Salt of The Earth

Have you ever had bread without salt? I’m not talking about some sweet bread here. Just imagine you go to your favorite bakery and but some freshly baked bread---that you’ve enjoyed for years---only to realize after you’ve had your first bite that it has no salt at all.  I don’t know if this has happened to you already but I can tell you that based on my personal experience it doesn’t taste good.

You may be asking yourself how does this relate to you well come along for the ride and I really do hope that this “bread-talk” will open your “spiritual appetite” for the word of God and that the Lord Himself will minister to your heart as you read.

So when you’ve enjoyed bread baked with salt and after try some without you will realize that the salt-less bread is just not as good and tasty. Some might even go as far as saying that they cannot eat salt-free bread period, it’s just not good.

If you can relate to this example take a moment to picture yourself in that very scene, the look on your face and the taste in your mouth etc. I can see some people going “yuck!” And quite understandably so because one of the thing that gives bread that taste we enjoy so much is the salt that was mixed into the dough.

Now, let’s get a bit personal and answer this question, “How do you see yourself?” You may answer by saying that you use a mirror or that you have your photo taken etc. In truth these are ways in which you can see yourself but today this is not what I want you to focus on but rather I want you to take a good look at your “self”, at your inner being, the one that the others cannot see with their naked eyes, the one that is not defined by looks, height, size, weight, complexion, education, background or job; I want you to focus on the inner being, the real YOU.

Interestingly enough though that person---the inner you---cannot be seen with the naked eye, there is another window that gives a pretty accurate picture of him. Believe it or not but your thinking, behavior, attitude, actions, words etc. paint a very good picture of who we really are. We may try to run away from it but there is no escaping, the things we say, the way we behave or react and generally speaking, the things we do tell a story about us.

We sometimes think of ourselves in a certain way and are even really convinced that’s how we truly are but the story that our life tells can be very different. We may say to ourselves over and over again, “I am a kind person, I am a kind person…” but I can assure you that in order for you to get a true picture you should ask your family members, friends, colleagues and even those that just see you from afar.

I am reminded of this passage of scripture found in Matthew 7:16-18 (King James Version), “16 Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?

17 Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.

18 A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.”

Ultimately, when we look at the word of God we realize that it is not enough to just think that we are a certain way or a certain type of person. In order for us to get a more accurate picture or ourselves we must carefully observe our actions, reactions, attitudes, words etc.

Am I saying that everything that everyone says about us is always true and accurate or that we are always right/wrong about ourselves? Certainly not but the word of God tells us very clearly that the fruit we produce (i.e. our actions, reactions, attitude, behavior, the words we say etc.) will tells us what kind of tree we are looking at. In the passage that we read previously we find two types of trees, the “good tree” and the “corrupt tree”. Both of which can be recognized by the fruit that they produce.

At this point I would like you to take an honest look at yourself and think of what kind of tree you are based on your fruit (actions etc.) Is your fruit tasty or is it bitter?

Think about the title of this post, “Salt of The Earth” and ask yourself am I the type of person that makes bread tasty or even if you add me it remains flavorless? What do I mean by that? Well ask yourself what impact do you have on the lives of others, do you cause them to “Yum!” or do they go “Yuck!”?

Think about it for a moment then read Matthew 5:13 carefully, “13 Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.”

First of all, I would like you to think about your purpose here on Earth. If you have accepted Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior and are born again (if you haven’t read here) then God has placed you here to be its salt. You are the one that gives flavor. You are useful, you are needed and you are highly valued by God. You are a bearer of God’s divine “saltiness” you are a living testimony of God’s grace, mercy and love towards mankind. You aren’t just there to live and survive you are here to be salt to the people in your life, to all those around you. You bare a very powerful testimony, you are a son/daughter of the Most High God and as a result when people get to know you they should see Jesus Christ in you. When they hear you talk, when they see your walk they should be exposed to God Himself through you.

Your actions speak volumes as the saying goes and this is true. And it’s not just what you do when you go to church, Bible study, Youth Ministry meetings etc. but it’s what you do all day, every day.

Take some time and think about this seriously because you run the risk of thinking that you are a certain way but as far as God and men are concerned there is no saltiness to you, you have lost your savor and have become tasteless. And I’ll go as far as saying that you may have become the kind of person that no one wants to be around, one that bring no salt to the game, one that causes people to run away.

Now understand that this thinking exercise is between you and God, the One who knows all and sees all. He is able to judge our thoughts and attitudes accurately and will surely guide us if we diligently seek Him.

My encouragement to you my friend is to look deep within and if you realize that you have not been the salt of the earth then turn to God immediately, confess your sin and He will surely forgive you. Then repent from the things that you have been doing that were wrong. Go truthfully to God and allow Him to set you free by His divine power. Then and only then will you be full of salt and will bear fruits that lead to eternal life.

There is a lot more that can be said on this topic but I would like to leave you with these words to meditate on and I implore you to do like the apostle Paul says in Romans 8:3 (King James Version), “3 For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.”

And remember this last thought, God responds favorably to faith and humility.

May God’s minister to you personally and may you truly be salt to the world.

May your life be positively changed forever by the power of God Almighty!

Amen!

Reference #PRW0000009

Who's The Boss?

'Thought Provoker'
 
Have you given i.e. turned over your life to God? Have you ever said something like, "Lord I give you my life and accept you as my Lord and Savior"? If your answer is "no" then I would like to urge you to read a great article on that subject called "Did you miss the point? God's love for mankind." Now on the other hand, if your answer is "yes" then here is a little exercise that will help you determine how much of that is true in your life.

Reflect on the following and do your best to answer honestly; this is between you and God.

When faced with a difficult situation that you know the Bible addresses i.e. gives steps to deal with it, how often do you override these instructions with your own? If you don't quite get what I am talking about here is a practical example. You brother (or sister) in Christ accuses you of doing something wrong and even starts spreading rumors about you as a result. The unfortunate thing is that he never spoke to you nor did he have facts about the whole situation but none the less went about saying all those evil things about you based on mere speculations. Someone that realizes what's going and knows what really happened speaks to that brother telling him that what he is doing is wrong. He further explains to him what really happened, proves your innocence and tells him that he should approach you to tell you how he has wronged you and to ask for forgiveness.

Your brother recognizes him wrong and approaches you, explaining how he has been spreading rumors and saying all kinds of lies about you without knowing what really happened. He then asks you for forgiveness saying that he has sinned against God and yourself.

What would your reaction be knowing that his brother has been spreading those lies for quite some time and you've been really hurt?

Do you know what the Bible has to say about forgiveness?

If you don't, here is one instance of what Christ has to say about that subject in Matthew chapter 18 verses 19 to35 (King James Version), "19 Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven.
20 For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.
21 Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times?
22 Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.
23 Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain king, which would take account of his servants.
24 And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him, which owed him ten thousand talents.
25 But forasmuch as he had not to pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife, and children, and all that he had, and payment to be made.
26 The servant therefore fell down, and worshipped him, saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all.
27 Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and loosed him, and forgave him the debt.
28 But the same servant went out, and found one of his fellowservants, which owed him an hundred pence: and he laid hands on him, and took him by the throat, saying, Pay me that thou owest.
29 And his fellowservant fell down at his feet, and besought him, saying, Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all.
30 And he would not: but went and cast him into prison, till he should pay the debt.
31 So when his fellowservants saw what was done, they were very sorry, and came and told unto their lord all that was done.
32 Then his lord, after that he had called him, said unto him, O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me:
33 Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee?
34 And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him.
35 So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses."
We've just read one passage from the book of Matthew that talks about forgiveness and we learn a lot about God's stand on forgiveness. Christ clearly tells us here that we should forgive someone that offends us (has sinned against us) when they ask for forgiveness. Not only so but He tells us a parable that illustrates this very principle; we should treat others--forgive them--in the same way we would like God to deal with us i.e. forgive us.

So the godly response to our brother is to forgive him for his offense in the same way we would like God to forgive us for our offenses.

Now, my question to you is the following, "Is this the way that you react all the time?" The reason I'm asking this question is that not all of us react in this fashion. I have heard many say things like this, "I know what the word of God says but I can't let this go so easily." As a result many bear hatred in their heart against their brother/sister, even for many years and do so in such a way that they would avoid all contact with that person. No matter how hard that brother or sister tries and in spite of their best efforts to mend to relationship, some just refuse to forgive.

So tell me, according to God's word, is that the way we should handle this situation? Though it may not have been uttered in such terms, we are really saying, "God I hear what you say, I know what your word says but I'm sorry I can't have it, I'm going to handle this situation my way."

And this example only looks at forgiveness, there are many other areas where the word of God gives us guidelines and shows us what me must do. Consider the following areas:

• Love
• Money
• Reconciliation
• Helping those in need
• Service to God
• Humility/Pride
• Dealing with our enemies
• Anger
• Patience
• Etc.

I could spend the whole day talking about life's situations and the biblical response to them.

Again, I'm going to ask you this vital question, "Who's really the boss?" You may quickly say, God is the "Boss" He's in charge, He's the one that rules my life, He's my Lord and He's my Savior. But I'll tell you the truth, your reactions and the way you deal with situations you encounter will tell the true story about who the boss truly is, whether it's God or you.

Ultimately, you recognize a tree at its fruits and a wise builder builds on the rock by putting the word of God into practice; even when it hurts.

My encouragement to you today is to consider what you've just read and to truly give God that special place in your life where He is your Lord (above all else, even yourself) and the ultimate Master of your life.

Put God's word into practice every day, in the small and big things and include Him in your decision-making process. I assure you and the word of God confirms it, God knows best and He expects obedience from His children out of love and devotion. After all He is your Lord and Savior and salvation in found in Him through His Son Jesus Christ.

May God bless you and give you the strength to put His word into practice daily.

The word of God is indeed a "Practical Word" not just a mental exercise but has the power to change your life for the better.

Amen!

 

Reference #PRW0000008

Did you miss the point? God's love for mankind

 

Many people know this famous Bible verse found in John 3:16, "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."

It may not seem like much to some but I would like to give some perspective to this verse. The first thing that we must note is that it's love that caused God to do what He did by sending His Only son to save the world.

God did not send His Son into the world for animals, plants or for building, no! God sent His only Son to save mankind. If you have any doubts about that statement check out John 3:17, "For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved."

This just shows us how great God's love for us is and the reason that I did not use the past tense "was" but used the present tense "is" is because of the fact that this great love for mankind is as true today as it was then. Here are some reasons why:

    1. 1 John 4:8 tells us, "He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love."

    2. James 1:17, "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning."

Simply put, God is the same and does not change! Even when we do wrong God loves us. And be assured of this by reading Romans 5:8, "But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." Even when we were sinners, enemies of God, even we didn't care about Him, He loved us. How much more shall He love us now?

Now the other part of John chapter three verse sixteen tells us that salvation comes by believing in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ His Son. Do you know that there is no miss-and-hit with God, He is always on target? What I mean by this statement is that there is no disappointing when it comes to salvation as far as God's word is concerned, once you meet His requirements, you will be saved.

So, have faith, believe in Jesus Christ, believe in His works and that through Him you are saved from the condemnation of sin and that you have new life in Christ. 2 Corinthians 5:17 guarantees that, "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new."

                                                                                                                                        

Please note dear friends that John 3:16 says whoever believes, so this means that even if your parents, grandparents, siblings or friends believe and you don't, they will be save but not you. It may sound harsh but it's the truth and the truth is what that will set you free. There is no transfer of salvation each person must recognize for themselves their need for Christ and accept Him personally as their Savior.

Don't depend on others for the most important decision you could ever make but make that choice today.

If you feel convicted as you read this message and would like to know what you can do today to make and accept Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior I would like you to say a prayer with me. A note of caution though, these aren't just words to be repeated lightly, if there is something that we can learn about God from His word is that prayer means nothing to Him if we don't have faith in Him and believe we are going to get what we ask for. Hebrew 11:6 says, "But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him." And James 1:6, " But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed."

"Dear God, I come to you in the name of your Son Jesus Christ, and I say thank you for speaking to me today. I thank you for loving me so much that even when I didn't care about you, you sent your only Son to die for me. I am a sinner and I recognize that without your Son in My life I am condemned. I need you in my life at this very moment to lead me, to direct me and to save me. I recognize that your Son Jesus Christ died on the cross for my sin and that you raised Him from the dead so that I could have a new life in Him.

Jesus, I accept you today as Lord of my life and as my Savior and I'm asking you to come into my life now, to forgive me from my past sins and dwell with me. I now believe that in You I am a new creature and that the old things that I have done have passed away and that all things have become new. Thank you Lord for doing this wonderful thing for me, so I can be called a son/daughter of God today. Amen!"

Blessings on you from God Almighty and from His Word!

 

 

Reference: #PRW0000007

Get Peace Of Mind

Is your rent due?

Did you pay all your bills this month, last month or the month before?

Are you struggling to make ends meet?

Are you having problems with your husband, wife or children?

Are you afraid that you may lose your job?

If I were to attempt to list things that may cause us to worry I would easily spend the entire day coming up with possible scenarios. That is totally understandable because of the world in which we leave. We often face challenges, hard times and it may even seem at times that there is no way out and that we are left to fight all alone.

The reason why I said that it may seem is that I know differently from scripture. Read the following passages of and check it out for yourself.

Matthew chapter 28 verse 20, "Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen." (King James Version).
This is a wonderful message from Christ to His disciples before He ascended to heaven. You may say to yourself "How does this apply to me?" Well I'll simply say that this couldn't have been for His disciples only because He said He would be with them till the end of the world. If the world as we know it hasn't ended yet and the disciples He was speaking to at the time passed away then we can safely conclude that this passage still applies to us today.

There is more on the subject so lets look at Hebrews chapter 13 verse 5 "Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee." (King James Version).
There again we see that God says He will never leave us or forsake us.

We can learn from these passages that God is always there for us no matter what; if you already knew that then you can be reassured of His constant presence. When I say, God is always there this is not just some religious statement, I mean that the King of all kings, the Lord of lords, the only Ruler (1 Timothy 6:15), the one that conquered the grave (Revelation 1:18) is there. Yes, He is our Provider (Matthew 7:11; Philippians 4:19; John 15:7), our Healer (Isaiah 53:4-5), our Comfort (2 Corinthians 1:3) and Strength (2 Timothy 4:17; Philippians 4:13).

God is with us no matter what and He is more than able to intervene in our situation and supply all of our needs according to His riches in glory (Philippians 4:19).

I want you to know for a fact that God cares about your every need; He never expected you to carry those heavy burdens all by yourself; on the contrary, He wants us to do quite the opposite. John 15:5 (KJV) I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. No wonder why many feel defeated and feel they cant go on. God wants us to rely on Him in everything that we do; in the good or in the bad times, when its easy or difficult.

Furthermore, let us never lose track of the true source of our strength as we read in Philippians 4:13 (KJV) I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. The apostle Paul tells us here that he can do all things but he didnt say, I can do all things in my own strength, no, he says that he can do all things through Christ who gives him the strength to do so.

Now, you may say to me that knowing is one thing but at the end of the day you still have some negative thoughts that come to your mind. Well I have good news for you, God Has also made provision for our peace of mind also.
Read Philippians 4:6-7 (KJV) with me, Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

I dont know if you are as excited as I am after reading this passage but it states clearly some fundamental truths that we should take note of. We should not worry about anything--because worrying doesnt solve any problem--but in everything let our requests be made known to God by prayer, supplication and thanksgiving. Then something wonderful will happen, though we may not see the solution immediately but the peace of God--which is far greater than what we can imagine--will keep our hearts and minds and that, through Jesus Christ.

To conclude I would like to remind you of some points, trusting God that you will take heed and allow these words to minister to you and touch you in your very situation.

Practical Guide:

Trust God, trust God and trust God. He is the glue that will keep your life together.
Dont hesitate to take all your problems to God in prayer; He is actually waiting for you.
God never asked you to carry your burdens by yourself; Christ wants you to cast all of them on Him. After all, Jesus came to carry our burdens and give us peace in exchange.
Our source of strength is Christ and trying to do things without Him is the same as setting ourselves up for failure.
God cares for you. If He gave His only Son to die as a sacrifice for our sins, dont you think that He also cares about what you are going through right now?


Hold on, dont give up, dont give in, God is there for you!

The following are some of the passages that were used in this article.

1 Timothy 6:15 (KJV) "Which in his times he shall shew, who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords;" (Potentate means monarch or ruler).

Revelation 1:18 (KJV) "I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death."

Matthew 7:11 (KJV) "If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?"

Philippians 4:19 (KJV) "But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus."

John 15:7 (KJV) "If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you."

Isaiah 53:4-5 (KJV) "Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed."

2 Corinthians 1:3 (KJV) "Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort;"

2 Timothy 4:17 (KJV) "Notwithstanding the Lord stood with me, and strengthened me; that by me the preaching might be fully known, and that all the Gentiles might hear: and I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion."

Philippians 4:19 (KJV) "But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus."



Reference: #PRW0000006

Free but Costly

 

I would like to take this opportunity to share a thought with you. I pray that it will encourage and remind you of the greatness of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. May it remain in your heart all the days of your life and may it greatly bless you.

This thought is centered on a word that we hear quite often nowadays, the word “Free”.

How many times have we heard of an ad that gives something away for free? Or read an article online that offers something for free?

I can assure you that I have seen plenty offers where there is some free giveaway. Sometimes you may be at the supermarket or the mall and there is a free sampling of a new product, etc.

There is something that I realized concerning those free products, many times, because we didn’t pay for them we tend not to take good care of them, as much as something that we would have paid with our own money. This is true especially when it comes to something that doesn’t have a high commercial value. Say for example that you were given a free bookmark. It’s a relatively cheap item that you may have accepted out of courtesy, you may hold on to it for a while but it may very well end up in the next bin that you encounter.

In my opinion this is based on two things, the first one is that it is something that was given to you freely and that you didn’t have to pay for. The second is that it may not necessarily be something that you value or it’s simply unimportant to you.

Now, with all this in mind I would like to ask you a question, were those items free? You may answer “yes” which would be correct because you didn’t have to pay for them and they had some value, as small as it may be. At this time I would like you to consider the other side of this equation. Think of it like this, whenever something is given away for free it had to have cost someone something. It may have been little, it may have been much, it may have been time, money, skills etc. Just think of it…

Consider this, an item is only free for the one that receives it, a price had to be paid somehow by one or many people.

Read the following passage of Scripture found in Ephesians 2 8-9 (KJV), “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
Not of works, lest any man should boast.”

We read here that we are saved through faith and that it is a gift from God. This goes to show that salvation is not based on human efforts of abilities but on God’s gift to mankind.

The question is, do you know what that gift is? Let’s look at the following verses found in John chapter 3 and verses 16 and 17, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.”

What a gift! Can you believe that? The gift in question here is Jesus Christ, the only Son of God. I can assure you that this gift not only was very valuable but the price that was paid was very high. To understand all this better I’ll invite you to read a few passages with me.

The first one is found in Isaiah 53:3-10 (KJV), "He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth. He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken. And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth. Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand."

This is a prophetic passage of scripture by the prophet Isaiah talking about the Messiah (Jesus Christ) and the suffering that He would have to go through during His earthly ministry.

The second passage is found in Matthew 16:21 (JKV), "From that time forth began Jesus to shew unto his disciples, how that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day."

And our final one is Mark 10:33-34 (KJV), "Saying, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem; and the Son of man shall be delivered unto the chief priests, and unto the scribes; and they shall condemn him to death, and shall deliver him to the Gentiles: And they shall mock him, and shall scourge him, and shall spit upon him, and shall kill him: and the third day he shall rise again."
These are just a few passages that show us that Christ had to suffer many things at the hands of men and that it was for our sake. He was imprisoned, beaten, spat upon, mocked tortured with a crown of thorns placed on His head, He was crucified with criminals, nails pierced His feet and His hand and finally, He died.

It is written in Romans 10:9-10 (KJV), "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation."

You see salvation is accessible to any and everyone as long as they follow these principles. It’s not about what you have done or how you lived your life, whether good or bad, what matters at the end of it all is that you place your faith in Jesus Christ, God’s gift to the world for salvation.

Indeed, Jesus Christ, God’s gift to mankind is free for all those that receive Him but it did come at a price and a very high one. Today I would like to encourage you to place your faith in God and in His Son Jesus Christ because He is more than able to take care of you.

Value this gift with your life because Christ paid a price that no one else could have paid and suffered dearly so that we could be reconciled with God today.

A free gift like none else: Jesus Christ, the Son of God to the world.

Receive this gift today and treat it as it deserves to be treated, The Most Valuable Gift In The World.

May the Word of God bless your heart!

 

 

Reference: #PRW0000005

Are You Wearing Your Armor?

There is a very interesting passage of scripture in the Bible that talks about the armor of God and is found in Ephesians chapter 6 verses 10 to18 (KJV), “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;

And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;

Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;”.

There are certain key points of the utmost importance in this passage of scripture that I would like to point out if you may permit.

First of all I would like to make it abundantly clear that this passage does not refer to any “physical” armor. Many times people read this text and associate it with something they can actually touch with their hands when in fact it’s talking about attributes we should clothe ourselves with.

Secondly we have to notice that this armor allows us to stand against the wiles (tricks or stratagems) of the devil. There again, to clarify the fact that this is not something physical that we wear, we are told in verse 12 that we are not wrestling against flesh and blood but against spiritual forces. Yes you may tell me that at times this fight may become physical, true, but at the end of the day it is spiritual in origin.

Practical Guide of the 7 items the armor of God is made up of:

1. Truth
2. Righteousness
3. Preparation/Readiness that comes form the gospel of peace
4. Faith
5. Salvation
6. The word of God
7. Prayer

These are all very powerful tools that we should use in our daily lives as we fight this battle. You may ask yourself though “How can I use those tools in a practical way?” so to answer this question I would like to share seven points with that will hopefully enlighten you on the matter.

1. Truth

Do like Christ, when the enemy comes at you with his lies trying to lead you astray, fight back with the word of God. You need to ensure that you know God’s word for yourself so that you won’t fall for it.

2. Righteousness

Live an exemplary life above reproach by faith in Jesus Christ so that you may bring glory to God in everything you do. Remember, your righteousness comes from Christ!

3. Preparation/Readiness that comes form the gospel of peace

As a “soldier” of the gospel be ready for action, for service, for obedience etc. Be watchful, the enemy always looks for easy preys.

To put it simply: Always be ready!

4. Faith

There is no way I can overemphasize the importance of faith in the Christian walk. To put it simply, there is no way in this lifetime that you will be able to live a life that is pleasing unto God without faith. To take God at His word you need to have faith and believe that He will do what He says He will do.

Believe without doubting!

5. Salvation

You can’t take part in the most important battle of your life and have doubts about something as fundamental as salvation. I will simply quote Romans 10:9 which says, “that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved;” (American Standard Version). So the big question is “Are you saved?” This question must leave no doubts in your mind because you can’t enroll in this army or be victorious if you don’t meet this condition.

Remember, you are saved by faith in Jesus Christ.

6. The word of God

You have one guide on the battlefield: the word of God.

This guide gives you vital information such as:

1. How to use the weapons;
2. Your allies;
3. The enemies and their strategies;
4. It provides you with your orders from the commander in chief: Jesus Christ;
5. It is needed to know the terms of engagement;
6. Etc.

Don’t underestimate its importance; your life depends on it!

7. Prayer

Many of your battles will be won in prayer. You must also realize that not only it is important to pray for yourself but also your brothers and sisters as they depend on you to do so also. It’s a team effort where fellow soldiers pray for each other.

Pray throughout the battle according to the leading of God’s Spirit.

Finally I would like to say that the better you know your orders, the nature of the battle, your weapons, the enemy's etc. the greater your chances of victory and total success. You battle guide is the Bible, God's word to us.

So now, put on the armor of God my friend.

Reference: #PRW0000004

Learn How You Can Live A Successful Life

Are you struggling with sin, bad habits, a temper etc.? I know for a fact that there are things about ourselves that we would like to see changed. Are these things destroying you, your family, your marriage or hurting those around you?

You may have tried several times to keep things under control? Maybe what you tried worked for a while but after a few months things went back to the way they were before. Well there is hope and I have some good news for you.

There is a place in Jesus Christ, a place in God, a place in our Christian walk that, when we get there, we are able to let go of the things that we struggle with and that stop us from fully serving God. When we get there, we allow God to have full control of our lives and direct us as He pleases.

When we focus only on trying to solve the problem(s) we have, it’s as if we were trying to block a whole in a sinking rusty ship with duct tape. We must understand that because of the rust we may just end up with more holes later. The better thing to do is to repair the entire ship (body), remove the rust and make it waterproof so that it will no longer sink. We must not focus on just one area of difficulty but rather on the bigger problem: our walk with God.

We keep sinning or remain stuck in our sin because there is a problem with our walk with Christ. The Bible tells us to walk in the Spirit so that we will not fulfill the desires of the flesh. The Spirit of God wants the opposite of what the flesh wants, Galatians chapter 5 verses 16 and 17 says, “This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.” (King James Version).

When we get to that place in our walk with Christ, we will be able to set aside the sin(s) that so easily traps or entangles us as we see in Hebrews chapter 12 verse 1, “[…] let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us […]” (King James Version) and get rid of the thing(s) in our life that hold us back, without focusing on it (or them) per say but rather by focusing on our walk with God.

We can only do so by the power of the Holy Spirit in us, through Jesus Christ, not in our own strength. Will power is not enough, we are told by Christ in John chapter 15 verse 5 that he is the vine and we are the branches, if we remain in him we will bear much fruit and apart from him (or without him) we can do nothing. Even the strength to say yes to God and no to the world and the flesh comes from God. Read Philippians chapter 2 verse 13, “for God it is who is working in you both to will and to work for His good pleasure.” (Young's Literal Translation).

How can we get there?

In order for us to get there we need to make up our mind to live for God at 100% (to be totally committed). We often want to obtain the results we read of in the Bible but the problem is that we live our Christian lives one-foot-in-one-foot-out or at 50%. We can live something that on the outside looks, feels and sounds like the Christian life but in reality isn't.

We must take a bold step and have faith in God because it is impossible to please Him without faith according to Hebrews chapter 11 verse 6, “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” (King James Version).

We find the strength to do so in the person of Jesus Christ and we can tap into that strength at any time, all we have to do is call upon God with faith.

We must also understand that God is a god of righteousness and that's what He wants, nothing less! We can't claim that we live the Christian life unless we are totally committed. There is no such thing as “lukewarm-Christian-living” as we see in Revelation chapter 3 verse 16, “So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth” (King James Version).

Finally, let’s keep in mind that the enemy is out there trying to cause us to fall as we see in 1 Peter chapter 5 verse 8, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour” (King James Version). He likes to attack us in our areas of weakness but we must stand our ground as the apostle Paul says in Ephesians chapter 6 verse 13, “Wherefore take up the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and, having done all, to stand.” (American Standard Version).

Let us bring up the word of God on that very matter just like Christ did in Matthew chapter 4 verses 4, 7 and 10 “[…] it is written […]” (King James Version). The word of God is the sword of the Holy Spirit and we need it to fight, Ephesians chapter 6 verse 17, “And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (King James Version). What happens if we have nothing to fight with? For this reason, it is very important that we know and learn God's word for ourselves. Psalm chapter 119 verse 9, “With what doth a young man purify his path? To observe -- according to Thy word.” (Young's Literal Translation).

Practical Guide:

1. We must focus on our walk with God rather than trying to make a list of everything that is wrong in our life and see how we can deal with them one at a time.
2. If we do not want to fulfill the desires of the flesh, that is, sin against God, we MUST live our lives according to what God’s Spirit wants us to do.
3. When we put God first, we can put the things that caused us to stumble, even fall, behind us.
4. For us to live the Christian life we must be like Christ (take him as our example).
5. We must put God first and keep him there no matter what.
6. We need to stop trying to do everything in our own strength and depend on Jesus Christ’.
7. We need to understand that God cares for us and trust him with ALL our heart and believe that he is going to lead us the right way.

One last thing, you can do it!!!

Reference: #PRW0000003 

A Light For Our Path

Dear reader,

I would like to invite you to take a moment to think about life and to be more specific, about yours.

Picture your life as a journey from point A to point Z and the way that you choose to live your life, the decisions you make etc. as your path.

We read in Psalm chapter 119 verse 105  “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” (King James Version).

If you were to consider your path you would realize that throughout your life you have to make many decisions. Some decisions were good and others bad; some were pleasing unto God and others not but at the end of the day we chose to do certain things over others.

I want you to consider the word of God as “a lamp unto my feet” (or a lamp for my feet). Picture yourself in olden days walking in darkness from point A to point Z (see figure above) using a lamp (a lamp that used oil of some sort) as your source of light. Your lamp would only provide light that would cover a small area around you, allowing you to see potential dangers like rocks etc. but you would not be able to see far ahead (my guess is a few feet).

Having traveled from point A to point Z, that lamp would have given you light every step of the way. Your path or journey would have been made up of a whole bunch of little steps put together. Now, if you used the lamp the entire way, though it may only have provided light to a small area at a time, at the end it would have been the light that you used for your entire path.

In a similar manner, if we use God’s word as our guide in all the situations that we are faced with it will be the lamp for our feet, meaning, it will be our guide when it comes to the way we live and the choices we make. If we do so everyday in all the situations that we face, it will be more than just the “lamp for our feet” but it will be the “light for our path”, meaning, it will be the guide for our entire existence, for our journey from A to Z.

May God’s word be the lamp for your feet and the light for your path.

Don’t wait, get into God’s word!

Reference: #PRW0000002

Why is God's word Practical?

We all face difficult situations that cause us to react one way or another. We are also faced with tough choices at some point or another. The question that I have for you is the following: "What determines the choices you make or the way you react?"

You may say to me that the choices we make are determined or influenced by several factors like: the way were brought up, what we saw your parents, siblings, family members and friends do, our education or mood at the moment and the list goes on.

One may say that the aforementioned reasons are totally legitimate but I have a question that I would like you to ask yourself: "What about God in all that?" Are my decisions influenced by God’s word? You see the problem is that we claim to be children of God, followers of Christ etc. but when it is decision time we tend to do what want.

A very popular phrase that illustrates this is "What Would Jesus Do?" or for short "WWJD?" Basically, the idea here is that before I act--which may be based solely on self--I ask myself what would Jesus do or how would Jesus have reacted in such a situation?"

While this is a very good principle, it is only relevant if you actually have in depth knowledge of the life of Christ and His ministry. The only way to gain sufficient knowledge of the life of Christ--who is the word of God according to John chapter 1 verses 1 to 18--is to get into your Bible and read it, study it, memorize it and meditate on it daily.

We are encouraged to do so in Joshua chapter 1 verse 8 which says “This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.” (King James Version).

So my friend let’s encourage each other and carefully study God’s word, putting its principles into practice and as we rely on Christ (the Living Word) to see us through all our endeavors, we will live a successful life by God’s standards.

You will see for yourself that the Bible is full of very practical principles for our daily living...

Don’t wait any longer, get into God’s word!

Reference: #PRW0000001