Are you an enemy of God? If you are a church-attending, tithing individual, you may say, "I can't be an enemy of God!" Jesus had some enemies, as Mark called them, and what made them His enemies was the way they wanted to control Him and His message. This is so dangerous, and we truly have to be pre-programmed for this to happen. Here is some of the preprogramming. Jesus' power and His healings were overstated, and they can be explained away. That kind of power is not ava

The last part I will comment on in the area of sanctification is walking in the new life that is progressively growing in your faith walk. Like an older home that needs remodeling, the new life we now have shows us there are some things that need to be fixed and upgraded, because there are needs for it. Like foundational needs, rot, decay, and many other things. You wouldn’t remodel a home and just cover up the things that need to be replaced, because you know those thing

Today we look at a seemingly tough and heavy part of the sanctification process. Sacrifice. Not so quick, my blog reader!! Today is going to be the most freeing blog I may have ever written. Paul wrote the following to the church in Rome. Romans 12: 1 And so, dear brothers and sisters. ,I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.

Jesus is the example of true selflessness, and giving His life on the cross for the sins of man is the Ultimate selfless act. Paul wrote to the Philippians about living a life of selflessness, and in Philippians 2:3-8 Paul gives what needs to happen in our attitude about life to make this happen. Philippians 2: 3 Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. 4 Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an i

In my study of Sanctification, I am finding out that there are clear indications this process is working and progressing. I have broken this down in my personal study in the following way. 1. Narcissism 2. Humility 3. Old self/new self. 4. selfllessness. 5. sacrifice. 6. Holy living. Today I will write about the third one, which is Old self/new self. Paul constantly spoke to immersing ourselves in the spirit-filled life, and in that life there are certain characteristic

There are many different aspects of a sanctified life, and this life will go directly in contradiction to the life lived by the world's standards. I started with the most necessary one yesterday, and that is narcissism. Today I am going in the opposite direction and speaking about having a humble walk with God or humility. If we are going to live a holy life, according to God's Word, we are called to be humble, as Jesus was humble. James writes the following in James 4:10

Narcissism (def) - an excessive preoccupation with oneself, characterized by an inflated sense of self-importance, a constant need for admiration, and a lack of empathy for others. It is easy to see why narcissism is running rampant in our society today, because our self-worth is the foundation we have at our core. Narcissism comes from a need for validation, and it is a definite personality disorder. Parts of Narcissism are the persistent demand for praise, attention, and

There is a process where God allows us to become more holy in our living, and it is called sanctification. In this process, God shows us His mysteries, and those mysteries of life enable us to live a more holy life in the righteousness of God. We are still sinners, but forgiven sinners living in the freedom of God's grace, so that the natural man doesn't hold the reins anymore and the new man, the spiritual man, has now taken over. We have a desire to read the Word of God,

Why do people stand when greeting someone? To show respect, signal engagement, and create physical equality during the interaction. What does it mean to "take a stand"? Sometimes, if the interaction is negative, a person will stand in defiance of whatever they are facing. If you have ever seen the movie Braveheart, then you will see that William Wallace took a stand, knowing he could die for taking that stand, but a whole nation rallied behind him and beside him to fight

Hebrews 8: 1 Here is the main point: We have a High Priest who sat down in the place of honor beside the throne of the majestic God in heaven. 2 There he ministers in the heavenly Tabernacle, the true place of worship that was built by the Lord and not by human hands. 3 And since every high priest is required to offer gifts and sacrifices, our High Priest must make an offering, too. 4 If he were here on earth, he would not even be a priest, since there already are priests wh

In anything, we see the 'real thing' and the 'fake thing', and in the Christian life, you see those with a fake message that is always self-serving. The truth always comes out, though, and God is the one who shines the light on the truth and the lies. Paul had to deal with a group of false apostles who were preaching falsehoods about the gospel, and hoping to get many converts for their cause, but they lost out. God is involved in keeping the liars in check, even when it see

I have ADD sometimes, and it frustrates me when it causes me to lose my focus. The Holy Spirit is good to 'snap me back' and keep me on task and focused. The writer of Hebrews leads us to keep our eyes focused on Jesus, the author of our faith. Keeping our eyes on Jesus is a strong move to keep our endurance up. Why? Because Jesus is the perfecter of our faith, and we desperately need Him to live this life of faith. Hebrews 12: 1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by su

The Hebrew word for blessing is Bracha, and blessings can be seen in many different ways. First of all, God gives His children blessings, and I am one whom He has blessed. Secondly, on March 24, I found out that I had prostate cancer, and that totally knocked me off my feet, because I do not have cancer in my family tree. On April 30 I found out the results of a biopsy I had taken and that was when I found out my cancer was stage four. Stage four??!!! Where in the world d

Have you ever needed God so much because the waves seem to be surrounding you so high that you cannot see a way out? At times it seems that way to me, and this Psalm is a great encouragement from the Pslamist to remember God in all of it. Psalm 42: 5 Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God. This causes me to yearn for God to intervene and to strengthen me, because I have no other opt

Our faith is a very personal thing for all of us who call Jesus lord. In John 3, Jesus speaks of this personal faith to Nicodemus. John 3: 3 Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God.” 4 “What do you mean?” exclaimed Nicodemus. “How can an old man go back into his mother’s womb and be born again?” 5 Jesus replied, “I assure you, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit. 6 Humans c

What happens when you get a stain on your clothing and it just won't come out? You work and work on it, but it is still there. You then try something stronger to remove it, but it is really defiant against the attempt to clean it. It seems like my white shirts are an easy target for stains, so I can see the stain easier and I can fix it before it becomes permanent. A colored article of clothing might hide the stain, but it is there. In the modern-day church, there seem t

Have you ever made a promise and had to hedge on it because of unknown circumstances? I have had that very thing happen to me and it hurts deep. Our promises are only sinners' promises, so they will not work out from time to time. God's promises are real, pure, and reliable. Promise (def) - A statement or assurance that you will or will not do a specific action. The writer of Hebrews tells me more and more of the 'real' make of promises in the following verses Hebrews 1

Authentic (def) - being real, true, and exactly what it is claimed to be, rather than a copy, fake, or imitation. In our lives, there may be a time of doubt, of questioning, and of a faith that is weakened. Today, I want to share a Word from the Word of God, or Jesus, to help undergird or strengthen that faith you have and help you continue on strong in your faith walk. I cannot convince you of anything, but God's Word is active, and it will cut away the doubt and give you a

Temple (def) - a place devoted to a special purpose. Here is what Peter defined each of us as being a temple in 1 Peter 2: And you are living stones that God is building into his spiritual temple. What’s more, you are his holy priests. Through themediation of Jesus Christ, you offer spiritual sacrifices that please God. There is a special place in each of us that is devoted to God, and that is driven by the presence of the Holy Spirit. Paul also said this about the temple

I have a quick capacity to doubt God, and I am tired of it!!! I write these blogs, and I believe everything I write, and then doubt God in the midst of writing them. CRAZY!! This morning, I was encouraged by the words of the Apostle Paul in his letter to the church in Ephesus. Ephesians 1: 19 I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe in him. This is the same mighty power 20 that raised Christ from the dead and seated h