The dictionary definition of the word “affirm” when used as a verb means, “to state something firmly or publicly.” Affirmation is a noun meaning, “the act of affirming something.” So a Bible affirmation is the act of stating in a loud and clear voice the word of God (a Bible verse) followed by a declaration of obedience to the verse or verses being referenced. When you speak a Bible affirmation before the Lord it’s the same thing as saying yes to God. The two terms are interchangeable. The word abide has several meanings and one of the older seldom-used meanings is to, “live in a place.” The moment believers are saved unto eternal life in heaven they are indwelt by the Holy Spirit so the word “abide” is an apt description of what takes place. On the flip side, when we abide in the Lord the more traditional definition applies which is to, “accept or obey a rule or decision.” The key word is obey. If we obey the commandments of God then we abide in the Lord. Those commandments include praying to God daily and reading God’s word every day.
Throughout the Bible, God tells us to study his word for knowledge, understanding, and wisdom. Most people don’t know what that means. We need the knowledge contained in the Bible so we can “know” who God is and what he requires of us. We need to have an understanding of the Bible so we know how we’re to be saved unto eternal life in heaven. We need the Bible’s wisdom so we know our primary purpose on this earth is to save nonbelievers to heaven by our witness for Christ. The number one commandment of God for believers is to help save nonbelievers to heaven. If we do this God will shower us with honor, glory, and riches in heaven on the last day.
There are 2.5 billion Christians on earth, which includes 1.5 billion Catholics and 1.0 billion Protestants. The problem with Protestants is there are only 300,000 of them who identify as evangelical Christians who emphasize the authority of the Bible, salvation through faith in Jesus, and witnessing for Christ to save nonbelievers. To make matters worse, only 10% of Christians who attend church regularly have taken the time to read the Bible in its entirety. God’s word tells you how to witness for Christ to nonbelievers and if haven’t even read the Bible you won’t have the knowledge, understanding, and wisdom you need to effectively witness for Christ and save souls to heaven. It’s just common sense that you can’t “do” until you know what to “do.” Neither will you have the confidence to share your witness for Christ because confidence comes with knowledge. Nonbelievers pick up on body language and they respond to the passion of a witness for Christ as much as they do the gospel message itself.
MONDAY AFFIRMATIONS (continued):
John 15:5 – (Jesus) – I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without me you can do nothing.
Philippians 4:13 – I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
James 1:22 – But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.
MY AFFIRMATION:
As a branch of the Most High, I’m a child of God. I will do all things through the Lord Jesus Christ, who indwells me and strengthens me by his glorious power. I will produce much fruit by witnessing for Christ to save nonbelievers unto eternal life in heaven. I abide in God through prayer and Bible study so that I’m an effective “doer” of God’s word; saving lost souls to heaven by being obedient to the commandments of God.
NOTE: We’ve already discussed what “abide” means from the perspective of both God and man. God is the fountainhead of life from which all life flows, both angels and man. At our conception, God gives each of us an eternal spirit which is a part of his divine essence. Since God is an eternal spirit anything he gives us from his essence (i.e., our spirit) is also eternal like he is. You heard me right; if you’re reading this blog you’re an immortal being. You are God’s masterpiece of creation. Don’t believe all that humanist BS about human beings evolving from apes or one-cell organisms crawling out of the primordial ooze of an ancient ocean. Man is a biomechanical marvel composed of 30 trillion specialized cells arranged into organs, tissues, and enclosed body systems, topped off with the greatest computer in the universe. As soon as you exit the birth canal your journey begins toward your eternal home, which is either heaven or hell. There is no third choice. Everyone is headed to hell when they’re born and it’s up to each of us to get off the highway to hell.
In John 15:5 the word “fruit” is a common metaphor God uses for nonbelievers saved unto eternal life in heaven. God also uses the metaphor of a grapevine to describe himself. God refers to man, the creatures of his hands, as branches of a grapevine. Those who accept Jesus Christ, the son of God, as their Lord and Savior become children of God by grace and God will graft their branch onto the eternal branch so they will live forever in heaven in the presence of Jesus. Jesus is the only way to heaven so for those people who reject Christ their branch will wither and be gathered up and thrown into the fires of hell for all eternity. The problem is most people who aren’t saved don’t know this is the truth of God. They don’t understand this is their ultimate fate; to go to hell when they die. Satan is the god of this world and he has put blinders over the eyes of nonbelievers so they don’t recognize God and to them the Bible is just a book. Our job as believers is to witness for Christ is to rip those blinders off the eyes of nonbelievers so they can see the truth of God. That is the Great Commission Jesus Christ gave to his disciples before he ascended back to heaven.
The important part of John 15:5 to me is the last statement where Jesus says, “for without me you can do nothing.” Pair that statement with Philippians 4:13 which says, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me”, and we understand that we are indwelt by the Holy Spirit (Jesus) and the Holy Spirit is also with us if we witness for Christ. Now, 90% of the saints in heaven are there through faith in Jesus alone, never having saved even one other person to heaven by their witness for Christ. They are all indwelt by Jesus yet they are without fruit. The difference is they didn’t pray to God to give them strength and help them spread the gospel message. Believers still on earth have the same problem. They are deceiving themselves because they’re saved and they think that’s all they need to do.
All believers are commanded by God to be “doers” of the word by witnessing for Christ to save nonbelievers to heaven. God knows we’re weak, we’re dust, and we can’t do this on our own which is why God tells us to ask for his help through prayer. We need to pray for God’s help before, during, and after we witness for Christ if we want to bear much “fruit” for God. Bible affirmations are my way of doing this because I’m saying yes to God every day and that I need his help saving nonbelievers to heaven. It’s the Holy Spirit who saves a person to heaven through our witness. We do 20% of the work of salvation and the Holy Spirit does the other 80%. All the glory goes to God because we’re merely a holy vessel for God to use for his purpose. Praise God for his love, mercy, and grace toward his servant!