Put your armour on

  Put your Armour on

The apostle Paul wrote,

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.  

Put on the full armour of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes.  

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.  

Therefore put on the full armour of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.  

Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.  

In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.  

Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.  

And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints. Ephesians 6:10-18.

Seven questions

Is your spiritual armour on? 

Do you know Gods truth? 

Do you know what the righteousness of God is? 

Do you know what true faith in God is? 

Do you know what the Salvation of God is? 

Do you know the word of God? 

Do you pray not just for yourself but for other brother and sisters in Christ?

Sadly many calling themselves Christians do not know the answers to these questions then they wonder why their efforts for Christ fails.

Paul here in Ephesians 6:10-18 compares Christians to a Roman soldier. The Roman soldier was the best soldier of his day. They, I’m told, had the best weapons and tactics. 

The Roman soldier didn’t however just put on his kit and go into battle. Quite the contrary he probably practised and drilled far more hour than he ever spent in battle. He learned about his weapons and how to use them effectively.

Which is what we as Christians should be doing. We need to study the scriptures both by ourselves and with others. We need to sit under a teacher that truly knows the world of God. We need to learn all about what it is to be a believer in Christ Jesus. Above all this we need to pray.

Then armed with that knowledge we need to put on the armour of God and go forth in the name of The Lord and win souls for Christ.

Please think about it.

Blessed

Blessed

The Psalmist writes,

“Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; 

love and faithfulness go before you. 

Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim you, 

who walk in the light of your presence, O LORD.” 

                                                                                       Psalm 89:14,15.

Do you walk in the light of Gods presence? 

Have you learned to acclaim God? 

When people see your words and deeds do they see God reflected in those words and deeds?

Please think about it.

Facing Battles

 Facing Battles

         In the book of 1Chronicles we read,

“Look to the Lord and his strength; 

seek his face always.”

                                                  1 Chronicles 16:11

Throughout our lives we all face battles both physical and spiritual but through it all we need to look to the Lord.

It’s easy in times of trouble to say “why me” and to complain about the trouble we are in. Leaving God out of the situation. This should not be so.

We need to make God such an integral part of our lives that when we suddenly find ourselves in trouble it is to Him that we turn.

We need to be able to say as the Psalmist writes,

"I lift up my eyes to the hills

where does my help come from? 

My help comes from the LORD, 

the Maker of heaven and earth." 

                                                       Psalm 121:1,2.

So where does your help come from?

Verses to live by

 Verses to live by

Jesus said,

"So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets" Matthew 7:12

  The Apostle Paul wrote,

"If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone."Romans 12:18

Jesus when asked,

"Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" 

Jesus replied: " ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.'  

This is the first and greatest commandment. 

And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.'  

All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments." Matthew 22:36-40

"You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbour and hate your enemy.'  

But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,..." Matthew 5:43,44

The apostle Peter writes,

"But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.  Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. 

Dear friends,

I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul.  

Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us." 1 Peter 2:9-12.

This is what Christians are suppose to do. To do less is to bring Christ into disrepute. 

As believers in Christ these few Scripture at the very least should be active in our lives at all times.

Please think about it.

Your Faith

 Your faith

In the book of Exodus we read,

“And God spoke all these words: 

“I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. 

“You shall have no other gods before me. 

“You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below.  

You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me,” Exodus 20:1-5.

Do you have other gods? Looking at the United States over the past year I question if many claiming to be Christians leaders and others claiming to be Christians have truly put their trust in God. 

Sadly it seems to me that other things are being mixed with their faith in God. First among them their rights as written in the constitution. Others mix their faith, with their belief in a particular political party or individual politicians.

As Christians we need to be careful who or what we put first in our lives. We as Christians cannot hitch ourselves to anyone or anything however good and noble they might be.

God must always be supreme in our lives. We cannot mix our faith with anything period. Either we are 100% for God or we are not. There is no gray areas. As Jesus said,

"No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money." Matthew 6:24.

So where is your faith? 

Please think about it.

Christian remember this

 Christians remember this

The Psalmist writes,

"For you created my inmost being; 

you knit me together in my mother's womb. 

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; 

your works are wonderful, 

I know that full well. 

My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. 

When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,

 your eyes saw my unformed body. 

All the days ordained for me were written in your book 

before one of them came to be." 

                                                                      Psalm 139:13-16

Here is the reason why God and only God can judge anyone. Only God knows why we are the way we are. No one in this world has the right to judge where an individual will spend eternity. 

Jesus made it clear,

“Do not judge, or you too will be judged.  

For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you." Matthew 7:1,2.

The apostle Paul telling Christians,

"What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside?  God will judge those outside. "Expel the wicked man from among you." 1 Corinthians 5:12,13.

Even when judging those inside the church we need to be careful. The only judgement we are called to pass on those within the church deals with whether or not they are teaching true Christian doctrine. Where those who profess to be Christians will spend eternity is entirely up to God.

Please think about it.

Shout for Joy

  Shout for Joy

The Psalmist writes,

“Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth. 

Worship the LORD with gladness;

 come before him with joyful songs. 

Know that the LORD is God. It is he who made us, 

and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. 

Enter his gates with thanksgiving 

and his courts with praise;

 give thanks to him and praise his name. 

For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; 

his faithfulness continues through all generations.” 

                                                                                          Psalm 100

Here is something for you to do right now. Take a few minutes to simply thank God for who He is and all He has done for you.

Please take time to Praise God.

Christ first

 Christ First

The apostle Peter writes,

"Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul.  

Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us." 1 Peter 2:11,12.

The great evangelist Charles Spurgeon wrote,

"O Christian people, be holy, for Christ is holy. Do not pollute that holy Name wherewith you are named. Let your family life, your personal life, your business life, be as holy as Christ your Lord would have it to be."  Charles H. Spurgeon.

Sadly I see many calling themselves Christians here in North America not listening to either the apostle Peter or Charles Spurgeon.

When people from outside the church look at many who call themselves Christians they see everything from judgemental bigots, to charlatans, to hypocrites, to thieves, to oppressors, and all other kinds of evil.

Someone has said “if you want a good scandal just look in the church” sadly many times they are right. The church is not good at policing itself.  

The apostle Paul wrote,

"What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside?  God will judge those outside. "Expel the wicked man from among you." 1 Corinthians 5:12,13.

Unfortunately this is another scripture those within the church do not follow. Even when false teachers are cast out of the church here in North America many simply start their own church.

That being said I believe irrespective of whether false teachers are tossed out of the church or not. I think it is incumbent on the individual believer to see that they are truly following God in spirit and in truth. As the American evangelist Billy Graham put it,

"Make sure of your commitment to Jesus Christ, and seek to follow Him every day. Don't be swayed by the false values and goals of this world, but put Christ and His will first in everything you do." Billy Graham.

Please think about it.  

Are you?

  Are you?

In the book of Revelations we read Jesus as saying,

"Behold, I come like a thief! Blessed is he who stays awake and keeps his clothes with him, so that he may not go naked and be shamefully exposed." Revelations 16:15.

The apostle Paul writes,

“Now, brothers, about times and dates we do not need to write to you, for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.” 1 Thessalonians 5:1,2.

It is said Martin Luther while hoeing weeds was asked the question, “What would you be doing if you knew Christ was returning today?”

He replied “I’d be hoeing weeds.”

When I first read that I thought how natural a reply. The garden needed tending to so he was doing it.

Luther didn’t know when Jesus would return. He understood it would be a surprise. As a result I’m sure Luther was ready to meet Christ. 

All who profess to be Christians, believers in Christ Jesus, should be ready at all times to meet Christ. 

Are you?

Please think about it.

To Save

 To save.

Jesus said,

“For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him." John 3:17.

Here is something lost on many Christians be they in the pulpit or the pew. Jesus came to save the lost. Not to condemn them.

As such we should be presenting the love of God to all who will listen to us, be they family, friend, or foe.

Please think about it.

Coming Soon

  Coming soon

In the book of revelations we read,

"He who testifies to these things says, "Yes, I am coming soon." 

Amen. Come, Lord Jesus. 

                                               Revelations 22:20.

In the midst of this pandemic I have heard many Christians with the best of intentions saying this is the prelude to Christs second coming. I don’t know if it’s true or not. Either way it shouldn’t matter to a Christian. We should be living as if Christ is coming within the next heartbeat. As a result we should be doing all we can to server God in spirit and in truth.

We should be following the advice of the apostle Paul who said,

“Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.”  2 Timothy 2:15.

Thus my question to you the reader; Are you doing this?

Please think about it.

Respect

 Respect

The apostle Peter writes,

"But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect,"1 Peter 3:15.

Are you ready to present the gospel of Christ to anyone who might ask you. Equally importantly is when you tell people about Christ are you respectful to those with whom your are speaking?

Sadly one of the things I have found here in North America is that those who are not Christians many time feel Christians do not respect them, their way of life or their faith.

They violate the command of Jesus who said,

"So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets" Matthew 7:12.

We can disagree with people and still respect them. Furthermore they will respect and listen to us if we do as Jesus commanded. 

"So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets" Matthew 7:12.

Thus my question to you. Do you show respect to those you disagree with, be they family, friend or foe?

Please think about it.