We Must Set Our Hope On God Alone

It is important that we set our hope upon the Lord, Himself—and nothing and no one else.

The seed sown among thorns is the person who hears the word, but worldly cares and the seductiveness of wealth choke the word, so it produces nothing. (Mt 13:22 NET)

We must try to stay clear from worldly cares and worldly desires, which will profit us nothing, spiritually.

Now the ones that fell among thorns are those who, when they have heard, go out and are choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of life, and bring no fruit to maturity. (Lk 8:14 NKJV)

The cares and pleasures of earthly life will not bring any form of spiritual fruit to maturity. And we must remember that we live for Christ—to serve Him and to bring Him glory and honor and praise.

Instruct those who are rich in this present world not to be conceited or to set their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy. (1 Tim 6:17 NASB)

Believers should never allow themselves to feel confident in wealth or financial security, for these are fleeting and can crumble in a day or even a span of earthly hours.

But true security comes from placing our hope and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ who has promised that He will NEVER leave us nor forsake us. This means that Jesus will NEVER disown, abandon, reject, or renounce anyone who has accepted Him as their own Savior and Lord.

THAT is true security—now only for the moment but throughout eternity! Hallelujah!

We Must Bear Fruit to the Father’s Glory

How does a Christian bear fruit? If, as believers, we pursue goodness, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness, and love, we will be fruitful no matter where we are called.

This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples. (Joh 15:8 NIV)

I pray that you will then be filled with the fruit of righteousness, which comes from Jesus Christ, in order to give glory and praise to God. (Phil 1:11 CEB)

I am the vine, you are the branches. The one who abides in me while I abide in him produces much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing. (Joh 15:5 ISV)

When we bear fruit, we bring glory to God the Father, and we prove ourselves to be the Lord’s followers. The key to fruitfulness is abiding in Christ and being aware, moment by moment, of His presence and His love at work in our lives.

The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. (Gal 5:22-23) Every GOOD tree bears GOOD fruit. (Mt 7:17) Each and every believer is a good tree, and every believer has been given the fruit of the Spirit.

The Lord tells us clearly in John 15:5:

“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”

We must abide in Christ always, because without Him, we are powerless and can accomplish nothing. But with Him, nothing is impossible! Hallelujah!

Trust in God & Be Not Afraid

As followers and disciples of Jesus Christ, we place our trust, faith, and hope in God and in His Word. But there are various challenging circumstances that we may face in life that might bring fear into our hearts.

Fear is not good because fear involves torment (suffering, torture, persecution). Even the Bible confirms this fact:

There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. (1 Joh 4:18a NKJV)

These Bible passages (below) encourage us to trust in God and to avoid fear. These verses state why we can be faith-filled.

In God, whose word I praise—in God I trust and am not afraid. What can mere mortals do to me? (Ps 56:4 NIV) With God on our side, what can a mere human being do?

The Lord is with me; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me? (Ps 118:6 NIV) This echoes the same feeling as the verse above.

What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? ³²He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? ³³Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. ³⁴Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. (Rom 8:31-34 NIV) This passage from the Scriptures reminds us of the many blessings that we have received along with our salvation. We have so many reasons to rejoice and to be full of faith.

So we say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?” (Heb 13:6 NIV) Be filled with confidence. Just remember that the Lord is the One who is helping us—constantly!

Let us overflow with thanksgiving and praise.

What’s Your Delight?

But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night. (Ps 1:2)

Do you find delight in the Bible? This Psalmist declares that he delights in the word so much that he meditates upon it and thinks about it all of the time—literally!

Most of us can find delight in our children; or in a certain sports team; or a wonderful movie . . . even a favorite meal. But have we trained our appetite in such a way that we derive great pleasure from reading the word and meditating upon it?

We can prime ourselves to love and rejoice in God’s word by drawing closer to God. That can be achieved through prayer, praise and worship, and simply quietly listening for His voice and His wisdom to be imparted to us after we have spent time in the word.

After accustoming ourselves with the word, and receiving answered prayer because of praying according what we know the word says, then we will definitely begin to have a deep appreciation for God’s word.

Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart. (Ps 37:4)

As for the saints who are on the earth, “They are the excellent ones, in whom is all my delight.” (Ps 16:3)

As Psalm 16:3 says, God delights in His saints and God notices when we delight in His word and in Him! When we delight in Him, he gives us the desires of our heart.

Note: This is a copy of our blog article dated 05/18/2017.

Peace Must Rule

And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful. (Col 3:15)

Synonyms of RULE: govern, administrate, lead or control.

Jesus is called the “Prince of Peace.” (Isa 9:6) He is our Savior and Lord, and we must follow Him in all that we do. We must allow His peace to control and lead everything that we do and everything that we pursue in life and in ministry.

Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name. (Ps 100:4)

Praise, thankfulness and blessing work in beautiful harmony with peace. As we exalt, praise and bless the Lord, thankfulness arises in our hearts. The overflow of that thankfulness will result in our being a blessing and a joy to other people as we minister God’s love to them. And peace will be the result.

. . . and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. (Phil 4:7)

God’s peace exceeds and transcends any other definition of the word. His peace goes so far beyond and is so much better than any human concept of peace that it will always outperform the human version of peace!

Therefore, allow yourself to be ruled by God’s peace, so that your life will be blessed and others will be blessed in your presence. Glory to God!

Worthy to Be Praised

My mouth shall tell of Your righteousness and Your salvation all the day, for I do not know their limits. (Ps 71:15 NKJV)

I will praise you every day; I will praise you forever and ever. (Ps 145:2 NCV)

On the glorious splendor of Your majesty and on Your wonderful works, I will meditate. People will speak of the power of Your awesome acts, and I will tell of Your greatness. They will burst forth in speaking of Your abundant goodness, and will shout joyfully of Your righteousness. (Ps 145:5-7 NASB)

I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised; so shall I be saved from my enemies. (Ps 18:3 NKJV)

These passages from the Bible remind us of one vital truth:

That God is worthy to be praised!

Worthy means commendable, admirable, exemplary, and excellent! God is the model of who is eligible for praise and what sort of being has earned praise. He is the standard against whom all persons will be compared and judged!

When we meditate upon God’s glory, splendor, majesty, and His works, we cannot PREVENT ourselves from breaking into spontaneous praise and adoration. It bursts from us in an unstoppable flow, and causes us to shout joyfully praising God’s righteousness. Hallelujah!

And this is the same God who has provided salvation as a free gift to all of mankind. All He asks in return is that we place all of our faith, hope and trust in His Son, Jesus, who is our Savior and Redeemer. What a deal!

If We Do Good Works, We’ll Be Praised

For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil. Do you want to be unafraid of the authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same. For he is God’s minister to you for good. But if you do evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain; for he is God’s minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil. (Rom 13:3-4)

Therefore submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake, whether to the king as supreme, ¹⁴or to governors, as to those who are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and for the praise of those who do good. (1 Pet 2:13-14)

God has promised us, according to the Scriptures, that when we do good works on earth, we’ll be honored and celebrated. This is God’s reward and His blessing upon all who are obedient to His Word and His will.

It is clear that doing good works is the will of God for His people. Here are several Bible verses about good works:

In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. (Mt 5:16 ESV)
For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead. (Jas 2:26 ESV)
That the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work. (2 Tim 3:17 ESV)

What are “good works” according to the Bible? Here is another perspective:

Ephesians 2:10 would encourage you to learn to see your whole life as an interconnected series of good works offered to God. This means that your good works can include that which you do at work, in the classroom, on the football field, in your neighborhood, and in your community associations. If you’re a boss, part of your good works involve the way you manage your employees. If you’re a parent, your good works include making dinner for your children as well as praying with them as you tuck them into bed. The more we grow in our faith, the more we see ourselves as God’s masterpieces, the more we will indeed do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, by his strength, under his authority, and for his purposes. (Source: https://www.theologyofwork.org/the-high-calling/daily-reflection/what-are-good-works-god-has-prepared-us)

The Bible also tells us these things about good works:

If someone is hungry or inadequately clothed, believers should feed them and give them clothing. (Jas 2:14-17)
Whatever we do, we should work enthusiastically and with all of our might, because the Lord Himself will reward us. (Col 3:23-24)
We must do wholesome, upright, virtuous deeds and share whatever we have with others. (Heb 13:16)
Don’t allow ourselves to get tired of doing good. (Gal 6:9)
All that we do should be done in love. (1 Cor 16:14)
Believers should encourage and inspire each other to lovingly perform good works. (Heb 10:24)

Think deeply today about what we’ve studied, and about the many forms of good works. There are so many unique ways in which you may demonstrate the love and mercy of God to the world through your good works. Be blessed in Jesus’ name!

How Can We Overcome?

How can a human being overcome in the manner discussed in the Bible?

To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne. (Rev 3:21)

For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. ⁵Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? (1 Joh 5:4-5)

They triumphed over him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death. (Rev 12:11 NIV)

Overcome means to conquer, defeat, triumph over, or annihilate. They triumphed over the enemy of our souls, satan.

I believe the key verses that tell us how to overcome are shown above: 1 John 5:4-5 and Revelation 12:11.

Our faith in God, which is a gift from God, is one of our weapons designed to carry us to victory. Our faith in Christ as our Savior, who is the Son of God according to the Word, is a stabilizing factor throughout life. Hold onto this truth and never let it go.

Acknowledging that the blood of the Lamb of God (Jesus) cleanses us from all sin is another tool of victory bestowed upon us by the gift of salvation. Remain mindful of this truth, and thank and praise God for it. It has purchased our righteousness.

The ‘word of our testimony’ is also mentioned as part of our armament against the enemy that will sustain us and transport us to victory. A testimony is a declaration—even evidence—of our life experiences. As we daily state and affirm (1) who we are in Christ Jesus; (b) what we have through Christ; and (c) all of the blessings that we have received through salvation, we deepen and strengthen our roots of faith. As we maintain this continuous testimony, we firmly plant ourselves (our roots) in the realm of victory.

According to Romans 8:37, the Lord has made us MORE than conquerors (winners, victors, overcomers). All overcomers will spend eternity in heaven with the Lord Jesus. Glory to God!

Filled with the Spirit

Today our topic is about being filled with the Spirit and speaking in other tongues (glossolalia).

And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit, ¹⁹speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord. (Eph 5:18-19)

And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. (Ac 2:4)

And Ananias went his way and entered the house; and laying his hands on him he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you came, has sent me that you may receive your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” (Ac 9:17)

The Bible encourages us to be filled with the Spirit and to praise the Lord and sing hymns and melodies to Him. What an joy and an honor!

To be filled with anything indicates that all of a person’s faculties are pervaded by it, engaged in it, or under its influence. We, as believers and followers of Jesus, are to allow the Holy Spirit to have such a mighty influence and impact upon us that He is able to pervade and engage literally every area and portion of our being.

When the Bible says that they spoke with “other tongues” it means that they spoke in languages that were not their own. Acts 2:9-11 lists which languages were heard that day.

To speak with other tongues – At the building of Babel the language of the people was confounded; and, in consequence of this, they became scattered over the face of the earth: at this foundation of the Christian Church, the gift of various languages was given to the apostles, that the scattered nations might be gathered; and united under one shepherd and superintendent (επισκοπος ) of all souls. (Source: Adam Clarke Commentary – https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/acc/acts-2.html. 1832)

As the Spirit gave them utterance – The word αποφθεγγεσθαι seems to imply such utterance as proceeded from immediate inspiration, and included oracular communications. (Source: Adam Clarke Commentary – https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/acc/acts-2.html. 1832)

There are believers who still speak in tongues today, and who usually operate in the fruit of the Spirit as well as in the gifts of the Spirit. They typically believe that miracles still happen all over the world because Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever. (Heb 13:8) Hallelujah!

Call the Walls Salvation

Here are a couple of prophetic verses from the Bible.

Violence shall no longer be heard in your land, neither wasting nor destruction within your borders; but you shall call your walls Salvation, and your gates Praise. (Isa 60:18)

In that day this song will be sung in the land of Judah: “We have a strong city; God will appoint salvation for walls and bulwarks. (Isa 26:1)

There is a day coming when Jesus Christ shall gather His church together, and the verses above foretell of that victorious time. There will be no need of gates or walls for protection, because the walls will be the very salvation of our God, and the “gates” that we enter will be praise unto our God. Praise opens all gates into the presence of our living God.

God has shown Himself well able to protect His people. He says that He is a wall of fire around His people.

‘For I,’ says the Lord, ‘will be a wall of fire all around her, and I will be the glory in her midst.” (Zech 2:5)

God is already the glory in our midst—right now.

He is our Protector and Deliverer. (2 Sam 22:2-3; Ps 5:11; 34:17; 91:9-12; 2 Thes 3:3) As we walk with Him and obey His Word willingly, He takes care of all of our individual needs. Surely, our relationship with Jesus Christ is a fortress and a protection from evil. The walls of this fortress are called “salvation.”

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