Jul. 7, 2022

F.A.I.T.H vs F.E.A.R
Forwarding all issues to heaven
Forget everything and run

Habakkuk 2:4 (AKJV)...the just shall live by faith.
Isaiah 41:10 (AMPC) Fear not [there is nothing to fear], for I am with you; do not look around you in terror and be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen and harden you to difficulties, yes, I will help you; yes, I will hold you up and retain you with My [victorious] right hand of rightness and justice.

Reviewing the basic concepts of biblical Christianity. Someone explained that the acronym F.A.I.T.H stands for Forwarding all issues to heaven. Faith is the metal on which Christian character is forged. The whole chapter 11 of Hebrews A.K.A the hall of Faith reveals that Faith is the foundation for Christianity. Without faith it is impossible to please God. Hebrews 11:6 KJV. Faith is the thread on which the fabric of Christianity is woven. Christ said that if you have faith as a mustard seed you can move mountains (Mark 11:22 paraphrased). It takes faith to become believers in the gospel of Christ. God has imparted to us the faith to believe. I have said before, there is in the heart of man a God shaped vacuum which only a relationship with Christ can fill. Faith in God is what helps us cope with the challenges of life.  People have written volumes on this topic. In the interest of being concise I refer you to Hebrews 11.

Fear on the other hand is contrary to faith. There are multitudes of times in the Bible where God says fear not. The acronym for F.E.A.R is forget everything and run.  Ephesians 6 talks about the armor of God. My pastor emphasized that there is no armor for the back. There are the helmet of salvation, the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shield of faith, the sword of the Spirit and gospel shoes. We are not to turn back and run in our battle of life.  That is when we get hit by the enemy's arrows of doubt, discouragement and despair. There is no covering for our back. We are not to beat a hasty retreat in the battle for our soul. Jesus said the kingdom of God suffers violence and the violent take it by force. Matthew 11:12 (KJV). We are to be on the offensive in contrast to being on the defensive. In closing, use the faith God has given you to drive away the fear that the enemy uses to oppress and afflict your soul. You are more than a conqueror through Christ who strengthens you. Stand still and see the salvation of the Lord. The battle is the Lord's. Amen.

Jun. 6, 2022

Galatians 5:19-26 (CEV)
 People's desires make them give in to immoral ways, filthy thoughts, and shameful deeds. 20 They worship idols, practice witchcraft, hate others, and are hard to get along with. People become jealous, angry, and selfish. They not only argue and cause trouble, but they are 21 envious. They get drunk, carry on at wild parties, and do other evil things as well. I told you before, and I am telling you again: No one who does these things will share in the blessings of God's kingdom.
22 God's Spirit makes us loving, happy, peaceful, patient, kind, good, faithful, 23 gentle, and self-controlled. There is no law against behaving in any of these way.24 And because we belong to Christ Jesus, we have killed our selfish feelings and desires. 25 God's Spirit has given us life, and so we should follow the Spirit. 26 But don't be conceited or make others jealous by claiming to be better than they are.

Although we have to contend with the enemy of our souls, satan, our biggest adversary is ourselves. It's from within ourselves that lust, envy, hatred, immortality and every vice originates. We have to follow Paul's advice in verse 24, Crucify the flesh with it's lusts therof. We have to wilfully mortify our carnal nature and let our regenerated spirit win. God's Holy Spirit imparts to us His nature. We are created in His image in holiness and righteousness. However,  our carnal nature wants to dominate our lives and dictate our behavior. We have to make a choice based on God's written word to follow the Spirit and reject our inherent propensity to sin and disobedience. We have to contend with and conquer the enemy within. Although it seems like the odds are stacked against us because of our inherent carnality, God's Spirit residing within us, enables us to be more than conquerors. Jesus said "I have overcome the world and deprived it of it's power to harm you " (paraphrased) We have to appropriate God's power to overcome our carnal natures and walk in the spirit so we don't fulfill the lust of the flesh. We have to choose to serve God and obey His commandments. The ball is in our court. Do we decide to walk on the strait and narrow despite our selves, or do we choose the broadway to destruction. Joshua said choose this day whom you serve, as for me and my household we shall serve the Lord. Elijah said,  if Baal be god follow him, if the Lord be God follow Him  God said I have set before you life and death,  choose life and you shall live.  Jesus said if you love me obey my commandments. God wants to be our walking companion. He walked with Adam in the cool of the day, prior to the fall. Christ restored the broken relationship between God and man. He walks with us and He talks with us and tells us we are His own. Keep the fire of the Spirit burning in the embers of your heart. Amen

May. 26, 2022

Stripped, whipped and wounded
Acts 19:13-20
But there were some itinerant Jewish exorcists who attempted to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus when dealing with those who had evil spirits. They would say, “I command you in the name of Jesus whom Paul preaches.” Seven brothers, sons of a chief priest called Sceva, were engaged in this practice on one occasion, when the evil spirit answered, “Jesus I know, and I am acquainted with Paul, but who on earth are you?” And the man in whom the evil spirit was living sprang at them and over-powered them all with such violence that they rushed out of that house wounded, with their clothes torn off their backs. This incident became known to all the Jews and Greeks who were living in Ephesus, and a great sense of awe came over them all, while the name of the Lord Jesus became highly respected. Many of those who had professed their faith began openly to admit their former practices. A number of those who had previously practised magic collected their books and burned them publicly. (They estimated the value of these books and found it to be no less than five thousand pounds) In this way the Word of the Lord continued to grow irresistibly in power and influence.

The passage above demonstrates that the name of Jesus cannot be weilded as a magic chant against the forces of darkness. We cannot use a formula used by others as a weapon against the enemy of our soul. Reading the preceding verses, we see that when Paul the apostle used the same name of Jesus, demons trembled and sickness departed. The problem was not with using the name of Jesus, however,  it was not being filled with the Spirit of God. The Jewish itinerants were not familiar with Christ nor filled with the precious Spirit of the Lord. They were trying to appropriate what Paul did to promote their own business. God does not operate that way. When one belongs to Him, he infills us with His Spirit and it is that Spirit which causes the powers of hell to tremble. I wrote in the previous section about God sealing us with His Spirit. We are branded as belonging to Christ. It is the same branding that causes chaos and fear in the powers of darkness. It is the branding which differentiates us from those who are not branded by His Spirit. It is that Holy Spirit power that dispels sickness and destruction. The scripture says If the same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead dwells in you He will quicken your mortal body by His Spirit who dwells in you. Once we have this we can act with authority wielding the Word of God and the name of Jesus as a sword against the forces of darkness and the darkness will retreat. However, those who are not signed  sealed and delivered by God's Spirit cannot use the name of Jesus as a magic chant. In the case of the sons of Sceva, the demon spirits left them stripped, whipped and wounded. However,  the fear of God fell on those watching and the gospel of Christ was propagated once more. A living example of how God turned around what was meant to discredit Christ to bring Him glory instead. Those who were previously into sorcery abandoned that and turned to Christ. On another note, just a reflection on even when everything seems chaotic, God can restore order by His Spirit.  People frequently say, I have read the end of the book, the Bible and God triumphs over darkness. An exhortation to set your mind on things above where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Look at the world events through the lens of faith. Live victoriously as an overcomer. Christ in you is the hope of glory. Weild the word of God as a sword against every vicious attack against your health, peace of mind, finances, and every aspect of your life. Let God arise and His enemies be scattered. In Jesus name, Amen.