Confident About Conversion

Settle the issue of your salvation today and move forward, firm in your faith.

Colossians 2:5-14 5 For even though I am absent in body, I am nevertheless with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your orderly manner and the stability of your faith in Christ. 6 Therefore, as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, 7 having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed, and overflowing with gratitude. 8 See to it that there is no one who takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception in accordance with human tradition, in accordance with the elementary principles of the world, rather than in accordance with Christ. 9 For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form, 10 and in Him you have been made complete, and He is the head over every ruler and authority; 11 and in Him you were also circumcised with a circumcision performed without hands, in the removal of the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ, 12 having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead. 13 And when you were dead in your wrongdoings and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our wrongdoings, 14 having canceled the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. If we hope to resist the Enemy’s schemes, it is important to clear up any confusion regarding salvation. So let’s consider three crucial steps of the conversion process. 1. We must know something. The first step is that we must grasp what our condition was, apart from the Savior. And you were dead in your offenses and sins, Ephesians 2:1 makes it clear that, left to ourselves, we were all spiritually dead. Without the sacrifice of Jesus, there wouldn’t be eternal life for anyone. 2. We must believe something. The good news is that God provided a means of salvation that is open to all people. Scripture explains that our loving heavenly Father, of His own initiative, made a way for our sin debt to be paid so we could dwell with Him forever (4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our wrongdoings, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6 and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the ages to come He might show the boundless riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. Eph. 2:4-9). 3. We must receive something. In order to claim any gift, we must first open our hands and receive it. The Father is reaching out to mankind, offering His free gift of salvation. Once we have taken it, it is ours to keep—forever (8 But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart”—that is, the word of faith which we are preaching, 9 that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; 10 for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation. 11 For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes in Him will not be put to shame.” 12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him; 13 for “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Rom. 10:8-13). Are you a believer who is empowered by God’s Spirit and completely confident about salvation? Then you are a force to be reckoned with! If you have known, believed, and received God’s gift of salvation, you can stand in full assurance today.

Let Nothing Steal Your Joy

 

“I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.”Romans 15:13

When we come to Christ and His Holy Spirit takes residence in us, true joy is one of the many gifts we receive. This joy is produced as a result of trusting in God who is the Source of all joy. It is often easy to express this joy when things are going well, but there is nothing particularly “Christian” about that since most anyone expresses joy in comfortable circumstances. Something extraordinary about the Apostle Paul, however, is how unbelievably strong his joy was when things weren’t going so well. In 2 Corinthians 7:4 he said, “I am overflowing with joy in all our affliction.” Say what?! What an amazing reflection of Jesus our attitude can have, especially in the face of adversity.

The enemy, however, will do anything in his power to steal our joy! From the moment your feet touch the floor in the morning, he will do all he can to distract you, overwhelm you, and frustrate you. He will take advantage of any difficulty in our day to cause worry, doubt, and to steal our joy. After all, stealing things is what he does best! John 10:10 says that the thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy the abundant life God has for us. Don’t let him! We have a choice of what voice we will listen to and who we will believe. God has given us power through His Holy Spirit to live free of bondage and live a rich and satisfying life. God is our source of joy, and he gives us the assurance that, no matter what, he is with us. Trust in God, believe His word, resist the devil, and choose joy in all circumstances.

8 Things That Have Stretched My Faith Over The Years

I start this post with a confession: I’m writing it because I’ve spent considerable amounts of time in prayer recently as God stretches my faith through some unexpected circumstances. I’m still learning (even after being a believer for more than 48 years) to trust God today. That’s why I’ve been reviewing not only how God has stretched me, but also how He has always come through.

1. Delayed answers to prayer. I have at times struggled when God has chosen to take His time in answering my prayers – especially when I could find nothing blatant in my life that would have hindered those prayers. I don’t always understand His plan.
2. Struggles in the church. I’ve not had to face as much as others have, but I’ve had situations where the actions of church people led to my discouragement and defeat. After all, I had “signed up” to serve the Lord, not to deal with silliness.
3. Poor leadership on my part. More often than I care to admit, the problems I’ve faced in churches have been the result of my bad leadership more than issues with others. And, when I mess up, I still wrestle a bit with, “Should I even be doing this work?” I know better, but my failures still stretch my faith.
4. Enduring grief over non-believing loved ones. I’m dealing with this one now. Despite the very real fact that I saw God save my mom and dad after decades of prayer, still I battle frustration and faithlessness when I’m still praying long for others. Sometimes I ask, “How long, oh Lord?”
5. A calling to stay when I want to go. Frankly, I’m a wanderer in my mind even though I typically stay in a job for a number of years. Even when I seem to be settled, I’m almost always thinking about the next “greener grass.” Staying focused where I am then becomes a faith issue for me.

Finish at: https://chucklawless.com/2022/07/8-things-that-stretched-my-faith-over-the-years/

Reading the Bible Existentially

A Broadcast with R.C. Sproul

To better understand how the Bible applies to us, we should consider how it applied to its first readers. Today, R.C. Sproul invites us to enter into the rich and vibrant drama of God’s Word.

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Finding Peace of Mind

 

“You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you!”Isaiah 26:3

Duke University did a study on “peace of mind.” Factors found to contribute greatly to emotional and mental stability are:

• The absence of suspicion and resentment. Nursing a grudge was a major factor in unhappiness.
• Not living in the past. An unwholesome preoccupation with old mistakes and failures leads to depression.
• Not wasting time and energy fighting conditions you cannot change. Cooperate with life, instead of trying to run away from it.
• Force yourself to stay involved with the living world. Resist the temptation to withdraw and become reclusive during periods of emotional stress.
• Refuse to indulge in self-pity when life hands you a raw deal. Accept the fact that nobody gets through life without some sorrow and misfortune.
• Cultivate the old-fashioned virtues—love, humor, compassion, and loyalty
• Do not expect too much of yourself. When there is too wide a gap between self-expectation and your ability to meet the goals you have set, feelings of inadequacy are inevitable.
• Find something bigger than yourself to believe in. Self-centered egotistical people score lowest in any test for measuring happiness.¹

Finding peace of mind has been a struggle since Bible times, but today’s verse is just as true for us today as it was then. When we keep our minds on Christ, He helps us let go of the past, forgive where necessary, trust Him and persevere when things get hard, and believe that all things are possible in Him. He is the only true Source of peace.

 

Suggested prayer: Dear God, at times I let my mind wander from you and start focusing on things that are out of my control instead of focusing on the One who is IN control of it all. I want the perfect peace that comes from trusting in You. Help me keep my thoughts on you and be an example of Your peace to others. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. In Jesus’ name, amen.

1.  www.sermoncentral.com

Daily Encounter devotional

The Vine & the Branches

A Broadcast with Sinclair Ferguson

Everything that Christians need to be faithful and fruitful in this life is found in Jesus Himself. Today, Sinclair Ferguson studies what Christ teaches about the vital importance of our spiritual union with Him.

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The Joy Of The Christian

“The Christian is not superficial in any sense, but is fundamentally serious and fundamentally happy. You see, the joy of the Christian is a holy joy, the happiness of the Christian is a serious happiness. … it is a solemn joy, it is a holy joy, it is a serious happiness; so that, though he is grave and sober-minded and serious, he is never cold and prohibitive.” ― David Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Studies in the Sermon on the Mount

Recognizing Christ’s Voice

Many voices compete for our attention, but abundant life comes when we listen to our Good Shepherd.

John 10:1-18 “Truly, truly I say to you, the one who does not enter by the door into the fold of the sheep, but climbs up some other way, he is a thief and a robber. 2 But the one who enters by the door is a shepherd of the sheep. 3 To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep listen to his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he puts all his own sheep outside, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice. 5 However, a stranger they simply will not follow, but will flee from him, because they do not know the voice of strangers.” 6 Jesus told them this figure of speech, but they did not understand what the things which He was saying to them meant. 7 So Jesus said to them again, “Truly, truly I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. 8 All those who came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. 9 I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came so that they would have life, and have it abundantly. 11 “I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep. 12 He who is a hired hand, and not a shepherd, who is not the owner of the sheep, sees the wolf coming, and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf snatches them and scatters the flock. 13 He flees because he is a hired hand and does not care about the sheep. 14 I am the good shepherd, and I know My own, and My own know Me, 15 just as the Father knows Me and I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. 16 And I have other sheep that are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they will listen to My voice; and they will become one flock, with one shepherd. 17 For this reason the Father loves Me, because I lay down My life so that I may take it back. 18 No one has taken it away from Me, but I lay it down on My own. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it back. This commandment I received from My Father.” What distinguishes a believer from an unbeliever? Jesus pointed out that His sheep know Him, hear His voice, and follow Him. They’re the ones He died to save, and when He called them, they responded in faith and repentance, receiving Him as their Lord and Shepherd. But hearing Christ’s call to salvation is just the beginning of a lifetime of attentiveness as He leads and directs our steps. Jesus told those who believed in Him, “If you continue in My word, then you are truly My disciples” (John 8:31). It’s essential that we recognize His voice and refuse any that contradict Him. God’s voice is heard through Scripture. That’s why making time to listen to Him through His Word is vital. As we fill our mind with biblical truths, the Spirit uses them to teach, rebuke, correct, and train us in righteousness (All Scripture is inspired by God and beneficial for teaching, for rebuke, for correction, for training in righteousness; 2 Tim. 3:16). Whatever you hear, always compare it with the Scriptures so you can differentiate between God’s truth and human logic or philosophies. As you become more familiar with Christ’s voice, be prepared to drop some of your preconceived ideas in order to align your thinking with His Word.

24 Critical Imperatives for the Believer (A Study of Romans 12)

https://larrydixon.wordpress.com/2022/07/24/24-critical-imperatives-for-the-believer-a-study-of-romans-12-session-1-2/

Friendship: A Help to Holiness

Strong friendships allow us to have tough conversations and also challenge us in our walk with God.

John 15:12-15 12 “This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this, that a person will lay down his life for his friends. 14 You are My friends if you do what I command you. 15 No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, because all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you. Of all that God created, one thing did not meet with His approval. With regard to Adam, He said, “It is not good for the man to be alone” (Gen. 2:18). The Creator designed people for emotional, mental, and physical intimacy—to share their innermost selves with one another. Jesus taught His disciples that they should love each other as He had loved them. (John 15:12 above). In a God-honoring friendship, two people build each other up and spur one another toward Christlikeness. Many people, however, don’t have relationships that sharpen their faith (As iron sharpens iron, So one person sharpens another. Prov. 27:17). They instead settle for the trivial talk of casual acquaintances, about things like the weather or world news. But the best relationships don’t shy away from vulnerable conversations. Fruitful friendships can begin when men and women risk their pride and comfort to discuss accountability, biblical living, or anything meant to motivate one another in holiness. When there’s trust and submission, two people can confess sin, offer gentle reproof, and share burdens. The walls we build to keep people at a distance are often defenses against God as well—to keep Him out of our dearest personal business. But if we share openly with a brother or sister in Christ, we will learn to be more honest with God too.