Obedience & Wisdom

The Scriptures teach us that people who obey the Lord, who read His Word and do what it teaches, are learning to be wise. In the book of Proverbs, wisdom is discussed at length.

It is fitting and appropriate for each one of us to desire to gain wisdom. As always, let’s read the following Bible verses:

Respect and obey the Lord! This is the beginning of wisdom. To have understanding, you must know the Holy God. (Pro 9:10 CEV)

Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. (Mt 7:24 NLT)

Anyone who comes and listens to me and obeys me ⁴⁸is like someone who dug down deep and built a house on solid rock. When a flood came and the river rushed against the house, it was built so well that it didn’t even shake. (Lk 6:47-48 CEV)

You are my friends, if you do what I command you. (Joh 15:14 ISV)

From these passages, we learn that honoring the Lord and following His laws is the beginning of wisdom. Obedience to the Lord is compared to building a house upon a solid rock, which makes the house strong and stable. And the Lord says that we are His friends IF we do what He commands us to do.

For the Lord gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding . . . (Pro 2:6 NKJV)

He stores up sound wisdom for the upright; He is a shield to those who walk uprightly . . . (Pro 2:7 NKJV)

The Book of Proverbs teaches us that the Lord gives the gift of wisdom, and that he actually stores it up for His righteous followers! Glory to God!

And don’t become confused, for it is not actions that make a person righteous, but a personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior and Redeemer. You are blessed!

Your Faith Has Healed You

We read in the Bible several times that Jesus said to someone, “Your faith has made you well” or “Your faith has healed you.” How did that come about?

And he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease.” (Mk 5:34 ESV)

Then Jesus said to him, “Go your way; your faith has made you well.” And immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus on the road. (Mk 10:52 NKJV)

Then Jesus turned around. He saw her and said, “Daughter, take hope! Your faith has healed you.” At once the woman was healed. (Mt 9:22 NLV)

My understanding of these situations covers a couple of ideas which are still applicable today. First of all, what Jesus was doing as He traveled around, was being spoken about by all of the people and the stories were passed along from person to person, and from place to place. People began EXPECTING miracles to happen in Jesus’ presence because they heard the stories about the many miracles that followed Him everywhere that He went! That expectation is faith.

The second part is that Jesus taught the people from the Old Testament everywhere He went. He told Bible stories and parables, and demonstrated that God loves His people. Jesus also demonstrated the last portion of Exodus 15:26: “I am the Lord who heals you.”

After Jesus taught from the Scriptures, He would look around Him and see someone who needed healing. Jesus would minister to the person, and the person would be healed at once. This caused the faith of everyone (in the crowd of observers) to rise instantaneously. Glory to God!

We have more Scriptures to stand upon now, and all of the works and miracles of Jesus to study. We have current testimonies of miracles available today. Whatever your need, study the Bible and search for testimonies of miracles that are just like what you desire and need. Then turn to the Lord in faith and expectation, and ask Him to meet your need. God bless you!

God Saved Us, Hallelujah!

The Scriptures remind us that the Lord provided salvation for us through Jesus Christ before time began. This is an eternal gift that just keeps on giving, and we should meditate upon it and thank the Lord for it continuously.

He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit. (Tit 3:5 NIV)

The Lord saved us because of His great mercy. We are a new creation in Christ. (2 Cor 5:17)

You are saved by God’s grace because of your faith. This salvation is God’s gift. It’s not something you possessed. (Eph 2:8 CEB)

We have been saved by placing our faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ who took our punishment, suffering, and death and arose from the dead.

He saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our own accomplishments, but according to his own purpose and the grace that was given to us in the Messiah Jesus before time began. (2 Tim 1:9 ISV)

God poured out His grace upon each and every believer to enable and empower them to accept Jesus Christ as their own personal Savior, Redeemer and Lord. We have reason to rejoice always!

Declare God’s Glory

The Bible says that we should ‘declare God’s glory among the nations,’ but what does that mean and how do we do that?

First, let’s review Scripture passages on this topic:

Declare his glory among the nations, and his miraculous deeds to all people . . . (1 Chron 16:24 ISV)

The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge. (Ps 19:1-2 NIV)

Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among all peoples. (Ps 96:3 NIV)

When using the term glory, a lot of us expect it to mean declaring or talking about God’s attributes: His beauty and splendor; His holiness and power; His supremacy and rule; His majesty and compassion. In this instance, the word glory is used specifically to refer to God’s character being revealed physically to sinful people.

The glory of God is a reference to the amazing miracle that the infinitely glorious, holy, and powerful God comes to dwell with His people in all their wickedness and ruin. The Bible gives us a detailed explanation of when this occurs in the human, natural realm in the first chapter of the book of John.

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. (Joh 1:14) Jesus is the earthly and visible incarnation of the glory of God.

Before we can give a testimony about Jesus, it’s vital that we have had our own, personal experience with Him and have an ongoing relationship with Him. We need to have seen and felt and tasted and experienced the wonder of what He’s done in our lives.

A wonderful tool to use is to keep a record (whether a computer document, a spreadsheet, a spiral-bound notebook with handwritten notes, or an oral recounting) of every answered prayer and outright miracle that you have experienced thanks to your relationship with Jesus Christ! It will encourage your own faith, and the faith of other people to hear these glorious testimonies of God’s love, kindness, and power.

This will help you to give your testimonies accurately, and frequently and to bring glory to God! Praise God!

The Bible says that we should ‘declare God’s glory among
the nations,’ but what does that mean and how do we do that?

First, let’s review Scripture passages on this topic:

Declare his glory among the nations, and his
miraculous deeds to all people . . . (1 Chron 16:24 ISV)

The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies
proclaim the work of his hands. Day
after day they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge. (Ps 19:1-2 NIV)

Declare his glory among the nations, his
marvelous deeds among all peoples. (Ps 96:3 NIV)

When using the term glory, a lot of us
expect it to mean declaring or talking about God’s attributes: His beauty and splendor; His holiness and
power; His supremacy and rule; His majesty and compassion. In this instance, the word glory
is used specifically to refer to God’s character being revealed physically to
sinful people.

The glory of God is a reference to the amazing miracle that
the infinitely glorious, holy, and powerful God comes to dwell with His people
in all their wickedness and ruin. The
Bible gives us a detailed explanation of when this occurs in the human, natural
realm in the first chapter of the book of John.

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling
among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only
Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. (Joh
1:14) Jesus is the earthly and visible
incarnation of the glory of God.

Before we can give a testimony about Jesus, it’s vital that
we have had our own, personal experience with Him and have an ongoing
relationship with Him. We need to have
seen and felt and tasted and experienced the wonder of what He’s done in our
lives.

A wonderful tool to use is to keep a record (whether a
computer document, a spreadsheet, a spiral-bound notebook with handwritten
notes, or an oral recounting) of every answered prayer and outright miracle
that you have experienced thanks to your relationship with Jesus Christ! It will encourage your own faith, and the
faith of other people to hear these glorious testimonies of God’s love,
kindness, and power.

This will help you to give your testimonies accurately, and
frequently and to bring glory to God!
Praise God!

Peace With God

How do we receive peace with God? Do we really need it? How does peace with God manifest itself in our lives?

People search for peace all around us. The peace offered by the world is fake and artificial, never providing lasting comfort. The peace that God provides to us is permanent, and it is provided by the only One who is trustworthy and will keep His Word.

Let’s read some applicable Bible passages:

Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. (Rom 5:1 ESV)

The Lord Jesus lived a holy, righteous life when He was on earth, and He fulfilled all of the Law. Even though He deserved every biblical blessing, He instead took the punishment for the sins for all mankind. He suffered, bled, was crucified, died and was buried. He also was gloriously resurrected by the power of Almighty God. Faith in Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord reconciles a believer with the Heavenly Father.

Great peace have those who love your law, and nothing can make them stumble. (Ps 119:165 NIV)

Loving and obeying the Word of God provides peace to the righteous.

The effect of righteousness will be peace, and the result of righteousness will be quietness and confidence forever. (Isa 32:17 ISV)

Because faith in Jesus Christ as Redeemer justifies us in God’s sight, we have peace with God. This provides us with peace.

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. (Joh 14:27 ESV)

Jesus told His disciples and followers that He was giving them peace. There is no reason to be fearful, thanks to the work of Jesus Christ.

. . . and he reconciled all things to himself through him—whether things on earth or in the heavens. He brought peace through the blood of his cross. (Col 1:20 CEB)

Jesus brought peace to mankind by obedience to His Heavenly Father, and by completing the task for which He came to earth as a human baby.

Peace with God is perpetual and stable. Recognize that faith in Jesus Christ has already given you a permanent, inner peace. Hallelujah!

Faith is Confidence in God

If we distill all the teachings about faith from the Scriptures, faith is essentially having confidence in God, in His Word, and in Jesus Christ. Hallelujah!

Let’s read some pertinent Bible verses on today’s subject:

Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. (Heb 11:1 NIV)

Confidence means certainty; assurance; having classified information. As believers, we have confidence in our God and in His Word. We know that God cannot lie (Tit 1:2), and that He fulfills His Word. (Isa 55:11 AMP)

Our faith is based upon the most secure foundation of all—Jesus Christ! (1 Cor 3:11 NIV)

. . . because we are not looking at what can be seen but at what cannot be seen. For what can be seen is temporary, but what cannot be seen is eternal. (2 Cor 4:18 NET)

We’re not trusting in impermanent, fleeting, worldly things. What we are trusting in is the eternal, living God and that truth that He always fulfills His Word. Praise the Lord!

. . . for we walk by faith, not by sight. (2 Cor 5:7 RSV)

Our daily Christian walk is a faith walk—just as Jesus walked by faith.

Our lives are committed and devoted to the Lord Jesus Christ and to His Kingdom. Such a relationship with the Lord Jesus requires constancy, assurance, and loyalty. The beautiful truth—the Good News—is that the Lord pours out His own grace upon each and every believer to empower and enable us to follow Him obediently throughout our lives. Glory to God most High!

Live in Peace & Don’t Worry

The Lord tells us in the Bible not to be anxious or worried. Did you know that the opposite of worry is PEACE? Let’s read these Bible verses on our topic of avoiding worry.

Casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. (1 Pet 5:7 ESV)

When you have needs in your life, pray about them and trust the Lord to fulfill all of your needs because He loves you unconditionally. Then trust in the Lord to show you His solution(s).

Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Therefore, I say to you, don’t worry about your life, what you will eat, or about your body, what you will wear. (Lk 12:22 CEB)

Jesus tells us here directly, “Don’t worry.”

Never worry about anything. Instead, in every situation let your petitions be made known to God through prayers and requests, with thanksgiving. (Phil 4:6 MEV)

The Lord encourages us to pray about everything, and then to thank Him for answered prayer. Note that the Lord tells us to thank Him immediately for answering our prayer! This is the correct use of our faith in God and in His Word. Glory to God!

We can be confident and assured that God hears and answers our prayers because the Bible tells us that He does. (see Mt 21:22; Mk 11:24; Joh 15:7; 1 Joh 5:14-15)

In prayer, we can tell the Lord what we need, and thank Him for all that He has already done in our lives. Then we will truly experience God’s peace, which goes beyond anything that we can understand. For these are spiritual matters and need to be spiritually discerned. God bless you!

The God Who Hears & Helps the Troubled

The Scriptures reassure us in many passages that our God and Savior hears and answers our prayers. Our God helps all those who call upon Him. Praise our wonderful God and Savior!

Let’s read these Bible verses that are pertinent to our topic:

You listen to the longings of those who suffer. You offer them hope, and you pay attention to their cries for help. (Ps 10:17 CEV)

According to Psalm 10, God not only listens to our prayers, but our LONGINGS! What an awesome God we serve.

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

This Scripture (above) testifies that God hears and answers prayers, and helps those in trouble.

When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their troubles. (Ps 34:17 NIV)

Wow! What an affirming passage of Scripture Psalm 34:17 is for all believers.

And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him. (1 Joh 5:15 NIV)

1 John 5:15 teaches us, yet again, that our faith has a firm foundation in Jesus, and in the Scriptures. Jesus is the Living Word, and He not only fulfilled the Law perfectly, but He also fulfilled the Scriptures! As Jesus lived His life on earth, among His disciples and followers, He demonstrated the love of God and the power of God to all people. He fulfilled powerful passages of Scripture, proving that God keeps His Word and that His character lines up in complete agreement with His Word. God bless you!

Our Heavenly High Priest

What is the role of a High Priest? In the Old Testament, the High Priest played a key role in the religious system of the Israelites. He was the intercessor between God and His people, acting as their representative before God. The priest offered sacrifices and gifts on behalf of the people to reconcile them to God.

Jesus Christ intercedes for every believer right now in the Heavenlies before the throne of God. Jesus offered the one, holy, perfect, righteous sacrifice of Himself to God the Father. Jesus Christ is the only human being who perfectly fulfilled the Law, and He accepted and experienced the punishment that every sinful human being deserves.

Then, to prove that He was righteous, Jesus rose from the dead and escaped the pains of hell. After some days on earth with His disciples, He ascended into Heaven to sit on the Heavenly throne that was prepared for Him, at the right hand of God.

And he led them out as far as Bethany, and lifting up his hands he blessed them. While he blessed them, he parted from them and was carried up into heaven. (Lk 24:50-51 ESV)

In this Bible verse from Luke 24, above, we see Jesus ascending into Heaven, after He had risen from the grave.

After the Lord Jesus had said these things to the disciples, he was taken back up to heaven where he sat down at the right side of God. (Mk 16:19 CEV)

The gospel of Mark (above verse) testifies to the same truth.

Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone to heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us live our lives consistent with our confession of faith. (Heb 4:14 ISV) In the book of Hebrews, chapter 4, we’re reminded that Jesus, our High Priest, is in Heaven right now so that we may be filled with confidence and joy. Jesus always intercedes for us. This truth gives our faith and our lives stability and endurance. Thank You, Jesus!

Focus on God, Don’t Turn Right or Left

The Word of God is the believer’s blueprint for living a godly, blessed life. In order to follow the Lord’s instructions, we must focus upon the Lord and upon obeying His Word faithfully. The Bible contains all the teachings that a Christian should believe and live out, as well as the rebuke and correction that is necessary for when we are somehow off track.

Let’s read today’s Bible passages:

Be very brave and strong as you carefully obey all of the Instruction that Moses my servant commanded you. Don’t deviate even a bit from it, either to the right or left. Then you will have success wherever you go. (Josh 1:7 CEB)

We who follow Christ will face opposition, both from the world and from our spiritual enemy, the devil. We have to be bold and courageous if we want to follow God. We must be bold and persevere in faith! We need to be zealously devoted to the Word of God and to obeying it. And we must not allow anything to distract us from following Jesus Christ. Don’t stray off of your path.

Do not turn to the right or the left; remove your foot from evil. (Pro 4:27 NKJV)

Keep away from every form of evil or sin. Stay on the path of righteousness. (See Proverbs 12:28)

You must be careful to do what the Lord your God commanded you, turning neither to the left nor to the right. (Deu 5:32 ISV)

God has set every individual believer on their own, unique path of righteousness. Each Christian has been given special gifts, talents, and abilities to fulfill their distinctive calling. God is the One who calls and equips every believer. Trust God’s directions for your life. He has called each and every one of us to a life that is best for us (individually) and best for the Kingdom of God. Praise the Lord most High!

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