Israel; God's Prized Possession

These days Israel is in the news nearly every day. We are in a position right now to watch as prophecy unfolds before our very eyes.

Matthew 24:6–8 says, “And you will hear of wars and threats of wars, but don’t panic. Yes, these things must take place, but the end won’t follow immediately. Nation will go to war against nation and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in many parts of the world. But all this is only the first of the birth pains, with more to come.”

Did you realize that Christians should have a heart for Israel and that Israel is still dear to God’s own heart? The one thing I hope you’ll go away with today is that Christians have a responsibility to pray for the salvation of Israel (Romans 10:1) and for the peace of Jerusalem (Ps 122:6a). In Nehemiah 1:9b God says of the Jewish people, “……even if you are exiled to the ends of the earth, I will bring you back to the place I have chosen for my name to be honored.” The Jews call this making Aliyah back to Jerusalem.

How much does the Lord love Jerusalem? Zechariah 2:8b says, “Anyone who harms you harms my most precious passion” and Chapter 8:2 says, “This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: My love for Mount Zion is passionate and strong; I am consumed with passion for Jerusalem!” Verses 7-8 say, “……You can be sure that I will rescue my people from the east and from the west. I will bring them home again to live safely in Jerusalem. They will be my people, and I will be faithful and just toward them as their God."

Verse 11 says, “But now I will not treat the remnant of my people as I treated them before, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. In verses 14-15, “For this is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: I was determined to punish you when your ancestors angered me, and I did not change my mind, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. But now I am determined to bless Jerusalem and the people of Judah. So don’t be afraid.”

Zechariah 12:3b, 10 prophecies, “…..All the nations will gather against it to try to move it, but they will only hurt themselves. For on that day I will begin to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem. Then I will pour out a spirit of grace and prayer on the family of David and on the people of Jerusalem. They will look on me whom they have pierced and mourn for him as for an only son. They will grieve bitterly for him as for a firstborn son who has died.” Right now for the most part the Jewish people’s eyes have been blinded of the truth and they don’t understand what they have done to their ‘unrecognized’ Savior, but one day they will understand and there will be untold grieving for what they have done.

Romans 9:27 says that “Though the people of Israel are as numerous as the sand of the seashore, only a remnant will be saved.” Why only a remnant if Israel is the apple of God’s eye? (Malachi 1:2a) It’s because when Jesus died He died for all men making “….peace between Jews and Gentiles by creating in himself one new people from the two groups,” (Eph 2:15b) or as some might say ‘one new man’. “Now all of us can come to the Father through the same Holy Spirit because of what Christ has done for us.” (Eph 2:18) And this is where the problem begins for the Jewish people.

Paul speaks about his Jewish brothers in Romans 9, 10, and 11 saying that “the longing of my heart and my prayer to God is for the people of Israel to be saved.” (Romans 10:1) He goes on in verses 2-4 saying, “I know what enthusiasm they have for God, but it is misdirected zeal. For they don’t understand God’s way of making people right with himself. Refusing to accept God’s way, they cling to their own way of getting right with God by trying to keep the law. For Christ has already accomplished the purpose for which the law was given. As a result, all who believe in him are made right with God.” Remember, Christ fulfilled the law when He died for our sins as the ultimate sacrifice.

In verse 16 Paul continues to say that not everyone welcomes the Good News. He goes on to ask in verse 18 whether the people of Israel have actually ever heard the message of Christ and then answers, “Yes, they have: “The message has gone throughout the earth, and the words to all the world.””

“Well then, has God failed to fulfill his promise to Israel? No, for not all who are born into the nation of Israel are truly members of God’s people!” (Romans 9:6)

Let’s go back to the beginning and find out how we Gentiles were fortunate enough to be ‘grafted’ in as Children of the Most High God. The book of Jeremiah predicted the fall of Jerusalem long ago and tells of God’s promise to restore her. Let’s look now at the book of Ezekiel at a short version of how Israel turned her back on God and brought disappointment to Him and shame on His Holy Name.

Ezekiel 36:17a, 18–27 says, “Son of man, when the people of Israel were living in their own land, they defiled it by the evil way they lived. They polluted the land with murder and the worship of idols, so I poured out my fury on them. I scattered them to many lands to punish them for the evil way they had lived. But when they were scattered among the nations, they brought shame on my holy name. For the nations said, ‘These are the people of the Lord, but he couldn’t keep them safe in his own land!’ Then I was concerned for my holy name, on which my people brought shame among the nations.

“Therefore, give the people of Israel this message from the Sovereign Lord: I am bringing you back, but not because you deserve it. I am doing it to protect my holy name, on which you brought shame while you were scattered among the nations. I will show how holy my great name is—the name on which you brought shame among the nations. And when I reveal my holiness through you before their very eyes, says the Sovereign Lord, then the nations will know that I am the Lord. For I will gather you up from all the nations and bring you home again to your land." Last year alone over a million Jews made Aliyah back into Israel from all across the world mostly from Ethiopia and Russia.

In Romans 11:1, 2b, 11, 13-15, 17b-23, 28 Paul says, “I ask, then, has God rejected his own people, the nation of Israel? Of course not! I myself am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham and a member of the tribe of Benjamin. Elijah the prophet complained to God about the people of Israel....... Did God’s people stumble and fall beyond recovery? Of course not! They were disobedient, so God made salvation available to the Gentiles (which of course is us). But he wanted his own people to become jealous and claim it for themselves.

I am saying all this especially for you Gentiles. God has appointed me as the apostle to the Gentiles. I stress this, for I want somehow to make the people of Israel jealous of what you Gentiles have, so I might save some of them. For since their rejection meant that God offered salvation to the rest of the world, their acceptance will be even more wonderful. It will be life for those who were dead! …..And you Gentiles, who were branches from a wild olive tree, have been grafted in. So now you also receive the blessing God has promised Abraham and his children, sharing in the rich nourishment from the root of God’s special olive tree. But you must not brag about being grafted in to replace the branches that were broken off. You are just a branch, not the root.

“Well,” you may say, “those branches were broken off to make room for me.” Yes, but remember—those branches were broken off because they didn’t believe in Christ, and you are there because you do believe. So don’t think highly of yourself, but fear what could happen. For if God did not spare the original branches, he won’t spare you either.

Notice how God is both kind and severe. He is severe toward those who disobeyed, but kind to you if you continue to trust in his kindness. But if you stop trusting, you also will be cut off. And if the people of Israel turn from their unbelief, they will be grafted in again, for God has the power to graft them back into the tree. I want you to understand this mystery, dear brothers and sisters, so that you will not feel proud about yourselves. Some of the people of Israel have hard hearts, but this will last only until the full number of Gentiles comes to Christ. Many of the people of Israel are now enemies of the Good News, and this benefits you Gentiles. Yet they are still the people he loves because he chose their ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob."

Some of the Jewish customs and feasts have blessings that can enrich our lives deeply. They are God’s holy days, not theirs, and there are many benefits for the believer even today. He promises to bless every believer who blesses Israel. (Psalm 122:6b) Christians, should feel honored that according to Romans 11:25, “…blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in.” Praise be to God that he loves us as well!!!.

God reminds us that Israel’s rejection is not final (Romans 11:29), that His plan for Israel and the Jewish people is irrevocable and can not be changed. The year 1948 opened the door for all these prophecies to come to pass as they became a State. In 1967 the Jewish people were finally able to go back into the city of Jerusalem for the first time in over 2,000 years.

According to various sources including Wikipedia, Israel is the world’s only predominantly Jewish State with an estimated 7 ½ million population. Israel is a democracy, as we are, with a parliamentary system called the Knesset serving as the legislative body.

Israel has the 41st largest economy in the world and has one of the highest life expectancies. They rank in the top 20 of most economically developed nations. Jerusalem is the largest city and the capital; Tel Aviv is Israel’s main financial center and Haifa is her main industrial center.

Israel is a little over 8500 square miles which is a little bit bigger than the size of New Jersey, and is now one of the leaders in technology, computer science, medical research, space technology, and more.

Israel has a draft policy at the age of 18; 2-3 years for women and 3 years for men. They have a high-tech weapons system and including the reservists almost 600,000 man their army called the Israeli Defense Force or IDF.

Israel is largely self-sufficient in food production, except for beef and grain. Israel is a leader in water conservation, geothermal energy and is compared to Silicon Valley and others for their cutting edge technologies in software, communications, and life sciences.

Over 3 million tourists visit Israel each year, largely religious tourism. Israel has a diamond industry and houses the world’s largest diamond trading floor.

So see, God is already busy blessing and prospering them. They are not a third world country; they rival the best with their blessings from God Himself. Psalm 87:2 says, “He loves the city of Jerusalem more than any other city in Israel.” John 4:22 reminds us that “….salvation comes through the Jews.” They are the root and we are fortunately grafted in as branches.

The bottom line? Paul talks about the people taking up an offering for the poor believers in Jerusalem. Romans 15:27 says, “They were glad to do this because they feel they owe a real debt to them. Since the Gentiles received the spiritual blessings of the Good News from the believers in Jerusalem, they feel the least they can do in return is to help them financially.” God will bless us when we bless them financially and one way to do that is help Jews make Aliyah back to Jerusalem through various ministries and programs.

In Genesis 12:3 we’re reminded that God said of Israel, “I will bless those who bless you and curse those who treat you with contempt.” How many times have you seen Israel treated with contempt in the news lately? Joel 3:2 says, “….I will judge them for harming my people, my special possession, for scattering my people among the nations, and for dividing up my land.” Now that you know that it is God’s intention to protect Jerusalem, it’ll be interesting to watch as news events unfold before our very eyes and you can tell those around you that you know the end of the story! Jerusalem will continue to be the apple of God’s eye and we must continue to pray for the peace of Jerusalem and the salvation of Israel. Shalom Marvin and Diana.

Anger and the Tongue

“Hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil;” wise and timely words spoken so long ago. Our tongue can either make us or break us. It can tear down or build up; glorify or curse; mock or praise.

In the past you may have been the victim of someone’s sharp, short, careless and hurtful words cutting you to the core. Some words are so hurtful they may ring in your head tormenting you for years to come!

What are some of the situations we have become easily angered? They are the times we feel we’re no longer in control of a situation, when we’re sick in our bodies, when we aren’t exercising our usual self-control, those times when we’re not getting our way or are worried about something that may not even be related to what’s going on at the moment.

We are better equipped to handle our emotions when we’re rested and healthy, and when we are staying close to God. It is a person of great character that can hear our anger and yet feel compassion for our situation and work with us to get a matter resolved rather than adding fuel to the argument of their own.

Oh, you say you’re not given to bursts of anger? Are your words always kind and do they always build others up rather than tear them down? I told myself for years that I didn’t have a temper and that couldn’t have been further from the truth! I was one of those that stuffed it and stuffed it and stuffed it until I blew up!

It’s not good for our health, our emotions or our family life, and it is being dishonest to keep all your thoughts and concerns to yourself seeming to always go along. You have a right to your opinion and your thoughts….even to your anger! Yes that’s right, even to your anger. How you express your anger is the key.

One of the greatest gifts you can give another is not to be easily offended by occasional out bursts but rather “Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone.” (Romans 12:18) NLT

Ephesians 4:31 tells us to get rid of anger and rage. Do you recognize any of these things in your life; you seem to annoy people, aggravate, exasperate, irritate, offend, blow up, boil-over, flare up, fume, breathe fire, fly into a rage, you’re referred to as hot under the collar, that you hit the ceiling, that you lose your temper, or see red?

If you recognize any of these situations in your own life it’s time to get to the root of the problem. Ask God and He will show you what it is. Perhaps we just need to communicate better with someone in our lives so things don’t have a chance to escalate. Perhaps we are unable to see ourselves as God sees us and therefore are too easily offended or defensive. Perhaps it’s a matter of selfishness or even that you’re no good at balancing your check book or managing your chores at home and want to take out your frustrations on someone besides yourself.

James 4:1-2b says “What is causing the quarrels and fights among you? You want what you don’t have, so you scheme and kill to get it. You are jealous of what others have, but you can’t get it, so you fight and wage war to take it away from them…..” Most of the time we don’t carry it to the extremes of killing and waging war, but you’d be surprised how anger can destroy your life and your relationships.

“…no one can tame the tongue. It is restless and evil, full of deadly poison.” (James 3:8) The Lord wants us to be slow to anger as He is slow to anger. (Exodus 34:6b) (James 1:19b)

Why does the Lord despise anger? Genesis 4:3-8 tells the story of Cain and how he became jealous of his brother Abel because God accepted Abel’s gift of the best first born lambs from his flock but rejected his own gift of crops because they weren’t his best crops.

It made Cain very angry. The Lord reminded him that he would be accepted if he did what was right. Later Cain took his brother to the fields and killed him. He lied to God when He asked where his brother was and God banished him from His presence. We can see from this story that simple anger, mixed when a little jealousy can lead to hatred and murder.

Paul reminds us in Ephesians and Colossians to get rid of rage, anger, harsh words and slander. He goes on to tell us how we’re supposed to act as we forgive each other. The Word tells us that God’s righteous anger is against sin and urges us to use anger in moderation. Psalm 85:2-3 says, “You forgave the guilt of your people—yes, you covered all their sins. You held back your fury. You kept back your blazing anger.” So God can and will set aside His anger at our sins when He forgives us.

Psalm 78:38b-39a shows us that “Many times he held back his anger and did not unleash his fury! For he remembered that they were merely mortal……..”

What are some of the things that cause God’s anger and wrath? Sin and disobedience are at the top of the list. Romans 2:5 mentions stubbornness. Ephesians 5:3-4, 6 also mentions things that cause His anger that we are not to participate in, talk about, or even associate with those who do. These are sexual immorality, impurity, greed, obscene stories, foolish talk, or coarse jokes. These things will only cause death and destruction.

Thank goodness “now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God because our Lord Jesus Christ has made us friends of God.” Romans 5:11.

What about the things that can cause human anger? We already know anger can lead to hatred and murder so self control is truly the key. Anger is not always wrong but be careful how far you take it. Moses threw down the tablets of stone breaking them. Jesus was human and was angry when his disciples tried to keep the children from bothering Him in Mark 3:5, and of course the incident in the temple where he ran the money-changers out of the house of God.

What are some of the ways we can curb our anger and frustration? Communicating better with one another is a great way to head off trouble ‘at the pass’ so to speak. It’s unfair to put up and put up and put up with someone’s actions and then one day just unload all your pent up anger onto them. Perhaps if we take the time to explain how their actions make us feel early on, and discuss it openly, a compromise can be reached.

I would much rather someone be ‘up front’ with me about how they feel about things rather than always giving in until it builds up resentment and anger. Most people don’t like conflict so we’ll go miles around a problem rather than take the time needed to get it resolved. It’s no wonder relationships get so fragile!

Thank goodness for spouses, children, friends, and family who are forgiving as we try to learn to come to terms with our anger. There is no room in a relationship for being ‘thin skinned’ and insecure if we’re going to be able to give each other the gift of forgiveness and unconditional love.
Unconditional love does not mean letting someone run you down or run over you, it means bearing with one another as we all learn to deal with our anger and our tongues through the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

If you’re having a particular problem with anger go to your Father in heaven and ask for guidance but be prepared to deal with ‘the good, the bad, and the ugly’ because when He reveals to you those things you need to work on you may be shocked at what lies deep down inside you! I always am! Shalom, Marvin & Diana

Thanks to MSClipArt for use of the Graphic.

Who We Are In Christ

How does it feel to be a child of the Most High God; to be made on purpose by the Creator Himself? To be chosen to be born for this very time in history and to have a specific purpose?

Next time you’re at the altar beating yourself up about how disappointed in us He must be, remember that you are no surprise to the one who created you. He made you just the way you are and has a desire to be in relationship with you for eternity.

Just imagine that God loved you even before the world was created AND even before you were born into this world. Ephesians 1:4 (NLT) says that, “Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes.” Yikes!!....without fault??!! That’s right, and that begins the story of ‘Who We Are In Christ’.

“For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.”-Ephesians 2:10 The first thing that comes to our minds is like Paul in Romans 7 where he is struggling with sin and the flesh, and says the very things he wants to do he can not do!

2 Timothy 1:9 says that, “…..He did this, not because we deserved it, but because that was his plan from before the beginning of time—to show us his grace through Christ Jesus.” Our Father knew that we would struggle with sin and the flesh as Paul did, so He sent us a ‘way out’, a final sacrifice for our sin so we could be in relationship with Him. That ‘way out’ is Jesus Christ himself. God loved us so much that He not only made us but made a way for us to be pure and holy in His sight through Jesus’ sacrifice.

The fact that we don’t realize the depth of the love God really has for us is probably one of the biggest reasons we are insecure, unsure, have feelings of lack, of not being good enough, of being incomplete and roaming through life seemingly without purpose or direction. As many have said, we’re trying to fill the ‘God shaped’ hole in our lives with all kinds of things except God.

The first step in realizing God’s love for us is seeing ourselves as God sees us through Christ rather than how we perceive ourselves. If you’ve been ‘born again’, you are now a new creation! 2 Corinthians 5:17-18, 21 explains, “……This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him. For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.”

We are now the righteousness of God through Christ Jesus!! We owe him a debt of gratitude. It is only because of Him and His love for us that He gave up His life for us so we might live and be able to have a relationship with the Father. As Ephesians 4:14-15 says, “….we will no longer be immature like children. We won’t be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth. Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church.”

”….God—who does not lie…” (Titus 1:2) tells us who we are, so that is who we are!! In order to get these things into our heads, we’ll have to confess them out loud over and over until we actually start to see the truth and know what is right about who we are in Christ! No matter what notion we have of ourselves, Romans 6:6-7 points out that our ‘old man’ was crucified with Him! “We know that our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin. For when we died with Christ we were set free from the power of sin.”

“..have you forgotten that when we were joined with Christ Jesus in baptism, we joined him in his death? For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives.” Romans 6:3-4.

1John 2:1-2 - “….I’m writing this to you so that you will not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate who pleads our case before the Father. He is Jesus Christ, the one who is truly righteous. He himself is the sacrifice that atones for our sins—and not only our sins but the sins of all the world.”

Even though as we mature in Christ we fall over and over, we can still walk in confidence that through Jesus Christ our Lord, God can have a relationship with us. “But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.” 1 John 1:9.

“You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then God made you alive with Christ, for he forgave all our sins. He canceled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross. In this way, he disarmed the spiritual rulers and authorities. He shamed them publicly by his victory over them on the cross.” Colossians 2:13-15.

“For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus.” Ephesians 2:6-7 The sooner we can grasp that since our baptism into Him we have become united with Him, the sooner we’ll realize that we can live our lives victorious over sin and death as we were meant to live. He disarmed the spiritual rulers and authorities, shaming them with His victory over them so we could live a victorious life! We are free, we are well, and we are sinless all through Jesus Christ! The only thing that keeps us down is believing “the lies” from the Evil one. The one thing that terrifies Satan is that we’ll realize our full potential in Christ Jesus and take our rightful place with Him right now as over-comers!

We should feel powerful living strong, aggressive, bold lives knowing who we are in Christ. Because Christ died for us and rose again, sits at the Father’s right hand, and makes us joint heirs with Him, we have everything we need to continue to carry out His work here on earth until He comes again. We are even told to “Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons. Freely you received, freely give.” Matthew 10:8.

Because we have a God of grace who only looks at us through Jesus’ blood and sacrifice, we can stand confidently knowing that even as we battle our flesh day after day, we can have fellowship with Him! As we start partaking in our actual inheritance we can begin trusting God for what we need and devote our time to what others need, carrying out Jesus’ ministry here on earth. (Colossians 1:12)

God’s grace is a free gift to us through Jesus Christ and there’s no way to work for it or earn it. Old things have passed away. We’re done with double mindedness; we are new creatures. No more guilt and shame; no condemnation in Christ Jesus. Consider your self to be dead to the power of sin (Romans 6:11) and start living the victorious life Jesus Christ paid for us. Sin is no longer our master; instead we live under the freedom of God’s grace!!!

Jesus said in John 17:17-24 – “Make them holy by your truth; teach them your word which is truth. Just as you sent me into the world, I am sending them into the world. And I give myself as a holy sacrifice for them so they can be made holy by your truth. I am praying not only for these disciples but also for all who will ever believe in me through their message. I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one—as you are in me, Father, and I am in you. And may they be in us so that the world will believe you sent me. I have given them the glory you gave me, so they may be one as we are one. I am in them and you are in me. May they experience such perfect unity that the world will know that you sent me and that you love them as much as you love me. Father, I want these whom you have given me to be with me where I am. Then they can see all the glory you gave me because you loved me even before the world began!

Our Father now looks at us and knows us as WHO WE ARE IN CHRIST!! He now sees us as we were created to be, by Him, even before the earth was created. We continually ask for forgiveness through Jesus Christ our Lord and God continues to see us spotless under the blood of Jesus!

We should walk in victory not condemned, as the Holy Spirit continues to teach us how to be more and more like Him!! It is not a new nature we have been given. We are a new creature; a completely different person; a powerful soul complete in Him and equipped with everything we need for a victorious life because of His grace! We no longer live by our flesh but walk in the Spirit. “For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives.” Romans 6:4.
You’re just a prayer away from holiness in God’s eyes through Christ Jesus. We must think of ourselves as God sees us in order to walk in the authority and boldness that he desires of us. If we see ourselves as He see us through Christ we’ll be able to heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, and cast out demons! We are to live victorious lives taking care of each other as God our Father takes care of us! We must see ourselves as He sees us through Christ in order to accomplish the plan and purpose He has for our lives! -------Shalom, Marvin & Diana

Thanks to ChristianPhotos for use of the graphic

I Want to But I Don’t

Have you ever come up against that part inside of you that wants its own way contrary to the way you want to go? Have you ever had a disgusting habit you needed or wanted to break and just couldn’t do it? Have you ever tried with all your might to achieve a personal goal only to fail over and over again? Well you’re not alone and there is a solution to your dilemma. Paul talks about this very thing in Romans saying that which he wants to do he cannot do and that which he doesn’t want to do his flesh is determined to do. Let’s read that passage in Romans 7:15–25 (RSV).

“15 I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. 16 Now if I do what I do not want, I agree that the law is good. 17 So then it is no longer I that do it, but sin which dwells within me. 18 For I know that nothing good dwells within me, that is, in my flesh. I can will what is right, but I cannot do it. 19 For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I do. 20 Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I that do it, but sin which dwells within me. 21 So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. 22 For I delight in the law of God, in my inmost self, 23 but I see in my members another law at war with the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin which dwells in my members. 24 Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? 25 Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I of myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin.”

I don’t know about you but there have been several things in my life that I’ve struggled with and the only answer has been God. It’s all about those little things you hope no one knows about you; those secret little things that war against you in the flesh; those things that you cry out to God for help from.

There’s a conflict between our desires and our flesh; between our sinful nature and the Spirit. It’s just the way things are—our sinful nature (our flesh) rages war in our minds. The battle field truly IS in our minds.

1 Peter 4:12–13 (RSV) says , “12 Dear friends, don’t be surprised at the fiery trials you are going through as if something strange were happening to you. 13 Instead, be very glad—for these trials make you partners with Christ in his suffering, so that you will have the wonderful joy of seeing his glory when it is revealed to all the world.”

If we’re aware that our flesh is always going to war against our spirit in our minds then we have won half the battle. The Holy Spirit is our secret for successful daily living. If the Apostle Paul was continually at war within himself, then it’s certainly not strange for us to be going through these challenges in our own lives. Galatians 6:9 (NLT) reminds us to “………..not get tired of doing what is good” because “At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.”

Paul continues in Galatians 5:16–24 (NLT), saying to let the Holy Spirit guide our lives and so we won’t be giving in to what our sinful nature craves. He confirms that the sinful nature wants to do the opposite of what the Spirit wants. He goes on to say that these two forces are constantly fighting against one another.

“16 So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. 17 The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions. 18 But when you are directed by the Spirit, you are not under obligation to the law of Moses. 19 When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, 21 envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God. 22 But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things! 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there.”

Paul lays out in verses 19-21 the result of living in “the flesh” as opposed to living in “the Spirit”, and the fruit of the route we choose shows the world which is most active in our lives; the flesh or the Spirit.

Today’s society looks at the fleshly list of sins in these verses and doesn’t understand that these are still the very same challenges even today; they don’t even see them as things they should fight against. Let’s take a closer look at what these evidences of living in the flesh are and what some of the modern day applications might be; see if you can add others:

Sexual Immorality – impurity, sensuality, adultery (inside marriage), fornication (outside marriage such as rape, incest, living together)
Impurity – see above sexual immorality
Lustful Pleasures - promiscuity, being vulgar, obscene, lewd, improper, indecent
Idolatry – excessive devotion, worship of trees, nature, stones (New Age), Buddhism, the Muslim Faith, all cultism
Sorcery – witchcraft, superstition, divination, magic, curses, spells, rebellion, palm readers, horoscopes, mystics, tarot cards, voodoo, Wicca, pagan, occult, Ouija boards, and even ‘self-help’ doctrines
Hostility – hatred, murder, ill will, antagonism, being unfriendly, animosity, bitterness, gall, aggression, resentment
Quarreling – finding fault, complaining, disputing angrily, bitter or violent conflict or contention for superiority
Jealousy/Envy – gossiping, backbiting, snide remarks, building ourselves up by degrading others, resentment, suspicion, mistrust, possessiveness, doubt, spite, discontent, putting others down
Outbursts of Anger – rage, fury, wrath, indignation, hostility, offense, road rage
Selfish Ambition – concern with ones own welfare or advantage, stingy, egotistical, inconsiderate
Dissension/Division – factions, varying viewpoints, strife, discord, disagreement, confrontation
Division – see above dissension/division
Envy – see above jealousy/envy
Drunkenness – intoxication, grogginess, tipsiness, insobriety, inebriated
Wild Parties – lacking order, orgies, behaving without restraint, uncontrolled, savage, revelries, carousing

Thank goodness while we were yet sinners Christ died for us (Romans 5:6) to free us from a life of sin and its consequences; not only that he gave us a way to fight against these things but also to be successful.

Ephesians 6:10–17 (NLT) sets out how we can become more and more successful in turning our backs on our “flesh” and living more in the Spirit.
“10 A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. 12 For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. 14 Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness. 15 For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared. 16 In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. 17 Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”

Isn’t it wonderful that the only instruction we have other than putting on our armor to fight against such things is to ‘Stand our Ground’? Where do we go from here? How do we get started in making the changes we desire and leaving our ‘flesh’ behind for a life led by the Spirit? The following scriptures speak for themselves:

1 Peter 5:6–11 (NLT) “6 So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time he will lift you up in honor. 7 Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you. 8 Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. 9 Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith. Remember that your Christian brothers and sisters all over the world are going through the same kind of suffering you are. 10 In his kindness God called you to share in his eternal glory by means of Christ Jesus. So after you have suffered a little while, he will restore, support, and strengthen you, and he will place you on a firm foundation.”

2 Peter 1:3 (NLT), “3 By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence.”

2 Corinthians 5:21 (NLT), “21 For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.”

Romans 5:21 (NLT), “21 So just as sin ruled over all people and brought them to death, now God’s wonderful grace rules instead, giving us right standing with God and resulting in eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

Romans 5:11 (NLT), “11 So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God because our Lord Jesus Christ has made us friends of God.”

Romans 8:1-17 (NLT), “So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. 2 And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death. 3 The law of Moses was unable to save us because of the weakness of our sinful nature. So God did what the law could not do. He sent his own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have. And in that body God declared an end to sin’s control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins. 4 He did this so that the just requirement of the law would be fully satisfied for us, who no longer follow our sinful nature but instead follow the Spirit. 5 Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit. 6 So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace. 7 For the sinful nature is always hostile to God. It never did obey God’s laws, and it never will. 8 That’s why those who are still under the control of their sinful nature can never please God. 9 But you are not controlled by your sinful nature. You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you. (And remember that those who do not have the Spirit of Christ living in them do not belong to him at all.) 10 And Christ lives within you, so even though your body will die because of sin, the Spirit gives you life because you have been made right with God. 11 The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you. 12 Therefore, dear brothers and sisters, you have no obligation to do what your sinful nature urges you to do. 13 For if you live by its dictates, you will die. But if through the power of the Spirit you put to death the deeds of your sinful nature, you will live. 14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. 15 So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, “Abba, Father.” 16 For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children. 17 And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory……………”

Romans 6 (NLT), “1 Well then, should we keep on sinning so that God can show us more and more of his wonderful grace? 2 Of course not! Since we have died to sin, how can we continue to live in it? 3 Or have you forgotten that when we were joined with Christ Jesus in baptism, we joined him in his death? 4 For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives. 5Since we have been united with him in his death, we will also be raised to life as he was. 6 We know that our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin. 7 For when we died with Christ we were set free from the power of sin. 8 And since we died with Christ, we know we will also live with him. 9 We are sure of this because Christ was raised from the dead, and he will never die again. Death no longer has any power over him. 10 When he died, he died once to break the power of sin. But now that he lives, he lives for the glory of God. 11 So you also should consider yourselves to be dead to the power of sin and alive to God through Christ Jesus. 12 Do not let sin control the way you live;[a] do not give in to sinful desires. 13 Do not let any part of your body become an instrument of evil to serve sin. Instead, give yourselves completely to God, for you were dead, but now you have new life. So use your whole body as an instrument to do what is right for the glory of God. 14 Sin is no longer your master, for you no longer live under the requirements of the law. Instead, you live under the freedom of God’s grace. 15 Well then, since God’s grace has set us free from the law, does that mean we can go on sinning? Of course not! 16 Don’t you realize that you become the slave of whatever you choose to obey? You can be a slave to sin, which leads to death, or you can choose to obey God, which leads to righteous living. 17 Thank God! Once you were slaves of sin, but now you wholeheartedly obey this teaching we have given you. 18 Now you are free from your slavery to sin, and you have become slaves to righteous living. 19 Because of the weakness of your human nature, I am using the illustration of slavery to help you understand all this. Previously, you let yourselves be slaves to impurity and lawlessness, which led ever deeper into sin. Now you must give yourselves to be slaves to righteous living so that you will become holy. 20 When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the obligation to do right. 21 And what was the result? You are now ashamed of the things you used to do, things that end in eternal doom. 22 But now you are free from the power of sin and have become slaves of God. Now you do those things that lead to holiness and result in eternal life. 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord."

So there you have it; just because we’ve been born again doesn’t mean we have a license to sin, but it means we, through the Holy Spirit, will begin to show more and more fruits of the Spirit and people will begin to see more and more changes as we mature in the Lord which means they’ll begin seeing more and more of our Lord through us.

Are we still going to goof up? Of course we will because we are part flesh and part spirit, and the scriptures showed us they are in constant battle with one another. There was only one perfect man.

Thank goodness the price has already been paid for us to have eternal life through Christ Jesus. Some of us will push forward to be the best we can be and try to gain all the fruits of the Spirit; some of us will do no more than is absolutely necessary, will still see heaven and will be content with that; then some of us may even end up totally turning our backs on the Lord even after all he has done for us, crucifying him all over again and stripping themselves of eternity in heaven. The choices and the consequences or rewards of those choices are our own.

I chose to receive God’s gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ and am grateful he gave us the tools to fight off our flesh and the evil one. As I grow in the Lord thank goodness there will be fewer and fewer times that I’ll have to say, as Paul did, that ‘I do not do what I want’.
Shalom, Marvin and Diana

Thanks to Microsoft ClipArt for the use of the graphic.

NO MORE GRUMBLING!!!

It’s an epidemic!!! Most of us grumble numerous times during the day about something. It’s one of the most difficult habits to break and one of the most necessary. God has been showing me that even when I’m alone its important what comes out of my mouth.

I guess what I’m talking about is grumbling and complaining. There is power in the spoken word. Deut. 30:19 says, “Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses…….Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live!”(New Living Translation – NLT)

The actual words that come out of our mouths either line up under blessings or under curses. I don’t know about you but I need to be much more careful about what I say.

My worst bout with grumbling used to be in traffic because I thought it was fun and besides nobody could hear me. The Holy Spirit started convicting me about it and now my husband reminds me when I forget (grin), but I think the main reason we shouldn’t grumble is probably our attitude.

I’m doing better at not doing it so much out loud but then we have to change our attitude to one that submits to Christ where we don’t even think about saying those things.

When you look back over Bible history there are all kinds of references where God expresses His dislike and disdain of grumbling.

If you think about it, it probably has to do with love, or the lack of it that upsets God so much. God’s all about justice, fairness, kindness, love, etc, and grumbling doesn’t fit into that pattern.

In Exodus 16:7, God considered their grumbling to be against Him rather than against Moses and Aaron. Yikes, I don’t want to grumble against God!

Numbers 14:27-29 shows how angry God gets with our grumbling. “How long must I put up with this wicked community and its complaints about me? Yes, I have heard the complaints the Israelites are making against me. Now tell them this: ‘As surely as I live, declares the Lord, I will do to you the very things I heard you say, You will all drop dead in this wilderness! Because you complained against me, every one of you who is twenty years old or older and was included in the registration will die.’” (NLT)

The rest of that chapter goes on while God tells them of His anger and the horrible things that will happen to them because of their complaining. I want to really be careful what I say if words and attitude count for so much! Thank goodness for Jesus Christ who saved us from our sins and who hears our prayers of repentance each day as we try to be more like Him.

Start listening to what comes out of your mouth and begin by not saying it out loud. The Lord is more than able to help us over come and to replace our grumbling with an attitude of gratitude.

Shalom,
Marvin and Diana

Thanks to MinistryClipArt for use of the photo.

"NO FEAR"

I asked the Lord to show me something He wanted to tell His people on our site. I opened my Bible and there was the verse in Deut. 31:8, "Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord will personally go ahead of you. He will be with you, He will neither fail you nor abandon you".

Even though these words were spoken to Joshua by Moses, they can easily apply to us today.

Unlike our earthly families sometimes do, He does not fail us or abandon us. If distance creeps in between God and us it is of our own doing.

This verse tells me that the youth of our society are 'right-on' with their "No Fear" tee shirts. Because of the Lord's promises, Christians should not be fearful!

All through His Word He tells us to be strong and courageous, and not to be afraid. Deut. 13:4 says we are to fear God alone! In Psalm 34:4 He says He frees us from all our fears, and verse 7 of that same chapter says, "For the angel of the Lord is a guard; he surrounds and defends all who fear Him". The 9th verse continues saying, "those who fear Him will have all they need".

Psalm 46:2 reminds us not to ".......fear when earthquakes come". Proverbs 1:33 says we should be "untroubled by fear of harm". 2 Chronicles 20:15 tells us, "Do not be afraid! Don't be discouraged........for the battle is not yours, but Gods".

Sometimes it helps me to remember that all I'm required to do is put on the full armor of God and stand firm while He does the battle. How easy and stress free can that get? Verse 17 confirms that by saying, ".......But you will not even need to fight. Take your positions; then stand still and watch the Lord's victory". All the Lord's battles end in victory! If God be for us who can be against us?

What are the fears before us today? Health, finances, relationships, work situations, and many others. Isn't it wonderful we can lean on God, be peaceful in our situations and let Him handle what it is we have fear of?

In Job 3:25-26, Job says the thing he has always feared, happened to him. He said, ".....what I dreaded has come true. I have no peace, no quietness. I have no rest, only trouble comes".

It sounds like we should stay as far away from fear and dread as we can get, putting our hope and trust in Jesus Christ. I John 4:18 points out that "......perfect love expels all fear".

In closing, I want to say that I draw comfort from Hebrews 13:6 which says, ".....The Lord is my helper, so I will have no fear". Maybe our youth are on to something here with their "No Fear" tee shirts.

Next time you see one of those tee shirts perhaps you'll be better prepared to use that phrase as a lead in to witness to that person about how God is your defender and fights all your battles. Who we are is not the reason we have "No Fear", but rather who He is and who we are in Him!

We choose to have "No Fear"!

Shalom, Marvin and Diana

I Must Forgive

The Lord has really been speaking to us about forgiveness lately. As a matter of fact we saw a documentary about ‘near death’ experiences. One person was shocked to learn how serious the Lord is about forgiving others as we have been forgiven, as in the Lord’s prayer in Matthew 6:12 (NLT). As the story goes he was expecting to go on into heaven but because of unforgiveness in his heart he would not have gone there.

How many of us are working hard for the Lord but at the same time are harboring something deep in our souls from yesterday, or this morning or even years ago? We have learned from experience that it’s not uncommon to have to lay something down over and over again every time it rears its ugly head. Forgiveness is a process and a choice. Some people find the language of saying “I choose to forgive” helpful to put some issue to rest.

This is a serious matter that we need to pay close attention to. Matthew 6:14-15 says, “If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins.” How much more plainly do we need that spelled out for us?

In Luke 6:37, Jesus says, “Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn others, or it will all come back against you. Forgive others, and you will be forgiven.” He also goes on to say in Mark 11:25 that “……….when you are praying, first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against, so that your Father in heaven will forgive your sins, too.”

Matthew 5:23-24 says if we’re at the altar with a gift or sacrifice and we suddenly remember that someone else has something against us, that we should stop and go be reconciled to that person before coming back to present our gift. By the world’s standards that is way out there! Not only do we have to forgive but as Romans 12:18 (NIV) puts it we must live in peace with everyone as far as it depends on us.

Our God is a forgiving God as seen in Psalm 86:5 and Isaiah 55:7 where it says he is ready to forgive and forgives generously. But we must remember that He is also a just God.

Luke 24:47 reminds us there is forgiveness of sins for all who repent but Hebrews 9:22 says there is no forgiveness without the shed of blood which points to the price and redemption for us paid by Jesus Christ.

The Holy Spirit is here with us today and will convict us and remind us of the things that need to be tended to in our lives. Jesus sent Him here to live in us to help us and comfort us after he ascended into heaven.

I John 1:9 says that he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins but we have a part in the relationship as well and that is to learn to forgive others quickly. Forgiveness isn’t necessarily a feeling, it is a choice; a choice that sometimes must be made over and over again.

I don’t know about you but I’m working at taking all those daily irritations, disagreements, judgments and condemnations a lot more seriously as they stand not only between me and my forgiveness but in the larger picture between me and my salvation.

As we saw in the life of Joseph, God is in control. We don’t have to fight our own battles or try to control others. In the words of Genesis 50:20, what is meant by others for harm God can turn around for our good.

The only way the world is going to see Jesus in us is as we become more Christ like and go against our human nature and forgive one another. We choose to forgive.

Shalom……..Marvin and Diana

Thanks to Microsoft Clip Art for use of the graphic.