Posts

Accessing Godly Wisdom

/0 Comments/in /by

Sandy was a young woman whom my wife and I met a few years ago. At 36 years old, Sandy had been married three times, and had six children. She had recently ended a relationship, she said, because her boyfriend would choke her and beat up on her.

Sandy said she loved her kids, but they didnt want anything to do with her. “I need help,” Sandy told me. “Im so confused, and I just want peace.”

Wow, talk about a woman in need of the Lords direction and wisdom! I had a long conversation with Sandy, and eventually ended up leading her to the Lord, which was the best decision she could make!

Many people, like Sandy, are searching for peace of mind and heart. But the only way to have true peace is to have the mind of Jesus Christ, which happens the moment you receive Him into your life.

Romans 8:6 tells us that “the mind controlled by the Spirit [of God] is life and peace.”

Receiving thoughts and direction from God, through the Holy Spirit, is the only way to live! Is there someone in your life looking for this kind of peace? Take a risk! Tell them that the only way to experience true peace is through a relationship with Jesus Christ.

Choose to Rejoice

/0 Comments/in /by

Years ago I was listening to a woman on the radio program. She was reading Galatians 5 where it says, “The fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control. Against such things there is no law.”

Then this woman said, “You know, there is no law against too much love. There is no law against too much joy… and so on and so on.”

That simple thought really struck me. Think about that for a moment – there is no law against too much joy! We are told by the Lord to rejoice. Even in bad times, the potential for joy is there, because the Spirit of God is within us.

Philippians 4 says, “Rejoice in the Lord always. Again, I say, rejoice!” It’s a choice, yes! Sometimes it’s a difficult choice, but we can rejoice because the blessed Holy Spirit, who produces joy, lives within us.

So, what does this have to do with evangelism? Everything! A joyful spirit is what makes followers of Jesus stand out from the rest of the crowd.

As you and I choose to rejoice ‘always,’ no matter what the circumstances, we are setting ourselves apart. We are letting the light of Christ, the joy of Christ, shine through our situation. By choosing to rejoice, we can be powerful witnesses to those in need of the Savior’s joy.

Taking Up Your Cross

/0 Comments/in /by

As followers of Jesus Christ, we have been promised that the Spirit of Christ dwells within each one of us. By our day-to-day choices, we can either squelch the Spirit of God, or allow Him to grow in us even more. This is a basic truth, especially when we’re confronted with a decision on whether or not to share our faith.

In Matthew 16:24 Jesus says, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.”

What does it mean to take up your cross? Several years ago, I felt the Lord explain it to me this way: Every time my will crosses what God has told me to do, and I choose God’s way instead of mine, that is Jesus at work in me. That is taking up my cross.

The instant you choose, day-by-day, God’s revealed will over your own egotistical will, something dies and then something comes alive. What dies are your selfish, wrong ways. What comes alive is Christ’s Spirit in you. And He produces fabulous results in you and through you. You are cooperating with God Almighty! Is that living or what!?!?

Do you really want to please the Lord and be fruitful? Then taking up your cross is the way to do it. So the next time you’re wondering whether or not to share your faith and you hear God’s voice telling you to go for it, remember that choosing God’s will, over your own, is always the best way to live!