Who is the most famous or infamous person you have ever met?
Jesus is the most popular person in history and still is. I’ve met with Jesus many times in my life. When I was baptized, when I praise and worship him for giving the best gift in life I’ve ever received. When I pray to him daily.
He never leaves me, not forsakes me. He is always here when I need him, and even when I think I don’t need him, he’s always here.
Jesus is many things to many different people. But to me he is my Savior, my comforter, my healer, and the one who lifts my head every morning and breathes air into my lungs.
There are many benefits to owning a pet. They are great companions because they increase opportunities for us to exercise get outside and socialize, regular, walking or playing with pets, can actually decrease blood pressure and cholesterol levels. Pets can also reduce stress.
The unconditional love of a pet can do more and keep us company they can boost your mood and calm our souls.
Soon many people will have to stop being lukewarm believers. It will be a time of choosing what side of the fence you want to be on. Middle ground will no longer be acceptable.
When my children were smaller they loved the movie “Harry Potter,” And while many Christians see this movie as promoting witchcraft. This movie has some pretty good lessons about life. One of my favorites lines the movie was when Albus Dumbledore says was “Dark times lie ahead of us and there will be a time when we must choose between what is easy and what it right. I believe this is the time to choose which path you want to be on and go for it.
In Revelation 3:15-16 Jesus says, “I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm neither hot nor cold -I am about to spit you out of my mouth..”
With these words, Jesus gave both a frightening threat and an appeal. And though it was originally directed to one group of believers, the principle behind it applies to every believer.
When I was young in my faith, I didn’t really understand the consequences of being lukewarm. Now I see how my spiritual “temperature” can affect not only me, but people I come in contact with.
The Webster’s dictionary defines lukewarm as ‘moderately warm or tepid; lacking conviction or being half-hearted.‘ The synonyms for the word are also revealing: dull, apathetic, and moderate.
When our faith is described this way, it means a kind of angst or doldrums has set into our spirit about the things of God. We begin not to have eagerness to be in His Word or look forward as much to fellowship with other believers. Our prayer time can feel stale and routine. And we lose our passion for obeying God’s laws.
I see this lukewarm temperature every where I look in society. And it’s being more and more pronounced.
Being lukewarm in our faith is a red flag signaling that our hearts are not where they should be. In fact, God makes a strong statement about those who go down this path in the Old Testament book of Isaiah.
“The Lord says: ‘These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is based on merely human rules they have been taught” – Isaiah 29:13
The passage is an attempt by Jesus to get the attention of the Laodicean church’s congregation. And He made several points about having lukewarm faith. Some bible scholars say that the Laodicean church mentioned in Revelation is the church age of today.
Lukewarm faith limits the impact we can have for God.
People of Jesus’s day understood that lukewarm water was not a pure as either cold or hot water. It was stagnant, less healthy and not as useful. Jesus was saying that those who settle for less than full devotion to God will end up listless, even idle.
Lukewarm faith leads us to rule our own lives.
If we are devoted to the Lord,we become aligned with Him. If we stand against Him, we can be persuaded to turn towards Him. But Jesus claimed that tepid Faith leaves somewhere in the middle -halfway seeking God, and halfway trying to hold on to control of our own lives. And we end up with a compromised form of Christianity.
Lukewarm faith leaves us and others deceived.
When believers are either fully for or fully against Jesus, they are usually honest to themselves and others about where they stand-no pretending or hiding. But when believers are apathetic, they consider themselves to be more God-centered than they really are. Those around them can become fooled as well.
Jesus also stated the consequences for believers who are or become lukewarm:
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father Whois in heaven. Many will say tome on that day, Lord, Lord, did we not prophecy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles? Then I will tell them plainly, I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers” – Matthew 7:21-23.
Scripture tells us that Christians have a part in helping the Kingdom grow. To do that, we are to be set apart from the rest of the culture around us. When the world sees we live and carry ourselves differently, they will wonder why. Then we get a chance to show them love and share the gospel.
But those who are lukewarm aren’t effective witnesses for Christ because they don’t stand out. Since it truly is a heart attitude, a tepid faith may not be visible right away. But it reveals itself as time goes on in our priorities, choices and how we behave towards the things of God.
Many people begin their faith walk with fervor, but lose it over time. Some can seem excited about being a follower of Jesus during church services, but let that passion fade as they navigate their daily life through the week. Others decide they will only read certain parts of the Bible, or resist going where God wants to lead them.
When our faith walk feels dull, becoming more aware can help us back to a more passionate place. By taking some time to do a kind of “spiritual inventory,, we can gain clarity about any ways our faith has cooled down.
Ask yourself some questions:
Is God first in my life?
Am I trying to please God or other people?
Do I accept all of God’s Word, or just parts of it?
How often do I read and study my Bible?
Do I talk about Christ to others during the week?
Am I stuck in any habitual sins?
Our responsibilities going forward include staying faithful in prayer. And keeping active, whether in our church disciplines, like doing a Bible study and fellowship, or going out and doing some good works. It’s important to understand that we are no saved by good works, but if your a believer you will want to do them. Having others to keep us accountable and offering to do that for them builds a spiritual support system. I go to a weekly prayer meeting and the people who come has becomemy accountability group. We hold each other accountable so we have a close support system. You could do this with a weekly bible study as well. Any group that can build each other up and keep each other on track of what we are doing for Christ.
A blessed and favored believer in Christ is vibrant, fruitful and able to give and sustain life. But if all you do is receive, receive, receive, you will end up like the Dead Sea. Becoming too salty and too toxic to support any kind of life. So, if you want to receive the blessing and favor of God, you have to be ready to give.
What Is The Key?
Giving is one of the ways you show favor to others and tap into the favor of God. The Bible teaches a simple message about being blessed to be a blessing. It is a cyclical law much like sowing and reaping. In Christian circles it’s called the law of the harvest; in the world it’s called karma, and in science it’s called cause and effect. “What comes around goes around.”
Regardless of what man tries to label it, this law of giving and receiving originated with God at the foundation of the world. It’s not a hypothesis or theory. It is an ingrained law that applies to life on this earth and in heaven whether we are aware of it or not. What you release will be given back to you, and even more, you will receive in proportion to how you give. If you give (sow) sparingly you will receive (reap) sparingly. -2 Corinthians 9:6.
Favor And Abundance
There is one type of giving I want to emphasize that will cause favor to be multiplied to you in ways you have never experienced. This type of giving will bring you into a realm of favor that no other type of giving will and it’s found in 2 Corinthians 9:8-9, “And God is able to make all grace abound to you, that you, always having all sufficiency in everything, may abound to every good work; as it is written, “He has scattered abroad, he has given to the poor, His righteousness remains forever.”
Many believers may never walk in this level of favor, but it is available to those who will disperse it. Showing mercy and helping the poor is the way to tap into this realm of favor. God will multiply your sown seed.
However, stinginess will choke the flow of favor in your life. You cannot be stingy and have an abundance of favor. “Give and it shall be given to you, good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, will be given to you. For with the same measure you measure, it will be measured back to you” -Luke 6:38. This is the level that we should all want to walk and live in.
We are living in an apostolic time. This is a season of favor. God is doing some things in this season. He is doing a work so great that it will not be believed. -Habakkuk 1:5. It is set time. This means that it has been ordained by the Father. Satan cannot stop it.
God’s Word is powerful. When we pray the Word of God, it becomes “like a hammer that breaks the rock into pieces” – Jeremiah 23:29, bringing victory and the abundant life Jesus died for us to experience.
Name the most expensive personal item you’ve ever purchased (not your home or car).
I just made a recent purchase of a washer and dryer that I paid $2000 dollars for. Which I think it absolutely disgusting. This world has become so money hungry. While I am blessed to have the means to pay for them. Most people aren’t.
Everyone knows at least one person who was considered an outcast, an antisocial —-that one person who always stood out from the rest. Someone who would always find themselves isolated. Maybe you are that person who did not share the interests or thought patterns of those around you and in your age group.
There is a very unique and special type of person who find themselves in this situation, usually from a very young age. And not because they harbor reclusive tendencies or any social anxiety, but simply because they are a old soul. They walk a separate and solitary life which is different yet very peaceful and fulfilling.
Here are a few tell-tale signs of a old soul:
They enjoy being alone
People in their age groups tend to have interests and pursuits that are of little interest to them. They find it difficult to make friends or keep lasting relationships with them. They would rather keep their own company or do their own thing.
Life is too short
Some people have a good grasp on reality and life as a whole. They think about how fragile life really is. And while you would think this person is depressed or withdrawn the fact is they enjoy life more because they live in the moment and appreciate life to it’s fullest.
They have a love from pursuing knowledge
Old souls love knowledge. They are attracted to pursuing the truth and gaining as much wisdom as they can from life experiences. For them knowledge is power, and they would much rather spend time learning anything they can as opposed to wasting time on superficial things like binge watching movies or reading celebrity news, or even gossiping with their neighbors.
They lean towards spirituality
Old souls show levels of sensitivity and great maturity in comparison to their age. They constantly pursue peace, and spirituality is a huge attraction to them. Spiritual teachings and disciplines that could take a lifetime to understand for some an old soul can grasp naturally and effortlessly.
They are deep thinkers
Talk talk less and think more about every little thing. Not only are their heads filled with all kinds of knowledge but they also reflect more on their experiences and surroundings. Because of this they learn so many valuable life lessons at a younger age which leads them to making them feel older.
They don’t follow the crowd
To blindly follow something is not their style. They won’t mindlessly conform and comply with things because someone else is doing it. They always explore things before committing to a cause. They do not agree with the majority which causes them to stand out.
They didn’t fit in as a child
As a child growing up, they feel different from the rest. They may be labeled as rebellious, or weird, in fact they were just overly mature for their age. Their intelligence shone through by genuine understanding and because they question the adults it is seen as resistance and needed to be disciplined.
They are not materialistic
Old souls may show no interest in things that can break or be taken away. They focus on irreplaceable things that bring them lasting fulfillment and joy, not just temporary pleasure. Anything that is short lived it is likely that an old soul may not care for it.
An old soul is defined as a person who is wise beyond their years. They feel much older than their age reflects and often have the gift of empathy and intuition with keen eyesight into the human condition.
Seeking God means seeking His presence. “Presence” is a commontranslation of the Hebrew word “face.” We are to seek His face.
God is omnipresent and therefore always near to everyone and everything. His power is ever-present in sustaining and governing all things. And He is always present with His children in the sense of His covenant commitment to always stand by us and work for us to turn everything good. Matthew 28:20 tells us “Behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
But there is a sense in which God’s presence is not with us always. For this reason, the Bible repeatedly calls us to “seek the Lord…seek His presence continually “ -Psalm 105:4. God’s manifest, conscious, trusted presence is not our constant experience. There are seasons when we become neglectful of God and give Him no thought and do not put our trust in Him and find Him “unmanifested” which is unperceived as great and beautiful and valuable by the eyes of our heart.
His face -the brightness of His personal character is hidden behind the curtain of our carnal desires. This condition is always ready to overtake us. Which is why we are told to “seek His presence continually.” God calls us to enjoy continual consciousness of His supreme greatness and beauty and worth.
We should seek God practically. Both the Old and New Testaments say it is a “setting of the mind and heart” on God. It is conscious focusing of our mind’s attention and our heart’s affection on God.
“Now set your mind and heart to seek the Lord your God” -1 Chronicles 22:19.
“If then you were raised with Christ, seek the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not the things that are on earth” – Colossians 3:1-2.
This setting of the mind is the opposite of mental coasting. It is a conscious choice to direct our hearts toward God. This is what Paul prays for the church: “May the Lord direct your hearts to the love of God and the steadfastness of Christ” -2 Thessalonians 3:5. It is a conscious effort o our part. But that effort to seek God is a gift from God.
There is always something through or around which we must go to meet Him consciously. He is often hidden. Veiled. Jesus’s sacrifice at the cross made it possible to seek Him without priests, or teachers of God. We should all take advantage of seeking God on our own, when you do, the findings are sure to bless you.
Paul writes in Galatians 5:22-23 the nine specific behaviors – love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control that result from the work of the Holy Spirit in a true believers life.
“Either make the tree good and it’s fruit good, or make the tree bad and it’s fruit bad, for the tree is known by its fruit” – Matthew 12:33
Jesus said we are known by our fruit, so what are the good fruits we should aspire to? The apostle Paul mentions the “fruits of the Spirit” That are the outcome an indication of a relationship with God and the Holy Spirit dwelling within us.
The Fruit of the Spirit
The “Fruits of the Spirit” refers to a list of virtues and character traits outlined in the New Testament of the Bible, specifically in the book of Galatians 5:22-23. The apostle Paul, write about these qualities and attributes that should be evident in the life of true believers, which should be evident in their lives.
The fruits of the spirit are often considered essential qualities for a living a Christ filled life. The list includes:
Love: This is often seen as the foundational virtue and the greatest of all. It refers to selfless, sacrificial love for others, as demonstrated by Jesus.
Joy: A believer’s joy is not dependent on circumstances but is a a deep sense of contentment and gladness that comes from a relationship with God.
Peace: :This refers to inner peace, reconciliation with God, and living in harmony with others This refers to inner peace, reconciliation with God, and living in harmony with others.
Patience: Involves being slow to anger and showing forbearance and patience toward others, even in challenging situations.
Kindness: It is the quality of being friendly, generous, and considerate toward others, often putting their needs before one’s own.
Goodness: Goodness signifies moral excellence and integrity in one’s character and actions goodness, signifies moral excellence and integrity in one’s character and actions.
Faithfulness: This virtue relates to loyalty, reliability, and trustworthiness in one’s commitments and relationships.
Gentleness: Involves having a gentle and humble spirit, showing meekness and compassion toward others.
Self-Control: The ability to exercise, discipline and restraint over one’s desires and behaviors, particularly in the face of temptation.
These fruits of the spirit are often seen as evidence of the transformative work of the Holy Spirit that lives in the life of believers. They serve as a guide for true believers to aspire who are virtuous, and Christlike character, promoting a life marked by love, joy, peace, and other qualities that reflect that he created of Jesus.
Those in Christ are differentiated from disbelievers, and that they have been endowed by the Holy Spirit, allowing them to bear these spiritual fruits.
The Greek word Karpos that we translate as “fruit” usually means fruit in the sense of edible fruits and vegetables, it can also be translated as offspring, deed, action, result, or profit. In agrarian society, fruit is a good thing that results from hard work and careful tending. Today, we might use the word “fruit” It’s a phrase, such as the “fruits of our labor”to communicate the results of our efforts. Even if we don’t harvest, strawberries, or apples, we can have “fruit,” something to show for our work, in a paycheck, I finished project, or even a baby.
Understanding that “fruit” in this verse, and mean deed, action, or result helps make this verse more personal. The result of the work of the spirit, and a true believers life is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, gentleness, and self-control.
In Galatians 5:19-21 Paul writes,
“Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immortality, impurity, sensuality , idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, to those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.”
The Apostle Paul states the following nine gifts -The Fruit of the Spirit that result from true repentance,turning away from our sinful ways, towards love for God and neighbor.
“So i say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the flesh desires, what is contrary to the spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not you do whatever you want” – Galatians 5:16
The spirit is the holy presence of God. The Greek word pneuma has multiple meanings, including breath, spirit, or wind. It is most commonly used to describe the holy presence of God on earth, but New Testament writers use this word to describe the wind, and their spirits, including angels and demons, and even a human soul or disposition.
In Galatians 5, Paul wants to make sure that people know how to spot the evidence of the Holy Spirit in their lives. The result of the Holy Spirit in their lives would be good things like love, joy, kindness, self-control…
Jesus didn’t use the phrase “fruits of the Spirit.” but He often mentioned fruit and his teachings. In John 15:5, Jesus said, “I am the vine, you are the branches. If you remain in me, and I and you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me, you can do nothing.” Fruit is evidence of being connected to Christ, just as branches of a tree or grapevine have to be connected to the trunk to bear grapes or apples.
I don’t listen to podcasts. I usually listen to a few Bible teachers or music. I listen to Rabbi Jonathan Chan, and Perry Stone. Both are great teachers.
As a student, my favorite subject was English literature. I was alway passionate about reading, so in class when the teacher would set an essay or have us do a book report. I never had any trouble writing them. I loved the class spelling B,s we use to have every Friday in class.
Reading always took my places in my mind so I wouldn’t focus on my reality. English was the one class of the day I looked forward to.
In high school other students would ask me to type their English papers for them. It was a way to make some extra money. And luckily I never got caught.
Over the years I’ve had to deal with some difficult emotions at times I had absolutely no control over them. Crying at a drop of a hat, screaming in anger at the top of my lungs. Just to try and release the flood of emotions that would build up in me.
It wasn’t until I began doing volunteer work that I understood that every one I met had problems dealing with their emotions. When I began facilitating a mental health support group one of my first goals was to help others and myself how to not let our emotions run away from us.
We can easily let our emotions dictate our choices instead of us dictating our emotions. The only reason letting our emotions rule are bad ones.
My day would usually go like this, something good would happen I would be happy, something bothered me, I would be frustrated, something bad happened I would be angry. I allowed every situation to dictate my day.
Joyce Meyers says “You can be pitiful or you can be powerful, but you can’t be both.” Without finding a way to stabilize our emotions we can find ourselves living one big pity party everyday.
In the support group I ended each group with something they could work on until the next time to improve their lives. I asked everyone to be mindful of how many pity parties they were having and to write down how many times if they needed to.
Because the group I facilitated was a state run organization, I was unable to speak to anyone about God during the hours the support group ran.
So, I took it one step further and began taking my self-pity and horrible attitude to God every night and let Him fix me up. I would go to bed happy, but wake-up sad because I knew I would let every emotion make choices for me.
After working with the support group and my prayers to God, I began to be a happier person. It’s called “the joy of the Lord.” I started trusting that if God could fix me and my emotions up every night, then why couldn’t He do it during the day time also. It’s kinda silly notion that didn’t dawn on me that it was obvious.
I began going with the support group for coffee, and having little parties at different time of the week, so that I could tell people about the Lord, but to my surprise quite a few of the people who came to the weekly support group also went to a church.
I volunteered doing that for about 2 years and then moved on to work at a addict recovery center which was faith-based. Emotions are a big part of our lives no matter what situations we find ourselves in.
But, there is not a single bit of emotional upset or instability that we have to put up with.
That means:
It doesn’t matter how to you got hurt
It doesn’t matter if someone placed a medical label on your emotions or not
It doesn’t matter how long you’ve felt like this
It doesn’t matter how easy it is to get back into a unstable thought pattern
The simple fact is that Jesus has paid for you to be free from everything that brings you pain, and He will completely stabilize your emotions if you ask Him to do so.
There are a lot of options that can help to become more in control of your emotions. It’s just that none of them were and are as effective as prayer for me.
I tried self-help stuff, I tried and tried to fix myself by reading every positive thinking book I laid my eyes on. I tried the success principles that my therapist told me about. But no amount of success principles or self help book helped me.
So, when I became desperate enough, I asked Abba – The Father. It was then and only then that things began to change for me. God answered my prayers and stabilized my emotions.
Do not trust a person’s pretty speeches, since in the heart lurk seven abominations – Proverbs 26:25.
“There are six things which the Lord hates; yes, seven which are an abomination to Him” – Proverbs 6:16
A haughty look
I lying tongue
And that shed innocent blood
A heart that weaves wicked plots
Feet that hurry to do evil
A false witness, who lies with every breath
One who sows dissension among brothers
“Don’t you understand that whatever goes into the mouth passes into the belly, and then out of the body? But the things that proceed out of the mouth come out of the heart, and they defile on then. For out of the heart come, evil, thoughts, murders, adulteries, sexual sins, theft, false testimony, and blasphemies. These are the things which defile a man, but you eat with and laughing and defile not a man” -Matthew 15:17-20
From Pity to Praise 