Faith is a condition of the heart. It is rooted in the absolute truth of God’s Word which cannot lie and cannot be changed.
Faith is not a movement. Faith is the lifestyle of the born-again Christian. Faith is the only way to please God.
Hebrews 11: 6 (NKJV) But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.
Are you looking at the circumstances of your life through the eyes of faith in the absolute truth of God’s Living Word or through the eyes of fear, worry, and doubt?
Every Commandment and every Promise in God’s Word are absolute Truth. They cannot be changed or altered. God cannot lie.
God and His Word are ONE – When you receive, believe, and act on The Word, you are receiving and believing God Himself. You are activating and putting into action what He says, and it will come to pass. It is the absolute truth of God’s Word abiding in the heart that brings forth the harvest.
Psalm 19: 8 – 10 (Amplified Bible Classic)The precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is pure and bright, enlightening the eyes. (9) The [reverent] fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; the ordinances of the Lord are true and righteous altogether. (10) More to be desired are they than gold, even than much fine gold; they are sweeter also than honey and drippings from the honeycomb.
God’s Commandments and Promises require a response. A choice must be made. No response is a response.
The Living Word must enter the heart before it can be unfolded. Once unfolded in the heart it will bring forth light or revelation even to the simple.
Psalm 119: 130 (Amplified Bible Classic)The entrance and unfolding of Your words give light; their unfolding gives understanding (discernment and comprehension) to the simple.
No matter what we are going through in this life, good or bad, it is a heart condition. The heart is the center of our life. All the issues of life flow from the heart.
Proverbs 4: 23 (Amplified Classic)Keep and guard your heart with all vigilance and above all that you guard, for out of it flow the springs of life.
God’s Living Word can change the condition of our heart if we position ourselves for the Word to work. We must abide in Him and His Word must abide in us.
John 15: 7 (Amplified Classic)If you live in Me [abide vitally united to Me] and My words remain in you and continue to live in your hearts, ask whatever you will, and it shall be done for you.
Psalm 119: 130 (Amplified Classic)The entrance and unfolding of Your words give light; their unfolding gives understanding (discernment and comprehension) to the simple.
God’s Living Word Is Alive therefore the Word will bring forth life.
Hebrews 4: 12 (Amplified Classic) For the Word that God speaks is alive and full of power [making it active, operative, energizing, and effective]; it is sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating to the dividing line of the breath of life (soul) and [the immortal] spirit, and of joints and marrow [of the deepest parts of our nature], exposing and sifting and analyzing and judging the very thoughts and purposes of the heart.
Everything, no matter what it is, is a condition of the heart. The heart must be guarded above all that we guard.
Proverbs 4: 23 (Amplified Classic) Keep and guard your heart with all vigilance and above all that you guard, for out of it flow the springs of life.
Matthew 6: 21(Amplified Classic)For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
Matthew 12: 33 – 37 (Amplified Classic) Either make the tree sound (healthy and good), and its fruit sound (healthy and good), or make the tree rotten (diseased and bad), and its fruit rotten (diseased and bad); for the tree is known and recognized and judged by its fruit. (34) You offspring of vipers! How can you speak good things when you are evil (wicked)? For out of the fullness (the overflow, the superabundance) of the heart the mouth speaks. (35) The good man from his inner good treasure flings forth good things, and the evil man out of his inner evil storehouse flings forth evil things. (36) But I tell you, on the day of judgment men will have to give account for every idle (inoperative, nonworking) word they speak. (37) For by your words you will be justified and acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned and sentenced.
Proverbs 13: 2 – 3 (Amplified Classic)A good man eats good from the fruit of his mouth, but the desire of the treacherous is for violence. (3) He who guards his mouth keeps his life, but he who opens wide his lips comes to ruin.
Where is your confidence? That is a question that we all must answer every moment of our lives.
When the problems of life come our way where do we place our confidence? Do we really have confidence in God and His Word?
If we really had the confidence and trust in God and His Word that we say we have, we would respond differently to the problems and circumstances of life.
Confidence must be developed. We must develop confidence in God and His Word before the problem or issue. Our confidence in God and His Word must be full time, never ending, continuous, and be our habitual lifestyle.
We need to practice our trust and confidence in God and His Word every day in every circumstance and situation of life. Not just when problems are present. It is the only way we can be ready when the real problems and storms of life come our way.
Are we sure that where, what, and who we are placing our confidence in is trustworthy, secure, solid, and faithful? God and His Word are always trustworthy, solid, and faithful.
What in your life do you focus on the most? What is Your Life Focus? One of the main tools the enemy uses against us is to try and change our focus from being Spiritually minded to carnally minded.
No matter what the problems in life are they are temporary. Your eternity is not temporary. It is eternal without end. You decide where your focus should be. When you place your focus in life on God and His Word, watch the circumstances in your life change.
No matter what the problem is the Holy Spirit knows the answer. He will guide us if we position ourselves to hear Him and obey.
We need to change our focus in life to see our lives through the eyes of God’s Word. When we do that, we will be filtering everything through the Love factor which will bring confidence, faith, rest and peace. It will also put us in a position to hear from the Holy Spirit as he guides and teaches us. He already knows the answer.
What we focus on the most becomes who we are. We claim to be Christians so we should live by God’s Word.
Colossians 3: 1 – 2 (Amplified Bible Classic)IF THEN you have been raised with Christ [to a new life, thus sharing His resurrection from the dead], aim at and seek the [rich, eternal treasures] that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. (2) And set your minds and keep them set on what is above (the higher things), not on the things that are on the earth. Colossians 3: 17 (Amplified Bible Classic) And whatever you do [no matter what it is] in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus and in [dependence upon] His Person, giving praise to God the Father through Him.
Just in case you have not noticed there is trouble in this world. In this season we are living in we all, in one way or another, are concerned by what is taking place in the world around us. Whether it be in our own personal lives or the world around us.
Trouble is not something new to this world it has been around since the fall of Adam. If you are alive there are times of difficulty that come your way. The troubles and storms of life very seldom just affect us. What we do during these times of trouble and storms will also affect others around us.
John 16: 33 (Amplified Classic) I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have [perfect] peace and confidence. In the world you have tribulation and trials and distress and frustration; but be of good cheer [take courage; be confident, certain, undaunted]! For I have overcome the world. [I have deprived it of power to harm you and have conquered it for you.]
What we do in the midst of the troubles and storms of life will determine the amount of effect they have on us. It will also determine how long they last, when, and if we come out of them.
We choose whether we walk in peace in our lives or fear and worry.
God is not keeping us from walking in peace!
The Word of God brings peace and confidence. Peace will cause us to stand firm on the solid rock. Fear stands on sand. When the pressure is on, fear runs and cannot stand. When the pressure is on, Peace will remain firm, and we will be able to stand therefore.
In order to become Spiritually minded and have a renewed mind we must be Born Again. Once Born Again if we are to grow and develop our Spiritual man, we must become Spiritually minded. If we do not develop our Spiritual man, becoming Spiritually minded, we will still be carnally minded and walk in the flesh as the rest of the world even though we are Born Again.
Romans 12: 2 (NKJV)And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
Romans 8:5 – 6 (NKJV) For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. (6) For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.
We, not God, determine whether we are Spiritually minded or Carnally minded.
Deuteronomy 30: 19 (Amplified Bible Classic)I call heaven and earth to witness this day against you that I have set before you life and death, the blessings and the curses; therefore choose life
Our Loving Heavenly Father has already set life before us but He will not make us choose life. He paid the entire price for all mankind but He will not make us choose life. It is totally up to the individual as to what he will choose, spiritually minded and life or carnally minded and death.
A new beginning. To begin means that it has a definite place or time of starting, a place of origin, something that did not exist before. A new beginning means to completely do away with the old and make a new one completely different not related to the old one. To begin again or renew means to restart, to revise or revive the one already in place.
To begin something means that there is action taking place. There is movement. If you remain where you are and never move you cannot begin. You cannot stay the same and begin.
Beginning suggests a path, a purpose, a process or task. Every path, process, or task has a point of origin or place where the journey started. This would be the beginning.
God Himself Is The Beginning and He Is the end.
We are all on the path of life as long as we are alive in this Earth. There are many choices to make along this path of life. Many of those choices have a major impact on our path of life, good or bad. Those choices have an eternal effect on our lives and the lives of others. There are many roads and choices in this life but only one true path.
John 14: 6 (NKJV) Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.
What we do today will determine not only our future, the future of our children, but also the future of those yet to be.
The right to choose has been given to Man by God and we are being held accountable for the choices that we make in this life.
Deuteronomy 30: 19 – 20 (Amplified Bible Classic) I call heaven and earth to witness this day against you that I have set before you life and death, the blessings and the curses; therefore choose life, that you and your descendants may live (20) And may love the Lord your God, obey His voice, and cling to Him. For He is your life and the length of your days, that you may dwell in the land which the Lord swore to give to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
When God said “I have set before you life and death, the blessings and the curses; therefore choose life” He was giving us the choice between being Spiritually minded and carnally minded.
We cannot be both at the same time. We will be one or the other. God then said choose life or choose being Spiritually minded.
Romans 8: 5 – 6 (NKJV) For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. (6) For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.
In order to change anything our choice is involved.
It is time to make a new beginning. It is time to let your past be your past at last. What you do with today will determine your future. Your life today will be the fossil of your life tomorrow.
God has been revealing His Heart, His Thoughts and His Ways from the very beginning.
It is The Father’s deep desire that His people know Him, that all mankind know Him, that they know His Heart and His Ways.
Jesus came to reveal the Heart of the Father. The Holy Spirit has also been sent to reveal the Heart of The Father and the Heart of Jesus. We, God’s Children, have also been sent to reveal the Heart of the Father.
From cover to cover The Living Word of God, the Bible, reveals God’s Heart and Ways.
It should be our deepest desire to know the Father’s Heart.
Ephesians 1: 4 – 6 (Amplified Bible Classic) Even as [in His love] He chose us [actually picked us out for Himself as His own] in Christ before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy (consecrated and set apart for Him) and blameless in His sight, even above reproach, before Him in love. (5) For He foreordained us (destined us, planned in love for us) to be adopted (revealed) as His own children through Jesus Christ, in accordance with the purpose of His will [because it pleased Him and was His kind intent] (6) [So that we might be] to the praise and the commendation of His glorious grace (favor and mercy), which He so freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.
Ephesians 2: 4 – 8 (Amplified Bible Classic) But God–so rich is He in His mercy! Because of and in order to satisfy the great and wonderful and intense love with which He loved us, (5) Even when we were dead (slain) by [our own] shortcomings and trespasses, He made us alive together in fellowship and in union with Christ; [He gave us the very life of Christ Himself, the same new life with which He quickened Him, for] it is by grace (His favor and mercy which you did not deserve) that you are saved (delivered from judgment and made partakers of Christ’s salvation). (6) And He raised us up together with Him and made us sit down together [giving us joint seating with Him] in the heavenly sphere [by virtue of our being] in Christ Jesus (the Messiah, the Anointed One). (7) He did this that He might clearly demonstrate through the ages to come the immeasurable (limitless, surpassing) riches of His free grace (His unmerited favor) in [His] kindness and goodness of heart toward us in Christ Jesus. (8) For it is by free grace (God’s unmerited favor) that you are saved (delivered from judgment and made partakers of Christ’s salvation) through [your] faith. And this [salvation] is not of yourselves [of your own doing, it came not through your own striving], but it is the gift of God;
1st John 5:14 – 15 (Amplified Bible) And this is the confidence (the assurance, the privilege of boldness) which we have in Him: [we are sure] that if we ask anything (make any request) according to His will (in agreement with His own plan), He listens to and hears us. (15) And if (since) we [positively] know that He listens to us in whatever we ask, we also know [with settled and absolute knowledge] that we have [granted us as our present possessions] the requests made of Him.
Matthew 21: 22 (Amplified Bible) And whatever you ask for in prayer, having faith and [really] believing, you will receive.
Ephesians 3: 14 – 21 (Amplified Bible) For this reason [seeing the greatness of this plan by which you are built together in Christ], I bow my knees before the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, (15) For Whom every family in heaven and on earth is named [that Father from Whom all fatherhood takes its title and derives its name]. (16) May He grant you out of the rich treasury of His glory to be strengthened and reinforced with mighty power in the inner man by the [Holy] Spirit [Himself indwelling your innermost being and personality]. (17) May Christ through your faith [actually] dwell (settle down, abide, make His permanent home) in your hearts! May you be rooted deep in love and founded securely on love, (18) That you may have the power and be strong to apprehend and grasp with all the saints [God’s devoted people, the experience of that love] what is the breadth and length and height and depth [of it]; (19) [That you may really come] to know [practically, through experience for yourselves] the love of Christ, which far surpasses mere knowledge [without experience]; that you may be filled [through all your being] unto all the fullness of God [may have the richest measure of the divine Presence, and become a body wholly filled and flooded with God Himself]! (20) Now to Him Who, by (in consequence of) the [action of His] power that is at work within us, is able to [carry out His purpose and] do superabundantly, far over and above all that we [dare] ask or think [infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, hopes, or dreams] (21) To Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations forever and ever. Amen (so be it).
John 15: 7If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.
Abide –The Greek word used here is “meno” It means to stay in a given place, state, or expectancy – To abide, continue, dwell, endure, be present, remain, stand, tarry for.
IF – If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you
We are to abide in Jesus. We are to abide in the True Vine. The Word is to abide in us. We are to abide in His Love. Jesus will abide in us. When we abide in the True Vine we are one.
If we abide in Him without the Word abiding in us we become a weak and diseased branch and have to be pruned, purged, or cut-off.
We are to abide in Him and His Word is to abide in us. Both are by our choice.
The Abiding Word! It is a condition of the heart.
The abiding Word always brings forth fruit.
What hinders or prevents the Word from abiding and being fruitful? A major cause and possibly #1 cause is our lack of walking the love walk. Faith works by Love
Galatians 5: 6 (KJV) … faith which worketh by love. (Amplified Bible) … faith activated and energized and expressed and working through love.
If we are not walking in love our faith will not work.
Without our faith the Word cannot be activated.
Without our faith the Word will be dormant and unable to bring forth life or fruit.
Righteousness and right standing with God is an exciting subject.
Most of us mistakenly think that in order to be righteous I myself have to make myself righteous. The truth is I cannot do enough in my own strength to make myself righteous before God. Righteousness or right standing with God is a free gift from God. God is the only one that can make us right with Him. Righteousness cannot be earned; it is a free gift from God. There is no amount of works that I can do that will ever make me right with God.
Either we are right or we are wrong. There is no middle row. There is no neutral. Either we are saved (Born Again) or we are not. Either we are in darkness or we are in the light. Either you are walking with God or you are not walking with God. There is no middle ground.
Righteousness is simply being right. God said Today I present to you, Life and Death, Choose Life. If you are going to be right you have to do it God’s way. You have to choose Life.
The only one that can determine whether I am right or wrong is me. You say then, ok then I am right. No, you have to choose and act on what God says is right. God determines what is right and wrong but I am the only one that can choose to be right or wrong. God’s ways are the only ways to be right. Our set stands of being right has already been set by God Himself.
It is harder to live wrong than it is to live right. The only real peace in life comes from being right. God has made a way but He will not make us walk in it.
Psalm 34: 12 – 15 (Amplified Bible)What man is he who desires life and longs for many days, that he may see good? (13) Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking deceit. (14) Depart from evil and do good; seek, inquire for, and crave peace and pursue (go after) it! (15) The eyes of the Lord are toward the [uncompromisingly] righteous and His ears are open to their cry.
There is a big difference between walking right with God or right with the flesh and the world. The fruit and the effect are going to come from one or the other.
Psalm 33: 18 – 22 (Amplified Bible)Behold, the Lord’s eye is upon those who fear Him [who revere and worship Him with awe], who wait for Him and hope in His mercy and loving-kindness, (19)To deliver them from death and keep them alive in famine. (20)Our inner selves wait [earnestly] for the Lord; He is our Help and our Shield. (21) For in Him does our heart rejoice, because we have trusted (relied on and been confident) in His holy name. (22)Let Your mercy and loving-kindness, O Lord, be upon us, in proportion to our waiting and hoping for You.
We need to be making a daily and moment by moment heart check in our lives. What is the motive behind what I do? Do we walk with God here but not here?
Romans 8: 5 – 6 (NKJV) For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. (6)For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.
What would you do if you had the Master Key to Life, your life and lives of others? What would you do with it? Better yet; what are you doing with it?
What is a Master Key? A Master Key will open every lock
There are several keys to Life in God’s Word. The Bible itself is a key to life. It spells out in details the keys to life and death.
Love is the Master Key of Master Keys. Love is the Master Key to all life. The Master Key to Marriage, family, all of your relationships, business, health, freedom from fear, worry, depression, and everything that can come against man.
Mark 12: 28 – 31 …The first and principal one of all commands is: … And you shall love the Lord your God out of and with your whole heart and out of and with all your soul (your life) and out of and with all your mind (with your faculty of thought and your moral understanding) and out of and with all your strength…The second is like it and is this, You shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these.
Matthew 22: 40 (Amplified Bible) These two commandments sum up and upon them depend all the Law and the Prophets.
When we love God with all our hearts, all of our souls, and all of our minds we become divinely connected with God Himself. The more we love God the more we become connected to God and experience His love for us and through us in ever increasing ways. This is God’s greatest desire.
1st Corinthians 13: 4 – 8a (Amplified Bible)Love endures long and is patient and kind; love never is envious nor boils over with jealousy, is not boastful or vainglorious, does not display itself haughtily. (5) It is not conceited (arrogant and inflated with pride); it is not rude (unmannerly) and does not act unbecomingly. Love (God’s love in us) does not insist on its own rights or its own way, for it is not self-seeking; it is not touchy or fretful or resentful; it takes no account of the evil done to it [it pays no attention to a suffered wrong]. (6) It does not rejoice at injustice and unrighteousness, but rejoices when right and truth prevail. (7) Love bears up under anything and everything that comes, is ever ready to believe the best of every person, its hopes are fadeless under all circumstances, and it endures everything [without weakening]. (8a)Love never fails [never fades out or becomes obsolete or comes to an end].
The power flow in our lives and in the Church flows from our Love for God.
Agape Love is unlimited, Agape Love can never be overcome, Agape Love never fails, Agape Love is Eternal without ceasing, Agape Love transcends Time and Eternity, Agape Love is the most powerful force that exist in both Time and Eternity. God’s Agape Love is the reason for creation of both Time and Eternity, Heaven, Earth, and Hell and all that is or ever will be.
The only limit that God’s Love has where we are concerned is the limit that we Love God.
This is also our limit.
Deuteronomy 30: 19 – 20 (Amplified Bible)I call heaven and earth to witness this day against you that I have set before you, life and death, the blessings and the curses; therefore choose life, that you and your descendants may live (20) And may love the Lord your God, obey His voice, and cling to Him. For He is your life and the length of your days, that you may dwell in the land which the Lord swore to give to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
We are the one that decides which law is operating. One of the Master Keys to Life is our choice. We hold the key of choice.
The only weapon that Satan has is deception. Everything he does has its root in deception. In order for him to operate in your life he has to deceive you into agreeing with him. You actually give him a key or doorway in. The key that Satan uses to bind and lock you up is deception or lie. He has always operated by deception. He cannot operate any other way.
John 8:44 You are of your father the devil… for he is a lair himself and the father of lies and all that is false.
Satan is Hate itself and the father of lies
A deception does not work unless the person being deceived does not know that it is a deception.
It is not a deception if you know that you are being deceived.
If you are not in the Word and the Word is not abiding in you will not know that you are being deceived. If you do not know the Word and the Ways of The Lord you will not recognize the deception.
So what is our weapon against him? What is the Key that unlocks deception? How do we recognize a deception? – Truth
John 8: 31 – 32 (Amplified Bible) So Jesus said to those Jews who had believed in Him, If you abide in My word [hold fast to My teachings and live in accordance with them], you are truly My disciples. (32) And you will know the Truth, and the Truth will set you free.
Jesus came to bring new life. To set the captives free.
Jesus came to bring reconciliation between God the Father and mankind. New life in Christ Jesus. That is what the Cross is all about.
2nd Corinthians 5: 18 – 19 (Amplified Bible)But all things are from God, Who through Jesus Christ reconciled us to Himself [received us into favor, brought us into harmony with Himself] and gave to us the ministry of reconciliation [that by word and deed we might aim to bring others into harmony with Him]. (19) It was God [personally present] in Christ, reconciling and restoring the world to favor with Himself, not counting up and holding against [men] their trespasses [but cancelling them], and committing to us the message of reconciliation (of the restoration to favor).
No matter how big the hurt. No matter how heavy the burden, no matter how far down you have gone there is still help available for you.
There is One Who can make a way where there is no way.
There is someone real and who does love you just as you are. He can raise you up and restore your life and joy. He can give you rest for your soul.
Whatever the need or problem, Jesus is the answer.
Matthew 11: 28 – 30 (Amplified Bible)Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy-laden and overburdened, and I will cause you to rest. [I will ease and relieve and refresh your souls.] (29)Take My yoke upon you and learn of Me, for I am gentle (meek) and humble (lowly) in heart, and you will find rest (relief and ease and refreshment and recreation and blessed quiet) for your souls. (30) For My yoke is wholesome (useful, good–not harsh, hard, sharp, or pressing, but comfortable, gracious, and pleasant), and My burden is light and easy to be borne.
One of the issues that we all face from time to time is weariness.
Weariness can be a major hindrance in our lives.
The Word of God has a lot to say about becoming weary and fainting and how to overcome and prevent it
Weariness effects our prayer life, our faith, our strength, our peace, our rest, our relationships, and even our health.
Most of us focus so much on the problems and issues of life that it causes us to stress, worry, and fear. We can then become depressed and lose heart. We are focusing on the wrong things.
What we focus and meditate on is what we will become. We have the right and power to choose and change what we focus and meditate on.
We must govern what we focus on.
Philippians 4: 6 – 7 (Amplified) Bible) Do not fret or have any anxiety about anything, but in every circumstance and in everything, by prayer and petition (definite requests), with thanksgiving, continue to make your wants known to God. (7) And God’s peace [shall be yours,
Galatians 6: 9 (Amplified Bible) And let us not lose heart and grow weary and faint in acting nobly and doing right, for in due time and at the appointed season we shall reap, if we do not loosen and relax our courage and faint.
Colossians 1: 13 – 14(Amplified Bible) [The Father] has delivered and drawn us to Himself out of the control and the dominion of darkness and has transferred us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, (14) In Whom we have our redemption through His blood, [which means] the forgiveness of our sins.
Ephesians 5: 8(Amplified Bible) For once you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord; walk as children of Light [lead the lives of those native-born to the Light].
2Corinthians 5: 17 – 18(Amplified Bible) Therefore if any person is [ingrafted] in Christ (the Messiah) he is a new creation (a new creature altogether); the old [previous moral and spiritual condition] has passed away. Behold, the fresh and new has come! (18) But all things are from God, Who through Jesus Christ reconciled us to Himself [received us into favor, brought us into harmony with Himself] and gave to us the ministry of reconciliation [that by word and deed we might aim to bring others into harmony with Him].
As Born Again Children of the Living God we are no longer darkness (separated from God) but we are light. We are light in a dark world. If we do not understand righteousness we will not be able to function as light to the dark world.
Our mental concept is that we have to earn our righteousness. We think that we have to make it work ourselves. If we are trying to work out our righteousness we will be trying to fix ourselves. We cannot fix ourselves. God is the only one who can fix us. That is why He paid the price for our righteousness, right standing with Him. He is the only one who could do it. I can only position myself by receiving Him as my Lord and Savior.
Before the Cross Righteousness was by the Law, after the Cross Righteousness is by Grace and is a free gift from God. We are living after the Cross. Righteousness is a free gift if we will receive it.
We have been made righteous by God Himself so that we can live a holy life by our choice by walking the love walk. We have been reconciled with God so that we can take the message of reconciliation to a hurting world.
Righteousness and Holiness are not the same thing. Once I receive Jesus as Lord and Savior I have been made right by God Himself. Once I step into righteousness or right standing with God then I can walk a holy life. I live a holy life through the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Living a holy life is to walk in the Lordship of Jesus Christ in every area of life. Walking the Love Walk is walking a holy life.
God the Father paid for our righteousness (right standing with God) in full by the Blood of Jesus Christ on the Cross. PAID IN FULL!
He did this because of His great Love for us. We owe a debt that we cannot pay. He (Jesus) paid a debt that that He did not owe. Think about that. God’s Word teaches us that Righteousness cannot be earned by anything that we could possibly do. It is a free gift.
In order to understand who we are in Christ Jesus we must understand righteousness. In order to understand righteousness we must understand what took place on the Cross. The Cross is the dividing line. We must understand the difference between righteousness before the Cross and righteousness after the Cross. This affects every area of our lives and our Christian walk.
Because of the Cross and the gift of Righteousness (right standing with God) we can now live a Holy life
Romans 3: 21 – 26 (Amplified Bible) But now the righteousness of God has been revealed independently and altogether apart from the Law, although actually it is attested by the Law and the Prophets, (22) Namely, the righteousness of God which comes by believing with personal trust and confident reliance on Jesus Christ (the Messiah). [And it is meant] for all who believe. For there is no distinction,(23) Since all have sinned and are falling short of the honor and glory which God bestows and receives. (24) [All] are justified and made upright and in right standing with God, freely and gratuitously by His grace (His unmerited favor and mercy), through the redemption which is [provided] in Christ Jesus,(25) Whom God put forward [before the eyes of all] as a mercy seat and propitiation by His blood [the cleansing and life-giving sacrifice of atonement and reconciliation, to be received] through faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in His divine forbearance He had passed over and ignored former sins without punishment. (26) It was to demonstrate and prove at the present time (in the now season) that He Himself is righteous and that He justifies and accepts as righteous him who has [true] faith in Jesus.
Romans 5: 15 – 17 (Amplified Bible) But God’s free gift is not at all to be compared to the trespass [His grace is out of all proportion to the fall of man]. For if many died through one man’s falling away (his lapse, his offense), much more profusely did God’s grace and the free gift [that comes] through the undeserved favor of the one Man Jesus Christ abound and overflow to and for [the benefit of] many. (16) Nor is the free gift at all to be compared to the effect of that one [man’s] sin. For the sentence [following the trespass] of one [man] brought condemnation, whereas the free gift [following] many transgressions brings justification (an act of righteousness). (17) For if because of one man’s trespass (lapse, offense) death reigned through that one, much more surely will those who receive [God’s] overflowing grace (unmerited favor) and the free gift of righteousness [putting them into right standing with Himself] reign as kings in life through the one Man Jesus Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One).
Ephesians 2: 8 (Amplified Bible) For it is by free grace (God’s unmerited favor) that you are saved (delivered from judgment and made partakers of Christ’s salvation) through [your] faith. And this [salvation] is not of yourselves [of your own doing, it came not through your own striving], but it is the gift of God;
Love is THE MASTER KEY TO LIFE. LOVE IS THE MASTER KEY OF MASTER KEYS.
All of the Master Keys To Life have one root, one power source, one point of origin, LOVE.
LOVE IS The Master Key to Marriage, family, all of your relationships, business, health, freedom from fear, worry, depression, and everything that can come against man.
Love is the source and power because GOD IS LOVE and AS HE IS SO ARE WE IN THIS WORLD 1st John 4: 15 -17
If we have been Born Again we already have the Keys to Life.
1st Corinthians 13: 7 – 8a (Amplified Bible) Love bears up under anything and everything that comes, is ever ready to believe the best of every person, its hopes are fadeless under all circumstances, and it endures everything [without weakening]. (8a)Love never fails [never fades out or becomes obsolete or comes to an end].
Mark 12: 28 – 31(Amplified Bible) …The first and principal one of all commands is: … And you shall love the Lord your God out of and with your whole heart and out of and with all your soul (your life) and out of and with all your mind (with your faculty of thought and your moral understanding) and out of and with all your strength…The second is like it and is this, You shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these.
Matthew 22: 40(Amplified Bible) These two commandments sum up and upon them depend all the Law and the Prophets.
The kind of Love being detailed in Mark 12: 28 -31 is God’s kind of Love or Agape
Agape Love is unlimited,
Agape Love can never be overcome,
Agape Love never fails,
Agape Love is Eternal without ceasing,
Agape Love transcends Time and Eternity,
Agape Love is the most powerful force that exist in both Time and Eternity.
God’s Agape Love is the reason for creation of both Time and Eternity, Heaven, Earth, and Hell and all that is or ever will be.
The only limit that God’s Love has where we are concerned is the limit that we Love God.
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