Stay Away from Sin & Darkness

The Lord gives us, in His Word, not only wisdom, revelation, and insight; but He also gives us admonitions, warnings, and advice. Let’s review a few of these admonitions today.

. . . and have nothing to do with the unfruitful actions that darkness produces. Instead, expose them for what they are. ¹²For it is shameful even to mention what is done by these disobedient people in secret. (Eph 5:11-12 ISV)

Not only should we avoid sin and occasions to sin, but we shouldn’t even speak about other peoples’ sin. The reason is because the Bible alerts us to the fact that to do so is shameful. We are called to expose sin as the dark evil that it truly is.

Night is almost over, and day will soon appear. We must stop behaving as people do in the dark and be ready to live in the light. (Ro 13:12 CEV)

We are called by Jesus Christ, who is the bright and morning star (Rev 22:16), to live in the light of God’s love.

Furthermore, 1 Peter 2:9 (KJV) states: But ye [are] a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light . . . We are called OUT OF darkness, sin, and sorrow into the light of God’s salvation, love, and blessings. Glory to God most High!

But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints . . . (Eph 5:3 KJV)

Such sins as are mentioned in the verse above should not be participated in by born-again Christians who desire to follow Jesus. They are harmful to us and to the body of Christ.

But what fruit were you getting at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. (Ro 6:21 NIV)

The end of sin is death in many forms. Some of the fruits of sin are shame, guilt, and separation from God. Not one of these so-called fruits is desirable.

From this study we can certainly see that it is for our good that God gives us these counsels. Let us draw near to God and avail ourselves of His grace, love, and goodness.

God’s Comforts

What are God’s ‘comforts’ as mentioned in Psalm 94:19? From my study of this passage, the word refers to the promises of God, and the ability to remember and to mentally reenact our prior experiences of God’s care and kindnesses to us. Such thoughts give us consolation, and they revitalize our minds and our thoughts.

In the multitude of my anxieties within me, Your comforts delight my soul. (Ps 94:19 NKJV, emphasis added)

As a mother comforts her child, so I will comfort you; you shall be comforted in Jerusalem. (Isa 66:13 NRSV) The Lord promises to comfort us when we are distressed.

From the end of the earth I call to You when my heart is faint; lead me to the rock that is higher than I. (Ps 61:2 NASB) During tribulations, we must allow our hearts to turn to the Rock of our salvation, Jesus Christ.

Just as I am satisfied with the choicest of foods, so my lips will praise you joyfully. ⁶When I think of you in bed, I will meditate on you in the night watches. (Ps 63:5-6 ISB)

A good life habit to cultivate is to praise the Lord joyfully AT ALL TIMES, under all circumstances. It will bring us joy and it will strengthen our faith. When we can’t sleep in the night, we should meditate upon the Lord and upon His Word. God promises in many places in the Bible that He will comfort us and that the Holy Spirit is our comforter.

Turn to the Lord and trust Him to soothe and to encourage you when painful life experiences threaten to sink you. He will not fail you.

Listen to and Accept Instruction

We’re taught by the Word of God to listen to the Word and to obey it. We’re also encouraged to accept instruction from our parents, our elders, and wise counselors. Most human beings find these instructions challenging—at least some of the time!

But the Bible reminds us repeatedly that blessings, wisdom, and long life will be given to us if we listen to and accept instruction. Let’s look at some Bible verses:

Listen, my son, accept what I say, and the years of your life will be many. (Pro 4:10 NIV)

Take my instruction instead of silver, and knowledge rather than choice gold . . . (Pro 8:10 NIV)

Listen to advice and accept instruction, that you may gain wisdom in the future. (Pro 19:20 NIV)

Receive instruction from his mouth, and lay up his words in your heart. (Job 22:22 NIV)

This verse in Job recommends that we memorize the Scriptures to make it easier to meditate upon them.

And we also thank God constantly for this, that when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of God, which is at work in you believers. (1 Thes 2:13 NIV)

The more that we memorize and meditate upon the Word–as well as obeying it–the more powerfully the Word will work in us and transform us into the image of our Savior and Creator. God bless you.

The Lord Saves His Servants

The Lord is committed to those of us who follow Him and serve Him. His Word testifies to this truth repeatedly.

The Lord redeems the soul of His servants, and none of those who trust in Him shall be condemned. (Ps 34:22 NKJV) This is just one of the Lord’s promises to His people. NONE who trust in Him shall be condemned.

The poor can run to you because you are a fortress in times of trouble. ¹⁰Everyone who honors your name can trust you, because you are faithful to all who depend on you. (Ps 9:9-10 CEV) Our God is a fortress in times of trouble. He is faithful to ALL who depend upon Him. God cannot lie. (Tit 1:2)

. . . who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion . . . (Ps 103:4 NIV) Not only does the Lord redeem our lives from hell but He also crowns us with His love and compassion. Praise the Lord!

What then shall we say 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 with him graciously give us all things? (Rom 8:31-32 ESV) If God is on our side, but no one can succeed or gain victory over the Lord. Since the Lord didn’t spare His own Son, it is certain that along with our salvation He freely gives us all that we need.

We are blessed to serve a faithful and loving God.

Be Merciful

What does merciful mean? It means: kindhearted, compassionate, sympathetic, and forgiving.

Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. (Lk 6:36 EHV) As our Father forgives our sins repeatedly, we should also forgive and forget the sins of others against us.

Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. (Eph 5:1 NKJV) In every way, as much as we have the grace to do so, we should imitate the mercy of God in our dealings with other people. Let us be kindhearted and compassionate in imitation of our Father in heaven.

Therefore, in all things He had to be made like His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. (Heb 2:17 NKJV) Jesus was a merciful and faithful High Priest in that He became the sacrifice upon the altar to reconcile mankind to God the Father.

For I will be merciful in regard to their unrighteousness, and I will not remember their sins any longer. (Heb 8:12 EHV) Thanks to Jesus, our Father forgives our sins and does not remember them against us. What a gift of love and mercy we have been given!

In obedience to the Word, may each of us strive to be sympathetic to others and to be faithful representatives of Jesus and His love in a dark and hurting world.

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.

Abide in God’s Word & Be Made Free

Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” (John 8:31-32)

The word KNOW in verse 32, above, means to perceive; understand; recognize; or realize. This is a knowledge that has inception, a progress and an attainment, according to Strong’s concordance (#1097). It is the recognition of truth by personal experience.

This personal experience suggests a close, personal relationship. And verse 32 states that we need to abide in [accept, stand in, obey] God’s Word and thereby confirm ourselves to be Christ’s disciples.

In that context, as we personally come to experience the truth of and dependability of God’s Word, it is that same truth that shall set us free from various challenging and destructive experiences in our lives. It also sets us free from the hurts that other people have inflicted upon us.

God’s steadfast and unfailing love for you can give you such strength and stability in your emotions that you can be made emotionally whole and healthy.

The best kindness that you can do for yourself is to abide in the Scriptures and become more and more stable and secure in their truth—because you know that God does not lie. (Num 23:19)

Rest in Jesus, who has given you the grace, freedom, and strength to live your life to His glory daily!

Note: This is a reprint of our blog article dated 11/21/2016.

God Loves Humility

The Lord instructs us in His Word to humble ourselves, so that He may exalt us in due time. (1 Pet 5:6) We need to be obedient to this instruction because the Lord has the power to humble any person or thing that He chooses.

And all the trees of the field shall know that I am the Lord; I bring low the high tree, and make high the low tree, dry up the green tree, and make the dry tree flourish. I am the Lord; I have spoken, and I will do it. (Ezek 17:24 ESV)

For he has humbled the inhabitants of the height, the lofty city. He lays it low, lays it low to the ground, casts it to the dust. (Isa 26:5 ESV)

He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble. ⁵³He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty. (Lk 1:52-53 NIV)

Even in nature, the trees know who the Lord and the creator God is, and that He has mighty power at His disposal. If the Lord so chooses, He can decide to humble trees, cities, nations, rulers, and individual, influential or wealthy people.

We’re told in Scriptures that the Lord regards (esteems, honors) the lowly (humble) but the haughty (arrogant, self-important, puffed-up) He knows from “afar off.”

Psalm 138:6 (ESV): For though the Lord is high, he regards the lowly, but the haughty he knows from afar.

I believe that the above passage is explaining that God does not have a close, warm relationship with haughty, pride-filled people.

However, as our opening line in this article indicates, the Lord will, in His own timing, exalt those who humble themselves before Him. We humble ourselves to God by accepting His Son (Jesus Christ) as our Savior and Lord, and by honoring and obeying His holy Word. We also honor Him by allowing Him to lead us and guide us throughout our lifetimes. This will result in our having a close and personal relationship with the living God, the Savior and Redeemer. Hallelujah!

Savior & Deliverer

Our God is our Savior and our Deliverer. His Word is full of His promises to us, and it also contains the testimonies of many believers who have experienced the Lord’s saving power and deliverance.

The Lord will save me when anyone tries to hurt me, and he will bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom. Glory forever and ever be the Lord’s. Amen. (2 Tim 4:18 NCV)

But the Lord is faithful and will give you strength and will protect you from the Evil One. (2 Thes 3:3 NCV)

God saved us from these great dangers of death, and he will continue to save us. We have put our hope in him, and he will save us again. (2 Cor 1:10 NCV)

These Bible verses remind us of some wonderful truths about the God whom we serve:

God saves us from those who try to harm us;
The Lord will make sure that we arrive safely in heaven;
Our God is faithful;
God’s grace will give us strength and protect us from the enemy of our souls;
God has saved our souls, and will continue to save us day-by-day; and
As long as we put our hope in Him, He will continue to save us time after time.

There is no God like our God! (Ex 8:10; 1 Sam 2:2; 1 Chr 17:20) Let us give Him all of the glory, honor, and praise!

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!

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