Fellowshipping & Praise the Lord with Doc329 (23)

[doc329]

The Bible is clear and offers us the blessing of cleansing of our hearts so we can enjoy a wonderful fellowship with God.

1 John 1:9
If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

"If we confess our sins" This means we must agree with God about the true condition of our heart. It is filled with sin and in need of cleansing.
It means we take responsibility for our sin. We do not blame others, we own it ourselves and are accountable to God for it.

when we sin, we can and should confess it to God! We should endeavor to maintain a confessing heart so that we can live with a cleansed heart.


Notice, based on the faithfulness of God, you can be forgiven and cleansed. The whole Gospel story is the story of God taking action so that you could be forgiven and cleansed.
It is your responsibility to confess and God takes responsibility from there. He forgives and He cleanses.
You must stake your claim on the integrity of God that He will do what He says He will do.

The enemy will combat your mind with accusation, but you must stand on God’s Word and agree with God not only about your sin, but also about your forgiveness and cleansing. This is the way, you come to enjoy the cleansed heart. To have one, yet doubt it, robs one of the joy of what he possesses.

What spot is there so dark, that the blood of Jesus cannot wash it clean?
Then do not rob the Son of God of the glory he deserves by doubting the efficacy of his blood work.

God cleanses us from "all unrighteousness." We are not half-way sinners and God is not a half-way cleanser.
Understand that God always does a good job of whatever He does. When He cleanses you, you are clean. Rest in the work He has done.
The message of the cross is that it is a finished work, a completed work. Jesus paid it all. When God cleanses, you are clean. Go forth from the moment of confession with an assurance that is firmly rooted in the Character of God and the completeness of salvation in Christ.

 

[doc329]

A study showed
People no longer seem to care about lying.
We accept it. It doesn’t bother us.
We don’t get upset anymore when someone exaggerates, falsifies, fabricates, or misrepresents the truth. We live in a day when we’ve been bombarded with erased tapes, tampered evidence, loophole lies, illicit cover-ups, padded resumes, and exaggerated ads, to the point that we’ve pretty much given up on truth ever being told.]

There's two different standards
It is evident to me that there are at least two cultures in America.
I know that there are many different cultures in America, but two stand out to me when it comes to truth and honesty. This seems most apparent to me in our political arena.

There are those who have high moral standards, very much like our Christian standards. These hold that truth and honesty matter.
These consider truth and honesty to be essential and foundational in life.
Those who hold to this position will hold their political representatives to their word and will vote against any national elected official who lies for personal gain or protection.

There are those who, find truth and honesty to be great principles but they do not expect anyone to tell the truth all of the time.
Ones personal protection and prosperity are far more important than truth and honesty.
These folks expect their politicians to tell half truths and even all out lie. These will not vote any elected representative out of office because they lied in general, so long as they did not lie to them personally.

It has always amazed me how this second group, holding such low moral standards, find it acceptable to lie and deceive until someone lies to them or someone fails to trust them.
They get incredibly upset if someone refuses to believe them, even if they are lying. They are like a teenager, who having lied to their parents numerous times, becomes exasperated because their parents won’t trust them.

 

[doc329]

Dear Lord, as I come before You, I surrender to you, standing on Your words in faith, that You will never leave us nor forsake us. You will take care of all our needs. You are the same yesterday, today, and forever. I give my all to you. Amen

 

[nChrist]

This world is headed downhill into evil and chaos like a runaway train that can't be stopped. Many of those who study Bible Prophecy believe that big events will happen soon, but that isn't what I want to talk about.

As Christians, this world is not our home. Our real citizenship is in heaven, and this short life is not all there is. This short life is like the blink of an eye compared to the Eternity that will be with Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour Forever. It's wonderful to think about God's Promises to us and renew our strength day by day in Christ.

Ephesians 2:18-22 KJV For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father. 19 Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God; 20 And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; 21 In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: 22 In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.

For now, we are still here, so we have work to do for God. Our part is to pray, seek God's Will, and ask Him to give us strength and courage to do His Will until He comes to take us home to Glory. We can also pray for each other and know that God still does as He pleases in Heaven and on earth. I'm not hinting that Christians will have an easy time in this short life. In fact, it appears that the world hates us more by the day. God's Word tells us these days will come - even much worse yet to come. We are already in God's Hands, and we should keep remembering that this world is not our home. Our Home is beyond human imagination, and we have a heavenly inheritance waiting for us. We can and should anxiously await His Glorious Appearance and KEEP LOOKING UP!

1 Corinthians 15:50-58 Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption. 51 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. 54 So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. 55 O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? 56 The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.


1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 13 But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. 14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. 15 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. 16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. 18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

 

[doc329]

Your grace , Lord God, that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching me that, denying ungodliness and world lusts, I should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of my great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for me, that He might redeem from every lawless deed and purify for Himself, His own special people, zealous for good works.

I according to Your promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. Therefore, looking forward to these things, I will be diligent to be found by You in peace, without spot and blameless.

Christ was offered once to bear my sins. To those like me who eagerly await for Him, He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation.
And I will say in that day: " Behold, this is my God; I have waited for Him, and He will save me.
I will be glad and rejoice in His salvation

I await Christ's coming!
He who is King of Kings and Lord of Lord's shall reign forever!
Hallelujah!
​

 

[doc329]

Every day basics
Don't forget them
​

There are times in our life when we have an inner desire to seek the Word of God in a deeper way.We study the scriptures, pray, and respond more to the voice of God in our lives. At these times, God grants us revelations about His Word. and we have a more spiritual understanding about our life in Christ.

During these times, we cannot stop doing the everyday living in faith. We cannot separate the new understanding from basics. We still need to fellowship with other believers and listen to them. While we dig deeply into the Word for understanding, we still need to read and enjoy the stories of God

2 Timothy 3:14-15 But as for you, continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them.
and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.

Very often, people reach this stage of their growth in Christ, they stop doing the basics. Many Christians leave their churches because the rest of the congregation does not understand the spiritual things they have learned.
They stop reading the Bible for the joy of hearing God's story, spending all there time studding or looking for some spiritual revelation that others do not have.

When you reach that time in your spiritual walk, that time when God gives you the desire to see Him more clearly, "do not forget the basics."
Continue in the life God has given you.
A life of faith, walking in His ways, and doing the things He has called you to do

 

[doc329]

I think it's time for me to take a break in posting

I will close for a little while​

Will return soon​

God bless you all​

 

[doc329]

​

The dikes had been built. The flood walls were in place. The engineers were confident the river would be held back in the event it reached flood stage.
Yet, on this spring the waters rose, higher than ever before. The raging waters roared, tearing the banks away and restructuring the landscape along the river's back.
Then in an awesome show of power the dikes and flood walls succumbed to the water as it broke through the barriers washing away buildings and whole towns. The waters abounded more and more until the walls could no longer hold it back.

People build all kinds of walls. Many are not visible to the human eye. They are walls of bitterness, prejudice, pride, or fear.
Some build walls built in an attempt to protect a once wounded heart.
Others build walls of cynicism and pessimism trying to keep out all the harsh realities of life.
Others build them to keep people from getting too close for fear of being hurt or of their hidden secrets being discovered.
Still others build walls of arrogance, believing they can handle life by themselves.
In the end the walls isolate us and we are left alone, helpless, and lost. Is there anything that can penetrate these walls?
Can people with walls like these ever find freedom from their prisons to find fullness of life?

If such a people are ever to be reached the Love of God must abound more and more, like the water of the flooding river.
This is one reason why Paul's prayer for the church at Philippi was that their "love would abound more and more." (Philippians 1:9)
Right in the middle of rejoicing in their partnership with him in the gospel he lifts this prayer for them. Divine love needed to abound in their hearts in such a way that it would flow out of them, flooding over the walls people had built.
Not in forceful overpowering ways. Rather with consistent compassion filled with knowledge, discernment, and righteousness.

 

[doc329]

Matthew 12:34
Brood of vipers! How can you, being evil, speak good things?
For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.​

Apply this to our speech with God. What are our prayers to Him like? What comes pouring out of us is our heart—either that or God's Word is not true. What we are is revealed to God by what we say to Him in our prayer. We cannot hide it; we cannot be two-faced with Him.

Prayer is speaking to God what comes out of our heart. Even as this proverb Jesus gives is directed toward men, it is also true concerning our speech toward God. What we are comes out.

God wants His will done in every aspect of our life, and He wants our prayers to be according to His will. When we ask things according to His will, our requests stand the best chance of being answered positively. Why?
Because, in effect, they are His thoughts coming back to Him. His thoughts having become lodged in our heart, we are now sending a part of Him back to Him.

We need to be careful not to think of this as a magic formula of some kind, as if we say certain words and out comes the desired thing.
This is prayer—speaking God's words back to Him.
These prayers have the best chance of being answered positively because it pleases God to see His children develop in His image.
He then responds out of His love, even as we would to a child who pleases us.

 

[doc329]

The Bible is the Word of God in such a way that when the Bible speaks, God speaks.
Allow the Author to speak directly, personally and powerfully to your mind but also to your heart.
Remember that the Bible is the only book whose Author is always present when it is read.

 

[doc329]

Give me the insight, Lord,
As I read Your Word today,
So I will truly understand
Your message and Your way
​

 

[doc329]

There are at least these two essential marks of the upright heart.
First, it trembles at the Word of God (Isaiah 66),
Second, it trusts the mercy of God to forgive and help and
save.
A mid-20th century preacher on revival, wrote in a rather poetic fashion:
"Poverty stricken as the church is today in many things, she is most stricken here, in the place of prayer. We have many organizers, but few agonizers; many players and payers, but few prayers; many singers but few lingerers; lots of pastors but few wrestlers; many fears, few tears; much fashion, but little passion; many interferers, but few intercessors; many writers, but few fighters.
Failing here, we fail everywhere

Things can change!
It will require power, prayer, and a person who will stand in the gap and pray, a person who is seeking cleansing, a person who is willing to fast and pray, a person who moves beyond “saying their prayers”
to toiling in prayer until God rends the heavens and comes down!

Will you be that person? Will I? Will it be said of us: “Their prayer was powerful and effective”?
It is not too late. Things can change!

 

[doc329]

Our Father, our Lord and our God, thank You for calling us to You, for drawing us to the Lord Jesus, for making known to us the paths of life.
Teach us the right way always, and change our wills to seek You only, Your will, Your kingdom and Your righteousness, according to Your pure, perfect, and powerful Word

 

[doc329]

Wisdom from today’s Proverbs
Proverbs 14:12-14
There is a way which seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death.
Even in laughter the heart may be in pain, And the end of joy may be grief.
The backslider in heart will have his fill of his own ways, But a good man will be satisfied with his.​

Proverbs 14:26-27
In the fear of the LORD there is strong confidence, And his children will have refuge.
The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life, That one may avoid the snares of death.​

 

[doc329]

How is love to abound more and more?
It is not greater emotional fervor or depth of feeling. Rather it is to abound in "knowledge, and depth of insight being pure and blameless filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ."

The knowledge is of God, His Word and truth, which give us the tools necessary to discern what is pure, right and holy. It is then that love expresses itself in ways that can be tested proving its character to be pure, blameless, and transparent, acting righteousnessly, bringing glory and praise to God.
Such love not only transforms the possessor, but also flows out like a river flooding over others breaking down their walls opening them for God's love to touch and draw them to Him.

My friend, this prayer is for us. We need to pray it, and allow it to be answered in our lives. For only as we remain yielded to God's continuous completing good work and in faithful obedience study His Word striving to know Him more and more, will His Love abound in us.
He will not force it upon us, but will respond to our heartfelt prayers and earnest efforts. "May your love abound more and more is us oh Lord!"

 

[doc329]

Every day is filled with moments.​

Moments to laugh, cry, share, retreat ....
You can choose to do whatever you want with each moment you are given.
Why not choose to take a moment right now to reflect on and remember

The people who love you
The people you love​

And remember that "the only thing that counts is faith as it is expressed through love."​

Today, be confident in God's love for you and His promise for an eternal future!

 

[doc329]

John 17:26
And I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare it: that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them.

Love Is

God's Love is seen in the gift of His Son.
John 4:9-10
In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him.
In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

Deuteronomy 7:7-8
It was not because you were more in number than any other people that the Lord set his love on you and chose you, for you were the fewest of all peoples, but it is because the Lord loves you ..

Ephesians 5:2
And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
Loves perfect expression among men is in the Lord Jesus Christ.


John 14:21 Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.

Christian love has God for its primary objective.
Love God first and foremost and express yourself in obedience to His commands.

John 14:23
Jesus answered him, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.
1 John 2:5
but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him:
whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.
Love, as used of God, expresses a deep and constant "love", "affection", "feeling", towards entirely unworthy objects, human beings, generating a deep and respectable love in us towards the Giver, and a practical, or possible love, in human standards, towards others and a desire to help or lead others to the same Giver of "love".

Galatians 6:10
So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.

 

[barb754]

Do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded.
You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God,
you will receive what he has promised.
-- Hebrews 10:35-36

There are some tough times that go with living. They're
inescapable. That's when our confidence in the Lord's salvation and
our relationship with him get tested! It is one thing to sing "it
is well with my soul" at the end of a peel-the-paint and
raise-the-roof worship service, but it is quite another to be able
to sing it when they auction your house off at the courthouse
steps, you are told you have a long-term debilitating illness, or
you lose a child to death. Faith can't take a holiday when we
travel through the suburbs of hell or we'll never find our way out.
So don't throw it away. Persevere! Keep putting one foot in front
of the other trusting that God will give you the strength for the
next step. No matter how hard it is at the moment, don’t give up to
despair. Be like Job or Jeremiah who both argued and complained to
God, but never let go of God. Don't quit. Christ is coming for you
with grace and in glory. His return is just around the bend and
could break into our world at any time.

Holy and Almighty God, today is a good day. However, I am
profoundly aware that some of those I love are close to throwing
away their confidence in your love, mercy, grace, peace, and
deliverance. Please use me to encourage them. Even more, dear
Father, I ask that you use your Holy Spirit to renew their hearts.
I pray that you intervene directly to change the course of events
and give them relief and make your gracious presence known to them.
In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

 

[doc329]

The Grace of Surrender

Here is something that needs to be heard by God’s people:
​

"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." (Romans 12:3).

What is God saying? That no one should ever be conceited or high-minded about himself. Why? Because we are just old sinners saved by grace.

You may say, "I have lots of talent." But you are still just an old sinner brought out of sin by God’s grace.
So don’t think more highly of yourself than you ought to think.
Heartache and trouble through the years have been brought on because people have thought too highly of themselves, forgetting God’s grace.

James 4:6 deals with it again: "But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble."
There is no limit to God’s grace—"he giveth more grace." But God’s grace is given to the humble, not to the proud.

Here is a contrast that a proud Christian has to face. God says, ‘I resist him. I oppose him. I make it difficult for him’; but to the humble Christian—‘I will gladly give him all the grace he needs.’

We read in I Peter 5:5-6: "Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble. Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time."

Peter, who said this, surely knew what he was talking about. Being cocky and proud, high-minded, heady and self-willed, stubborn and unsurrendered—Peter had gone through it all.

There needs to be more preaching on the younger submitting to the elder.
Respect gray hair. Just because someone has a little more knowledge than you, don’t call him square.
Just because someone, through experience and heartache, has learned something you may not know, respect him. Submit to him. "Yea, all of you be subject one to another."

Some 113 times in this New Testament is the expression "one to another." God wants Christians to serve one another, to respect one another, to love one another, to honor one another; 113 times God tells us how to live with one another under grace.

"…be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and gives grace to the humble. Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time."

Grace causes us to say, "Well, who am I?
Nothing but an old sinner saved by grace.
I ought to do right, think right, live peaceably with other people and show humility.

​

 

[doc329]

Grace for Godly and Righteous Influence
The only way to exercise a righteous influence on others is by God’s grace. ​

Colossians 3:16 reads, "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord."​

This applies to every realm of life.
There is all the difference in the world in singing with grace in your heart to the Lord and singing because you want people to know you have talent.

When you sing, sing to bless hearts. I have heard people sing because they had talent, not because they had love.

There is grace for a righteous influence.
"Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man" (Col. 4:6).

Let your speech influence others for godliness.
Christian, guard the door of your lips.
Let your conversation be always with grace.