Has anyone noticed there’s a direct conflict between man’s law and God’s law? The world has increasingly advocated tolerance of everything except Jesus. If we are going to follow God’s law, we must learn to live with pressure, and be guided by the truths we find in the Bible.
There will come a time when obeying God’s law will mean disobeying man’s law. And I believe it will become more challenging as time goes on.
After all, the world’s authority is given by God Himself. Our observance of the law is a positive public testimony of our faith. Obedience to God is always the right thing to do.
The government should not impose any law that goes against God’s law. If they do, the world will crumble. After all authority is given by God. We as followers of God are not bound by any government that places itself above God’s law. We need to take care to know when obedience to the government entails disobedience to God.
It takes courage to stand for what is right in our world today. It takes courage to stand strong and not condone, or compromise, what is clearly opposed in God’s Word. God gives us struggles to strengthen us.
As followers of Jesus we are commanded to stand true to the Word of God.
The more confident we are of the promises in God’s Word, the more inspired we are to obey Him.
Faith is often thought of as a thing we have – a belief in something or someone. But according to the Bible faith is more than a passive possession, it’s a firm confidence that results in action. Action follows every mention of faith.
Noah prepared the Ark, Abraham obeyed without knowing where he was going,
Instead of sitting back we as believers should count on God’s promises and act accordingly, as did the people in Hebrews 11.
The Lord accomplished amazing feats through their lives when they believed Him and moved in obedience. Like a muscle, faith grows. The more we put it into action. We can strengthen our trust in God and His promises, even if we don’t live to see the fulfillment in our lifetime.
We can choose to let God use us by letting biblical truths and His character and power shape our thinking and response.
There are a few objects I could not live without, such as food, water, and shelter, because they are essential physiological needs that require homeostasis that provide energy, and protect the body.
I would also have a difficult time living without coffee, or a warm blanket for those cold nights. And maybe a dog or cat to keep me company. These objects are not essential m but they would make life more joyous.
Every trial we endure that makes us feel hopeless always serves as a test to refine our faith, ultimately producing endurance, character and spiritual maturity.
When situations appear insurmountable, they can draw us closer to God or further away from Him. They either foster dependence on Him, rather than self-reliance.
James 1-2-4 encourages viewing our trials ad joy, as the testing of faith produces endurance. Any trial we face are not wasted but refines our character and demonstrates God’s faithfulness.
When I find myself in a trial that seems hopeless, I try to ask God, “What do you want me to learn through this?” As with any life journey, it’s all about perspective. If we go in thinking “This is going to be horrible,” it probably will because that’s what we expect.
We can learn about intimacy with God from looking at Moses and Jesus and their progressing from general awareness to profound face to face fellowship, emphasizing a journey from outward experience to inner transformation through revelation, faith, and dedication.
We hinder our intimacy with God by interns barriers like pride, unwillingness to change, and shame, as well as external distractions such as busyness, worldly desires, and people pleasing, along with spiritual obstacles like unconfessed sin, self-reliance, and doubt.
It can seem that with all the things against us, we are doomed to live away from God. That’s why it’s so important to make time for Him every day in prayer, and studying the Bible. We need to have humility, and repentance, and prioritization.
Moses maintained a place outside the camp to meet with God, where the Lord spoke to him, as a man speaks to his friend. He also frequently interceded for the Israelites, actively standing between them and God’s judgment, which deepened His reliance on God.
Despite leading millions, Moses remained the “meekest man on earth, prioritizing God’s will and instructions over his own, which allowed him to grow in understanding God’s ways.
Moses was not satisfied with just God’s promises, he demanded to see God’s glory and wanted to be in His presence. Moses tells God in Exodus 33:15, “If your presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here.” Moses prioritized God’s company over the promise of His presence, without being promised that he would go into the promised land with his people.
Through these actions, Moses built a lasting, intimate friendship with God that was characterized by trust, dialogue, and a proud desire to know God’s ways.
Intimacy is built through consistency rather than a single event, we need to focus on inviting God into our ordinary moments.
One of the most difficult phases in life that we all go through is the phase of grief. Mine was of my father. Moving past the intense, early, phase of grief involves actively processing emotions, establishing routines, and practicing self-care.
I took care of my father for the last 10 years of his life. In that time we became very close. One thing I learned in the process of grief is that fighting my feelings didn’t work. I had to allow myself to cry and experience the pain to move through it. That being said, it took me 6 years to even open a box of his possessions.
Still, today if someone says some quirky thing my father used to say, the memories come flooding back and I get emotional.
It’s something I’m sure no one who has grieved someone can relate to.
The Bible is clear that there will be great deception in the last days. Jesus warned in 2 Thessalonians 2:3, “Take heed that no one deceives you.” And Paul wrote by the Spirit that some would “depart from faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils” in 1 Timothy 4:1. I believe that we are watching this take place in our time. Many are being led astray because they are not prepared spiritually. They do not know God’s Word as they should. They have neglected prayer and fellowship with the Lord. Because of that, they are open to deception.
One of the greatest dangers is this hour is the trickery of deception. It does not come wearing a label warning that says, “This is false.” It comes through teachings, and social media, that sound good in the natural mind but are not rooted in the Word of God. It comes through emotional experiences like feelings that are mistaken for the Spirit of God. It comes through ministries that draw people after themselves instead of after Jesus.
The Spirit of God has said repeatedly that through prophecy and written word that many would be deceived in the last days. Yet many act as though this could never happen to them. They believe they are too mature or too grounded to fall for it. This is pride, and it opens the door wide open to deception.
Deception comes through lack of spiritual preparation. Many believers fail to spend the time with God that they neglect His Word. They become spiritually dull because thru neglect prayer. When they are in that condition, they cannot discern truth from error.
God always prepares His people if they listen. But many do not listen. They choose entertainment over time with Him. Thru choose the opinions of people over the truth of the Word. Because of this, their spiritual discernment is poor. When false teachings or false movements arise, they are swept along because they are not well grounded.
They can be deceived by the wrong associations. The Bible says, “Do not be deceived, evil company corrupts good habits” (1 Corinthians 15:33). If we continually listen to voices that are not speaking truth, it will affect us. Even if we think we are strong it can dull our spiritual edge. Many have been sitting under wrong teachings or being influenced by believers who are not walking in truth.
Some believers are deceived because they desire manifestations more than they desire God’s Word. They run after signs and wonders but do not judge what they see by the scriptures. Remember satan counterfeits everything God does. He will produce lying signs and wonders. If we do not know God’s Word, we will not know the difference. The Holy Spirit will never lead us contrary to the Word of God. If we stay full of God’s Word, we will not be deceived.
Many believers will be deceived by rejecting sound doctrine. They want messages that please their flesh. They want to hear about blessings and prosperity, not holiness, obedience, and the fear of the Lord. We need to seek out churches that are seeker-scary, rather than the ones that are seeker-friendly. If we’re not getting convicted by the truth, it’s not a true church. If we only feed on messages that appeal to our flesh, we can be an easy target for deception.
There is only one way to safeguard ourselves against deception – a strong foundation in the Word of God, a life of prayer, a heart that is humble and teachable before the Lord. We have to judge everything we hear by God’s Word. We must “test the spirits.” If we don’t stay till of the Holy Spirit we will be in danger.
Don’t open a door to pride, through neglect, or wrong associations. Don’t ignore checks in our spirits. When we ignore the checks by the Holy Spirit, we override the warnings of the Holy Spirit and will open ourselves up the deception.
Today it is more important than ever to stay spiritually alert. Don’t assume you cannot be deceived. Test everything by the written Word of God, and listen to our inward voice.
God is speaking to all believers clearly, but we just have ears to hear Him. It’s more important than ever to stay close to Him and stay on the right path.
I believe in destiny as a purposeful, divine plan, crafted by God rather than blind fate by focusing on redemption, eternal life, and becoming more like Jesus.
I believe God has a specific plan for everyone of us as well as every nation, including “a hope and the future” (Jeremiah 29:11).
while God is sovereign, we are accountable for our actions. Destiny is not fatalistic. It is brought on by obedience, faith, and diligence and it is required that we walk in it, while sin and disobedience can derail our destiny.
I think we have two destinations with ultimate consequences, eternal life, or destruction.
destiny is not just a far off, future event, it is lived out daily by God‘s purpose and unfolds in the present.
Reverence for God isn’t profound attitude of awe, deep respect, and love that honors His holiness, authority, and character. It is a comprehensive way of life -not just a feeling that involves submitting to His will, obeying His commands, and treating sacred things with honor.
Without reverence we cannot have an intimate relationship with God. This “godly fear” is considered the foundation of wisdom and a key to righteous living.
The key aspects and expressions of reverence for God include:
Heartfelt Adornation and Awe
It is a recognition of God’s greatness as Creator and Savior, fostering a sense of humble, fearful, and joyous respect.
A Lifestyle of Submission
Reverent goes beyond worship services to influence daily decisions, actions, and speech, ensuring their lying with God‘s will.
Obedience and Holiness
It involves taking God’d word seriously, departing from evil, and living a life of moral integrity.
Worship and Service
Genuine, humble worship often characterized by rejoicing with trembles it’s a primary way to express this reverence.
I used to think of worship as singing praises to God. But I was humbled by the Holy Spirit showing me in Genesis 22:4 that when Abraham went up to sacrifice Isaac and told his servants to wait while him and Isaac were going to worship God. Abraham was worshiping God by being obedient to God.
Consequences
It implies a wholesome dread of not pleasing God, recognizing the importance of His holiness.
Reverence can sometimes be described as a consuming fire or a shepherds staff that guides believers toward righteous, intentional, and focused living.
“The holy fear of the Lord gives us the clarity we need to discern God’s will” – John Bevere
The most ambitious project I ever taken on was to change myself, and my perspective of the world.
It required me to look at myself and recognize that no one was there for me, and if I didn’t change I was going to go on being miserable. But changing the way I lived and perceived things was not going to be an easy task.
It required a combination of self-awareness, consistent action, forgiving myself and those who hurt me, and a whole lot of patience. I had to focus on small, inactive habits, and those things don’t happen overnight.
From Pity to Praise 