Hearing From The Lord

In the bible we see how God spoke at various times to his people.
Notice that it was only various and not all the time.
When he spoke it was revelation that required His people to do something.
God now speaks to us through His son Jesus and he requires us to be
His servants wherever we are. He will be with us.
He will watch over us.
He will guide us.

Heb 1:1-2
1 God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets,

2 Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;

Word from Scotland: Ever wonder why few people preach, teach from the Sermon on the Mount?

We come to this teaching of Jesus Christ in Matthew Chapter 5 and at verse 42. Give to the one who asks. Do not run away from the one who wants to borrow. There may be some unknown reason, as to why someone wants to borrow.

Do not stand on your dignity. Jesus is asking for more than mere non-retaliation. Take positive steps. Be actively generous. It is all so very personal.

This is how we, as disciples of Jesus, can become the salt and the light. We cannot apply this to others.

Jesus is challenging the social trends. These can go against the grain.

We may even think that the Sermon on the Mount is a bit much. This teaching appears to be to our disadvantage.

No More Dying to Do

But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man." (Hebrews 2:9)

Death. It's not a popular topic--even among believers. In fact, a great many are just plain scared of it. Oh yes, they talk about having eternal life. Yet when the devil tries to threaten their earthly survival with sickness or calamity, they panic.

Why? Because they haven't learned to look at death through God's eyes. Even though their spirit has been made immortal, they haven't renewed their minds to include that truth. If they had, when the devil tried to push their panic button, they'd just laugh and say, "You can't scare me, devil. I've done all the dying I'm ever going to do!"

Discipleship Versus Evangelism

Most Christians believe that the primary purpose of salvation is to avoid hell. That may have been what you were taught, but it’s not what the Bible teaches. In fact, that kind of thinking serves to inoculate people from the truth of the Gospel concerning salvation.

If we simply ceased to exist at death and if there was no hell, I still believe that Jesus would have come to earth and died for us. Why? Because salvation is about having a relationship with God. God’s main reason for sending Jesus was to restore fellowship. It just so happens that as we restore our relationship with God through salvation, one of the perks—one of the great benefits—is that we miss hell and gain heaven.

Nowhere in the Scripture did Jesus tell us to go and make converts. Let’s look at what is commonly referred to as the Great Commission, found in Matthew 28:18-20. It says this:

Get Ready for the Impossible

by Rick Warren

“He chose to give us birth through the word of truth …” (James 1:18a NIV)

God wants to use his Word to give you a fresh start in life.

Without God’s Word, we could never be saved. We wouldn’t be headed for Heaven. We wouldn’t know about Jesus’ death on the cross. We wouldn’t know about God’s purposes for our lives.

Without the Bible, we can’t know God.

God wants to give you all of that — but it starts with his Word. Through the Bible, God recreates our life. When I feel like I’m at the end of my rope, God uses the Bible to give me a fresh start, a do-over. The Bible calls it being “born again.” In James 1:18, the Bible says, “He chose to give us birth through the word of truth …” (NIV).

Start Planting

"Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever." (1 Peter 1:23)

You won't really get excited about the Word of God until you realize that it's more than just a collection of divinely-inspired promises. It's a living force that literally carries within it the power to make those promises become a reality in your life.

Is it tough for you to believe such a thing is possible?

It shouldn't be. You see it happen in the natural world all the time.

HEALING HOUSE: "I THOUGHT YOU WERE DEAD."

Tim Smith

Healing House is in Kansas City, Ks. It's a home for drug addicts started by a woman named Bobbie Jo. 

Bobbie Jo had been walking the streets for many years but then someone cared enough to share the Gospel with her and she was born again. At the same time, her mother died and left her an inheritance. She knew that many of the women who were drug addicts turned to the streets to support their habits. When they were arrested, put in jail and then released, they had no place to go. So they went back to working the streets. 

So with her inheritance, Bobbie Jo bought an old retirement home that was boarded up and rehabbed it. She invited the ladies to come and live there and as they did, she would share the Gospel with them. 

Perseverance Gets Results

"I tell you, although he will not get up and supply him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his shameless persistence and insistence, he will get up and give him as much as he needs." (Luke 11:8, The Amplified Bible)

If, as God tells us in 1 Timothy 2:4, it's His will for all men to be saved, why aren't we seeing more of the masses of lost people born again every day? Have you ever wondered that?

I have...and as I've sought the Lord about it, I've come to realize that, for the most part, it's because those of us who are already saved don't pray persistently for those who aren't. Instead of persevering--staying before the Father, praying for them to receive the bread of salvation--like the man in Luke 11:8 did for his friend, when we don't see immediate results, we simply give up and go home.

What we don't realize is this: Perseverance is the key to success in intercession!

HOLINESS IS A FRUIT

"But woe unto you, Pharisees! for ye tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs, and pass over judgment and the love of God: these ought ye to have done and not to leave the other undone."  Luke 11:42 

LUKE 11:42-44

When Jesus said, "and not to leave the other undone," it is clear that He is not arguing against doing what is right. God's Word stresses holiness in our actions. The Pharisees' error that caused Jesus' rebuke was that they believed their actions could produce a right relationship with God. But a proper relationship with God can only come by humbling ourselves and putting faith in a Savior, who is Jesus. God cleanses our hearts by grace through faith (Eph. 2:8) and then we have our fruit unto holiness (Rom. 6:22). Holiness is a fruit, not a root, of salvation.

In a similar instance found in Matthew 23:26, Jesus told the Pharisees, "Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also." True Christianity comes from the inside out. A good heart will change a man's actions, but a man's actions cannot change his heart.

KNOWING WHO I AM IN CHRIST

I am complete in Him Who is the Head of all principality and power (Colossians 2:10).

I am alive with Christ (Ephesians 2:5).

I am free from the law of sin and death (Romans 8:2).

I am far from oppression, and fear does not come near me (Isaiah 54:14).

I am born of God, and the evil one does not touch me (1 John 5:18).

I am holy and without blame before Him in love (Ephesians 1:4; 1 Peter 1:16).

I have the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16; Philippians 2:5).

I have the peace of God that passes all understanding (Philippians 4:7).

I have the Greater One living in me; greater is He Who is in me than he who is in the world (1 John 4:4).

The Fatherhood of God

"For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring." (Acts 17:28)

"The fatherhood of God and the brotherhood of man" was a religious cliché promoted for many years, especially by religious liberals in the period between the two world wars. However, continuing hostilities between and inside most nations now make the idea of universal brotherhood in this present world almost farcical.

The fact is, however, that God truly is the Father of all men, in the sense that He created them all. "Have we not all one father? hath not one God created us?" (Malachi 2:10). That was the rhetorical question posed to Israel in the last book of the Old Testament. In the New Testament the apostle Paul confirmed the same great truth to the pagan Gentiles. "|God| hath made of one blood all nations of men to dwell on all the face of the earth," and "we are the offspring of God" (Acts 17:26, 29).

Receive the Man of God

"Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that receiveth whomsoever I send receiveth me; and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me." (John 13:20)

I can't tell you how many born-again, Holy Ghost-filled Christians pick their pastor apart on Saturday night and then expect him to pray the prayer of faith for them Sunday morning! They'll constantly make critical comments about the evangelists and preachers that God has sent to minister to them and then wonder why the rain of the Spirit has all but dried up in their churches.

Most of those folks would never dream of criticizing the ministry of Jesus. Yet, according to the Word of God, that's precisely what they're doing. You see, Jesus said, "He that receiveth whomsoever I send receiveth me."

I know ministers fail sometimes. I know they make mistakes. Jesus knew they would too. But, even so, He said, "If you receive them, you receive Me."

CAN WE LOSE OUR ABUNDANCE DURING A TESTING TIME?

Serge Roux-Levrat

Did you answer yes to the title question? Why? Is your Father in Heaven surrounded by less abundance while you go through a trial? No. Do you lose your adopted son or daughter-ship status when you navigate in rough seas? No. Does God love you less when you face tough challenges? No. So, why did you answer yes to my question then? The simple truth is that the devil can seek to steal everything from you (like he tried to with Job), but if you resist him by flexing your faith muscles, he cannot win.

If you have been born again, you are a child of God. As such you are rich beyond measure and can enjoy the abundant life that Jesus died for you to have. God has already given you a “Promised Land;” a land that lacks nothing and where everything exists in abundance. Yes, God’s plan for your life may require that you appear poor in the eyes of the world. However, do not make the mistakes of seeing yourself as a poor person, because you are wealthy beyond imagination.

→ Don't believe me? Then think about this: was Jesus poor or rich, living in abundance or in scarcity? Before you answer, let me give you a clue. Imagine that the world’s richest person decided to live one year with the poorest tribe on earth. And, in order to experience firsthand what they have to go through each day, he decides to take no money, no credit card, and no mobile phone with him. Put differently, he leaves all his material wealth to a steward to manage it. Now, while our richest man is in the “land” of poverty, is he rich or poor? Well, for the tribe he currently lives with, he is probably poor, as they do not know how wealthy he really is. But for the rest of the world, he is still the richest man on earth.

Receive Jesus as Your Savior

Choosing to receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior is the most important decision you’ll ever make!

God’s Word promises, “If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation…. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Rom. 10:9–10,13).

By His grace, God has already done everything to provide salvation. Your part is simply to believe and receive.

Pray out loud, Jesus, I confess that You are my Lord and Savior. I believe in my heart that God raised You from the dead. By faith in Your Word, I receive salvation now. Thank You for saving me!

The very moment you commit your life to Jesus Christ, the truth of His Word instantly comes to pass in your spirit. Now that you’re born again, there’s a brand-new you!

Please contact us and let us know that you’ve prayed to receive Jesus as your Savior. We would like to rejoice with you and help you understand more fully what has taken place in your life.


We have a Helpline staffed by mature Christians who will be glad to pray with you. Our Helpline is open from 4:00 A.M. to 9:30 P.M. (Mountain Time) each weekday. The number is (719) 635-1111.


Give us a call — we’re here to help you understand and grow in your new relationship with the Lord.

http://www.awmi.net/receive_jesus

Don’t Hold Your Breath

by Pastor Colin S. Smith


“No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God's seed remains in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God.” 1 John 3:9 (NIV)

The person born of God will not continue to sin. They cannot go on sinning. Really? How can this be? The reason why the Christian will not and cannot continue in sin is because he is born of God and God’s seed remains in him. The new birth makes continuing in sin impossible.

If sin is your friend, God is your enemy. If God is your friend, sin is your enemy. James says“Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God”(James 4:4). But the Christian is never wholly free from sin in this life. Indeed anyone, [including any Christian], who says or even thinks he is without sin deceives himself (1 John 1:8).

You can’t live under water

When a child is in the womb, that life is surrounded by water. The child lives in the water, not in the air. As soon as the child’s first breath is taken, the nature of its life is changed. From that moment on, the child can no longer live in the water. The child has a new life that’s lived in the air.

The child can go in water, swim though water, and even go under the water. You can hold your breath and stay under water for 30 seconds or a minute, or more. But you cannot continue under the water.

What once was your life is no longer possible for you. You cannot go back to it. Being born has changed the nature of your life. What used to be natural has now become, not just difficult, but impossible.

You can’t live in sin

That’s what it is like when you are born again. When you are born again you cannot continue in sin. The sinner is comfortable with sin. It doesn’t bother him. But when you are born again, your conscience is activated. You can’t settle with something that you know is wrong in your life. Holding onto a sin for a Christian is like holding your breath under water. It takes a great effort and you can’t do it for long.

In the new birth God becomes your friend, and sin becomes your enemy. You can’t live with sin like you did when sin was your friend. You turn from it. And when you fall into sin you turn from it again.

Repentance is a life-long process. We learned before that repentance is: turning from as much as you know of your sin, to give as much as you know of yourself, to as much as you know of God. That’s a lifetime pursuit, and it begins with the new birth.


This LifeKey is based on the message “Signs of Life,” by Pastor Colin S. Smith on May 10, 2009, from the series “Regeneration: How Christ Changes Your Soul.”

http://www.lightsource.com/ministry/unlocking-the-bible/articles/dont-hold-your-breath-13257.html

You Have Been Born Again . . .

http://www.unlockingthebible.com/