BIBILCAL ELEMENTS FOR DAILY LIVING 9

 

BIBLICAL ELEMENTS FOR DAILY LIVING-09

TEXT:    "His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord."  (Matthew 25:21)

 I.   THE VALUE OF OUR BEING FAITHFUL

      A.  Many of us have experienced the let down of an unfulfilled promise, and have felt the hurt and disappointment.  We were created in the image of God and feel, in a limited measure, as He feels. 

       B.  Just as we can feel disappointment, so also our Lord can be disappointed when we are not faithful to the outworking of all that He has made available to us.

       C.  In the parable of the five wise and five foolish virgins (Matthew 25:1-12), ALL ten received lamps and went forth to meet the Bridegroom.  When the Lord delayed His coming ALL ten of their lights went out.  The Lord had been faithful, as He supplied them all with lamps and oil.  But the foolish did not develop a means, v3 "and took no oil with them," to resupply their lamps with oil.

        D.  The lamp represents our salvation, all ten were saved to some degree.  The oil speaks of the Lord's enabling grace and anointing, which quickens and maintains our spiritual life and strength.  When we are not faithful to maintain a personal relationship with the Lord, we use up the supply of oil that we were initially given and soon we feel dry. 

        E.  To be faithful on our part means that we take seriously our need to fellowship with the Lord and receive from Him His strength, His power, His grace, His forgiveness, His mercy, His life, and His LOVE.

"Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. ¹² But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not."  (Matthew 25:11-12)

        F.  Notice the Lord did not say, they were bad people.  The word of God does not say what finally happens to them.  However, because they took their spiritual capacity for granted, thus they could not enter into the, v3: "marriage; and the door was shut."

     G.  Sadly, because of certain choices the five foolish virgins made, they could not enter into the purpose and fulfillment God had intended for their lives.  God could not bring His pre-ordained purpose and plan for their lives to completion.  Sadly, but also very true today, like the  foolish virgins, who could not enter in, many today will not enter into the kingdom of heaven.

  "Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven."  (Matthew 7:21)

      H.  Entering into the kingdom of heaven is not done by working for God or having God do great works through us. 

    "Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? ²³ And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity." (Matthew 7:22-23)

      I.  Instead of a focus of working and doing for God we must become the work of God.  We must maintain a spiritual capacity to allow God to work in our lives.   

         "For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them."  (Ephesians 2:10)

And out from the work God does in our lives we can feed the world the mercy He has given us, feed His forgiveness, His grace, and His joy.  We make those choices that will allow us to be conformed into the image of His Son Jesus Christ, the goal of being a Christian.  If not, then what can be give a lost and dead world? What will we share? Teach/preach about?       

    J.  The requirements for entering into "the joy of the Lord" and "the kingdom of heaven" is faithfulness, commitment, dedication, and obedience to God.  By making those needed adjustments God wants us to make in our lives, allowing us to, do the will of my Father"  will enter in. 

    K.  John tells us, Jesus Himself  said,

          "Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode (enter into) with him. "  (John 14:23)

    L.  We will then be able to keep such words of Jesus as,

           "And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. ³¹ And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these."  (Mark 12:30-31)

II.  PARTING THOUGHTS

     A.  We will never become the overcomer who finds himself seated with the five wise virgins unless we allow God to work His nature and character into our lives. Unless we develop a life that is centered around God and His plan for our lives. 

     B.  No one can give to another their commitment to spiritual obedience.  We must spend quality time in the presence of the Lord.  There is no substitute for the time we spend before the Lord in church and most important during the time just the two of us spend together. 

     C.  Because it is during these times, when we are faithful to read His word and share our heart with Him, He will speaks to us and shares His heart with us.  We then see the value of being faithful we then enter in to the joy of the Lord. 

BIBICAL ELEMENTS FOR DAILY LIVING 8 (TAKEN FROM HGM ON 21 SEP 21)

 BIBLICAL ELEMENTS FOR DAILY LIVING-08

TEXT:   "For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known." (1 Corinthians 13:12

 I.   PRESENT PREPARATION FOR FUTURE PURPOSE

       A.  The key to future purpose is hidden in the present preparation through relationship.  Relationship between the Lord first and family and our Christian Brothers and Sisters, second. We may never know the treasures of wisdom God has hidden in our brothers and sisters because of our desires not to know someone.  They will stay a mystery to us.

"But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory:" (1 Corinthians 2:7)

      B.  The tendency of many believers is to seek ministry and/or activity rather than relationship.  But ministry comes out of relationship.  Jesus' ministry came out of His relationship with His Father and the disciples.

      C.  We can easily mistake the present preparation (our ministry and/ or activity) or whatever the Lord is having us to do, as the fulfillment of the purpose.  Ministry itself is not the purpose, but a means to bring us into the fulfillment of His future purpose, whatever that may be.

      D.  What is God purpose in our lives?  Paul eludes to this in our test,

             "For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known." (1 Corinthians 13:12)

God's purpose in our lives is to give us vision to Him and His ways, and to bring us to fulfillment.  Everything God made; plants, trees, animals even man has purpose, but only man can have fulfillment and vision.

     E.  How clear is your vision at present, has it become more clear than what you had seen in the past?  What knowledge do you now know that you never knew before?  Do you now know about yourself what the Lord knows about you?

          "And thou shalt remember all the way which the LORD thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandments, or no."  (Deuteronomy 8:2)

     F.  When the LORD led the children of Israel through the wilderness, He led them in a particular way.  It was a way that would humble them and prove them.  He led them in such a way that as they came through each circumstance they would be acquainted with their own heart. 

     G.  They would come into a knowledge of themselves that they never had know before, though the Lord already knew what was in their hearts.  He wanted to bring them to a place that they know even as they are know.  It is a great place in God for Him to show you your heart.

     H.  Whatever we are presently doing or going through is a preparation for BECOMING.  The people ask Jesus,

           "Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God?"  (John 6:28) Jesus answered and said,  "Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent."  (John 6:29)  Do you see the difference?  So, our present circumstance, we can be sure that its design is to allow the work of God to be effected in us. 

      I.  It is in the LORD's leading and dealing in our lives, that we come face to face with ourselves and the areas that needed matured so that we might become more like Jesus.  We have to come face-to-face with our fears and inability and conquer them in His strength, and be know as we are know.

II.  PARTING THOUGHTS

      A.  It is not what we do, but what we become that matters.  The LORD is doing an eternal work in us.  He is preparing us for eternity.  It is in this life we qualify for our eternal position.  Our focus is not to be our position but our focus is to become what He desires us to become.

      B.  God will take care of our position.  So whether you have a ministry or not is not the question.  The question is in the present circumstances are we aware that He is preparing us for an eternal purpose?  The eternal purpose is to know ourselves as he knows us so that we might have the things changed that need changed and come into the fulfillment of all that the Lord desires for us.

          "I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:" (2 Timothy 4:7)   

HOW DO YOU DO THAT

We were listening to a well known evangelist on TV one Sunday morning ultimately preaching from a very well known passage of Scriptures in Ephesians 2, but his sermon (not so much a message from the LORD, you know there is a huge difference) came after about 70+ minutes of singing, sometimes singing the same song over and over and faster and faster not to mention the singing for the offering and praying for the sick. Now please do not get me wrong I am not saying this young evangelist is a bad man or does not know what he is talking about (well, maybe I am disappointed with the manipulation of his people), but like most famous, denominational (and even most non-denominational) preachers, teachers, and especially evangelists get our emotions involved, but seldom tell us how or what we have to do in the LORD so that we can receive the outcome the Scriptures are promising. After all, if it is in the Scriptures God must want us to receive it or it would not be inspired by the Holy Spirit in the Bible.  I mean that would truly be awful  of the LORD to say okay I want you to have this gift or this blessing, but not tell us how to receive it. But, most preachers, teachers, and evangelists who share along these lines come down on the side of naming it and claiming the things of God. This evangelist was leading prayer and claimed healing and deliverance for all of the people under the sound of his voice.  How do you do that?  How do you claim healing and deliverance for people you do not even know?  How can you know God's will for these people in all of this? And no it is not God's will for everyone to be in perfect health.  I can find no verse in the Scriptures that tells us how we can do this.  Actually, there is no verse in the Scriptures that tells us how to claim something from God.  My friend we cannot claim anything in God all we receive from God must be received by faith and in gratitude. Does God not know what He is doing? Thinking we can claim what we want from the LORD is just open arrogance and pride. Who do we think we are to tell the LORD anything?  Who do we think we are to take or claim something that is of the LORD even if He wants us to have it?  Everything we get from the LORD is given to us out from His love for us, even His discipline and correction, but I never hear anyone pray for God's correction especially on TV. My friend even our salvation is a free gift from God.  We cannot claim our salvation. If so, how can you do that? As a matter of fact the word "claim" is found nowhere in the Scriptures of the KJV of the Bible.  Sadly at the heart of this wrong teaching is wrong thinking which reflects a huge lack of faith and trust in what God has said and already done.  After all why have someone pray for you (what the LORD has put in place in the Scriptures) when all you have to do is claim your healing or deliverance?  Again, I am not beating up on the evangelist (well maybe some), but am just asking the obvious question how do you do that? The evangelist went on and shared a tear jerking story and read through an old very well known hymn (something to get his folks emotions involved again) and then went to Ephesians. He read, For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: ⁹ Not of works, lest any man should boast. ¹⁰ For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them."  (Ephesians 2:8-10) Now I really like these verses, but the evangelist kind of twisted these verses to help make his point while missing the truth in these verses.  Oh yes, we are "saved through faith that not of yourselves." Personally, I think these verses define salvation much better than John 3:16, but I guess the Church at Ephesus had some members who thought they were saved by their good works. Remember, when Paul talks about certain issues or topics he is addressing the need for correction within the given named local Body.  Now here is where the evangelist really got off track. He said the word "workmanship" in verse 10 means masterpiece.  Well, we are NOT God's masterpiece, He just loves us more than the other creatures and Angels.  Nothing can be so far from the truth. God's masterpiece is His Son Jesus Christ in whom we are to be conformed into His image and nature. When God made man He did not say man is My masterpiece. As a matter of Scriptural record after God made the earth and the fullness (Genesis 1:31) He said it all was "very good," but when God made man He said no such words.  And why? Man apart from the finished work of Christ on the cross is desperately wicked and evil nothing good in him. In Romans 7:18, Paul says, "For I know that in me (that is in with my flesh) dwelleth no good thing." But, I wonder what "good works" Paul was thinking about in Ephesians 2:8-10? Maybe being ship wrecked, stoned, naked, beaten, hungry, maybe time spent in the deep.  Paul was saying we are God's work, "His workmanship;" not the church buildings, not the ministry, not the TV networks and social media, not the services or the singing, nor all of the good things we do for the LORD. We (you and me my brother or sister) are God's "beaustella" (means construction in the German language) or we are God's construction. And created to "good works." What "good works?"  We know they are NOT "our works less any should boast" (verse nine). And Paul could not have been talking about the good things God has for us to walk in. This would be selfish, man-centered, and fleshly focused, but these "good works" have been created in Christ Jesus (in other words Christ Jesus originated or are found in Him) and they have been "ordained that we should walk in them" since time eternal, before the foundations of the world was laid. You know with the Chinese virus (COVID 19) and all of its control, the cultural woke revolution, the social justice sham, and the deterioration of the home, and so much more one of the most important areas of life today that is lacking is peace. But, how can we claim peace? How do we do that? Our inner peace is important and is to be treasured, guarded, and maintained. It can be hard not to react when we see or hear things happening, yet how essential we set aside our own reactions and come to a place of quietness that we might seek the heart of God instead. In peace there is healing. From a place of peace, we can more easily find direction. In peace there is quietness and rest. In peace there is victory! How can we claim the peace of God that passes all understanding? And yet knowing as I become peaceful I can better find my position in Christ and have a greater impact.  In Micah it says God has showed us NOT we have claimed that which is required of man, He hath shewed thee, O man, what good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?” (Micah 6:8) Now for us to live this way is our own decision, contingent only on our own heart condition and the LORD living within us. It does not say if people are kind or deserving we can claim these things, oh no my friend we are just to behave (be good, do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly) this way as God works in our lives. Our holiness is developed in us as we allow God's work in us. Who I am is not defined by what others do! I am who I am by the grace of God and the daily choices that I make! You know we live with a present purpose and a future hope. The choices we make and the ways we decide to walk in peace may not seem to have much bearing on anything we perceive today, but they are forming who we are and will be in eternity. These choices also have a present impact, perhaps more than we realize at times. May we be carriers of God’s light, carriers of His peace and presence. We get this not by wishing or claiming, but submitting to the LORD's dealings and judgments in our lives whereby He can conform us into the character and image of His dear Son Jesus Christ.You see, the wrong thinking of claiming the things of God by-passes God's work in our lives and those "good works" which Paul knew about quite well. My friend may we be ambassadors for healing, for peace. And may we do what is right ourselves. May we be merciful toward others. May we walk humbly before God.  What is the LORD doing in these last days you would ask?  Well, the LORD is raising up a people to be carriers of His presence, those who will reflect His light and help bring healing and love to others who are hurting. And you know my friend you cannot claim that. No matter what happens, may we always lift our hearts upward that we might be prepared to reach outward, should opportunity come. Written by David Stahl

BIBICAL ELEMENTS FOR DAILY LIVING #7 (FROM 24 AUG 21 HGM)

BIBLICAL ELEMENTS FOR DAILY LIVING-07 

TEXT: "There is no fear in love; but perfect (mature/selfless) love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect (mature/selfless) in love." (1 John 4:18) 

I. MATURE LOVE 

A. The opposite of liberty is bondage. We are held in that bondage through fear. Fear holds us tight without the ability to love; God, ourselves, our brothers and sisters, and those in the world who do not know Jesus as their personal savior. 

B. What causes us to fear? As Believers we are not to be fearful. The absence of fear is faith and the absence of faith is fear. There is not a half way, either we are full of fear or we are full of faith. Fear and faith cannot exist at the same time. 

C. As Christians our walk is to be one of faith and love, because faith works by love. "For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love." (Galatians 5:6) So, as our love matures so does our faith, because, "faith which worketh by love," thus if our love for God, our self, and other do not grow neither does our faith. As the same measure our love grows so does our faith. 

D. There are many things that make us to fear at times. If we are honest with ourselves we could compile quite a list. Most would rank the fear of death as number one. Fear of death holds us tight in bondage. "Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; 15 And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage." (Hebrews 2:14-15) 

E. When we are delivered from that fear we are set free. We are at liberty to do God's will to walk where He would have us walk. But in order to get into that liberty, we must go through death. Many quote, "you shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free. But few quote the condition the Lord sated before those words, "If you continue in my words, you shall know the truth." 

F. If you continue in His word you are going to be delivered to death, that is, to the place where you must choose to give up the ghost. This is a crucial place in our walk. It is the making or breaking place. If we sin, we remain in the bondage of corruption. If we, "give up the ghost" we are set free. "For he that is dead is freed from sin." (Romans 6:7) It is at this point of death where, "Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him:" (Romans 6:8) 

G. It is this death of the Lord's saints which is precious in His sight. "Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints." (Psalms 116:15) It is at this place where we discover, "O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?" (I Corinthians 15:55) What we once feared, death to self, turns out to be the very thing that takes us into the glorious liberty of the sons of God. 

H. We are set free from that which bound us through the fear of death. Now the enemy no longer has a place is us to that he could come to time and time again to defeat us. We have passed from death unto life and we know that, because love has manifested in our lives for the brethren. "We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death." (I John 3:14) 

II. PARTING THOUGHTS 

A. As we die to self and our rights, the love for the brethren will grow in us and as our love matures (perfected), so will our faith. They are forever joined in operation by God. "That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love," (Ephesians 3:17) and  "Hold fast the form of sound words, which thou hast heard of me, in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus." (2 Timothy 1:13) 

B. We can sing about being free, and talk about it, and even preach about it, but until we pass through death to our self life, we will still be held in the bondage of corruption and self condemnation. C. But the Lord has abundance of grace and by Him, we can reign in life now. Our corruption confines us to the small place, but when we enter into the glorious liberty of a son of God, we are free to go where the will of God directs us, and in that place we will have great faith and mature love, no fear will be found in us.

 

LACK OF TRUTH

Truth! "What is Truth?" That was the question Pilate asked Jesus in John 18:39 when Jesus stood before him in judgment, but today I would ask where is the truth? Notice Jesus never replied back to Pilate, but in the previous chapter we can find the answer to Pilate's question. Jesus says, "Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth." (John 171:17) So the word of God is truth. Truth is not what we believe because or what someone else says: the word of God, the Bible, the Scriptures is the only truth in the world and when we depart from it we get over in areas that only lead to loss, destruction, and death, both physical and more important spiritual. For example we see today in the world if we believe we are a female, but created a male by God you can be a female if you want to. You can turn the truth into a lie and a lie against God's word. Man today is not dependent on God's word for a moral compass and standard to live by. Truth is situational and dependent on what we want, not an absolute like God's word. The Prophet Jeremiah knew God, yet felt utterly dependent upon God. The LORD's approval is with those who are dependent upon Him; those who seek counsel from the mouth of the LORD. We see Jeremiah's heart condition and desire for truth, dependency, and to know God. Jeremiah writes, "O Lord, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walks to direct his steps.” (Jeremiah 10:23) When we try to direct our steps we then step out of the will of God for our lives as a person or a nation. You know because of one act of disobedience by Adam, the human race fell, and that one act of disobedience cost the Son of God His life. Some of the consequences of being out of the will of God are easily seen in the spiritual and moral manifestations of a society. Moses knew this as he watched the Children of Isreal spin out of control on a daily basis like we see on the TV daily and hear on the news. Yes, there is nothing new under the sun. In Deuteronomy Moses writes, “And among these nations shall you find no ease, neither shall the sole of your foot have rest: but the Lord shall give you there a trembling heart, and failing of eyes, and sorrow of mind.” (Deuteronomy 28:65) These are conditions, which are symptomatic of being out of the will of God: uneasiness, restlessness, uncertainty, fearful, lack of assurance, discontent, and spiritual bondage. There are others, but these indicate that something is out of alignment in our relationship with the LORD and with each other. When these conditions are present it would be well to consider our having missed the will and purpose of the LORD and this my friend can only end in total loss, destruction, and death as an individual or a nation. Always remember the absences of truth is fear. This is what we see in America, fear, it runs the country. We are afraid to live life to the fullest as God intended us to. This is the direction America is heading. And why? The leaders of the "church" have failed to walk in the truth of the word of God. When the truth is lost then all of the social morays and morality on which hangs the civility and goodness of a society shall fail and then according to the word of God, "no ease, neither shall the sole of your foot have rest: but the Lord shall give you there a trembling heart, and failing of eyes, and sorrow of mind.” We mistakenly say the issues of abortion, lesbianism, homosexuality, BLM, and all of the other anti-Christ organizations are political issues, but not so my friend they are the moral issues of OUR day that rest on our understanding of the truth. Day after day I find myself saying what is going on? I cannot believe what I am seeing and hearing? What has happened to America? And what is going on is the lack of the truth in all walks of life. In every walk of life: politics, religion, financial markets, the military, education, business, sports, entertainment, technology, social media, medicine, science, you name it truth has been excluded from the social discourse making the way for non-truth or lies in all we do and say. I cannot remember when our society was so corrupt, when life had such a limited meaning or value, when a man's opinion mattered not to the collective, but was just something to crush under foot to make way for what others believe and want to see happen, even if it is evil and ungodly. You know we cannot foresee the future nor does it seem many people have the ability to discern what the LORD wants in days to come. Therefore, we should prayerfully make our decisions giving God the opportunity to redirect us because only He knows what is ahead. There must be a "sincerity of heart" when it comes to the truth in our lives and the lack of truth will only lead us to greater loss, destruction, and death. Jeremiah helps us again, “For you dissembled in your hearts, when you sent me to the Lord your God, saying, Pray for us according to all that the Lord our God shall say, so declare it to us, and we will do it.” (Jeremiah 42:20) “Dissembling in your hearts” is making a false pretense (not walking or acting in the truth) in intention. Here they had already determined that if God told them to not go to Egypt, they would go anyway. They did and carried the Prophet Jeremiah with them. We cannot expect God to guide us, love us, protect us, and care for us unless we are sincere and walk in the truth of the word of God and willing to obey His Word. Did you know there is a distinction between instruction and teaching? In Psalms David writes, “I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you shall go….” (Psalm 32:8) Instruction reveals the principles of divine guidance which is what we lack while we walk away from the truth. While teaching helps us to receive and move in divine guidance. The LORD will teach us to discern His will through our circumstances or problems, therefore, we must understand the principals of His guidance. And in the loss of truth we will never learn the principles that will enable spiritual growth and development in us individually and as a nation. We will never learn meekness which is a pliability that enables the LORD to guide us gently, rather than by the force of circumstances. Most often guidance comes through the Word of God, the Holy Spirit, or by divine providence. The LORD in His wisdom, has given us these three safe guards when we are in a difficulty. If the Word, the Spirit, and divine providence agree as one, we have a three-fold factor of safety, and we then can be reasonably sure that we are hearing from the LORD. Another form of guidance relates to personal integrity, God 's biggest focus in our lives. Solomon writes, “The integrity of the upright shall guide them….” (Proverbs 11:3) Now I like Proverbs and the Psalms, but to be honest I seem to have a hard time studying what the authors failed to live up to. They too walked away from the truth given to them. There is guidance by integrity (standards of righteousness) that we receive from the written Word of God. The LORD would have us to be guided by principles of integrity where we do what is right, even though we could evade it as others do. The Word of God establishes standards of right and wrong and the LORD expects us to adhere to these standards without special revelation. We do not need a revelation to discover that we are obligated to obey the Word of God. As I said with the lack of truth in our lives we will experience the lack of peace and fear will rule our heart. Peace is what the LORD wants for us, but did you know there is a differentiation between peace “with” God, and the peace “of” God. Peace with God has to do with our “relationship” with God. The peace of God has to do with our “walk” with God. Peace “with” God comes first, whereby the enmity between us and God is removed. The peace “of” God should follow after, but not all Christians (and some Believers) who have peace “with” God also have the peace “of” God. The peace of God comes through our walking in the Spirit and is a state of tranquility and rest produced in our hearts by the Spirit. It is a supernatural peace that passes all understanding. The peace of God is one of the forms of guidance, restraining us by an inner unrest, uncertainty, or confirming a certain course of action by a witness, satisfaction, or a deep inner rest. The peace of God can be described negatively, positively, experientially, positionally and judicially. It is not a mere absence of disturbance, but a conscious rest, which is independent of circumstances, favorable or unfavorable. Jesus taught in principle, “My sheep know my voice” (John 10:27). Many have often said, “But how do I know it is the voice of the Spirit?” One of the best ways to learn the recognition of His voice is through His sheep. They had learned to recognize His voice through continued association with Him and other people who know Him. At night, as we drift off to sleep we listen to a really good Christian radio station out of Atlanta, our white noise. On the hour they have a new cycle that repeats though out the night. One night, one of the spots talked about how over 400,000 Southern Baptist have left the denomination in the last year and blamed it on, like everyone else in the world, COVID for the exodus. Well, the LORD impressed on me it was not COVID for the departure, but it was the radical political stance the Southern Baptist Convention took in support of Black Lives Matters (an ungodly Marist organization whose main goal is to destroy the nuclear family as God has created it and America) and other anti-Christ organizations while still calling themselves Christians like all of the other denominations and religions in the world. They may be Christians, but certainly NOT Children of God because His children know His voice, they know His word, and they know truth. If you are interested in the recognition of His voice see to it that you live and walk in close association with Him. Written by David Stahl

BIBICAL ELEMENTS FOR DAILY LIVING 06

 BIBLICAL ELEMENTS FOR DAILY LIVING-06

TEXT: "We love him, because he first loved us."  (1 John 4:19)

 I.  HE LOVED US FIRST

    A.  The "We" in this verse is us, every believer.  Every believer is to love Him.  I cannot explain to you why you love Him and why someone else doesn't.  But I do know that you will love Him if you are His child.    

    B.  The more you see yourself as a child of God and loved by Him, the more you will love Him.  I am not saying that you will not at times doubt your love for Him and maybe His love for you, but one thing is sure, our doubt does not change His love for us, "Because He first loved us." 

     C.  I am not saying that we all fell an equal love.  Some have grown to love Him more intensely.  But, this is His desire toward us, that we grow to love Him more and more.  Not His gifts or presents, but His presence, in the stillness and quietness of the moment.

     D.  Loving God because He first loved us is sufficient evidence of grace in our soul.  If you are loving Him it is because you are loved of Him.

     E.  If you are loving God it is because you are loved by God.  True love could not come into our hearts in any other conceivable way.  How does the heart that the Bible calls desperately wicked begin to love God? 

     F.  If your desires have been aroused to love God, meditate on His great love, and then trust yourself to that love.  Doing this we by faith then trust our souls to His love.  Often times we do not really trust God with our life. We may sing songs and confess with our mouth our trust in God, but when the real test comes, the trust in God is far away from our lips and hearts.  

    G.  But that's okay, faith and trust in God is a learning process He takes us through.  It is His vast love which sets before us God's way of salvation.  We realize what God requires of us.  He requires that we be nothing but instead trust Him to be everything.

    H. We begin to see that the plan of salvation is all love.  he loves us first and we respond to His great love.  If we forget then our souls are cast down and needs to be restored to the truth of His great love for us.

    I.  No matter who we are in Christ there are times when our souls are cast down.  (despondent, heavy, downcast) Remember what David did when his soul was cast down?  He spoke to it.

                    "Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted in me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance."   (Psalms 42:5)

Notice he told his soul what he was going to do, "I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance."

Then he talked to the Lord,

        "O my God, my soul is cast down within me: therefore will I remember thee from the land of Jordan, and of the Hermonites, from the hill Mizar."  (Psalms 42:6)

  II.  PARTING THOUGHTS

       A.  God's love for us is the birthplace of our love for Him.  Love comes by contemplation.  It flows and grows out of a sense of the love of Christ.  Feed on His love like you would a sweet honeycomb.  The honey of His love will make our whole nature become sweet as His.

      B.  Feed, feed, feed, ponder, ponder, ponder, magnify, magnify, magnify.  We are changed into His same image.  We can be mirrors that brightly reflect the glory and changed into the image of the Lord (2 Corinthians 3:18) and love is the tool that engraves us into His image

AMERICA BLESS GOD

I like about 70% of Americans' heart swells with national pride when we hear songs like "God Bless America" or "America the Beautiful." Now from the start of this article I will give you a choice to stop reading if you disagree with me, yet I say I know America is an exceptional country. I have personally seen her wisdom, support, and goodness in over 87 countries of the world. Why I have even given 24 years of my life in the US Navy in support of the values and principles of what the goodness and virtue America stands for. Now I too will be the first to say America has not done everything perfect, even Godly, but in all of her flaws and misgivings America is still the best country in the world if you desire Godly freedom to worship a Holy God, supporting your family by pulling yourself up by your own boot straps so that you can better yourself and your family, and just to be able to lay your head on your pillow at night and not have to worry (for now) about the government sending people to kick your door down and haul you off to prison for something you believe in. And yes America is still the land of the free (for now) and the home of the brave (for now). America for all of her beauty, industrial strength, grandeur from sea to shining seas, and religious freedoms (for now) has been blessed by God. Any country that remembers the Lord (Jesus Christ) in the hearts and minds of its people will be blessed by God. David knew this truth all too well. He wrote, "The LORD bringeth the counsel of the heathen to nought: he maketh the devices of the people of none effect. 11 The counsel of the LORD standeth for ever, the thoughts of his heart to all generations. 12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD; and the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance." (Psalm 33:10-12) Now it does not say the American, Israeli, German, Russian, Nepalese, Chinese people, but "the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance." So here is the 64 thousand dollar question, "why does God choose some people for his inheritances?" Well the answer is obvious the LORD chooses those who choose Him. And in the past America has valued the presence of God in her ways, customs, values, traditions and have chosen the LORD in her laws, her governing principles, her places of worship for 244 years America has chosen the LORD and thus according to God's word America has been blessed (for now). You see it is not an issue of the color of your skin, origin of birth, or even your social status, but it is an issue of a heart condition towards God and a Godly value to see His kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven. Not the Kingdom of God that will come after the millennial reign, but the kingdom of God that is expressed in Romans. Paul writes, "Let not then your good be evil spoken of: 17 For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. 18For he that in these things serveth Christ is acceptable to God, and approved of men." (Romans 14:16-18) In all of the goodness and blessing in America there is a responsibility, a price, and a duty to keep God's word and ways before the American people, first in all that she does and says or the blessing will be lost (as we can see from countries who have taken God out of their language) and the curse promsied in the Bible will be rewarded. And second to always stand for the truth of the Gospel message around the world in support of telling people about Jesus Christ and what He did on the cross of Calvary for you and I. In Deuteronomy 28 we find 42 rewards. Now remember a reward is something we get from God based on our behavior and heart condition. Contained in this chapter is 42 rewards: 14 blessings and 28 curses. I wonder why only 14 blessings and 28 curses? Maybe God was trying to tell us something? I do not know about you my friend, but a good blessing does not carry me too far in God, but a good curse now that will get my attention and drop me to my knees. We can see this truth all throughout the Scriptures. Now to be able to receive the blessing this was the requirement, "And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God." (Deuteronomy 28:2) Did you get that? "If thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God" Now here is the requirement to receive the curses, "But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe to do all his commandments and his statutes which I command thee this day; that all these curses shall come upon thee, and overtake thee:" (Deuteronomy 28:15) Did you get that? "if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe to do all his commandments and his statutes which I command thee." Seems crystal clear to me, but I wonder why America and especially the Church in America has walked away from "the commandments and his statutes which I command thee." And we think we in America will receive the blessings of God? Oh no my friend we deceive ourselves and are insane. How can America be blessed if the folks who are to serve as spiritual and moral leaders have turned their backs on God and walked away from "the commandments and his statutes which I command thee?" Oh no we lie and the truth of God's word is not in us. This last election really revealed the huge chasm between those in the church who really love God and those who say they love God, but voted for open rebellion, murder, people who are filled with demonic and anti-Christ spirits yet they called themselves Christians and hold places of spiritual authority in leadership in many churches. Where is the unity of the Spirit? Where is the Spirit? Can light have fellowship with darkness? Paul says no. Is Jesus' words true, "either you are for me or you are against me." Have we compromised the truth of the Scriptures for peace, numbers, prosperity, or how about the opportunity to preach to sinners on Sunday and Wednesdays. Is the truth true or do we water down truth to fit our churchy Christian needs. Most of the "church" is a shame, a lie, a disappointment to God. and we expect to be blessed and not cursed? You know I can think of no other country in my life time that parallels America than the Jewish nation of Israel. Maybe this is why America has adopted similar practices of law, moral beliefs, and even the same God that the Jewish people worship. And yes even in their (the Jewish nation) history of repeated sin (just read the Old Testament) and walking away from God time and time again, America can easily be seen in the LORD's mirror of righteousness. In Isaiah God addresses Israel's waywardness and unfaithfulness, "Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth: for the LORD hath spoken, I have nourished and brought up children, and they have rebelled against me. 3 The ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his master's crib: but Israel doth not know, my people doth not consider. 4Ah sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a seed of evildoers, children that are corrupters: they have forsaken the LORD, they have provoked the Holy One of Israel unto anger, they are gone away backward. 5 Why should ye be stricken any more? ye will revolt more and more: the whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint. 6 From the sole of the foot even unto the head there is no soundness in it; but wounds, and bruises, and putrifying sores: they have not been closed, neither bound up, neither mollified with ointment. 7our country is desolate, your cities are burned with fire: your land, strangers devour it in your presence, and it is desolate, as overthrown by strangers." (Isaiah 1:2-7) What a scathing rebuke from God of Israel and I would say America today. But the LORD does not stop there and takes on the religious folks as well. Again in Isaiah, "To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto me? saith the LORD: I am full of the burnt offerings of rams, and the fat of fed beasts; and I delight not in the blood of bullocks, or of lambs, or of he goats.12 When ye come to appear before me, who hath required this at your hand, to tread my courts? 13 Bring no more vain oblations; incense is an abomination unto me; the new moons and sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, I cannot away with; it is iniquity, even the solemn meeting. 14 Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hateth: they are a trouble unto me; I am weary to bear them.15And when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you: yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear: your hands are full of blood." (Isaiah 1:11-15) Wow, I know the context is Israel, but I can see the once shining city on the hill, America in these words. How far we have fallen. Remember it is the responsibility and duty of the Godly people of a nation who know righteousness and truth to help mold and shape a nation, but if the Godly people are scarce to find then it will be the ungodly people who mold and shape the nation. We have seen this all throughout history. The well known French aristocrat Alexis de Tocqueville said of America when he visited her from shore to shore, "That America is great because she is good. Even a non Bible thumper could easily see where the goodness and strength of America (in the past) came from: "I sought for the greatness and genius of America in her commodious harbors and her ample rivers, and it was not there. I sought for the greatness and genius of America in her fertile fields and boundless forests, and it was not there. I sought for the greatness and genius of America in her rich mines and her vast world commerce, and it was not there. I sought for the greatness and genius of America in her public school system and her institutions of learning, and it was not there. I sought for the greatness and genius of America in her democratic Congress and her matchless Constitution, and it was not there. Not until I went into the churches of America and heard her pulpits flame with righteousness did I understand the secret of her genius and power. America is great because she is good, and if America ever ceases to be good, she will cease to be great." Well my friend America is at the point of not looking her greatest because she has not the goodness of the LORD in the majority of her people and her ways. The only hope for America today is to return back to the days of yester year where the word of God was important. When honesty, patriotism, and morality was taught in the public school system and you knew if you got a few licks from the teacher at school the licking was not over until your parents had their turn. Unless the "churches" repents of her waywardness and idolatry and stands up for the "entire" truth (speaking it in love) of the word of God America is doomed. It is time to clean house. We are the house of God not some building we spend $1,000s of dollars on each month. Oh no it is time for us to allow God to clean our heart and lives (our house) with His refining fire and kick out all of those imposters who are charading as men and woman of God in the Body of Christ. You will know them by their spirit, by their words and fruit, and by who they voted for. Oh there will be a remnant, there will always be a remnant (read your Bible). God will always save those who truly choose Him and He will use them to rebuild and further His purposes on the earth as it is in heaven. It is time for America to bless God and repent then and only then will America be blessed again. Written by David Stahl