's mercy;
2. God's forgiveness; and
3. God' love toward us.

Consider this:

( Personalize the scriptures for yourself)

 "I was dead, doomed forever because of my many sins. I used to live just like the rest of the world, full of sin, obeying Satan, the mighty prince of the power of the air. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refused to obey God. I used to live that way, following the passions and desires of my evil nature. I was born with an evil nature, and I was under God's anger just like everyone else."  

Ephesians 2:1-3

"But God is so rich in mercy, and He loved me so very much, that even while I was dead because of my sins, He gave me life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God's special favor that I have been saved!) For He raised me from the dead along with Christ and I am one with Christ Jesus."  

Ephesians 2:4-6

" And so God can always point to me as an example of the incredible wealth of His favor and kindness toward us as shown in all He has done for me through Christ Jesus. God saved me by his special favor when I believed. And I can't take credit for this; it is a gift from God, salvation is not a reward for the good things I have done, so I cannot boast about it for I am God's masterpiece. He has created me anew in Christ Jesus so that I can do the good things planned for me long ago." Ephesians 2:7-10

Our heavenly father is so wondersful and awesome. He still shows us love even when we do not acknowledge His existence. He still takes care of us even when we turn away from him. Remember the stroy of Adam and Eve? When they sinned they knew they were naked. They hid because they were ashamed. God specificlaly told them not to eat from the tree of knowledge, but they disobeyed God anyway. God punished them and let them know the consequences for their sin. He told Adam he will have to labor all the days of his life and that Eve must bare children. But, after he laid down the punishment he still provided away to take care of man even though he was disobedient. He clothed Adam and Eve. 

If God was not loving or cared about us why would he clothe Adam and Eve after they deliberately went against what He had said? Can we honestly say that we can display this type of love for one another when we are disappointed by each other. Personally, for me I tend to have the attidue of "personal problem", why should I be inconvenienced because you don't listen?

Lucky for the world I am not God. But you see the difference. God wants us to be taken care of us. He does not want to see us struggle despite our shortcomings. Now isn't that a wonderful blessing to know that our heavenly father loves us that much? It is indeed!!!