Romans 12 : 1 - 3, I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith. NKJV
There is something innate and deep seated in the hearts of humans that seeks to be free. Throughout history, people have fought and died for the dream of freedom from various bondages. When people are in spiritual darkness (bondage), they will endeavor to be free apart from divine instruction. Satan can use their passion for freedom to drive them away from God, thus placing them deeper into bondage.
If you truly want to experience total liberation, you will have to undergo a transformation as well. A person can't fully experience liberation apart from first encountering a spiritual transformation. In other words, we can't do the same things the same way and expect different results. In John 8, Jesus saved a woman who was taken in the very act of adultery from her accusers who sought to stone her. After all the men left, and Jesus and the woman were alone, He told the woman that He didn't condemn her. However, that wasn't the last thing He told her. He said, "Go and sin no more." She had to have a change in her heart before she could be totally free from the very thing that brought her into bondage.
As a pastor who teaches the principles of God's Word, I have taught from Romans 12: 1 - 2, many times. Today, the Lord opened my eyes to see deeper into these verses. We all need our minds renewed through the Word of God so that we might have a spiritual perspective on things that we face, instead of a worldly view. It's one thing to have your mind renewed and to become a true disciple of Christ, but Jesus doesn't want us to stop there. Jesus tells us in the gospels that if we desire to follow Him, we must deny self, take up our cross, and follow Him. Let's look at the first condition Jesus requires of us who seek to live completely free.
We must be willing to deny "self" in the way that He denied His will and obeyed God's will. What does it profit us if we learn the truth of God's Word, but don't submit our hearts to obey any of them? It profits nothing!
Paul doesn't just tell us to have our minds renewed in order to be transformed; in verse 3, he continues by instructing us not to think more highly of ourselves than we ought. Now we're down to the place of getting real with our walk and taking ownership for our own actions. It is only when we deny self and ask the Lord what He wants to change in us that we will begin to experience true and lasting liberation from the flesh nature. We can have our minds renewed, but still be filled with spiritual pride and fall prey to Satan's devices.
Obviously, the Lord has this on His heart, or He wouldn't have revealed it to me to share today. Are you submitted to God's plan for your life? Are you a true disciple who denies the selfish nature so that you might experience God's liberating power in your heart? Let the Lord speak to your heart today as you seek His will and not your desires... and see what happens.
Whom the Son Sets Free,
Pastor Asa Dockery
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
God's Original Plan For Your Life
Ephesians 1 : 15 - 21, Therefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers: that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come. NKJV
Can you imagine what our lives would have been like today if sin hadn't been allowed by Adam to enter into our world? Sin separated us from the life of God, but not from the love of God. It is because of God's love that He has given every person that enters this world the opportunity to live the life that He originally intended. There's only one condition that is required for us to be reconnected to God's original plan for our life; we must now place our complete faith in Jesus as the Son of God. If you will read Ephesians 1, you will see that God chose us in Christ before sin, but more than that, He chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world. In other words, God knew what was going to happen when He created man. Therefore, He made provisions for the fall of man in His original plan.
Here's where you and I come into the story. In much the same way as Paul describes in the above scripture, we must now decide to believe in Christ and allow Him to reveal God's master plan to us. So you don't have to imagine what it would have been like had sin not been allowed in the earth. To the degree that you allow yourself to trust in the Lord, He will be able to reveal to you His hidden wisdom to you by the Holy Spirit. Literally, our faith in Jesus as God's only Son allows us to know and to fulfill all that God had originally planned for us from the beginning.
The obstacle we all must overcome is the fallen mindset that we carry over into our salvation experience. When you received Jesus as your personal Savior, it wasn't with the mind that you believed, but with your heart. God bypassed your mind and dealt directly with your heart. Therefore, we can't use our human reasoning and memory to try and figure out God's plan for our life; we must believe with our hearts and this will renew our minds. The fallen mind wants you to think that you're not worthy, or that you have no ability to know what God's will is for your life. We must train ourselves to believe... instead of trying to think with our human reasoning. As we do this, the Holy Spirit will give us wisdom, revelation, and knowledge that our minds are incapable of producing. To put in it earthly terms... just think of faith as God's secret communication tool especially designed for His children's spiritual education. This keeps Satan and his will out of the equation.
If you struggle with your spiritual identity and purpose as a Christian, then do what Paul did when he heard about the faith of Christians in Ephesus; he prayed and asked God to give them the spirit of revelation... that He might illuminate their understanding. Through the illumination of the Holy Spirit, they learned how to know and walk in their heavenly calling. Do you have obstacles that confound you? Are there hurdles in the way of you accomplishing what God is telling you to fulfill in your life? Simply pray and ask the Lord to give you the spirit of wisdom and understanding. After you pray, believe and wait for the release of God's power to fill your heart and show you the way to get beyond human limitations.
Final thought: If God didn't allow sin to eternally separate us from Himself, then how much more is He able to show all Christians His will for us and then empower us to fulfill that will in spite of having fallen prey to sin. Utilize your faith and not your mind to communicate to the Father. He, in turn will use the Holy Spirit to speak to you and not your mind. When Jesus asked His disciples who they thought He was Simon, by the revelation of the Holy Spirit told Him that He was the Christ, the Son of the living God. Jesus told Simon that flesh and blood hadn't revealed this to him, but it was given to him from the heavenly Father. All it takes is faith.
Walk By Faith and Not By Sight,
Pastor Asa
Can you imagine what our lives would have been like today if sin hadn't been allowed by Adam to enter into our world? Sin separated us from the life of God, but not from the love of God. It is because of God's love that He has given every person that enters this world the opportunity to live the life that He originally intended. There's only one condition that is required for us to be reconnected to God's original plan for our life; we must now place our complete faith in Jesus as the Son of God. If you will read Ephesians 1, you will see that God chose us in Christ before sin, but more than that, He chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world. In other words, God knew what was going to happen when He created man. Therefore, He made provisions for the fall of man in His original plan.
Here's where you and I come into the story. In much the same way as Paul describes in the above scripture, we must now decide to believe in Christ and allow Him to reveal God's master plan to us. So you don't have to imagine what it would have been like had sin not been allowed in the earth. To the degree that you allow yourself to trust in the Lord, He will be able to reveal to you His hidden wisdom to you by the Holy Spirit. Literally, our faith in Jesus as God's only Son allows us to know and to fulfill all that God had originally planned for us from the beginning.
The obstacle we all must overcome is the fallen mindset that we carry over into our salvation experience. When you received Jesus as your personal Savior, it wasn't with the mind that you believed, but with your heart. God bypassed your mind and dealt directly with your heart. Therefore, we can't use our human reasoning and memory to try and figure out God's plan for our life; we must believe with our hearts and this will renew our minds. The fallen mind wants you to think that you're not worthy, or that you have no ability to know what God's will is for your life. We must train ourselves to believe... instead of trying to think with our human reasoning. As we do this, the Holy Spirit will give us wisdom, revelation, and knowledge that our minds are incapable of producing. To put in it earthly terms... just think of faith as God's secret communication tool especially designed for His children's spiritual education. This keeps Satan and his will out of the equation.
If you struggle with your spiritual identity and purpose as a Christian, then do what Paul did when he heard about the faith of Christians in Ephesus; he prayed and asked God to give them the spirit of revelation... that He might illuminate their understanding. Through the illumination of the Holy Spirit, they learned how to know and walk in their heavenly calling. Do you have obstacles that confound you? Are there hurdles in the way of you accomplishing what God is telling you to fulfill in your life? Simply pray and ask the Lord to give you the spirit of wisdom and understanding. After you pray, believe and wait for the release of God's power to fill your heart and show you the way to get beyond human limitations.
Final thought: If God didn't allow sin to eternally separate us from Himself, then how much more is He able to show all Christians His will for us and then empower us to fulfill that will in spite of having fallen prey to sin. Utilize your faith and not your mind to communicate to the Father. He, in turn will use the Holy Spirit to speak to you and not your mind. When Jesus asked His disciples who they thought He was Simon, by the revelation of the Holy Spirit told Him that He was the Christ, the Son of the living God. Jesus told Simon that flesh and blood hadn't revealed this to him, but it was given to him from the heavenly Father. All it takes is faith.
Walk By Faith and Not By Sight,
Pastor Asa
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Made Clean By the Word
John 15: 3, You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. NKJV
As Christians, we have been redeemed from sin through the shed blood of Jesus Christ. Satan no longer owns you; now that you have received the Holy Spirit, you belong to God. Does that mean we are made perfect because of the blood of Christ? No, it does not. We have been redeemed by the blood of Jesus, but at the moment of salvation, we were not made perfect or mature. Jesus told His disciples, who had remained with Him over three years that they had been made clean by the Word He had taught them.
When we're only taught the principles of salvation, but never taken on into discipleship it can cause us, "believers," to think that we have achieved all that is required of us from the Lord. If all you know about your walk with the Lord is based on salvation teachings alone, and you practice those principles that have been imparted into your life, it can cause you to feel as though you have "arrived."
This is why Jesus requires believers to continue in their faith by hearing and keeping the Word of God in their everyday lives after they become born again. Even though we've been cleansed from dead works through the blood of Christ, and our spirits have been regenerated through the Holy Spirit, our souls are yet to be purified. As I wrote previously, the disciples had been with Jesus for almost forty-two months. During this time, Jesus had taught them many truths that had transformed their carnal minds. Through the truths that He revealed to the disciples, they learned the importance of following God's Law and not the traditions of the elders. As Jesus continued to teach the disciples, they became clean in their souls from the pollution of the world's ways, which defiles the soul.
One day, as Jesus was teaching in the temple, some Jews believed His teachings. He told those Jews, who believed on Him to continue in His teachings, and they would become true disciples. You see; there is so much more to being saved than just becoming born again. Now that we are saved, we must continue living in His Word and keeping His teachings in our hearts and lives. This will purge our souls from the fleshly ways that we walked in as sinners.
We're all fine (or believe we're fine) until we look in the mirror and see the dirt on our faces. In much the same way, we must look into the Word of God so that it might reveal to us what is hidden just out of our sight... but that others can see very plainly. The Word of God will purge your soul and make you free from deceptive pride and fleshly lusts.
Lord Show Me through Your Word,
Pastor Asa Dockery
As Christians, we have been redeemed from sin through the shed blood of Jesus Christ. Satan no longer owns you; now that you have received the Holy Spirit, you belong to God. Does that mean we are made perfect because of the blood of Christ? No, it does not. We have been redeemed by the blood of Jesus, but at the moment of salvation, we were not made perfect or mature. Jesus told His disciples, who had remained with Him over three years that they had been made clean by the Word He had taught them.
When we're only taught the principles of salvation, but never taken on into discipleship it can cause us, "believers," to think that we have achieved all that is required of us from the Lord. If all you know about your walk with the Lord is based on salvation teachings alone, and you practice those principles that have been imparted into your life, it can cause you to feel as though you have "arrived."
This is why Jesus requires believers to continue in their faith by hearing and keeping the Word of God in their everyday lives after they become born again. Even though we've been cleansed from dead works through the blood of Christ, and our spirits have been regenerated through the Holy Spirit, our souls are yet to be purified. As I wrote previously, the disciples had been with Jesus for almost forty-two months. During this time, Jesus had taught them many truths that had transformed their carnal minds. Through the truths that He revealed to the disciples, they learned the importance of following God's Law and not the traditions of the elders. As Jesus continued to teach the disciples, they became clean in their souls from the pollution of the world's ways, which defiles the soul.
One day, as Jesus was teaching in the temple, some Jews believed His teachings. He told those Jews, who believed on Him to continue in His teachings, and they would become true disciples. You see; there is so much more to being saved than just becoming born again. Now that we are saved, we must continue living in His Word and keeping His teachings in our hearts and lives. This will purge our souls from the fleshly ways that we walked in as sinners.
We're all fine (or believe we're fine) until we look in the mirror and see the dirt on our faces. In much the same way, we must look into the Word of God so that it might reveal to us what is hidden just out of our sight... but that others can see very plainly. The Word of God will purge your soul and make you free from deceptive pride and fleshly lusts.
Lord Show Me through Your Word,
Pastor Asa Dockery
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
Become As a Little Child
Matthew 18: 1 - 5, At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, "Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?" Then Jesus called a little child to Him, set him in the midst of them, and said, "Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. NKJV
The disciples were being "childish" and fighting over who was the greatest among them. Consequently, Jesus used that occasion to teach them (and us) some powerful truths about children and God's view of them.
What is about children or being child-like that God loves so dearly and protects with great passion? He loves children, but He also loves the way they trust without having any strings or conditions applied to the recipient to which that trust is extended. Innocent trust is very precious to God, and He strives diligently to protect the willingness of children to trust without question. Parents teach their children not to trust everyone, and that not everybody is looking out for their best interest.
Since children are so vulnerable to becoming prey in the hands of someone evil, Jesus not only teaches us to become as a child, He also teaches on offenses as a warning. We live in a fallen world that is filled with evil and wickedness. Jesus wants us to be aware of offenses, while continuing to place our trust in God, lest we allow the attacks of our adversary to turn our hearts away from faith in God and become spiritually hardened.
Whenever a child or a believer stumbles or backslides from God because of the offense of someone dishonest, Jesus tells us that God takes such violations against the innocent very seriously.
Matthew 18 : 6 - 7, "Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depth of the sea. Woe to the world because of offenses! For offenses must come, but woe to that man by whom the offense comes! NKJV
Even though we become born again, it doesn't mean we won't experience offenses in our new walk with God. However, it does mean that through our faith, we don't have to go back into unbelief or revert to sin in order to get vengeance. We belong to the Lord, and He will fight our battles for us. We must continue to trust in Him, even though the offense was allowed to occur. Remember, the goal of Satan's use of offenses or injustice against us is to try and turn our hearts away from God.
Our church recently helped a ministry that reaches out to children who have been sexually abused and exploited by the very people who should be protecting them. This ministry works in Bulgaria with children and parents to educate them on the dangers of the sex-trade and predators. In that region of the world, it is a known fact that 80% of the children involved in Europe's sex trade come from Bulgaria. The parents are so poor that they can't afford to care for their children. The parents of the children are approached by people who promise to take their children and give them an education and "save" them from a life of hardship.
Once the children are removed from their family, homes, and villages, they are introduced to a life of slavery. Please pray for the children in Bulgaria, America, and around the world that are taken daily and sold into the sex trade industry. Jesus loves the little children of the world.
Reaching Out to Help the Hurting Children,
Pastor Asa Dockery
The disciples were being "childish" and fighting over who was the greatest among them. Consequently, Jesus used that occasion to teach them (and us) some powerful truths about children and God's view of them.
What is about children or being child-like that God loves so dearly and protects with great passion? He loves children, but He also loves the way they trust without having any strings or conditions applied to the recipient to which that trust is extended. Innocent trust is very precious to God, and He strives diligently to protect the willingness of children to trust without question. Parents teach their children not to trust everyone, and that not everybody is looking out for their best interest.
Since children are so vulnerable to becoming prey in the hands of someone evil, Jesus not only teaches us to become as a child, He also teaches on offenses as a warning. We live in a fallen world that is filled with evil and wickedness. Jesus wants us to be aware of offenses, while continuing to place our trust in God, lest we allow the attacks of our adversary to turn our hearts away from faith in God and become spiritually hardened.
Whenever a child or a believer stumbles or backslides from God because of the offense of someone dishonest, Jesus tells us that God takes such violations against the innocent very seriously.
Matthew 18 : 6 - 7, "Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depth of the sea. Woe to the world because of offenses! For offenses must come, but woe to that man by whom the offense comes! NKJV
Even though we become born again, it doesn't mean we won't experience offenses in our new walk with God. However, it does mean that through our faith, we don't have to go back into unbelief or revert to sin in order to get vengeance. We belong to the Lord, and He will fight our battles for us. We must continue to trust in Him, even though the offense was allowed to occur. Remember, the goal of Satan's use of offenses or injustice against us is to try and turn our hearts away from God.
Our church recently helped a ministry that reaches out to children who have been sexually abused and exploited by the very people who should be protecting them. This ministry works in Bulgaria with children and parents to educate them on the dangers of the sex-trade and predators. In that region of the world, it is a known fact that 80% of the children involved in Europe's sex trade come from Bulgaria. The parents are so poor that they can't afford to care for their children. The parents of the children are approached by people who promise to take their children and give them an education and "save" them from a life of hardship.
Once the children are removed from their family, homes, and villages, they are introduced to a life of slavery. Please pray for the children in Bulgaria, America, and around the world that are taken daily and sold into the sex trade industry. Jesus loves the little children of the world.
Reaching Out to Help the Hurting Children,
Pastor Asa Dockery
Monday, August 1, 2011
Being Deceived Can be Deceptive
Hebrews 3 : 12 - 13, Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God; but exhort one another daily, while it is called "Today," lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. NKJV
Jesus warned us that in this world, offense would come. However, He also said, "Woe" to the one who caused the offense. Living by faith can be very tough at times simply because trials come to us all. Let's take a journey back in time to when the Jews were entering the wilderness. It doesn't take long before they realize that there were no restaurants or hotels to stop at on their way to the Promised Land.
Even though they couldn't find a place to lodge or an IHOP to dine in late at night, God still managed to take care of their every need while they wandered. They allowed the hostile environment to cause them to harden their hearts against God. Now they had a real problem on their hands. It's one thing to be wandering around in a wilderness, but when they turn their back on the One who is taking care of their every need, things can get real nasty.
Can you imagine something physical happening to you that would ever cause you to turn your heart against God? It seems foolish to think that the chosen people of God, who had been delivered out of Egypt's bondage, would allow natural situations to cause them to react with spiritual rebellion against their Provider.
Now we're getting to the reason for today's word from heaven. If a natural event causes someone to depart from the living God, then know that it is the result of the deceitfulness of sin. Only sin that is in the heart will justify sin in the flesh as a legitimate reaction to hardship and backslide from God.
Satan wants people to believe that it's God causing us trouble. However, if you think for a moment, it was Satan, who started all the trouble in the beginning. Faith is more than just believing in God. True faith is followed through with obedience. The reason God allowed the children of Israel to perish in the wilderness after forty years is because they wouldn't obey His voice; they had hardened their hearts in unbelief.
Hebrews 10: 35 - 39, Therefore do not cast away your confidence, which has great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise: "For yet a little while, and He who is coming will come and will not tarry. Now the just shall live by faith; but if anyone draws back, My soul has no pleasure in him." But we are not of those who draw back to perdition, but of those who believe to the saving of the soul. NKJV
When life gets difficult, and you feel as though you're slipping, hold on! Jesus will pull you out of the troubled waters. Look to Him until you see His hand moving in your situation. Our faith pleases God, and He will move heaven and earth to save us.
Waiting on the Lord,
Pastor Asa Dockery
Jesus warned us that in this world, offense would come. However, He also said, "Woe" to the one who caused the offense. Living by faith can be very tough at times simply because trials come to us all. Let's take a journey back in time to when the Jews were entering the wilderness. It doesn't take long before they realize that there were no restaurants or hotels to stop at on their way to the Promised Land.
Even though they couldn't find a place to lodge or an IHOP to dine in late at night, God still managed to take care of their every need while they wandered. They allowed the hostile environment to cause them to harden their hearts against God. Now they had a real problem on their hands. It's one thing to be wandering around in a wilderness, but when they turn their back on the One who is taking care of their every need, things can get real nasty.
Can you imagine something physical happening to you that would ever cause you to turn your heart against God? It seems foolish to think that the chosen people of God, who had been delivered out of Egypt's bondage, would allow natural situations to cause them to react with spiritual rebellion against their Provider.
Now we're getting to the reason for today's word from heaven. If a natural event causes someone to depart from the living God, then know that it is the result of the deceitfulness of sin. Only sin that is in the heart will justify sin in the flesh as a legitimate reaction to hardship and backslide from God.
Satan wants people to believe that it's God causing us trouble. However, if you think for a moment, it was Satan, who started all the trouble in the beginning. Faith is more than just believing in God. True faith is followed through with obedience. The reason God allowed the children of Israel to perish in the wilderness after forty years is because they wouldn't obey His voice; they had hardened their hearts in unbelief.
Hebrews 10: 35 - 39, Therefore do not cast away your confidence, which has great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise: "For yet a little while, and He who is coming will come and will not tarry. Now the just shall live by faith; but if anyone draws back, My soul has no pleasure in him." But we are not of those who draw back to perdition, but of those who believe to the saving of the soul. NKJV
When life gets difficult, and you feel as though you're slipping, hold on! Jesus will pull you out of the troubled waters. Look to Him until you see His hand moving in your situation. Our faith pleases God, and He will move heaven and earth to save us.
Waiting on the Lord,
Pastor Asa Dockery
The Dead in Christ Shall Rise
1 Thessalonians 4 : 16 - 18, For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words. NKJV
We're told in Romans 1 and Hebrews 10 that the JUST shall LIVE by faith. When you and I placed our faith in Jesus as the Christ, He filled our hearts and our souls with His life. I find that interesting because Christians still grow old, and they still pass away. Even so, the Bible says that the Just shall live by faith.
After Adam sinned and brought death on humanity, God told him that he was taken from the dust and to the dust, he would return. When Jesus promised us life, He didn't mean we wouldn't physically die. He was letting us know that at the time of death, we will pass from this temporal life into eternal life. Though my body is alive, it doesn't have eternal life. My soul has eternal life because it is filled with God's Word and His Spirit. When my body dies, it will go into the ground, but my soul which contains life won't go to the ground. Instead, it will go to be with the Lord. Therefore, we must live by faith, even though our outward man is perishing day by day.
In Isaiah 55 we're told by the Lord that the Word which goes forth from His mouth won't return void, but it will accomplish what it was sent to fulfill. God sent His Word into the earth in the form of a seed. However, when His Word returns to Him, it won't be in the form of a seed. It will reside inside the fruit, and the fruit will be gathered to Him. If we have this hope, then we know by the Spirit of God, who dwells in our hearts, that one day we shall see all of our loved-ones who have gone before us in the faith. Our faith in Christ shall once again reunite us in glory.
Even though our souls have been redeemed from the power of death, and we shall never die, our earthen vessel will perish and return to the dust. The body is the last part of our triune being that will be redeemed from death. Then the final work of the redemption process will be completed, and the souls of those who have died in Christ will receive their glorified body. Just as we're going to be reunited with our loved-ones, we will also be reunited with our bodies...new and improved of course!
Romans 8 : 22 - 24, For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now. Not only that, but we also who have the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body. NKJV
Awaiting My full Redemption,
Pastor Asa
We're told in Romans 1 and Hebrews 10 that the JUST shall LIVE by faith. When you and I placed our faith in Jesus as the Christ, He filled our hearts and our souls with His life. I find that interesting because Christians still grow old, and they still pass away. Even so, the Bible says that the Just shall live by faith.
After Adam sinned and brought death on humanity, God told him that he was taken from the dust and to the dust, he would return. When Jesus promised us life, He didn't mean we wouldn't physically die. He was letting us know that at the time of death, we will pass from this temporal life into eternal life. Though my body is alive, it doesn't have eternal life. My soul has eternal life because it is filled with God's Word and His Spirit. When my body dies, it will go into the ground, but my soul which contains life won't go to the ground. Instead, it will go to be with the Lord. Therefore, we must live by faith, even though our outward man is perishing day by day.
In Isaiah 55 we're told by the Lord that the Word which goes forth from His mouth won't return void, but it will accomplish what it was sent to fulfill. God sent His Word into the earth in the form of a seed. However, when His Word returns to Him, it won't be in the form of a seed. It will reside inside the fruit, and the fruit will be gathered to Him. If we have this hope, then we know by the Spirit of God, who dwells in our hearts, that one day we shall see all of our loved-ones who have gone before us in the faith. Our faith in Christ shall once again reunite us in glory.
Even though our souls have been redeemed from the power of death, and we shall never die, our earthen vessel will perish and return to the dust. The body is the last part of our triune being that will be redeemed from death. Then the final work of the redemption process will be completed, and the souls of those who have died in Christ will receive their glorified body. Just as we're going to be reunited with our loved-ones, we will also be reunited with our bodies...new and improved of course!
Romans 8 : 22 - 24, For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now. Not only that, but we also who have the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body. NKJV
Awaiting My full Redemption,
Pastor Asa
Monday, July 11, 2011
Living Free Is Not Always Easy
Living free isn't always easy, but it is rewarding.
Galatians 5 : 1, Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage. NKJV
Living by faith while residing in a world filled with sin, and corruption can be very difficult at times. Let's look at this subject in a different light. The Lord didn't put you in a huge mud puddle and ask you to stay clean. However, He has saved us and instructed us to keep the sin that is in the world out of our hearts.
Would you not agree that it would be very easy to live in sin and to enjoy the pleasures of sin (though sin only has pleasure for a season) in contrast to the pressures of living a holy and consecrated life before God? Jesus never told us life in this world would be easy, but He has promised us that He would reward those who are faithful to Him.
Therefore, now that we have accepted Jesus as our Savior and Lord, we must choose to walk by faith and to resist the pleasures of this world. This brings us to the point of today's word for you. We must realize there is something in this world that can cause us to backslide and lose our reward, and the Lord wants us to be fully aware of this stronghold so we can break it off of our lives. If we didn't have a carnal, or flesh nature, that desires to violate the principles of God's Word, then we wouldn't struggle one bit with living a holy life.
Our struggle to remain free and to walk in the liberty that Christ has given to every believer stems from our flesh nature... not from residing in a world of corruption. This was the issue that Paul was addressing with Jewish believers in Christ in the church at Galatia. They had begun living their new life by faith, but afterwards, they chose to go back to living under the Law and works. They had gone back into bondage. Are you living a life of liberty in Christ today? On the other hand, do you believe in Christ and at the same time are living in bondage to the flesh nature?
If you have placed your faith in Christ, and you still struggle with living in bondage to the flesh nature, then know that "in Christ," the old man is dead, and you don't have to obey its lusts. You don't have to give in to guilty pleasures and live under condemnation. The same Christ who has delivered you from the death of sin's wages is the same Christ that wants you to be free from the bondage of the flesh nature. The writer of Hebrews exhorts us to walk by faith. When we walk by faith, we don't try to keep the law or fulfill religious requirements, and we diligently seek Him, God has promised that He would reward us.
Let's seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness continually. Seek when you struggle. Seek when you're weak. Seek when you don't think you have the strength to seek. Always seek Him and His will over your own desires, and God will supply all that you have need of and will reward your obedient faith. We're not seeking pleasure, but we are seeking life.
Seeking the Rewarder,
Pastor Asa
Galatians 5 : 1, Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage. NKJV
Living by faith while residing in a world filled with sin, and corruption can be very difficult at times. Let's look at this subject in a different light. The Lord didn't put you in a huge mud puddle and ask you to stay clean. However, He has saved us and instructed us to keep the sin that is in the world out of our hearts.
Would you not agree that it would be very easy to live in sin and to enjoy the pleasures of sin (though sin only has pleasure for a season) in contrast to the pressures of living a holy and consecrated life before God? Jesus never told us life in this world would be easy, but He has promised us that He would reward those who are faithful to Him.
Therefore, now that we have accepted Jesus as our Savior and Lord, we must choose to walk by faith and to resist the pleasures of this world. This brings us to the point of today's word for you. We must realize there is something in this world that can cause us to backslide and lose our reward, and the Lord wants us to be fully aware of this stronghold so we can break it off of our lives. If we didn't have a carnal, or flesh nature, that desires to violate the principles of God's Word, then we wouldn't struggle one bit with living a holy life.
Our struggle to remain free and to walk in the liberty that Christ has given to every believer stems from our flesh nature... not from residing in a world of corruption. This was the issue that Paul was addressing with Jewish believers in Christ in the church at Galatia. They had begun living their new life by faith, but afterwards, they chose to go back to living under the Law and works. They had gone back into bondage. Are you living a life of liberty in Christ today? On the other hand, do you believe in Christ and at the same time are living in bondage to the flesh nature?
If you have placed your faith in Christ, and you still struggle with living in bondage to the flesh nature, then know that "in Christ," the old man is dead, and you don't have to obey its lusts. You don't have to give in to guilty pleasures and live under condemnation. The same Christ who has delivered you from the death of sin's wages is the same Christ that wants you to be free from the bondage of the flesh nature. The writer of Hebrews exhorts us to walk by faith. When we walk by faith, we don't try to keep the law or fulfill religious requirements, and we diligently seek Him, God has promised that He would reward us.
Let's seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness continually. Seek when you struggle. Seek when you're weak. Seek when you don't think you have the strength to seek. Always seek Him and His will over your own desires, and God will supply all that you have need of and will reward your obedient faith. We're not seeking pleasure, but we are seeking life.
Seeking the Rewarder,
Pastor Asa
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