Walk in the Spirit

   Sometimes it may seem that you are your own worst enemy. Your natural man wants to walk after the way of the flesh, and no matter how hard you want to be good, you just can't. The Bible says to be carnally minded is death, and if you are in the flesh, you cannot please God. There is only one solution: the flesh must die. Jesus died and rose again that we might also die and live again by His Spirit.

   Romans 8:13 says, 

“For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: 

but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body,

ye shall live.”  

   Yield yourselves to God. Walk in the Spirit. Never let that old man you once were have his way; you will but forge chains of slavery for yourself. Romans continues, 

“As many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.” 

I know that when I pray and read my Bible, seeking God with my whole heart, He comes and is with me and teaches me like a good father does. And every time I'm with Him, I just want to be with Him more. I want to do things that please Him.

   The Devil tries to throw a whole bunch of things at you to try to get you distracted from your spiritual walk because when you are with Jesus, you are dead to all the Devil's tricks. The Devil knows that you will get weak if he can keep you away from your time with Jesus. He hopes you will yield to the flesh, so he can have you for his servant again. Resist the devil. Remember, you need not struggle.  Jesus said, in John 16:33, 

“Be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” 

The battle is already over, and Jesus has won. The Devil has no power over you.
   Walk in the Spirit. Do everything the way Jesus would have it done. Don't let your eyes get distracted from Him. Always take time to learn from Jesus and fellowship with Him. When planning your day, always remember Jesus is your number one priority. If nothing else gets done in your day, take time to be with Jesus. Keep your priorities straight! Jesus is always most important.

True Patriotism

   Is a true patriot one who loves his country and would do anything for it? Or is a true patriot one who clings to truth and right, and will fight to keep his country on the right path? 

   Let us take Germany in World War 2 for example. Were its true patriots those who were all for Germany despite its Nazi leaders, or those who fought against the evil, even if it meant siding with the enemies of their own country? Who were the true patriots?
   I feel it is not good to be blinded by “patriotism” (love of country). Patriots by that definition would die for their country even if it were in the wrong. Countries change. Their leadership and ideals change. But good, truth, and right never change, though the general perceptions of them may. They never change because God, who set them forth, will never change. The only way to always know the truth is to know Jesus. 

   If I had a country, I would rather have citizens whose only allegiance was to Jesus Christ than citizens whose love was for the country alone. They might die for the country, but would they die for the right?

   Let your allegiance be to Jesus Christ, and be not blinded by patriotism.

Haggai

   I recently read the book of Haggai. It tells about the people of Israel working hard to make themselves comfortable before building God's house. They weren't prospering. God told them to consider their ways and build God's house, and He would take pleasure in it and be glorified. All the people obeyed and feared before the Lord. So God told the people that He was with them, and they built the temple. When it was done, God told them because they hadn't turned to Him, he had caused their labors to not prosper. But since they had laid the foundation of the Lord's temple, He said, "From this day I will bless you."

   I think it is neat that the book of Haggai is an example for us in our lives. If we're too busy making sure we're comfortable and everything is fine for us before we make sure everything is right between us and God, I doubt if God will be pleased. We should always put Him first. How could we ever prosper if God is not with us? Proverbs 3:5-6 says, "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths."

   Don't think that everything would go wrong if you took time from what you think you need to do to support your life to pray and find out what God's will is. God promised that He would take care of you if you trust in Him.

   Jesus said: No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.

   We just finished reading Exodus, and something stood out to me that goes along with the message. God said to take the Sabbath off even during planting and harvest. Why was it so important? In God's very creation, He created a day for resting and seeking Him. No one has any excuse for not having a time to seek God, because God made a day just for this very purpose. God wants you to seek Him above all else.

"Joy is not the absence of trouble, but the presence of Jesus." --Unknown

Vanya

    I just finished reading a book titled Vanya.
    Ivan (Vanya) Vasilyevich Moiseyev became a Christian in 1968. Vanya was required to join the Soviet Army when he turned 18, so in 1970, he was inducted into the Soviet Red Army. He tried to do his best at all that was asked of him. One day he was late to a drill. When asked to give an excuse for his tardiness, he said he was praying. They couldn't let one of their soldiers believe in God, as they felt that their eyes had been enlightened, and they could see the "real" world. It wouldn't do to have a soldier who was still in the dark ages and believed in God. They had been freed from such ignorance!
    Remember, when the world says, "We see," they are blind. The gospel is foolishness to the wise of the world. The devil's wisdom blinds them to God's spiritual truth.
    Through the next 2 years, Vanya endured interrogation, punishment, imprisonment, and torture. God was with him. It was so neat to see how he prized time to pray and fellowship with Jesus. He didn't own a Bible, but he knew many portions by heart. He was a witness to his fellow soldiers, and God worked many miracles on his behalf. As his time in the army was drawing to a close, the officials increased their efforts to break him. They finally said they couldn't and turned him over to the KGB who were at liberty to use whatever methods deemed necessary, even outside of the law. They were given this power so they could deal with threats to the USSR. He would not deny his faith and was tortured and killed.
    Vanya was only 19 or 20 when he died. He felt he wouldn't be coming home, and in his last letters, he encouraged his Christian friends and family and urged unsaved relatives to believe. The day before his death he wrote:

        "I desire that all of you, dear friends, young and old, remember this one verse, Rev. 2:10, 'Be    faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life.' Receive this, the last letter on this earth, from the least of the brethren.   

                                                                                                                     Vanya."

      In this day and in this country, we are at liberty to pray, fellowship with God, and be a witness for him. Let's each grow our relationships with Jesus. Be thankful for the freedom to pray. Be glad you can read God's holy word. Take advantage of these blessings! Seek the Lord with your whole heart! He promised that if you seek Him with your whole heart, you will find him. Labor to enter into His rest. Grow in his grace and knowledge. Put Jesus first! Seek to be weaned from the "milk" and receive the "meat." Let your house be built upon the Rock, Jesus Christ.
    In the Soviet Union, the Devil used the method of making Christianity seem like it was for the ignorant. He used persecution and laws against Christians. It seems as if in this country the Devil is not right out persecuting Christians, but is mainly focusing on distracting Christians from Jesus while acting as if he doesn't mind that we are Christians. Beware of his sneaky tricks! Don't let him lull you into his world. Keep your relationship with Jesus strong!
    Another of the Devil's tricks is also one he used in the Soviet Union. In the USSR, some churches were allowed—churches for quiet Christians who did what the government said. In the United States, the Devil tricks people into believing that all they need to do to be Christians is to be good and go to church. Remember in the Bible how it tells of some who would have a form of godliness but deny the power thereof? That way, all those who want to be Christians can be, without actually being changed by God's power and given His new life. Don't let the Devil trick you into thinking his way! "For the kingdom of God is not in word but in power." --1 Cor. 4:20
    Look to Jesus! Seek Him in earnest. Seek Him while He may be found! Remember the martyrs who gave their lives for Jesus. To them, their relationship with Jesus was worth suffering and dying for. What is it worth to you?

What are you trusting in?

Riot: a violent disturbance of the peace by a crowd, usually characterized by destruction. During a riot, looting and burning are commonplace. The death toll of riots is surprisingly high. This is the time when all those years of supporting the police force should pay off. They are your ally as the mobs draw near. You hear shots fired a couple blocks down and smell the smoke of a burning building. Then, to your amazement, you see several police cars falling back; they have been ordered to withdraw. round the corner comes a gang of rowdies, armed with a wide assortment of weapons. You hold your breath. They couldn't be—but yes, they are headed right for you as you stand in front of your electronics store. You are doomed. The mob had long waited for this day and had probably marked your store for looting during the riot preparation phase of quiet. The shattering glass hits you with the slap of reality. You are powerless to stop the mob as they carry your investments away in armloads, and as the smoke drifts upwards, your livelihood goes with it. Woe if you were depending on the police to help in time of trouble. When it really gets bad, what can they do? Apparently just let the riot, like a storm, run its course.

"Be thou my strong habitation, whereunto I may continually resort: thou hast given commandment to save me; for thou art my rock and my fortress. Deliver me, O my God, out of the hand of the wicked, out of the hand of the unrighteous and cruel man. For thou art my hope, O Lord God: thou art my trust from my youth. By thee have I been holden up from the womb: thou art he that took me out of my mother's bowels: my praise shall be continually of thee."              

--Psalm 71:3-6

   What are you trusting in? Is it your strength or speed? What will happen when you're old and slow? Is it your phone? Or perhaps your gun? 
   What happens when your phone batteries die and you run out of cartridges for your gun? Maybe it's your money or your ability to reason? Riches make themselves wings and fly away. Is it your charm and personality? All these fade away with time, or else are gone in a moment. All these fail and change, but God never changes. He is the only sure thing on which you can trust. 
   You may be trusting in Jesus to get you to heaven, but you think you must find your own way or make one while on earth. But no! You can trust God to see you through your life also. Are you trusting in your job to put food on the table? Or maybe the government? Or are you trusting in God?
   Just think of Abraham. What would it be like if it were you? You're 75 years old. God tells you to leave, but he doesn't tell you exactly where to go. Abraham trusted that God knew where he was going, so he set out. He had no cellphone to call for directions or to make reservations. He trusted in God to keep him from dying of thirst, starving to death, or dying of diseases. I don't suppose there were truck stops every few hours where they could get water bottles, shade, or medical aid. He couldn't have loaded up into a truck and gone back when things got too tough. He traveled in an area where he knew no one. Bandits could have snuck up on him, killed him, and taken all his stuff, and no one would have known.
  Abraham trusted God. Sometimes it may be hard to know what you're trusting in until it is no longer there. When you pull out of your driveway onto those dangerous roads, are you depending on your ability to avoid all possible dangers, or blind luck that you'll not be one of the many killed every day in car accidents? Or are you committing your life to God's care? He can do much better than we humans.
  If you are totally and completely dependent on God while everything is going well for you, you will still be able to depend on Him when everything goes wrong. You'll not be afraid of losing your strength or becoming old because you never trusted in your youth or strength.

"Hearken unto me, house of Jacob, and all the remnant of the house of Israel, which are borne by me from the belly, which are carried from the womb: And even to your old age  I am he; and even to your hoar hairs will I carry you: I have made, and I will bear; even I will carry and will deliver you."

--Isaiah 46:3-4

Jesus is what is important!

           One day I was reading in the Gospel of John. John 12:42 made me stop and think:

“Nevertheless among the chief rulers also many believed on him; but because of the Pharisees they did not confess him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue."

They believed in Jesus, but wouldn't confess him because they didn't want to be kicked out of church! I thought they were at church to seek the Lord, and now when they had found Him, they didn't confess Him because they'd rather have church than Jesus? That is really awful! I read on, and it explained why,

“They loved the praise of men more than the praise of God.” 

Here is Jesus, God manifested as a man, and they are more concerned with what the church leaders would think than about what their Creator thought.

         Be careful not to be so involved in the outward showing of worshiping God that you miss out on fellowship with Him. Oh! And be careful not to be like the church leaders of that day who kicked all who knew Jesus out of their church!
          Jesus is what is important! If a church doesn't have Jesus, why have the church? If following Jesus puts you at odds with “church,” wanting to be accepted by your church leaders should not enter your mind! They won't be the ones standing at the gates of heaven giving approval to those who enter. You'd better be following Jesus if you want to be accepted by Him into heaven.
         Be glad if you have a church that doesn't kick Jesus out, but if they do kick Jesus out, you better be one of those who gets kicked out too. If Jesus is on the outside, what better place is there than to be on the outside with Him!
 

Lay up Your Treasures in Heaven

“Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth,where moth and rust doth corrupt,

and where thieves break through and steal:

But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt,

and where thieves do not break through nor steal:

For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”

   I have been thinking lately about not setting my heart on things of this earth. Things on earth just don't always work out the way they are supposed to. Disappointments cause sorrow and sorrow only leads to death (Sorrow for things pertaining to our short time on earth). In the real scheme of things most of our disappointments don't really matter. You don't have to like the fact that things don't work out right, but why let it affect you? If you let yourself be overly sad about something, you'll probably find more sad things to think about and end up a bitter person who never had anything good happen to them—at least that is what it will seem like to you.

   Don't get so wrapped up in this life (all the things you do for the house you call your body); it really isn't that important. What is important is not your house, it is you! When the house you now call your home dies, where will you be living? The One who made you has made a way for you to live with Him. Accept His offer, or you will fall into the reward of your own ways. For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

  Let us accept God's gift and care more about our eternal life than our temporal home. Be happy that you know your name is written down in the Lamb's book of life! Jesus is eternal, and so let us set our hearts on Him. He never will disappoint.

   In conclusion, as 1 Thessalonians 5:16 says: Rejoice evermore!