God’s Works Are Perfect

The word perfect means being entirely without fault or defect; complete. We can see how God’s works are rightly described as perfect. Here are several verses from the Bible:

He is the Rock, his works are perfect, and all his ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is he. (Deut 32:4 NIV)

As for God, his way is upright; the word of God is pure; he is a shield to all those who take refuge in him. (Ps 18:30 ISV)

And they will say about you, “The Lord always does right! God is our mighty rock.” (Ps 92:15 CEV)

These passages from the Scriptures remind us of how truly awesome and good our God is! His ways are just, and He is faithful and upright.

God’s actions are perfect, and His character traits exhibit justice and mercy, as well as an ability to forgive repeatedly. When the Bible mentions “works,” it is discussing such things as actions, tasks, activities, and results.

Not only that, but God’s word is PURE—which means free from anything different, inferior or contaminating, free from foreign or inappropriate elements.

When we make the Lord our safe haven, He will shield us from evil and all harm.

Several Bible verses remind us that God cannot lie. (Num 23:19; 1 Sam 15:29; Heb 6:18) So in any circumstance or challenge of our lives, we can always rely upon the truth that ‘The Lord always does right!” Be encouraged, strengthened, and emboldened in your faith in Jesus Christ, dear friend.

Being Strengthened & Established

As we live our daily lives as believers and followers of Jesus, there should come times when we are strengthened and established, or recognized, in our faith. Let’s take a look at some Scriptures concerning this topic:

For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift, so that you may be established—that is, that I may be encouraged together with you by the mutual faith both of you and me. (Rom 1:11-12 NKJV)

Paul was writing to believers in Rome, saying that he wished to see them in order that he could impart [pass on] a spiritual gift to a number of them, and that he could encourage them in their faith—and be encouraged himself by them.

First of all, do you realize that praying for each other is encouraging?

And do you also realize that by praying for one another, we may reveal our own spiritual gifts and may even pass them on? Well, it’s absolutely true!

But I know that when I come to you, I shall come in the fullness of the blessing of the gospel of Christ. (Rom 15:29 NKJV)

Paul was confident that when he saw the believers in person, that he would be operating in the FULLNESS of the blessing of Christ’s gospel. What faith! This demonstrates the confidence of a man who relies completely upon the Word, and lives his life accordingly. Glory to God!

So the churches were strengthened in the faith and grew daily in numbers. (Ac 16:5 NIV)

When we are strengthened in our faith, we can’t help but share our experiences and testimonies with others. When we do that, other people visit our churches in order to discover what is happening. Their curiosity is provoked, and they want to investigate for themselves.

When Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied. (Ac 19:6 NIV)

Praying for people, as you touch them, is a biblical and correct form of prayer. This verse tells us that when Paul did this, the people that Paul touched came under the influence and presence of the Holy Spirit. As a result these same people actually spoke in tongues and prophesied. Hallelujah! These are biblical results and we should be encouraged by them, and use them as our example.

A key tactic we can use to strengthen our faith is to read the Bible, and to the meditate upon it daily. God bless you.

God’s Counsels

Our Lord has given us His counsel and wisdom through His Holy Word. We can’t enjoy these benefits of salvation if we don’t pay attention to the Bible and obey it.

O Lord, You are my God. I will exalt You, I will praise Your name, for You have done wonderful things; Your counsels of old are faithfulness and truth. (Isa 25:1, emphasis added)

So I gave them over to their own stubborn heart, to walk in their own counsels. ¹³“Oh, that My people would listen to Me, that Israel would walk in My ways! (Ps 81:12-13)

So that your trust may be in the Lord; I have instructed you today, even you. ²⁰Have I not written to you excellent things, of counsels and knowledge, ²¹that I may make you know the certainty of the words of truth, that you may answer words of truth to those who send to you? (Pro 22:19-21, underscoring added)

It’s a dangerous thing when man is permitted to walk in his own counsels, according to Psalm 81:12-13, above. Counsels means advice, guidance, assistance, direction or warning.

God’s counsels are blessings in our lives, and we need to recognize this truth. We need to hunger and thirst for His counsels.

The Bible says that God’s counsels are faithfulness and truth. (Isa 25:1) What beautiful and blessed encouragements that the Lord, our God, bestows upon His people!

Faithfulness means truthfulness, reliability, loyalty, and commitment. Truth means reality, integrity, and honesty. What precious blessings these qualities are to all believers who pursue them and desire them!

Only as we obey the Word and fill our hearts with passages from the Bible will we come to know and understand the counsels of God. As we memorize and meditate upon the Word of God, our faith will be strengthened and we will grow in wisdom. We will become qualified to answer with words of truth when people question us about our faith, or about the Bible.

As we honor and obey God’s word, by diligent search and study of God’s Word, we will sow God’s precious counsels into our own lives and hearts. And the longer we walk with and serve the Lord, the more evidence we will see of this taking place in our lives. And we will grow in wisdom, mercy, and understanding. God bless you!

Don’t Put Faith in Wealth

The Lord urges us in His Word to avoid trusting in riches just like we would avoid a plague. True wealth is given by God to the righteous. Let’s read the Scriptures.

He who trusts in his riches will fall, but the righteous will flourish like foliage. (Pro 11:28)

Here is the man who did not make God his strength, but trusted in the abundance of his riches, and strengthened himself in his wickedness. (Ps 52:7)

Why do you brag about your strength? Your strength is exhausted,you rebellious daughter. You trust in your treasures, never imagining who would attack you. (Jer 49:4 CEB)

Don’t trust in violence or depend on dishonesty or rely on great wealth. (Ps 62:10 CEV)

Jesus said clearly in Mark 10:23-25 that it’s easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than it is for people who trust in riches to enter the kingdom of heaven! Wow!

Jesus told a parable about a rich fool in Luke 12:16-19. This fool had accumulated so much wealth that he had to build larger barns to hold it all, and then he decided to ‘eat, drink and be merry.’ And God said to him (v. 20-21): But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?’ ²¹“So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”

This is wisdom from God for us. In providing for ourselves, our children, and our retirement, we mustn’t allow ourselves to start trusting in and relying upon the money that we have set aside for emergencies or for a retirement fund. Our faith in God and our relationship with the Lord Jesus must always be the main focus and core of our lives.

Even though the Lord gives us power to get wealth (Deu 8:18; Ecc 5:19), we must never lose sight of the fact that this is a GIFT from God. It is a reason for thankfulness and rejoicing over the goodness of God. We need to consider this blessing as part of our heritage from God, and by acknowledging God’s central part in it, we may then rejoice in our labor.

Let us daily concentrate upon our relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ, who is our righteousness. Here are worthy things upon which to meditate:

Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace – Isa 9:6
Redeemer – Isa 59:20
Immanuel (God with us) – Mt 1:23
King of the Jews – Mt 27:37
Lamb of God – Joh 1:29
Bread of Life – Joh 6:35
Living Stone, Cornerstone – 1 Pet 2:4-8
Alpha and Omega – Rev 22:13

We must intentionally make Jesus the heart and focus of our entire lives. Our trust and our entire reliance should eternally be upon Jesus Christ, who is our life! (Col 3:4) May God richly bless you.

Believers, Renounce Guilt!

Did you realize that guilt is a weapon of our spiritual enemy, the devil? It’s designed to destroy the faith of Christians.

Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. ³⁴Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. (Rom 8:33-34)

Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. ²Blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit. (Ps 32:1-2)

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 Joh 1:9)

The enemy’s plan is to bring about such condemnation upon a person that they will abandon faith in God. That happens gradually, as the person battling guilt begins to question the very Word of God. As the person slides into self-doubt, He may begin to question God’s faithfulness. Will He really give the victory? They begin to feel alone in the battle.

ALL of these things are from the pit of hell. The Lord says that He has made a way of escape! (1 Cor 10:13) When temptation knocks, actively LOOK FOR the blessed way of escape. It is hidden in your heart in the form of Bible verses. Here are some very helpful and spiritually powerful verses to memorize and to review daily.

“No weapon formed against you shall prosper, and every tongue which rises against you in judgment you shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is from Me,” says the Lord. (Isa 54:17)

There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. (Rom 8:1)

. . . even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe . . . (Rom 3:22)

. . . so that as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Rom 5:21)

But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God—and righteousness and sanctification and redemption— (1 Cor 1:30)

. . . having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. (Col 2:14)

Fill your mind and heart with these truths from God’s Word, and focus on studying the Bible. Memorizing Scriptures will give you strength against temptation.

Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You. (Ps 119:11)

Jesus is our Savior and Redeemer; He is our righteousness. He loves His children and surrounds us with His presence and His grace. Begin to appreciate these precious truths, and your faith will be strengthened as well as your Christian walk.

Be an Encourager

That’s why you must encourage and help each other, just as you are already doing. (1 Thes 5:11 CEV)

So when they were sent off, they came to Antioch; and when they had gathered the multitude together, they delivered the letter. ³¹When they had read it, they rejoiced over its encouragement. ³²Now Judas and Silas, themselves being prophets also, exhorted and strengthened the brethren with many words. (Ac 15:30-32)

The Bible reminds us to encourage one another in our faith. That also means that we should encourage each other in every area of life, since faith touches literally everything in our lives. The Scriptures are full of encouraging words to guide our lives and to spur us on to faith and action. Here a just a few of those passages:

For the Lord your God is he who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies, to give you the victory. (Deu 20:4)
Those who seek the Lord lack no good thing. (Ps 34:10b)
But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint. (Isa 40:31)
Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. (Isa 41:10)
Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. (Mt 11:28)
No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it. (1 Cor 10:13)
I can do all things through him who strengthens me. (Phil 4:13)
And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. (Phil 4:19)

Take as many opportunities as you can to encourage your brothers and sisters in Christ to cling to the Lord and to their faith in Him. You will be blessed and encouraged as well.

decidingvoteblog

You are the Deciding Vote! In your life, you can make decisions that will help you and bless you.

Tag: strengthened