Month: February 2020

I was watching a sermon by Dr. Charles Stanley on the steps we should all take to stay on the Christian track. I wrote them down and thought I’d share them with you.

1. Schedule prayer and meditation daily on God’s Word.

2. Obey God and let Him handle the consequences.

3. Trust God in every circumstance.

4. Wait on the Lord for His direction.

5. Depend upon the Holy Spirit.

6. Remember that God loves you unconditionally.

7. Give generously to God with both your money and your time.

8. Rest in the assurance that God is in control of your life.

9. Keep your eyes on your final destination, which is heaven.

Isaiah 64:4 – For since the beginning of the world men have not heard nor perceived by the ear, nor has the eye seen any God besides You, who acts for the one who waits for Him.

Psalm 1:1-3 – Give ear to my words, O Lord, consider my meditation. Give heed to the voice of my cry, my King and my God, for to You I will pray. My voice You shall hear in the morning, O Lord; In the morning I will direct it to You, And I will look up.

John 14:15 – If you love Me, keep My commandments.

John 14:21 – He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to Him.

John 14:23 – 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.

Proverbs 1:1-2 – My son, do not forget My law, but let your heart keep My commands; for length of days and long life and peace they will add to you.

SALVATION VERSES:

Ephesians 4:31-31 – Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.

Proverbs 9:10 – The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.

1 Timothy 1:15 – This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.

Habakkuk 2:4 – The just shall live by faith.

Acts 10:43 – To Him all the prophets witness that, through His name, whoever believes in Him will receive remission of sins.

Psalm 14:1; Psalm 53:1 – The fool has said in his heart, there is no God.

1 Corinthians 3:19 – For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, He catches the wise in their own craftiness.

Luke 14:23 – Then the master said to the servant, go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.

Acts 13:38 – Therefore let it be known to you, brethren, that through this Man is preached to you the forgiveness of sins.

John 3:18 – He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

1 Corinthians 9:22 – To the weak I became as weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some.

Hebrews 1:1-2 – Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Acts 13:39 – And by Him everyone who believes is justified from all things from which you could not be justified by the law of Moses.

Matthew 10:41 – He who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet’s reward. And he who receives a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man’s reward.

2 Corinthians 5:9-10 – Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to Him. For we must all appear before the judgement seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.

Think about the above verse for a moment. Every believer who has ever lived will one day stand before the bema judgement seat of Christ to receive his reward (or not). I don’t fear death any longer but I do fear pain and not living long enough to complete the works God has planned for me to do.  My greatest fear is displeasing God.  That’s what drove the Apostle Paul to become the greatest Christian who ever lived. My greatest desire is to please God. I long to hear Jesus say, “Well done good and faithful servant.” Make sure you run your personal race with God with this same goal in mind.  From this moment on plan what you need to do and then go out and do it.  What we do here on earth matters because it will impact us in heaven for an eternity.

SALVATION VERSES:

Hebrews 4:12 – For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

2 Timothy 3:16 – All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.

1 Peter 1:23 – Having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever.

1 Corinthians 1:21 – For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe.

Psalm 19:7 – The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple.

1 Corinthians 15:22 – For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive.

Matthew 10:32 – Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him will I also confess before My Father who is in heaven.

Galatians 6:9 – And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.

Isaiah 32:20 – Blessed are you who sow beside all waters, who send out freely the feet of the ox and the donkey.

Joel 2:23; Acts 2:21; Romans 10:13 – Whoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

Many of the verses in the Bible are duplicated in other books of the Bible written by different writers and at different times with no knowledge of what anyone else wrote. That’s okay because God is the author of the Bible through the Holy Spirit so we don’t have to worry about contradictions or errors. There aren’t any! That’s one of the proofs that there is a God in heaven controlling His creation.  When God says something twice it’s important for us to know. When God says something three times, in exactly the same way, God is screaming at us, like in the above verse. God so loves us He is pleading for us to call on him for salvation. God won’t make us come to Him but He desperately wants us to reach out to Him for His saving grace before it’s too late.

SALVATION VERSES:

Jeremiah 17:7-8 – Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, and whose hope is the Lord. For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, which spreads out its roots by the river, and will not fear when heat comes; but its leaf will be green, and will not be anxious in the year of drought, nor will it cease from yielding fruit.

Psalm 1:3 – He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf shall not wither; and whatever he doses shall prosper (i.e. he who delights in the law of the Lord).

John 15:2 – Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit.

Luke 15:10 – Likewise, I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.

Psalm 142:4 – Refuge failed me; no man cared for my soul.

Matthew 9:37-38 – The harves truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.

Psalm 126:6 – He who continually goes forth weeping, bearing seed for sowing, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.

Ephesians 4:30 -And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.

1 Thessalonians 5:19 – Do not quench the Spirit.

John 3:5 – Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.

I used to wonder when God gives us eternal life did He just remove the stain of sin from our old spirit or does God give us a brand new spirit?  The use of the term born again makes me think we get a brand new piece of the Spirit of God, like we did at conception,  and the old one is removed by an instantaneous exchange.  The reference to living water is the Holy Spirit which indwells us the moment we are saved.  John 3:5, makes it clear we don’t get into heaven unless we have a new spirit from God without the stain of sin on it and we must have the Holy spirit on the inside of us.  Those are the two keys for access to heaven and eternal life. The term salvation encompasses both actions.  It’s the Holy Spirit within us that takes our spirit to the presence of Jesus the instant we die.

SALVATION VERSES:

John 3:36 – He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe in the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.

Romans 1:16 – For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek (i.e. Gentiles).

Romans 10:15 – And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, who bring glad tidings of good things!

Romans 8:14 – For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.

Romans 10:9-10 – That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

Romans 8:9 – But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His.

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 – Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.

John 7:38 – He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.

I know for certain the Holy Spirit dwells in me by faith and also by all the evidence uncovered by my study of God’s Word. In addition, I have personally felt the Holy Spirit move within me on one occasion.  It was like an unseen invisible mass moving up from the pit of my stomach through my chest and out my throat. It scared the hell out of me at first until, much later, I determined it was the Holy Spirit.  Eventually I found a description in the Bible of what happened to me in the above verse from John 7:38.  There is another Bible verse that says “out of your belly will flow rivers of living water” which describes even better what I felt.   Most people never get the physical confirmation that God has indwelt them and I have no idea why I was so honored.

SALVATION VERSES:

Proverbs 11:30 – The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and he who wins souls is wise.

Daniel 12:3 – And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament, and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever.

I have these two verses printed with a black magic marker on 3X5 index cards. I have them on my desk so I can see them as I drink my coffee in the morning to remind me of my primary mission in life going forward. You have to stand for something or you’ll fall for anything.  Look at how you use your time. Does it have any impact on eternity? If it doesn’t you’re wasting your time because our lives are only a brief mist in eternity so you MUST witness for Christ and emulate Christ while you’re here on this earth and able to do so.

Mark 8:36-37 – What shall it profit a man if he shall gain the whole world and lose his own soul? What shall a man give in exchange for his soul?

Luke 19:10 – For the Son of Man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.

Mark 2:17 – I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.

Matthew 4:19 – Follow me and I will make you fishers of men.

Mark 1:17 – Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men.

As I was studying God’s Word it came as quite a shock to me that, as a disciple of Jesus, I am commanded to witness for Christ. It isn’t optional. It isn’t a suggestion. It’s an order from God Almighty which we’ll all have to answer for at the judgement seat of Christ on the Day of the Lord. The last 2 verses listed above were the first thing Jesus said to four of His disciples when He recruited them which should tell you their primary duty was going to be witnessing for Christ when He was gone.  All the Apostles witnessed for Jesus (except Judas) and, except for John, they were all martyred for doing so. They understood to love Jesus is to obey His commands. The question is, are you going to show your love by obeying the commands of your God?  There are seven sins against Christ we commit by not winning souls to the kingdom:

1. Disobedience
2. Lack of love
3. Not following Jesus
4. Not abiding in Christ
5. Dishonesty
6. Folly
7. Spiritual manslaughter of those poor souls headed for the pit.

The entire Bible is about the coming of Jesus Christ to redeem a fallen mankind. Interspersed in virtually every book of the Bible are verses that make reference to God’s salvation for man. You know the old saying, “You can lead a horse to water but you can’t make them drink.” Well, God does the same thing by graciously providing us with the Bible which explains salvation and gives us step by step instructions.  The final step of accepting Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior we have to do ourselves because God made us human beings with a free will to choose God or Satan. I previously went through the Bible pulling out verses that mention God’s salvation plan and I put them on 4X6 index cards. I want to share those with you along with my commentary.

PRAYER OF SALVATION:
Dear Heavenly Father, I confess that I have sinned against heaven and in your sight and I need your forgiveness. Thank you for sending your Son Jesus to die on the cross for my sins, according to Scripture, and I thank you for raising Him from the dead. Today I ask Jesus to come into my heart to cleanse me from my sins and become my Lord and Saviour. I give myself to you. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

NOTE: The sinner’s prayer doesn’t have to be exact. God will judge your heart more than your words. Your prayer should contain these four steps: an admission of sin, heartfelt repentance, belief that Jesus, as God’s Son, died for you and was raised from the dead, and lastly, an invitation inviting Jesus into your heart as your personal Savior.

Verses pertaining to salvation:
John 3:16 – For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have everlasting life.

John 5:24 – Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My words and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgement, but has passed from death into life.

Romans 10:13 – For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

John 6:37 – All that My Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out.

Act 16:31 – Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved.

Romans 3:23 – For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

Matthew 28:19 – Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

Mark 16:15-16 – Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.

NOTE: Salvation is by faith alone. Baptism is not required for salvation. It is merely a public profession of the faith by which you became a child of God.

WISDOM & GUIDANCE:

“Jesus is made unto me wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption. Therefore, I confess I have the wisdom of God, and I am the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus.”

“I receive the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of my understanding being enlightened. And I am not conformed to this world but I am transformed by the renewing of my mind. My mind id renewed by the Word of God.”

“The Spirit of truth abides in me and teaches me all things, and He guides me into all truths. Therefore, I confess I have perfect knowledge of every situation and every circumstance that I come up against. For I have the wisdom of God.”

“I do follow the good Shepherd and I know His voice and the voice of a stranger I will not follow.”

“I have put off the old man and have put on the new man, which is renewed in the knowledge after the image of Him that created me.”

“I am a new creation in Christ, I am His workmanship created in Christ Jesus. Therefore, I have the mind of Christ and the wisdom of God is formed within me.”

“I let the Word of Christ dwell in me rightly in all wisdom.”

“I trust in the Lord with all of my heart, and I lean not unto my own understanding.”

“In all my ways I acknowledge Him and He directs my path.”

“The Word of God is a lamp unto my feet, it is a light unto my path.”

“The Lord will perfect that which concerns me.”

“I am filled with the knowledge of the Lord’s will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding.”

COMFORT & STRENGTH (cont’d):

“I am a believer and these signs do follow me. In the name of Jesus I cast out demons, I speak with new tongues, I lay hands on the sick and they do recover.”

“Jesus gave me the authority to use His name. And that which I bind on earth is bound in heaven. And that which I loose on earth is loosed in heaven. Therefore, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I bind the principalities, the powers, the rulers of the darkness of this world. I bind and cast down spiritual wickedness in high places and render them harmless and ineffective against me in the name of Jesus.”

“I let the peace of God rule my heart and I refuse to worry about anything.”

“I speak the truth of the Word of God in love, and I grow up into the Lord Jesus Christ in all things.”

“I am complete in Him who is the head of all principality and power. For I am His workmanship created in Christ Jesus unto good works which God has before ordained that I should walk therein.”

“I am increasing in the knowledge of God. I am strengthened with all might according to His glorious power.”

“I am delivered from the powers of darkness and I am translated into the kingdom of His dear Son.”

“I am born of God and I have world overcoming faith residing on the inside of me, For greater is He that is in me than he that is in the world.”

“I will do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”

COMFORT & STRENGTH:

“I’m the Body of Christ. I am redeemed from the curse, and I forbid any sickness or disease to operate in this body. Every organ, every tissue, will function properly for greater is He that is in me than he that is in the world.”

“I don’t desire to eat so much that I become overweight, because this body is the temple of the Holy Ghost.  Therefore, in the name of Jesus I do not desire to eat more than this body needs. And in the name of Jesus, I refuse to overeat.”

“The peace of God, which passes all understanding, keeps my heart and mind through Christ Jesus. And all things which are good, and pure, and perfect, and lovely, and of good report; I think on these things.”

“The joy of the Lord is my Strength. The Lord is the strength of my life.”

“I will not let the Word of God depart from before my eyes for it is life to me for I have found it and it is health and healing to all my flesh.”

“I let no corrupt communication proceed out of my mouth, but that which is good to edifying, that it may minister grace to the hearer. I grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby I’m sealed unto the day of redemption.”

“God is on my side. God is in me now, who can be against me? He has given unto me all things that pertain unto life and godliness. Therefore, I am a partaker of His divine nature.”

“No man shall take me out of His hand for I have eternal life.”