Time in the Word...

2 Timothy 3:16 - All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.

How much time are you spending in the Word?  Are you spending time in the Word daily?  The scriptures are "God-breathed", the scriptures are the written Word of God.  The scriptures teach us, rebuke and correct us.

Matthew 4:4 - Jesus answered, "It is written: Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God"

The Word is a vital nutrient in our spiritual lives.  The Bible is the words that came from the mouth of God.  Reading and studying on the Word is where we find His truth.

John 8:31-32 - To the Jews who believed him, Jesus said, "If you hold to my teaching you are really my disciples.  Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."

Where else do we find truth?  If we rely solely on what others tell us about the Word, we open ourselves up to the possibility of false teaching.  We must spend time in the Word for ourselves.  We need to be studying and memorizing key verses that give us strength in time of need.  We need to be testing what we are told by others against the Word and Spirit.

We need to be taking time to allow God to speak to us...and His written Word is the best place to start.

Lord, I pray that we would learn to turn to you always as a first resort and not the last.  That we would find daily reading of your Word refreshing and useful.  Lord, remove any barriers, any opposition to our time with you.  Open our minds and fill us with "every word that comes from the mouth of God".  Amen.

We are loved!

Romans 8:31-38 - What, then shall we say in regard to this?  If God is for us, who can be against us?  He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all - how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?  Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen?  It is God who justifies.  Who is he that condemns?  Christ Jesus, who died - more than that, who was raise to life - is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.  Who shall separate us from the love of God?  Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?  As it is written: "For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered."  No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.  For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anythings else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

For me this is a powerful verse because it tells me that nothing, nothing will separate us from the love of God.  God loves us!  Did you get that?  Do you believe it?

I don't mean just believe it as in you read it and have a head knowledge of it.  I mean do you accept it as truth in your heart of hearts?  I mean down deep in your soul.  Do you own it?  Do you believe it?

John 8:32 - You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free

That Jesus loves you is a truth that can set you free.  Romans 8:1 - Therefore, there is now no  condemnation for those that are in Christ Jesus.  Because we are loved there is now no condemnation.  Then why do we feel so guilty, why do we beat ourselves up when we sin?  Because we don't own that fact that we are loved.

Colossians 3:12 - Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.

As God's chosen, holy and dearly loved!!

A mark of Christian maturity is that when we mess up...that we turn to God instead of running from Him.  We cannot make ourselves right, we cannot fix ourselves; but God can.  When we understand the power in His love for us...we run to Him, not away.

Lord Father, I pray today that you will open our hearts and place the truth of your love deep into us, so that we would not only have the knowledge, but that it would be in our nature and in our responses to all that happens in our lives.  Thank you Lord for your unbound love; your unending mercy and grace.  May our lives be a living sacrifice that brings you glory.  Amen.

Learn It, Live It - Ephesians 6:13-17 (Part 7)

Ephesians 6:13-17 - Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.  Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breast plate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.  In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.  Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

"...and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God."

The Roman soldier always had a sword with him.  Not a heavy long sword, but a short two foot sword that was very effective in hand to hand combat.  He would have spent hours and hours working with it, learning to be very efficient in it's use.  His life would depend on his readiness to use the sword.

Paul tells us that our sword is the word of God.  In most cases "word" is translated in the Greek as "logos" which references the written word of God.  In this case it is translated as "rhema" which references the spoken word of God.  The sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God comes from our knowledge of the written word and the guidance of the Spirit in how we apply and use it.

Hebrews 4:12 - "For the word of God is living and active.  Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart."

How do we become efficient in it's use?  First of all it requires us to spend time in the word and second it requires us to have a relationship with the Spirit of God.  How are you doing in these areas?  Are you spending time in the word?  How is your relationship with the Lord?

How much does our life (our spiritual being) depend on us being able to wield this sword in a timely and effective way?  How about others in our life; how does our effectiveness affect others?  Our spiritual lives depend on our ability to defend ourselves from the attacks of Satan.  We must know the truth from the lies, we must know the Word to know truth and we have to rely on the Spirit to defend it.  We are to be prepared in season and out of season (2 Timothy 4:2) to correct, rebuke and encourage...  Our effectiveness has a direct affect on those around us.

Lord please guide us and direct us as we apply the full armor of God in our lives.  Show us the steps we should take and the things we should do.  Help us to see how the full armor of God can help us and guide us to eternity with you.  Amen!

Learn It, Live It - Ephesians 6:13-17 (Part 6)

Ephesians 6:13-17 - Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.  Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breast plate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.  In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.  Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

"Take the helmet of salvation..."

In a physical battle the purpose of the helment is pretty obvious.  Protect your head!  If you get knocked out your done.  If you take a blow to the head you can be disorientated, confused and forget where you are.  To a Christian the helmet of salvation is all about protecting our minds.

For most of us, the first thing that comes to mind when we think about "salvation" is that through Jesus, our sins are forgiven and the penalty is paid.  But most of us think of salvation in the past tense.  In what has been done for us.  Salvation is the deliverance from the power and penalty of sin.  Which means it's not just something that happened when we accepted Jesus; it's something that is ongoing in our lives.  It's about renewing of our minds...

Romans 12:2 - Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind...

Colossians 3:10 - ...and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.

2 Corinthians 4:16 - Therefore we do not lose heart.  Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.

Titus 3:5 - ...he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy.  He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit.

Where is your battle?  Where does sin start in your life?  For most of us, it's in our minds.  It's starts with what we let in, what we watch, what we read, look at...what we think.  The thoughts we entertain.  The battle is primarily won or lost in our minds.

2 Corinthians 10:5 - We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

If you are in Jesus, if you have accepted Jesus; your freely given gift is salvation.  You must know that and own that.  You are forgiven, the power and penalty of sin no longer applies to you.  This is what you need to put on and remember each day.  Without that knowledge, its impossible to take every thought captive and make it obedient to Christ.  Without that knowledge, the power of sin remains in your life and Satan convinces you that you are bad and not worthy...

Lord I pray for a complete understanding of salvation in our lives.  Not just in that we have been saved, but that you are continually saving each and every one of us.  I pray that you will continue to renew our minds through the knowledge of God which is the Word.  Lord, thank you for all you do and continue to do in our lives.  Amen!