Tag: power

An Eternal House

An Eternal House

The Bible refers to an ‘eternal house’ in heaven in 2 Corinthians.  This is our topic for meditation today.

Our future body will be “an eternal house in heaven.” Tents are bodies for dwelling in on this earth. Our new, heavenly body will be a “house in heaven” for dwelling in in our eternal home. Our next body is “not built by human hands.”  That means that the heavenly body will be spiritual and glorified, not physical and mortal.

For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.  But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, the excellency of the power being from God and not from ourselves.  (2 Cor 4:6-7 MEV)

The treasure referred to above is “the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.”  We carry this precious, beautiful and eternal treasure in our earthly bodies, therefore we must strongly guard what has been entrusted to us. 

This involves protecting and sheltering our relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ jealously.  We must outwit and halt every attack from the enemy against our faith in Jesus Christ.

For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands.  (2 Cor 5:1 NIV, emphasis added)

This is an assurance to all believers that even though our human bodies will eventually pass away, our spirit and soul united in a spiritual body will move into the presence of God and remain with Him throughout eternity.

My dear friends, we are now God’s children, but it is not yet clear what we shall become. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he really is.  (1 Joh 3:2 GNT)

It is encouraging and comforting to know that we shall be like our Savior, our Redeemer, because we’ll be able to see Him in all of His glory and magnificence.  Praise God!

Wisdom Comes from God

Wisdom Comes from God

If anyone needs wisdom, ask the Lord to give it to you, for all wisdom comes from our Heavenly Father. 

Wisdom, especially spiritual wisdom, is not just about knowing what’s good for you, but it’s about applying that knowledge to your everyday life circumstances.

The Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.  (Pro 2:6 CEB)

17 I ask the glorious Father and God of our Lord Jesus Christ to give you his Spirit. The Spirit will make you wise and let you understand what it means to know God. 18 My prayer is that light will flood your hearts and you will understand the hope given to you when God chose you. Then you will discover the glorious blessings that will be yours together with all God’s people.  (Eph 1:17-18 CEV, emphasis added)

If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.  (Jas 1:5 ESV)

We increase wisdom by walking with God.  As we revere and respect God, live in awe of His presence and power, make our choices based upon His Word, and love Him with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, His wisdom grows and matures within us.  Reading the Bible regularly and memorizing Scripture passages plants wisdom in our hearts and nurtures it.

And of course, if we need God’s guidance or direction in a specific circumstance, all we need to do is pray and ask Him for His wisdom, and He will hear and answer us.

Defend the Helpless; Rescue the Poor & Needy

Defend the Helpless; Rescue the Poor & Needy

As servants of our Savior, Jesus Christ, we’re called to defend the helpless; rescue the poor and needy; and hold back those who are stumbling to the slaughter.  The Bible records this clearly. 

Let us consider these passages:

Open your mouth for the people who cannot speak, for the rights of all the unfortunate.  (Pro 31:8 NASB)

The Lord wants us to speak and fight for those who cannot speak for themselves—for the poor, the oppressed, and the afflicted.

Defend the cause of the poor and the fatherless.  Vindicate the oppressed and suffering.  4 Rescue the poor and needy.  Deliver them from the power of the wicked.  (Ps 82:3-4 NET)

This passage warns us to defend the cause of the poor and the fatherless; to exonerate the oppressed and suffering.  The Lord wants us to rescue the poor and the needy, and to deliver them from the power of evil people.

Rescue those who are being taken away to death; hold back those who are stumbling to the slaughter. If you say, “Behold, we did not know this,” does not he who weighs the heart perceive it? Does not he who keeps watch over your soul know it, and will he not repay man according to his work?  (Pro 24:11-12 NIV)

In this passage from the Bible in Proverbs 24, someone claims that “they did not know this,” but God knows the contents of our hearts and minds.  We can never fool Him when we stand before Him on the day of judgement.

Let us ask the Lord for His grace to enable us to obey His will in our lives.  We must trust the Holy Spirit to lead and guide us into the conflicts in which He wishes us to become involved.  Depending upon our calling in life, this will be different for every individual.  God bless you as you serve Him today!

In All Situations, God is With Us

In All Situations, God is With Us

It’s an important fact to remember that God is always with us.  He always loves us and always fights for us.  He will NEVER forsake us.

Let’s look at what the Scriptures tell us:

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you.  When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.  (Isa 43:2 NIV)

No matter what fiery trial may have come upon you, don’t forget that Jesus is in the midst of the fire WITH YOU.  We never walk alone, once we have accepted Jesus as our Savior and Lord.

‘Do not fear [anything], for I am with you; do not be afraid, for I am your God.  I will strengthen you, be assured I will help you; I will certainly take hold of you with My righteous right hand [a hand of justice, of power, of victory, of salvation].’  (Isa 41:10 AMP)

God is with us at all times to strengthen us, to help us, and to hold our hands.  And His hands are full of justice, power, victory, and salvation.  Praise God!

I’ve commanded you to be strong and brave. Don’t ever be afraid or discouraged! I am the Lord your God, and I will be there to help you wherever you go.  (Josh 1:9 CEV)

No matter where we go, the Lord commands us to be strong and to be brave.  We should not be afraid or discouraged.  Now that’s a pretty big ask.  To never be afraid—to never be discouraged—it seems almost too much to ask. 

But if we really meditate upon the fact that Jesus is with us, facing every foe and looking every challenge right in the face, right along WITH us, it will not seem quite so impossible.  Remember that Jesus carries justice, power, victory and salvation wherever He is.

But the Lord stood by me and strengthened me, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it. So I was rescued from the lion’s mouth.  (2 Tim 4:17 ESV)

Even so, we will be able to testify that ‘I was rescued from the lion’s mouth’ right along with thousands of other believers.  All glory to God most High!

Jesus—A Fitting High Priest

<strong>Jesus—A Fitting High Priest</strong>

Jesus came to earth to fulfill the will of His Father and to accomplish all of the prophecies concerning Him that had been made in the Bible.  He has satisfied every one of those goals perfectly and completely, praise the Lord!  Thanks to Jesus, all believers are blessed beyond measure.

He, the very one who descended, is also the one who ascended above all the heavens, in order to fill all things.  (Eph 4:10 NET)

Jesus ascended into Heaven after the resurrection, and was seated at the right hand of the Father God.  Jesus has dominion, power and authority over all things; and He is the head of the church.

. . . which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come.  22 And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, 23 which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.  (Eph 1:20-23 NKJV)

The point of the book of Hebrews is that Jesus Christ, God’s Son, has not just come to fit into the earthly system of priestly ministry as the best and final human priest, but He has come to fulfill and put an end to that system.  He came to orient all of our attention on His ministering on our behalf in heaven.   Hallelujah!

The Old Testament tabernacle and priests and sacrifices were shadows. They were indications of the truth that was yet to come. Now the reality has come to pass, and the shadows pass away.

For this next verse, we’ll look at two different versions of it:

Such a high priest truly meets our need—one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens.  (Heb 7:26 NIV)

It’s appropriate for us to have this kind of high priest: holy, innocent, incorrupt, separate from sinners, and raised high above the heavens.  (Heb 7:26 CEB)

As a High Priest, Jesus meets all of our needs and fulfills all of His spiritual and supernatural roles throughout eternity.  We serve a living, powerful, and loving God.

Clothe Ourselves with Virtue

<strong>Clothe Ourselves with Virtue</strong>

How can we clothe ourselves with virtue?  For that matter, how can we “put on love” as instructed in Colossians 3:14?  And note that Romans 13:14 tells us that we have “put on Christ,” as does Galatians 3:27.

And what virtues are we encouraged by God’s Word to put on?

12 Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.  (Col 3:12 NIV)

And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.  15 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.  (Col 3:14-15 NIV)

Your love must be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil; cling to what is good. 10 Be devoted to each other with mutual affection. Excel at showing respect for each other.  (Rom 12:9-10 ISV)

. . . with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love . . .  (Eph 4:2 NKJV)

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.  (Gal 5:22-23 NASB)

Wow!  This is an impressive list of virtues and good traits to pursue and to practice.

In the natural realm, when we want to be clothed, it is a conscious act of the will.  Our clothes don’t fly through the air and attach themselves to us, right?  We have to physically maneuver ourselves into the clothes, and then button or snap or zip them into place.  And we have to choose exactly what items we want to wear each and every day.

As believers and followers of Jesus, we must be just as deliberate about what virtues we choose to use in every circumstance and situation in our lives.  We must decide to be peacemakers, just as we must choose to be kind, humble, gentle, patient, peace-loving, joyful, faithful, and self-controlled. 

As we make the decision each new day to follow Jesus, we must make the decision in every circumstance and life situation about how to react to our current challenges or trials. 

In answer to our prayers to Him, the Lord will give us the grace and power that we need to weave these virtues into our lives.  The Holy Spirit will guide us if we yield to Him in humility and obedience. 

The Holy Spirit is the only One who can teach us and transform us into the image of Christ.  And best of all, He can be trusted to guide us lovingly and faithfully.  Hallelujah!

God’s Perfect Love Drives Out Fear

God’s Perfect Love Drives Out Fear

When we understand and comprehend God’s perfect love for us, it drives out all fear.  Let’s see what the Bible has to teach us.

There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.  (1 Joh 4:18 NIV) 

The perfect love that we receive from God is unending, unfailing, and persevering.  Glory to God!

For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.  (2 Tim 1:7 NKJV)

The spirit of fear is not from God but comes from not being able to trust God completely and comprehensively.  God has given us the Holy Spirit as well as the fruit of the spirit which includes love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.  (see Gal 5:22-23)  The Holy Spirit is the spirit of power.  (See Acts 1:8)

The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.”  (Rom 8:15 NIV)

The spirit whom we received when we accepted Christ as our Savior is the Holy Spirit.  (See Acts 2:38; Eph 1:13; Rom 8:16)  Once we accepted Christ as our Savior, we became children of God.

No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.  (1 Joh 4:12 NIV)

The Bible verse above reminds us that no one has ever seen God in His complete, divine revelation.  Even Moses only saw the back of the Lord in Exodus 33:18-23.  However, as we believers imitate the love of God for mankind, we demonstrate God’s love to humanity. 

The perfect love of God—which has forgiven and cleansed us of all of our sins—drives out fear.  It drives out the fear of eternal punishment, as well as the fear of what other people think of us.  It drives out the fear of the unknown because we know that God holds us in the palm of His hand and has provided all that we need for life and godliness.  (2 Pet 1:3) As we believers experience God’s love inside of us, it empowers us to live for Him and to love others.  As we mature and grow in grace and walking in the love of God, we model the love, forgiveness, and mercy of God toward all with whom we interact.  Praise God!

Persist in Faith for Christ is our Hope

Persist in Faith for Christ is our Hope

Because we have a living Hope who is Jesus Christ, the righteous One, we need to persevere in our faith.  We should also pray diligently for answers to our needs.

Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.  (Rom 12:12 NIV)

Trust in Him at all times, you people; pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us.  (Ps 62:8 NKJV) 

Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing . . .  (1 Thes 5:16-17 NKJV)

To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.  (Col 1:27 NIV)

Glory to God!  God is our refuge—our safe haven and our protector. 

The tomb couldn’t hold the living and victorious body of our Savior.  Jesus lived a holy and sinless life on earth. 

He appeared to many people several days after He had been crucified bearing the wounds of the cross.  When He did, Jesus demonstrated power and victory over death.  Jesus is ALIVE.  Glory to God! Jesus is our hope because He is alive; He is almighty; and He has reconciled us to God the Father.

Jesus Heals Broken Things, Especially Our Hearts

Jesus Heals Broken Things, Especially Our Hearts

The Lord is close to the brokenhearted, and he saves those whose spirits have been crushed.  (Ps 34:18 NCV)

He heals the brokenhearted and bandages their wounds.  (Ps 147:3 NET)

My flesh and my heart may grow weak, but God always protects my heart and gives me stability.  (Ps 73:26 NET)

For I am the Lord who heals you.  (Ex 15:26c NKJV)

Charles Spurgeon said: “There are many sorts of broken hearts, and Christ is good at healing them all.”  What a beautiful statement of faith and truth!

What types of things can break a person’s heart? 

  • The death of someone we love;
  • Betrayal by someone who is dear to us;
  • The end of a friendship;
  • A miscarriage;
  • Divorce;
  • Being helpless;
  • Being bullied;
  • A crisis on the job;
  • A troubled church situation; or
  • Recognizing that life is unfair, and that it contains pain and heartache.

Everyone has felt the anguish of a broken heart.  If not, then it will occur at some time in the future.  It seems that this is a part of life that cannot be avoided.

The reality is that God is with us in the midst of our brokenness, distress and torment. 

Matthew 5:4 says:  Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.  Again, in Hebrews 13:5 we’re told:  For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”  Jesus has promised that He will never leave us nor abandon us.  He is always with us, and His love is always surrounding us.  His Spirit is our Comforter.

Isaiah 53:3 reminds us that Jesus knows how we feel:  He is despised and rejected by men, a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.

Jesus was betrayed and ultimately rejected by mankind.  He came to extend salvation, love, mercy, and healing to humanity; but we angrily refused Him, tortured Him and crucified Him. 

And yet, Jesus was raised from the dead by the power of the Holy Spirit (Rom 8:11), and He came forth from the grave in power, valor, and ENDURING LOVE for us!  How wonderful is our Savior! He is truly a God who actively and lovingly comforts us and binds up our hearts with bands of mercy, love and healing. 

Trust in Jesus and turn to Him when you are brokenhearted and trust Him to heal your wounds. Hallelujah to His holy Name!

Where is God?

Where is God?

Then his people recalled the days of old, the days of Moses and his people—where is he who brought them through the sea, with the shepherd of his flock?  Where is he who set his Holy Spirit among them . . .  (Isa 63:11 NIV)

. . . just as I promised your ancestors when I brought them out of Egypt. Don’t worry. My Spirit is right here with you.  (Hag 2:5 CEV)

Then he said to me, “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of hosts.  (Zech 4:6 ESV)

For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.  (Heb 13:5 NKJV)

For all of us who wonder, “Where is God?”  The Scriptures have given us answers as we can see from the passages shown above.

The Lord, who created us in His own image, has promised that He will NEVER leave us or forsake us.  In the midst of sorrow, pain, and challenging circumstances, meditate upon these Bible passages. 

When we fancy that God is far from us, and is not moving in any way to help us—we must realize that we are mistaken.  We are in too much pain or in too much worry to see the truth.  The enemy of our souls will do everything within his power to prevent us from seeing the truth—that God is with us at all times. 

God is supplying His grace and His mercy to whatever our situation is.  He is operating in the spiritual, unseen realms to bring us to His victory:  for which Jesus has already paid the complete price.

Meditate upon the stripes that Jesus bore; the painful crown of thorns that were beat into His head by Roman soldiers; the cross that He carried for miles; and the ignominious death that He suffered all for you and for me.  After Jesus’ death, the mighty power of the Holy Spirit raised Christ from the dead, and carried Him to the right hand of God in heaven. 

Jesus fulfilled His destiny, so that all human beings would be able to have a deep and abiding relationship with the Lord.  He has promised He is with us to the end of the age.  (Mt 28:20) Oh, joy!