Posts

Intimacy with Christ

/0 Comments/in /by

There is a little verse that I love in Psalm 25:14. It says, “The Lord confides in those who fear him. He makes his covenant known to them.” Now the Lord has no favorites, but he does have intimates. My pastor said that and I like it. The intimates are those who have a holy fear of God, a love for holiness, and who repent and confess their sins. The result is intimacy with God.

This intimacy is what helps us in sharing our faith. When theres this kind of closeness in our relationship with Christ, we can hear His voice speak to us very directly about certain situations and people. We can walk in confidence knowing that when the right time and place come, the Lord will reveal exactly what He wants us to do or say. We will be willing vessels for the Holy Spirit to flow through us onto others.

Every believer has a right to intimacy and depth with God where God explains things that are close to His heart. But in order to have this intimacy, we need to walk closely with the Lord with a broken and contrite spirit. Then, well understand where He wants us to go, and how He wants to use us to draw people to Himself.

Christians and Priests

/0 Comments/in /by

Many of you have heard the verse in Hebrews that says we have only one high priest, and his name is Jesus Christ. He is the Son of God. But did you know that all believers are also priests in the eyes of God? We all have equal access to the Heavenly Father. With the new covenant, God ordained that Christians dont have priests — Christians are priests.

There are three things that priests do according to Scripture: They worship God, intercede for others, and minister according to the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Every one of us is given gifts according to our position and the Lords choice, to use for His glory.

If you take your priesthood seriously, theres no telling what God could do with your life and your gifts. So, pray today that God would do powerful deeds through you to reach the lost. As you do, He will begin to open doors that you never envisioned. You will begin to witness for Christ with power and authority. And to witness simply means to tell what youve seen and heard. By accepting your priestly role, youll be astonished at the power that will be unleashed, and the lives that will be changed.

Stuck in a Rut

/0 Comments/in /by

Have you ever heard the phrase, “Besetting sins.” Thats what the old-timers used to call them. Theyre the sins we go back to again and again. With some of us its temper, with some of us its gossip, with others its bitterness, or it could be a sexual sin.

So what do we do when were caught in a rut of sinful behavior? We have to go back to the Lord every single time! Every time confess and move on. Ive heard many new converts say, “How many times am I going to go back and confess my sins?” As many as it takes! Eventually youll get so tired of confession that youll probably decide, I better not do it again. This is getting boring.

David says in Psalm 32 that he felt like his bones were dry as in the heat of summer until he confessed his sins to the Lord. And then he was forgiven, set free. It didnt mean that he wasnt tempted again, but now he was free from besetting sins.

First John 1 tells us that God is light, and in Him there is no darkness at all. Romans 8 says we arent obligated to the sinful nature any more.

Hebrews 10 says this is now Gods covenant with us: “Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more.”

Dont let besetting sins keep you from living fervently and free in Jesus. Your victory over sin is a tremendous testimony of abundant life in Jesus Christ, our Savior!

More Than Enough

/0 Comments/in /by

The theological experts tell us that number seven is the number of perfection. The book of Hebrews says seven times: “Once for all, once for all, once forever, once for all.” Seven times it repeats that the death of Christ was once for all. Why? Because it was sufficient. It was so perfect that there was no need for another sacrifice, by Christ or anybody else.

First Peter says: “For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God.” Thats one of the most amazing passages perhaps in the whole Bible. It is so rich! Think about it. Meditate on it. Under the old covenant the sacrifices went on and on and on and the people couldnt take it. But the Lord allowed those sacrifices to happen so as to drive home to them that the point was sacrifices are necessary for salvation.

There are still some times I dont get it all. I mistakenly think that if I do this or that, then God will think Im such a good little boy. But its just not true. Jesus death on the cross was enough. It was more than enough. It paid the price for every one of us, so we can have abundant life here on Earth and eternal life when we die! His once-for-all, perfect sacrifice is what the world needed then and its what the world needs today! So, let them know about it.

Implanted in Our Hearts

/0 Comments/in /by

I went to a local church in Argentina when I was a teenager. There were always two elderly people who were there very early. They always opened the chapel for the Tuesday and Thursday meetings, which started at 7:30 at night. These people would arrive at 5:00 p.m. They were both illiterate but they knew the Word of the Lord and they knew the law of the Lord.

I would arrive early from work and I went straight to the chapel. I would sit with these two elders in the corner of the church. I would get them talking until the crowd began to arrive, sometimes for an hour. It was the best! They would tell me illustrations that were earthy, very day to day, and apply Bible passages. I was always impressed how, though they were illiterate, the Word of God was implanted in them.

Thats what Jeremiah says, in the Bible, regarding the new covenant that was to come: “I will put my law in their minds and write them on their hearts.”

When we spend time with God, He implants His word in our hearts, too. Thats when things get exciting! Gods word is hidden in your heart, and it just starts coming out of you. It spills out into the lives of those around you! And it draws them to Jesus Christ. So, every day, if you possibly can, every day spend time in the Word of God and you will be used by God in a mighty way.