Wonderful Jesus!

Tag: freedom

• Proud to Be Bitter!

  Posted at 10:00 am by wonderfuljesus8, on August 27, 2020

  Ruth 1:19-20 – Now the two of them went until they came to Bethlehem. And it happened, when they had come to Bethlehem, that all the city was excited because of them; and the women said, “ Is this Naomi?” But she said to them, “Do not call me Naomi; call me Mara, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me.” NKJV

  

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  In my last post, I wrote about the children of Israel stopping at a place called Marah. Today I want to continue my discussion of the sin of bitterness. I sensed a need to “update” this “series” from my first year of blogging.

  Naomi and her husband went to the land of Moab with their sons to avoid the famine in Bethlehem. After they got to Moab, her husband died. Her two sons had married Moabite women and after a time, her sons died. Around this time, Naomi hears that there is food in Bethlehem, and she decides to return to the land that she had come from. Her daughters-in-law wanted to go with her; but in the end, Ruth was the only one to travel with her to Bethlehem.

  It’s been at least 10 years since Naomi and her family departed from Bethlehem, maybe longer. For some reason, the women of Bethlehem ask “Is this Naomi?” It could have been the shock of seeing her again, or of seeing her alone, or she could have changed in some way. Whatever the reason, they were unsure that it was her.

  Naomi immediately tells the women that they are not to call her Naomi, which means pleasant, but they are to call her Mara which means bitter. She continues to explain why she wants to change her name:

  • The Lord has dealt very bitterly with me, she said!

  • I went out full (with a husband and two sons).

  • And the Lord has brought me home again empty; which wasn’t completely true, because she had a daughter in Ruth!

  I’m not judging Naomi, but it’s pretty obvious here that she is making it plain that she is bitter and has a right to be bitter. She is so bitter, that she believes the Lord has dealt very bitterly with her. I can only imagine the devastating heartache that would accompany the loss of both a husband and your children. So I get that she is hurting! What I don’t understand is why she feels she has a right to be bitter!

  In Naomi telling the women, “Call me Mara” she sounds as if being bitter is a badge of honor. It is not! Then she goes on to list all of her issues as if she has earned the right to be bitter. She has not! God wasn’t responsible for the things that caused her bitterness, and He isn’t responsible for any bitterness that we may harbor in our heart.

  The Bible doesn’t elaborate on how her husband and sons perished, but whatever caused their deaths, she laid the blame at God’s door, and that’s not where it belongs!

  In Jeremiah 4:18, God shares insight into bitterness:

  “It’s the way you’ve lived that’s brought all this on you. The bitter taste is from your evil life. That’s what’s piercing your heart.” Jeremiah 4:18 MSG

  In other words, God is saying that the bitterness isn’t from His hand. He wasn’t piercing Naomi’s heart, life was! He isn’t piercing your heart, life is! Maybe not your life, but maybe the life of a loved one lived without God, and your heart is pierced. It’s not His fault! Things happen to the just and the unjust! When stuff happens to the just, we are not to react like the unjust. The unjust have no hope for they are without God; but we have the promise of deliverance, from the Great Deliverer!

  Peter, in addressing Simon the diviner realized that he was a bitter man and said this:

  For I see that you are poisoned by bitterness and bound by iniquity.” Acts 8:23 NKJV

  Bitterness is poison to the soul. It is deadly and capable of causing many physical issues in your life. It’s not worth holding on to!

  In the book of Hebrews, it is written:

  “Looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled;” Hebrews 12:15 NKJV

  The writer of Hebrews encourages us to be careful unless we allow a root of bitterness to spring up and bring trouble in our lives and cause many people to be defiled. When we are bitter we have a tendency of defiling ourselves and others. Our bitterness becomes the lens in which life and relationships are processed.

  When I got married, several divorced women told me that all men were dogs. Others told me to watch out for the seven year itch. These things were said by women who had become embittered towards the institution of marriage and men. Probably with great cause! These words could have defiled me and my marriage had I listened to them! But I didn’t! I considered my source!

  James said:

  But if you have bitter, envy, and self-seeking in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth. James 3:14 NKJV

  James is letting us know that there is nothing to boast about when we are bitter. As a matter of fact when we boast, we lie against the truth! Our situations, our pain, and eventually our bitterness makes us feel like we have a right to feel the way we feel, and say the things we say, which results in us lying against the truth of God’s word!

  In my opinion, bitterness short-circuits a heart of gratefulness. Naomi was still alive! Ruth had come with her to help provide for her and to take care of her. They had made it back to Bethlehem without any trouble. She had much to be thankful for. But she wasn’t concerned about anything except the fact that she had loss so much! Ruth was also a widow and we don’t get any vibes that she was bitter. Naomi’s bitterness was so deep that she could only see her pain and her losses, and was blind to the goodness of God. Rightly she said that she should be called bitter because she was a very bitter woman.

  But Naomi had a loving Father. One who doesn’t easily offend. One who knows we are imperfect beings. One who understands. And even though she couldn’t see Him working things out to bless her, He was doing exactly that! And thankfully, if you are born again, your Heavenly Father is wanting you free of bitterness because the poison is destroying the blessings He is bringing in your life!

  Life is tough! For some it seems to be down right unbearable. But, it is not an excuse for bitterness, or a need to boast in it! Bitterness says I will never do this, or I will never do that, because of what happened to me! Bitterness says that no one has the right to tell me how to feel until they have walked in my shoes! Bitterness says I will never trust another person as long as I live! All these emotional statements stem from a root of bitterness!

  Stop boasting in your bitterness! Get rid of it! A willing and repentant heart is all God needs to start the process of healing! Instead of blaming Him, try trusting Him! Instead of living with bitterness, try living without it! Let it go! It’s only making you sick! Wonderful Jesus!

  Posted in Attitude, Bitterness, hard times | 0 Comments | Tagged Attitude, Believer, encouragemnt, freedom, hard times, Healing, Naomi, offense, Ruth, trust in God, victory

• It’s Not For Drinking!

  Posted at 10:00 am by wonderfuljesus8, on August 25, 2020

  Exodus 15:23 -Now when they came to Marah, they could not drink the waters of Marah, for they were bitter. Therefore the name of it was called Marah.

  

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  The children of Israel found themselves in an unwelcome place. They had been wandering in the desert for three days unable to find water. And when they finally find water, it is undrinkable! It’s bitter! Can you imagine how frustrating this could be? Maybe you haven’t been looking for water, but maybe you have been looking for something else, and when you found it, it was not what you expected! Some women spend a lot of time looking for a husband, and in desperation they find one, but it wasn’t what they were expecting. Some look for a high paying job, and when they get it, it wasn’t what they were expecting! It happens to the best of us!

  If you read the fourteen chapters before this verse, you can well understand that for the people of Israel, this is just another disappointment in a whole list of disappointments. Have you ever been there? Have you ever felt this way?

  They were slaves for over 400 years under Egyptian rule and hard taskmasters. When Moses came to deliver them, instead of things getting better, they got worst. When they got to the Red Sea, the Egyptians came up behind them and they were sure they would be slaughtered. And typical of human nature, they were probably feeling “If it’s not one thing, it’s another”. Can you relate? I’m sure that you can! I know I can relate to this on a couple levels!

  But God! In the midst of their situations, God was mindful of them and working things out for their good. They couldn’t see it at the time, but it was happening nevertheless. And guess what, I can testify to that truth, that in those frustrating moments, those times of disappointment, He was working on my behalf, and He is probably working on yours!

  While they were in bondage, Moses was born. And even though it took him 80 years to get to the place where God could use him, God was still working on the deliverance of His people! They didn’t see it! They didn’t know freedom was on the way, but God was working towards their deliverance!

  While Pharaoh was constantly saying no to Moses and God; God was demonstrating His power to deliver; and when He did, they came out of Egypt with great wealth. The tables had turned. The ones who had mistreated them so severely was severely dealt with by God! The ones who had labored and received no wages in return, left with the spoils of Egypt. When I read the Word of God and see this type of thing, I am encouraged, because I know that if I trust Him with my disappointments, He will turn them around for my benefit!

  When they got to the Red Sea, (after having been led by a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night) God parted the Red Sea and they crossed over on dry land. How spectacular is that! I can’t help but think that at this point they should have been fully persuaded that God was on their side. At this point, after being led by a cloud by day, fire by night, and having the Red Sea opened for them, they should have been able to trust Him for something as simple as water. But that was not the case!

  When they arrived in the Wilderness of Shur, and for three days they couldn’t find water, they were not happy! They were upset!! Doesn’t that just sound like people. No matter what God does for us, if He doesn’t do that “one” thing, we can get an attitude with Him real quick!! Instead of remembering His goodness towards us, we can only concentrate on our disappointments and hurts, just like the people of Israel!

  Exodus 15:24 – And the people complained against Moses, saying, “What shall we drink?”

  Wouldn’t you think that after all of the miracles before the Exodus and the latest miracle of crossing the Red Sea, that coming to bitter water would cause them to look forward to what God was about to do instead of complaining? Hind sight is twenty twenty!

  How many times have you and I seen the hand of God move on our behalf? For me, I have been healed of paralysis, one of our daughters was healed of abnormal seizure activity, another was healed of larynx Malaysia, while yet another was healed of “the issue of blood”, to name a few. Many times He has provided finances, jobs at just the right time, favor in a situation, protection from an incident or accident… and the list of His faithfulness to us can go on and on! How about you? What has He done for you through the years? Any healings? Any financial breakthroughs? Any protections?

  And yet, just like the children of Israel, when something happens contrary to what we expect, we find ourselves dealing with bitter waters. I know, we don’t like to admit that we can become bitter with the Heavenly Father, but it happens all too frequently.

  Bitterness is a terrible place to camp out at. The bitter water was good for nothing, and so are bitter people. Life can at times be filled with disappointments, setbacks, and even heartaches. God knows this! And so does Jesus. Didn’t He say in John 16:33-“ In this world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world”? Jesus didn’t say, we would have tribulations and at this time He understands how we can become embittered. Nope! He said, “be of good cheer”! What kind of advice is that? That’s the kind of advice One gives when He knows the Father!

  In other words, we are not to allow these things to stump us, to cause us to become bitter. We are to understand that He overcame that we might overcome! We are to realize that the One who delivered us before can deliver us again. We are to trust that the One who provided will provide again! There is no situation that is too big for the God we serve. There is no problem that He cannot solve! There is no circumstance that He cannot overcome! He is God! He has not lost His ability to bring about a miracle in our life!

  If you are stuck at the waters of Marah, feeling bitter about life, it is time to change your location. Time to move from this place of bitterness to your oasis. Bitter water is not for drinking, so don’t drink it! Repent of your bitterness and ask God to give you life giving water, so you’ll never thirst again! Then watch Him do it! Wonderful Jesus!

  Posted in Attitude, Bitterness, Deliverance, God | 0 Comments | Tagged Attitude, Bitterness, children of Israel, Deliverance, disappointments, encouragemnt, freedom, hard times, Healing, hurts, Marah, Moses, the Exodus

• Can I Get a Witness!

  Posted at 10:00 am by wonderfuljesus8, on August 4, 2020

  Revelation 12:11 -They gained the victory over him on account of the blood of the Lamb and the word of their witness. Love for their own lives didn’t make them afraid to die. CEB

  

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  I’ve been blogging on the spiritual weapons given to us to overcome the devil. This week will be my last week dealing with the subject. What I am realizing is that Jesus gave us so many ways to be victorious, that to live a life of defeat would be a slap in His face!

  Today I want to look at the phrase, “the word of their witness” as our spiritual weapon against the enemy. When I think about this phrase, it brings to mind, “what are we saying about Jesus?” Have you thought about the fact that what you say about Jesus can cause you to be either victorious or defeated?

  John wrote that they overcame the devil by the word of their testimony, or in this version, by the word of their witness. One commentator wrote that every single time we say no to sin, to temptations, to the lies of the devil, we are overcoming him! That’s what the end of this verse is reflective of when it says we overcome by the word of our testimony.

  The way we live as Christians, going back to holiness, will determine how adept we are at overcoming the devil. In the Bible we have two great men of God, who were totally different in their walk with the Lord, yet alike! Peter and Paul!

  Paul is one of my favorite people in the Bible, outside of Jesus! His life, speaks to me. He was a persecutor of the disciples of Jesus, arresting them and consenting to their deaths. Paul was zealous for the Law he had given his life to learn about, but ignorant of the God who sent His Son to die for him. I believe that every time he arrested one of the disciples their lives were a witness to him. He just couldn’t understand why they were so passionate, and some times, so willing to die for this Jesus! After watching Stephen die, I believe his life was changed. This young man had just used the very Law Paul had studied to explain his devotion to Jesus, and as Stephen dies, he cries “Lord, forgive them!” This was on his mind as he traveled on the road to Damascus. Now he was ready to encounter Jesus, and when he did, Paul recognized Him and called Him Lord. The same energy that Paul used to persecute the believers, was the same energy that he used to serve the Lord. He was strong in faith, strong in power, and strong in his teachings. There is no record of him ever straying from Jesus. He was passionate about his faith in Jesus, and he loved not his life, even to the death. Paul’s witness is an encouragement to me to live for Jesus. His life demonstrates that we can live a devoted, separated, victorious life with the Messiah.

  Peter was so enthusiastic in his service for Jesus that he sometimes got ahead of himself! When Jesus asked His disciples what were they saying about who He was, Peter spoke up, “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God!” Yet, Jesus rebuked Peter on several occasions, and Peter denied knowing Jesus three times. But Jesus saw Peter’s heart, and restored him, and Peter went on to be used mightily of God. Peter then stumbled in his relationship with the Gentiles, not wanting to eat with them when the Jews were around. It wasn’t that he was a flaky Christian, he just showed a more human side, a fear for what people thought of him. His enthusiasm and passion, sometimes got the best of him, trying to block out his godliness. Yet he still remains a powerful witness that we can all look up to! God knows we aren’t perfect, that we will stumble, and through Peter’s life we have a witness that we can overcome, even when we don’t always get it right!

  Can you imagine the impact these men lives had on the people they came into contact with? By his witness, Paul overcame the devil, and God used him to write most of the New Testament and to take the gospel to the Gentiles! By his witness, Peter impacted the Jewish community for Jesus every time he preached, winning thousands of souls to Jesus at a time. Their witness, in their life, and with their words, caused them to overcome the devil, time and time again!

  I think of the Voice of the Martyrs magazine at this time. The powerful testimonies I have read over the years of these same type of Christians who, in spite of intense persecution, continue, even in the midst of trials to deepen their relationship with Jesus. One such man comes to mind that I read about. I don’t remember his name, but I remember his witness. He was arrested for his faith in the Lord Jesus while living under a communist regime. During his arrest he would witness to the prisoners. One day, the guards took him outside in the wintry weather, naked, as a means of torturing him. However, each time he was brought back inside, he was without sickness, frost bite, or even pain. I believe I also read that the Lord clothed him in warmth while he was outside. His witness was even stronger after the intense persecution and he led many to Christ. I don’t remember the end of his life, but he overcame the devil and his attacks, with his witness!

  We won’t all be a Peter or a Paul, but we can all be a witness. The devil will constantly do things to try and tempt us from our faith in Christ Jesus, but we must be determined that nothing will separate us from God. He will lie to us about God’s character, but we must be diligent in letting our words speak of God’s faithfulness, His goodness, His mercy, and His love. Even in these challenging times with the coronavirus, we must remain true to Him, remembering always, that people are listening to our words and watching our lives.

  We overcome the devil! Jesus made it clear that we do so! He gave His Blood as an overcoming weapon. We have praise to silence the enemy. We have the word of our testimony to testify that God is good and the devil is a liar! We have our holy, consecrated lives that give no place to him. We must live free of any fear of the devil! And now, we just have to live like we know these truths, believe these truths, and operate in these truths. Can I get a witness? Wonderful Jesus!

  Posted in God, Jesus, the devil, weapons of warfare, witness | 0 Comments | Tagged Believer, coronavirus, freedom, God, Jesus, king, Paul, Peter, Revelation 12:11, Satan, Spiritual warfare, testimony, the Blood of Jesus, the devil, weapons of warfare, witness

• Jesus, The Prophet Like Moses

  Posted at 9:00 am by wonderfuljesus8, on June 25, 2020

  Deuteronomy 18:15 – “The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your fellow Israelites. You must listen to him.” NIV

  

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  Moses was quite the prophet. He is still held high in the esteem of both the Jewish and Christian faith. He was most definitely one to love and hate, loved by the Israelites and hated by the Egyptians! As the new Moses, Jesus is loved by those who believe in Him, and hated by those who feel threatened by Him!

  The Bible confirms for us through the words of Matthew, Peter, and even Stephen that Jesus was in fact, that prophet like Moses. When Stephen was defending his belief in Jesus, before the mob that stoned him, he quoted the verse in Deuteronomy, as a reference to Jesus. Acts 7:37 – “This is that Moses who said to the children of Israel, ‘The Lord your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your brethren. Him you shall hear.’” After the lame man was healed at the temple in Jerusalem, Peter also used this verse to describe Jesus, as the promised Messiah, the Prophet like Moses.

  Let’s look at ways that Moses’ life paralleled Jesus:

  • Moses was born when the male children were being killed by Pharaoh; the male children were slaughtered by Herod after Jesus’ birth.
  • Josephus wrote that Pharaoh was told of a Hebrew boy who would be born and who would bring down the Egyptian kingdom, while liberating the Israelites. Herod was told about the birth of the king of the Jews, whom Herod tried to annihilate for fear of losing his kingdom.
  • When God told Moses to return to Egypt, God told him that those who sought his life was dead. Similarly, when the angel spoke to Joseph, he told Joseph to return home because those who sought the life of Jesus was dead.
  • Moses went on the mount to receive the laws of God, and Jesus went on the mount to deliver the Sermon on the Mount.
  • Moses fasted for forty days and nights, Jesus fasted for forty days and nights.
  • Moses performed many miracles, Jesus performed many more miracles.
  • Moses provided manna in the wilderness, Jesus provided bread and fish in the wilderness-first to 5,000 and then to 4,000, and He is the spiritual manna.
  • Moses parted the Red Sea, Jesus walked on water.
  • Moses healed Miriam of leprosy, Jesus cleansed ten lepers at once, and healed many others.
  • When Moses left the presence of the Lord, his face shone and he hid it behind a veil, when Jesus left the Mount of Transfiguration, his face shone like the sun.
  • God made a covenant with the children of Israel called the Mosaic Covenant, and Jesus established a covenant with us, called the New Covenant!

  The most powerful way that Moses was like Jesus, or that Jesus is the second Moses, is that they were both deliverers. God gave Moses the assignment of going to Egypt and telling Pharaoh to “let my people go”. Moses did this through a series of miracles, the last one saw the Egyptians drowning in the Red Sea.

  Matthew 1:21, states that Jesus would save His people from their sins. That’s exactly what He does when He is believed upon, He delivers people from their sins. The natural Exodus, was a type and shadow of the spiritual Exodus; where we are translated out of darkness into light! The Passover feast pointed to the death of the Messiah. What Jesus did at Calvary was far more powerful than what Moses did during the Exodus. Moses’ deliverance was natural, Jesus’ deliverance is spiritual and is everlasting! Jesus died, then went to hell and made a public spectacle over our enemy, the devil, triumphing over him, as conqueror!

  Moses delivered the children of Israel from Egypt, and God gave him the Law to give to them. Jesus came in fulfillment of that Law and gave grace and truth! Where the Law was binding under Moses, grace was freeing under Jesus! Where the Law was filled with blood sacrifices, Jesus shed His Blood, once and for all! Where the Law was a shadow of things to come, Jesus was the Word made flesh, a bodily fulfillment of that Law! Where the Law was a constant reminder of sins, Jesus brought a constant reminder of grace and mercy!

  Jesus, the Prophet like Moses, was a far better Moses! These are the correlations that spoke to me, and I hope they help you to see that Moses, in all that he did, he did to point the children of Israel to the true Messiah, Jesus the Christ! Wonderful Jesus!

  Posted in Deliverance, Jesus, Moses | 0 Comments | Tagged Deliverance, deliverer, Exodus, freedom, Herod, Jesus, leprosy, miraculous, Moses, Pharaoh, prophet, Salvation, slaughter of the male children

• Don’t Compromise With the Enemy!

  Posted at 7:00 am by wonderfuljesus8, on February 17, 2020

  2 Kings 18:14 – Then Hezekiah king of Judah sent to the king of Assyria at Lachish, saying, “I have done wrong; turn away from me; whatever you impose on me I will pay.” And the king of Assyria assessed Hezekiah king of Judah three hundred talents of silver and thirty talents of gold. NKJV

  The battle I will look at today is a very complicated battle with a lot going on. It will take several blogs to do it justice. It is a battle that is mentioned three times in the Bible, so I don’t want to rush through it, although I probably won’t get to all of it. It is mentioned in 2 Kings chapters 18-19, in 2 Chronicles chapters 32-33, and lastly in the book of Isaiah in chapters 36 through 37. I have always felt that the events that happened in this battle had to be important because it is written about more than any other battle. And I have always thought many of the things Sennacherib said and did reminds me of the enemy, so I am looking forward to sharing my findings.

  We are immediately informed by the authors that Hezekiah was a king who honored God. As a matter of fact, he is mentioned as a king who did right in the sight of the Lord. When he became king, he was intent on getting rid of everything that dishonored God, even destroying the bronze serpent that Moses had made in the wilderness. (See Numbers 21:8). Hezekiah brought about great reforms to Judah. He ordered that they clean the temple, destroy idols, sanctify the priests and reinstitute worship in the temple. The tithe and the sacrifices were restored and the people were so excited that they gave an abundance of supply to the temple. He also had them reinstate the Passover, and they had such a wonderful time of worship that they held the Passover for two weeks instead of one.

  Then Hezekiah rebelled against the king of Assyria. The Bible doesn’t tell us if this was God’s leading or Hezekiah’s plan for freedom, but it does say that he rebelled. Apparently, Hezekiah was king of Judah, but Judah was under Assyrian control or threat when Hezekiah said he wasn’t going to submit to Sennacherib any longer. This brought the wrath of the Assyrian king to Judah and he conquered 46 cities and towns surrounding Jerusalem and took the spoils and sent the people into captivity. When Hezekiah realized what had happened, he told the king that he had done wrong and would do whatever he asked of him. (This information is recorded in Assyrian history also). So Hezekiah paid tribute (or gold) to the king to be left alone.

  This reminds me so much of how things work out spiritually for the believer. When a person is radically saved by the power of God, they make radical changes in their lives. They throw away drugs, they turn away from sexual sins, they walk away from immorality, as they allow God to conform them into His image. This is their rebellion against the previous ownership of the devil. But he doesn’t just let them walk away from him (anymore than Sennacherib was going to allow Judah to walk away), he goes on the attack! An attack that can sometimes make a person feel like he/she was better off unsaved. But that is not the truth! As a matter of fact it is a lie that has been used against the members of the body of Christ for far too long! Don’t fall for the lie!

  Hezekiah fell for the lie. Sennacherib had already defeated Israel, three years previously. He had already stomped on the Egyptians who was supposed to be Hezekiah’s back up plan. He had destroyed the surrounding cities of Judah. And now he has turned his attention on Jerusalem! Hezekiah becomes a little nervous about all of this and begins to fear that he has brought destruction to Judah because of his plans to clean up the place! Maybe the devil caused him to think that all of his plans for restoring righteousness to Judah brought on these problems, so he needed to pull back on some of his reforms, namely rebelling against the king. So he compromises and tells the king he will do whatever he wants if he would just leave them alone. The king of Assyria demanded three hundred talents of silver and thirty talents of gold. Hezekiah gave him all the silver from the temple and from his own treasures and stripped the gold from the doors and pillars of both places. But this compromise does not stop Sennacherib, nor does it appeases him. So the first major point I want to make from this battle is that it doesn’t pay to compromise, so don’t do it! Ever!

  When the enemy comes against you, making you feel like it doesn’t pay to live a righteous life, it’s an attempt to get you to compromise on the principles of your faith. Don’t give in to it! Single women, who love God passionately, and want to get married, I implore you to not compromise in your stand to stay pure for a godly mate. The devil is lying when he says to you that there are no single godly men and all the girls who are having sex are the ones getting married; and all the women living for God are single and will always be single. That’s just not the truth! But even if it is your current reality, to compromise will not bring you what you are looking for, just like it didn’t for Hezekiah! It will only bring you heartache that will last a whole lot longer than the wait for God to bring you a mate.

  Have you been faithful on your job, working hard and believing for a promotion? But you were passed over for the guy who doesn’t work nearly as hard as you, but he parties with team? Be thankful that you were passed over because any job that will cause you to compromise your principles, to live contrary to the will of God for you life, is not a promotion that you want! Don’t compromise your stand for the Lord for money and position! It will not bring you the job satisfaction that you want! God still is the only one who promotes His children. There may be a wait, but it will be worth it!

  When you are doing all that you know to do to live for God you will attract the attention of the enemy, as surely as Hezekiah did. Israel was overtaken because of their disobedience to God, but Hezekiah’s attack was purely because of his stand for righteousness. Don’t let this be a block to your living for God. Don’t let this be a reason for compromise. Know that God left a record for you of how the enemy will put pressure on you to compromise and that it isn’t worth it! Ever!

  Hezekiah lost many cities because of his compromise. He started out doing so well. He was turning the hearts of the people back to God and God was with him while he was rebuilding the walls, restoring the temple, and calling people to worship. And as he was doing what was right in the eyes of the Lord, he was trusting Him. But when he heard about his cities and his people being taken into captivity, it was just too much of a burden and he ended up paying tribute to Sennacherib because he stopped trusting God. The compromise that was supposed to make his life easier and his kingdom safer only made things worst. And any compromise you make will make things worst for you. Stay tuned for what happened next. Wonderful Jesus!

  Posted in Battle plans, Believers, Christian, Hezekiah’s battle, Victorious Living | 2 Comments | Tagged 2 Kings 18, battle, compromise, freedom, Hezekiah, Sennacherib, Spiritual warfare

• Free From Bondage

  Posted at 2:43 am by wonderfuljesus8, on February 3, 2020

  Romans 8:3 – For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh” NKJV

  I thought that I had concluded the matter on being torn between living for God and not quite living for God. I thought I had made the point clear that Paul was not struggling in his flesh. Nor was he writing to say that he understood that we would have struggles in the flesh and that was to be expected. But I may not have been as clear as I originally thought. Or maybe I just feel like I need to say one more thing!

  If we look at Romans 8, reading it without seeing the chapter and verses, we will clearly see that Paul is continuing his thinking from chapter 7. As I have read and reread these chapters I’ve added to my thinking. And I am thinking that maybe, just maybe, Paul addressed this issue in 6-8 because some of them were struggling in their walk with the Lord. Probably some of these Roman Christians had the same problems that some Christians we know seem to have. An inability to live a life of victory!

  So Paul has taken time to explain in Romans 6 that sin should not reign in our lives, for the wages of sin is death. That since we have died to sin, and have been raised to newness of life, that we should no longer live in sin. In Romans 7, Paul shared how before we came to Christ, our life was a struggle because sin had control over us. Even when we wanted to do right, because of our sinful nature, we were powerless to do right. But then he concludes chapter 7, (as we know it) saying that God, through Jesus Christ, broke the power of sin by giving us a new nature! His nature! And sin should no longer have this same hold over our lives that it had prior to us coming to know Jesus as our personal Savior!

  In the first verse of chapter 8, Paul tells us that there is no condemnation to those in Christ Jesus when we are walking according to the Spirit; but if we are walking according to the flesh, then condemnation is obviously our constant friend. It’s not too often I bring a lot of scriptures in to play because I want to make a quick point, but today I will refer to just a couple other scriptures.

  In Galatians 5:19-22, Paul mentions the works of the flesh: adultery, fornication, idolatry, hatred, jealousies, selfish ambitions, drunkenness (to name a few). And it is easy to see that these are unfamiliar sins, but sins that some of us could easily identify with. But Paul is informing us that when we are doing these things, we are in our flesh, and operating as if our nature has not been changed. And when we do it repeatedly, it’s difficult for us to believe that grace has been given to us, and we feel condemned. And to make sure we are thinking alike, the type of condemnation I am referring to is a feeling that someone strongly disapproves of what you do. So in this case, you should feel condemnation. God strongly disapproves of His people acting as if the crucifixion and the Blood of Jesus was a small thing. As if it wasn’t enough! But I can assure that it was!

  However, the word condemnation in verse 1, is the Greek word, “katakrima”, and it means that a sentence has been pronounced and you are judged. But there is no judgment against the people who are walking after the Spirit, only those walking after the flesh! And since that judgment was paid in full by Christ Jesus, Paul is reminding us that His Blood still works!

  Galatians 5:1, a personal favorite of mine, states: “Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.” Paul is the author of these words. In writing to the Galatians he tells them that Christ made them free and they should stand in that freedom and not get tangled again in the bondage of sin. Getting tangled in the bondage of sin again is a choice! Getting set free is a privilege. And all too often Christians are found living beneath their privileges!

  This verse brings us right back to Romans 8, verse 2: “For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.” Again, reminding us that we are free from the dictates of sin and death through Christ Jesus! That’s why verse 3 basically refers to chapter 7 when it says, “For what the law could no do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.”

  Many people believe that they can’t live free from sin. This must disappoint the heart of God because His blood is sufficient for us to live free. We just have to believe that we can live free and trust Him to assist us in doing it! You are free if you are a Christian! You just have to take God at His word that you can live it!

  Charle Finney, in his autobiography, wrote about his salvation experience. He was first interested in the Bible because he was studying law and many of the laws referred to the Bible. Then he started attending church and a prayer meeting. But much to his dismay, he was not impressed, for it seemed that the people prayed, but without much expectation to seeing their prayers answered. He discovered that what was in the Bible and what Christians actually lived was not the same. But one day he decide that the Bible would be his point of reference and sought the Lord for salvation. When he received salvation, he was made completely free of his sin. He never looked back. Does God free some and not others? I think He frees all who believe! Wonderful Jesus!

  Posted in Acts 8:3, Believers, Christian, Romans 7:15, Victorious Living | 4 Comments | Tagged Believer, Christian, condemnation, freedom, Galatians, Jesus, Paul, Romans 7:15, Romans 8:3, Salvation, Sin, Victorious Living

• Who Will Deliver Me?

  Posted at 1:00 pm by wonderfuljesus8, on January 30, 2020

  Romans 7:15 – I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. NIV

  Today, I want to actually delve into my key text. Paul wrote, “I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.” And traditionally, it is believed that Paul was confessing to having struggles in his life as a Christian that he couldn’t overcome. Nothing could be farther from the truth!

  Paul begins talking about the flesh. Actually, he talks about the spirit and the flesh throughout the book, and we will look at this word today. The Greek word for flesh is “sarx”. In the book of Romans, Paul uses this word frequently. Sarx was used literally to mean our physical body, it was rendered “according to the flesh”, and it was also used to mean “from a human point of view.” But in Romans 7, Paul used it in reference to us being “in the flesh”. In this reference he is actually referring to our sinful human nature, apart from Christ.

  It is to this nature that Paul is referring as he writes in verse 14 (but I am a creature of the flesh, sold into slavery to sin) because it is in our state before Christ that we are slaves to sin. When he gets to verse 15 and states, “I do not understand what. For what I want to do I do not do but what I hate I do,” it is because when we are bound in sin, we do things that God knows we don’t always want to do. Some of those things we hate, but we find ourselves yielding to them again and again.

  How many people do you know, who are bound in their sin, often crying afterwards because deep down in their heart they don’t like the way they are living? They feel as if they have no escape from this desperate and hopeless state that their lives are in and want out of it, by any means necessary! This is what Paul is referring to! Our Pastor likes to say that sin will take you farther than you wanted to go and keep you longer than you wanted to stay. How? Because you are in bondage to sin! Sin is your master!

  Paul states that as a sinner, as an unbeliever, in his sinful state, there was nothing good that lived in him; because even when he was willing to do good, it was not always what he did. And in fact, it wasn’t so much him, as it was his sin nature which dominated his thinking, his actions, his behavior, and basically the way he lived. Before Christ! After all, when he was known as Saul, he was known as a persecutor of the believers, and was in agreement with Stephen being stoned to death. That surely qualifies as no good thing!

  Paul tells the believers in Rome that he discovered that a law was at work in him, a law that evil was present in him when he was trying to do good. Paul, as a Jewish rabbi loved the law, but he saw a lack in his life that the law could not fulfill. He found that even though the law was wonderful, it didn’t have the power to influence his actions and to keep sin at bay. And neither will anyone else’s sins be kept at bay outside of Jesus! He forgives them, then He casts them into the sea of forgetfulness! Glory to God!

  That’s when Paul makes the statement that he is a wretched man and asks, “Who will deliver me from this state of sin, this spiritual death?” People are still asking this question. And it’s a necessary one, because it’s this question that opens a heart to the gospel of Jesus Christ. But again, I believe that Paul is not speaking in a present tense of his state, but more in a reflective sense of where he was at before his Damascus Road experience and how he got to where he was after it!

  Really, in all honest, chapter 8 breaks it down further and makes it clearer that Paul was not speaking as a believer who struggled with his flesh. He actually answers his own question by saying, “Thanks be to God (for my deliverance) through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (AMP)

  Paul was giving God praise for delivering him from that state of warring in his soul: trying to be good when in actuality what he did was evil. There are many today who think that because they do good, that is an entrance way to God, but your righteous or good deeds are as filthy rags before the Father and therefore unacceptable. Basically, that was Paul’s message in chapter 7. The law, even though it is spiritual cannot and will not save you from your sin nature. It only has the power to reveal your sin, the penalty of sin, and a loving Father who says, you can’t do enough in the flesh to be free from sin.

  When I read this chapter, I understand that without chapters 6 and 8, it could easily sound like Paul had a hard time being a Christian. However, if you read the rest of the New Testament, there is no evidence that Paul struggled with his flesh, incapable of living the life that Jesus required of him. Of us all! This is Paul who emphatically stated that he was ready to die for the cause of Christ. A man with this type of dedication isn’t flaky with his lifestyle. He isn’t struggling day in and day out to live for God!

  But here’s the most profound part of it all! If you believe that this chapter is actually about Paul struggling as a believer and therefore, of course you will; then you have bought into the lie of the devil that you can’t live a holy life for God. And that’s the biggest tragedy of the lie! Because the answer to “who can deliver you” is the same for you as it was for Paul, “Jesus!” His blood is sufficient to redeem you! His blood is sufficient to free you! And His blood is sufficient to keep you! There’s so much more than I can say, but I will end here with this parting word: He is well able to deliver you! Wonderful Jesus!

  Posted in Believers, Christian, freedom, Romans 7:15, Satan, Victorious Living | 4 Comments | Tagged Believer, Christian, encouragement, freedom, hard times, Jesus, righteousness, Romans 7:15, Salvation, Sin, Sinner, Victorious Living, victory

• God’s Commandments!

  Posted at 11:00 am by wonderfuljesus8, on September 17, 2019

  Psalm 19b: “The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes”

  When we read God’s word, often times there are different words that translate in English to appear to be the same word. Such as in studying the different names for the word of God. But as we have seen thus far, there is a difference, even if a slight one, of the six facets of revelation concerning God’s word.

  We have looked at the law, testimonies, and statutes and how they reveal a different characteristic of the word of God. Today we will look at His commandments.

  When I think of the commandments, I can’t help but think in terms of the Ten Commandments. However, I heard this past week that there are 603 other commandments in the word. No one can possibly keep that many commandments. The word tells us that! In this study I am not trying to get us to focus on trying to obey these commandments, but I think it necessary to at least be aware that the six different terms in Psalm 19 conveys six different things.

  Commandment in the Old Testament can be looked upon as both “prescription” and “proscription”; meaning “what we shall do” and “what we shall not do”! If we just look at the Ten Commandments it is easy to see the difference:

  • You shall not have any other gods before me!-proscription

  • You shall not make for yourself a graven image of anything in the heaven above…-proscription

  • You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain…-proscription

  • Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.-prescription

  • Honor your father and your mother.-prescription

  • You shall not murder.-proscription

  • You shall not commit adultery-proscription

  • You shall not steal-proscription

  • You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor-proscription

  • You shall not covet your neighbor’s house, etc.-proscription

  In this set of commandments there are more of what we shall not do (proscription) than what we shall do (prescription). But since people have a hard enough time keeping these ten, we won’t go through any others. Suffice it to say that the commandments of the LORD are about we shall do and what we shall not do!

  The commandments of the LORD are pure. David wrote, “The words of the LORD are pure words, like silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times.” This word pure also means innocent or free. If I had to choose which word the psalmist meant, it would be free. The commandments of the LORD, contrary to popular belief, are freeing, not binding!! Our Pastor likes to say, “when you know what God wants, give it to Him!” It’s freeing to know what God approves of and what He doesn’t approve of. Don’t you think? It has a way of letting you know His very heart about certain things. I have a daughter who always check with me about what she is doing. She just wants to know what I think about the things she is doing or want to do. She wants my approval! I get that, because I want God’s approval! Sometimes she doesn’t even have to ask because she knows what I will say, but she asks anyway. Especially if she thinks I will change my mind. Similarly to God, sometimes people ask God to change His mind about His commandments. Trust me when I say, you are wasting your breath!

  “Enlightening the eyes” is a phrase used in the New Testament. Paul prayed in Ephesians 1 “that the eyes of our understanding may be enlightened.” What does this even mean? In the New Living Translation it states the commandments are for “giving insight for living”. Doesn’t that sound like freedom? When you know the right and the wrong way to live life, it is freeing. Having insight into what is wrong and right causes your eyes to be opened and your understanding to be clear. One would think that the commandment to not steal, or kill, or even to not commit adultery would be easy to keep and easy to understand, but sad to say, they are not easy to some people! And I would venture to say that those people are looking for a reason for them to not make sense!

  Again, I am not doing this study for bondage sake, but for understanding sake. As I mentioned before, some people struggle with the restraints God’s Word places on their lives, but these restraints are for our good. For our freedom. And although we are not bound by the Old Testament commandments, even Jesus expected us to refrain from adultery, thievery, lying, and many of the other proscriptions in the law. Not to bind us, but to free us. In Galatians Paul wrote, “It is for freedom that Christ set us free!” Jesus wants us as free today from the bondage of sin, as He has always wanted us. Nothing in my study of the word has shown God in a selfish light. If anything, it has shown the magnitude of His love and His heart towards mankind.

  Don’t allow the devil and your desires to lie to you about obeying God’s word. They are not burdensome! It isn’t about Him as much as it is about you. For your right living! For your victory! For your freedom! Now go and walk in it! Wonderful Jesus!

  Posted in Believers, Christian, Psalm 19, the Word of God, Victorious Living | 2 Comments | Tagged Believer, Christian, encouragement, freedom, obedience, Psalm 19, word of God

• This Life I Now Live!

  Posted at 12:01 pm by wonderfuljesus8, on July 12, 2019

  Galatians 2:20 – I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

  Living a life in the flesh by the faith of Jesus is my daily aim. Sometimes it doesn’t feel like it or even look like it, but it’s the life I choose. Everything Jesus did He did for our example and He did well. In the flesh without being fleshy. That’s the life I desire and there are a few things I can do to make it happen. Today my blog is to highlight a few things that demonstrate Him living in me and through me.

  First, I believe it’s a life of deep and intimate fellowship with the Father. Jesus was known to be a person of prayer. (Matthew 14:23). And when He prayed things happened because He didn’t just say a lot of religious words, for Him, it was a place of prayer. A time to commune with God. A place of prayer that ceases to be about needs, and fears, and desires, that centers on the majesty of the Father. A place where communion is so sweet that all you want is more of Him and to give Him more of you.

  Let me be perfectly honest! That isn’t the case always. I am a praying woman, but I don’t always lose myself in His Presence and have a time of worship where I know I have communed with the Father. I know my prayer life is good, but deep in my heart, I want it to be so much more. I have experienced that place of communion where I have known His presence to enter my room and surround me, but I have to admit, not nearly as frequently as I could. Notice I wrote could and not should, because this is not a place of obedience but a place of adoration! When I think of the faith of Jesus, I always start here. His life of faith that He lived was developed through a deep communion with the Father!

  Secondly, loving others! A prayer that I pray more than I care to admit is Lord, help me to love like You love. Living this life by His faith deeply centers around loving people like He loved. John 3:16 is such a challenge to the believer. To love like He loved, to give my life (not on the cross) but in prayer and service for the kingdom, making a difference, impacting others, showing them the Father because I love them, not because I want to be able to testify that I led someone to Christ or I blessed someone. Is it a testimony? Yes! But the testimony should not be the motivation, only love when reaching out to people. His motivation for the cross and everything He did was love!

  Lastly, (only because I don’t like long posts), a life free of sin. He said that the devil had nothing in Him. (John 14:30) That’s a powerful statement to know that the devil has never been able to infiltrate your life or your heart with sin. Yes He was born without sin, but when we are born again, we are free of sin. (Romans 6:18)

  Letting Jesus’ faith live through us is allowing Him to keep us from sin, having His heart and His attitude about sin. No sin can be ok in our lives. We can have no place for lying, no place for cheating, no place for sexual immorality, no place for worldly acceptance, and the list can go on. Jesus was born free of sin but He chose not to live in it and not to allow to give any place to the devil. And then He freed us and told us that we are no longer slaves to sin and to give no place to the devil. That’s His life! That’s to be my life!

  This life that I now live in the flesh, I still live in the flesh much too much. Work, pleasure, church, and the cares of this world are always vying for my time, but I press toward the mark of the high calling in Christ! (Philippians 3:14) Paul wrote, walk in the Spirit and we’ll not fulfill the lust of the flesh. (Galatians 5:16)

  Therefore, if this life I now live in the flesh, I’m to live by the faith of the Son of God I am going to have to be a person of communion with God. Jesus still wants to commune with the Father and since He is in me, it’s what I am to do. Since He is living in me, love should be my life’s motivation. Not just with the people I like and whom like me; but simply allowing Him to love through me. And lastly, a life free from the domination of sin and the devil. Jesus still has dominion over sin and has given it to me, to you! We can allow Him to live His life through us in such a way that we too can make the claim that Paul made. Father, help us to live by the faith of Your precious Son! Wonderful Jesus!

  Posted in Faith, freedom, Galatians 2:20, Jesus, love, Prayer, Victorious Living | 0 Comments | Tagged Faith, freedom, Galatians 2:20, Jesus, love, Prayer

• Give Me Liberty

  Posted at 5:22 pm by wonderfuljesus8, on July 6, 2019

  John 8:36- “Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed!”

  This week I have been enjoying a time of vacationing with my family in Virginia. Ironically, on Independence Day we were actually visiting the sites of colonial Virginia. One of those sites was the battlefield in Yorktown. And as we walked around the site there were people wearing colors and tees representative of the day. One man I passed had a tee shirt that read, “Give me liberty, or give me death!” Of course, I knew it would be the title of my next blog.

  Now if you remember your fifth grade history lessons at all, you may remember that Patrick Henry gave a speech in Richmond, where we actually vacationed, designed to cause those listening to him to understand his passion for independence and their need to prepare to bear arms against Great Britain. His parting words, “Give me liberty, or give me death,” are still remembered today.

  As we have celebrated the 4th of July, the day the founding fathers of America signed the Declaration of Independence, we may have mixed feelings about when our freedom was actually acquired and what this day means to us. I for one am American and I am thankful to be American, although our history is shady at best, I am glad to be an American. I am not an African American, I am an American and I am Black! For another day!

  This area also holds much history for our ancestors who were brought here as slaves. We visited Petersburg today, the site where the Civil War was finally ended, where Black soldiers fought alongside white soldiers for their freedom. My husband’s ancestor fought in this battle! Lol! We visited the entry point of the slaves in America and saw the auction block. Didn’t stop! I got the point!

  As I saw that shirt I couldn’t help but think of my liberty in Christ Jesus! He said, in the verse above, if the Son makes you free, you are free indeed, and yet countless believers are not living in freedom. Yet Jesus Himself said that we are free indeed!

  How can His word be true when our lives lie daily to that truth? I believe it is quite simple. We must believe that we are free!

  Have you ever heard a story about an animal being trapped in a cage, or tied to a stake, or trapped in a jar who desperately tries over and over again to be freed to no avail? And then one day the animal just accepts its new reality and stay put, so that even when the restraints that held it in place is removed, it is still imprisoned in its mind? Well, I think that is the way with the vast majority of believers. They have been enslaved to the yoke of sin so long they have become comfortable with it and don’t know how to live without it. But you can have your liberty! Jesus said so!

  Let’s say someone is bound by drugs. It’s all they ever knew. And when Jesus saves them and grants them their liberty, they return to the drugs. Or let’s say someone is bound by a lustful spirit, and Jesus comes into their life, the Great Liberator, but when they get alone, they still have those same desires to watch porn or to continue. in sin. They have been told that they are free, but they don’t believe that they are free. So even when the restraints of sin have been broken off of the lives of His people, if they don’t grasp or can’t grasp the truth of their freedom, nothing much has changed for their earthly situations in life.

  It’s time to shout like Patrick Henry, “Give me liberty!” It has already been obtained for you, but you have to take it! Seize the moment! You have to understand that Christ has set you free and you are truly free! Then you live like it one day at a time with His amazing grace!!

  Will it be easy? Not at first! But is it possible? Most definitely. I used to curse. A lot. Then one day I started to hungering for God like never before. I was a believer but I had a dirty mouth. I read the scripture about bitter and sweet water doesn’t come out of the same fountain (James 3:11). I decided I needed to be cleansed and free from that. After surrendering it over to the Lord in prayer, I got up determined my mouth would be clean. And you know what, it was! Overnight! No slips and dips, just free from a foul mouth.

  Will it be that way for every one in every situation? No! I am still dying to my flesh in some other areas. But because I know I am to be free, I will have my liberty! The chains of darkness have been broken off my life and the lives of every believer, but we have to walk it out agreeing with Jesus that we are free indeed! Go declare your spiritual freedom as loudly as you declared your national freedom and then go and live it with His unlimited grace. Wonderful Jesus!

  Posted in Believers, encouragement, freedom, independence day, Victorious Living | 0 Comments | Tagged Believer, encouragement, encouragemnt, freedom, independence day, Victorious Living, victory

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