Posts Tagged ‘Christian’

Joy vs. Happiness

Posted in Anxiety & Stress, Spirituality, tagged , , , , , , , , , on January 30, 2012| 5 Comments »

I’ll have to admit that I have been confused between the difference of joy and happiness.  I thought I knew what it meant to be happy, but was confused about joy.  I wondered if they were the same thing.  I often heard Christians say they had the “joy of the Lord,” and I wasn’t sure if I had that or not.  So, I decided to study it out and see if I could make it clear to myself what the difference between joy and happiness is.

I realize that happiness depends on our circumstances.  It is a feeling or emotion.  We can be extremely happy and then the phone rings and we get a call that can dash all the happiness away and fill us with the utmost sadness.  Perhaps it was a call from a loved one to let us know that one of our dear relatives had passed away, or been in an accident, or developed a terminal illness.  Then all our happy feelings are washed right down the drain.  Happiness is fleeting.

Also being happy is something that all people can enjoy.  It isn’t dependent on being a Christian.  I know lots of people who are unbelievers who are very happy.  Their circumstances are good at the present time and all is right with the world.  So, happiness isn’t something that is for a Christian only.  Happiness is natural (fleshly) and can be felt by the natural man.

Joy on the other hand is not natural to us.  It is in fact supernatural (spiritual), and it is a gift of the Holy Spirit.  It is something only Christians can experience.

I listened to a sermon by Dr. Alan Cairns that he preached way back in 2000, and he explained joy something like this: (not an exact quote.) “Joy is the response of a believer to the understanding of God’s love for him in Christ.”  And, he said that we only know that God loves us by the Holy Spirit.

Isn’t that awesome?  When we realize the depth of the love God has for us in Christ then we can respond with utter joy.  I like that!  Now, I’m beginning to see what joy is.  It is my response back to God for ALL He has done for me.  He saved me from my sinful self; He adopted me into His family, and He gives me the hope of heaven.  There is so much more.

I learned that our creator God is even joyful over us.  Can you imagine that?  God who created everything has joy over little ole us?  That boggles my mind, but the Word says it’s true.

(Zephaniah 3:17 NASB) “The LORD your God is in your midst, A victorious warrior. He will exult over you with joy, He will be quiet in His love, He will rejoice over you with shouts of joy.

Wow! That is truly amazing!

(Isaiah 62:5b NASB) …And as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, So your God will rejoice over you.

The reason we can be joyful is because God created us in His image and He is joyful.  It is our birthright to be full of joy.  When we are in Christ we are like Him.

Now here is something I found that’s really a treasure.  Listen to this:

Cover of "The Joy of the Lord"

(Nehemiah 8:10b NASB) …Do not be grieved, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.”

When we see LORD written in all caps like that it means, “the self-existent one.”We need to meditate on that promise:  “…for the joy of the LORD is your strength.”  Where does our strength come from?  It comes from our joy in the self-existant one!  Isn’t that amazing?  Do you need strength?  Dwell on the LORD!

We need to realize that only Christians can have this kind of joy.  That’s because it is given to us by the Holy Spirit.  It is the fruit of the Spirit.

Galatians 5:22-23 NASB But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,  (23)  gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

The joy that the Lord gives us enables us to cope with life’s trials.  It gives us hope, and enables us to become overcomers instead of victims.  It is true! This joy of the Lord is very powerful indeed.  It is our strength!

How to we apply this joy in our lives? 

First lets take a look back in Galatians.  We will see a contrast between the works of the flesh and the fruit of the spirit.

Galatians 5:19-21 NASB Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality,  (20)  idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions,  (21)  envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

Anyone who fits in the list above is not a true believer and will not experience this wonderful joy of the Lord.  If you find yourself here, then please consider it a warning to repent and get right with God.  See: https://hatchcreek.com/the-true-gospel-message-2/ The True Gospel Message.

The Bible tells us that believers have the fruit of joy given by the Holy Spirit and with that they have strength.  But, we can’t just let it lie there dormant, we must cultivate it and make it grow and become second nature to us.  We do this by engaging our mind.  God tells us to rejoice in the Lord always.  It doesn’t say sometimes when things are going good, but always.  Yes, even when things are bad.  Remember, our strength is in the joy of the Lord.

Philippians 4:4 NASB Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!

Look at what James says:

James 1:2 NASB Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials,

Personally, I never liked this verse.  What does he mean by consider it all joy when I come into various trials?  Why would that be joyful?  That just didn’t make sense to me until now.  Because now I see that the joy of the Lord is our strength.  And, with that strength I can overcome trials.  Praise the Lord!  I like that!

We can cultivate the fruit of joy in our lives by taking control of our thoughts.  This is so very important.  We find the mind to be a very powerful thing and it can be used to lift us up or to tear us down, and the enemy would certainly like it to be used for his purposes.  But, Christians don’t have to go there.  We don’t have to worry.  We don’t have to fret.  We don’t have to be weighed down by all our troubles.  Yes, we will have trials and tribulations, but they don’t have to destroy us.  We don’t have to have extreme anxiety, stress, fear, or helplessness.  Those things don’t come from God.  We can live above our circumstances!

As you walk close to God and enjoy Him, He will help you train your mind to think on things that build you up instead of tearing you down.  Here is a great scripture that you ought to write on a card and put it where you can meditate on it and memorize it.

Philippians 4:8 NASB Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.

Whenever, you notice that you are worrying, ask the Lord to change your thoughts into ones that honor Him.  Then turn to the list above and think on those things.  You can analyze your thoughts and see if they line up with them.  Is what I’m thinking about true?  Is it honorable?  Is it right for me to think about this?  Is it pure?  Is it lovely?  Is it of a good report?  Is it excellent or praise worthy?  If so, these are the things I should dwell on and not worry about my problems. God will take care of them.

We need to think about Christ, who I believe is pictured above, and all of what He has done for us.  We ought to think about how and why we got saved, and how Jesus suffered and died for our sins.  We should look to heaven and set our minds on things above.  We can dwell on Christ  coming again.  All those things and more are what we need to think about.  Our joy comes from all that Christ has done for us.  Our joy comes because we know what lies ahead in heaven. Our joy comes as we dwell on the things of the Lord.  Just look at His creation and the beautiul nature around us.  Look at all He has made.  Look in the face of a little baby and rejoice.

I think I’ve discovered what joy is and now that I have, I am going to cultivate it in my life.  How about you?

                                                                                                                                                                      

Is there a difference between joy and happiness?  Here is what Andran Rogers has to say:

The Difference Between Happiness and Joy August 14, 2008

Sin promises joy, but it never delivers it. Why? Because true joy is only found in the Lord Jesus Christ. You can be a lost person and be happy for a while. But what I’m talking about here is not happiness because happiness depends upon what happens. Joy depends upon the Lord.
Philippians 4:4 says, “Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice.” If you live for happiness, you are a prisoner of circumstances because if the circumstances change, then you are not happy anymore.

Jesus never changes. Happiness is a cosmetic; it is on the outside. Joy is character; it is on the inside. Happiness only meets your surface needs, but joy meets your deepest needs. Therefore, happiness is like a thermometer, it just registers conditions. Joy is the thermostat that controls the conditions. Happiness evaporates in a crisis. Joy many times intensifies in a crisis. Happiness is wonder but let me tell you something, friend. Happiness is at its fullest when it is mingled with joy, when you know the joy of the Lord. Adrian Rogers from Love Worth Finding : 8/14/08

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Beware of Contemplative Prayer

Posted in Christianity, Culture, tagged , , , , , , , on January 12, 2012| 4 Comments »

Has contemplative prayer arrived in your church yet? What about Lectio Divina, and prayer walks?  Have you ever heard of centering prayer?

When people participate in centering prayer they are actually taken into another state of consiousness. This is very dangerous and is the realm where demons can influence our minds.  God has never told us to empty our minds while seeking Him.  We are to meditate on the Word of God with our minds fully engaged.

These practices are mysticism and they are not what Christians should be involved in.  I have listed below several sites that will give you more information to help you discern what is right and what might be wrong in your church.  I pray that you will study the Word and not listen to people who try to make the church weak and unproductive.  They are not working for the Lord that is for sure.

There is much going on in churches today that isn’t really Biblical and we have to be Bereans and search the scriptures to see if what we are being fed is correct.  We must have discernment, and the only way we get that is by good Bible study.

Here is a very good article explaining why Lectio Divina and other mystical practices are dangerous.

http://solasisters.blogspot.com/2012/01/john-piper-encouraging-lectio-divina.html

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Relief or Victory?

Posted in American culture, Anxiety & Stress, Bible Study, Christian, inspirational, Panic Attacks, Panic Disorder Support, Scripture, tagged , , , , , , , on January 9, 2010| Leave a Comment »

As I listened to a sermon this past week something stuck in my mind.  The speaker talked about how we think, and said, “Today the focus is on self, which is all about relief, instead of victory in spite of their circumstances.”  He also mentioned the fact that we are today a medicated society.

I’ve pondered that for a few days now.  “relief instead of victory.”  At first, I didn’t get it.  I thought relief would be victory.  Then, I thought deeper, and realized what he said is actually true. 

We are a society who want quick fixes.  We take a pill for just about everything that ails us.  And, we don’t want to wait for anything.  We have fast food, instant coffee, microwaveable meals, instant soup, phones on our ears, fast cars, instant news, the Internet, instant messaging, and fast texting. 

Everything is speeded up in our lives today, and when we have problems we want quick fixes.  We don’t think we should suffer at all.  We look for that magic bullet that will fix everything.  We buy the latest self-help books, videos, tapes, CD’s and DVD’s.  We go to the latest guru or therapist.  We simply want quick relief.  We pop whatever pill is in vogue. Have you noticed all the television ads for prescription drugs lately?  It seems there is a pill for every thing imaginable that could happen to us.  But, you’d better not listen to the disclaimers or you will not take anything. 🙂

We have problems with relationships, and we want things to be instantly fixed.  But, it doesn’t work that way.  So many times people turn to the wrong things for relief. 

I know a girl who lost her fiance in an accident.  This girl is in her 30’s I believe.  She took it very hard, and rightly so.  It is not bad to grieve, but how you handle it is another thing.  Two years have gone by.  

She desperately wanted relief from the pain of losing the person she loved and  was about to spend the rest of her life with. So, she began drinking even more and did not get the relief she desired so began medication for depression.  Alcohol and anti-depressants are a bad and dangerous mix.  She still hasn’t found the relief she wanted. 

What this person needs is victory.  But, how can she find that?  First, she needs to become a Christian.  Then, as she studies and learns from the Bible she will find that God will comfort her and give her a supernatural strength to get through the tough times. 

1Co 10:13 NASB  No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.

This verse is talking about trials and temptations that come into all our lives.  If we are Christians God will be in control of the situation and will not allow it to overwhelm you.  He will provide a way for you to endure.  Isn’t that a wonderful promise?  I loved it when I first found that verse.

Now, that would be victory for this girl!  We are not to eliminate the bad circumstances that come our way in life, but instead learn how to live through them with Christ at our side.  I’m sad to see this poor soul suffer when she could be praising God, and get on with her life.  God has something for her if she would only realize she needs to turn to Him.

Another example of how people want relief instead of victory is of a Christian married couple who have had many problems and they end up with a divorce.  Why does that happen?  They want relief from the misery they live in.   Relief instead of victory is not the answer. 

Victory would be if that couple who are Christians would get into the Word and apply it to their lives.  They could change how they see and treat each other.  They could fall in love all over again.  They could with God’s help have victory if they would only do it God’s way.  The man needed to become the leader in that home and the woman needed to step back and be submissive to her husband instead of trying to run him and bad mouth him all the time.  You see there is a difference between relief and victory.

Eph 5:22-25 NASB  Wives, be subject to your own husbands, as to the Lord.  (23)  For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the head of the church, He Himself being the Savior of the body.  (24)  But as the church is subject to Christ, so also the wives ought to be to their husbands in everything.  (25)  Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her,

God knows everything.  Nothing happens to us that He doesn’t allow.  Everything that comes our way is passed through God’s grid.  Nothing happens by chance.   God is Sovereign, and He can allow bad things to come into our lives.  But, there is always a reason.  He is either teaching us or chastising us.  He wants us to grow more in the likeness of Christ as we mature in the faith. 

Rom 8:28-29 NASB  And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.  (29)  For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren;

Well, I guess it comes down to this.  We have a choice.  Do we want to live our lives our own way, living by emotions and feelings.? If we do we will find ourselves full of stress and anxiety and looking for relief, not victory. We will turn to medication, or something to numb our brains, perhaps alcohol, or illegal drugs.  We will say, “God, please just take these horrible feelings away.  I’m tired of the suffering.”  Instead we should say, “God, you know how I feel.  Please give me the wisdom to learn how to live in a way that I can handle adversity with you at my side. Help me Lord to see the lessons in this that you want me to learn.  Help me to judge my own heart and expose any unconfessed sin so that I may confess it and repent of it.”   

Or, do we want to live our lives God’s way.  Obeying everything He commands us to do in the Bible.  If we choose God’s way we will have victory in all our trials and tribulations.  God truly is good and I’m so thankful that He has given us the Bible as a standard to live by.  We live in an age where people want to say the Bible is out-dated, and that it is too hard for any of us to really understand.  Yes, we hear that. But, that is not true.  God is not a God of confusion, but of logic, and reason.  He is rational. 

The key to not merely find relief but to gain victory is when we choose God’s way and our focus is turned from ourselves and toward Christ.  Do you see that?

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Adoption

Posted in Anxiety & Stress, Bible Study, Christian, devotional, inspirational, Panic Disorder Support, Religion, Scripture, tagged , , , , , on July 31, 2009| 2 Comments »

One of the greatest benefits God has bestowed on believers is adoption.  This is probably only second to the benefit of salvation.

In order to be a Christian with a correct view of ourselves we must get a grip on what this actually means. It will change the way you see yourself and how you live.

Do you realize that as a Christian you have been adopted into God’s family? Have you ever thought about what this means?

I have a nephew who was adopted.  I remember the day when they brought that cute little bundle of joy home from the hospital only 2 days old.  I held that little one and looked into his eyes.  He was looking at me with trust and assurance that we would take care of him, a helpless little baby. 

It is really a special privilege to be adopted, as you were chosen by the new parents. They picked YOU!  They chose you to love and care for, and give you the best life they know how.  Also, they chose you to have the family name, and when the time comes to be an heir to an inheritance that they plan on leaving you.   

Eph 1:4-5 just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love (5) He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will,

This scripture is loaded, and I can only touch upon it.  God chose us before he even created the world!  Isn’t that amazing.  Somewhere out there God said “I’m choosing (put your name here)  to adopt into my family.”

He chose us to be saved, then He could forgive our sins and make us holy and blameless before Him.  He did all this in love, (agape love) as He predestined us to be adopted, through the death of Jesus Christ making it possible.  And, all of this was according to the kind intention of His will.  God in his kindness toward us did that for us, and it was his choice to do it.  It wasn’t anything we did, or anything we would ever do or say. It was all God’s doing to adopt you and me.  That is remarkable!  I often think, “why me?”

Rom 8:14-16 For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. (15) For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, “Abba! Father!” (16) The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God,

Now, here is another rich, rich section of scripture.  First, it says that all of us who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.  This is true because those who do not know God cannot be lead by the Spirit of God, which is the Holy Spirit because they do not have Him yet.

Then, he tells us that we have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again.  When we were saved we did not receive a spirit of slavery to sin and evil that we once had. We were born-again and became a new creation, and received the Holy Spirit to enable us to live a holy and godly life.  An unbeliever is always fearful to some extent. He should be fearful of the future and what lies in wait for him when he dies.  But, we received a spirit of adoption as sons. 

God in his kindness took strangers in as His very own. What a difference!  Knowing that, we can cry out “Abba! Father!” which means daddy.  He is our daddy, our heavenly Father!  Now we can call Him Father instead of God.  And, we can know in our hearts that our heavenly Father will care for all our needs, just as a good earthly Father would, but even better.  With this assurance we do not have to fear anything in this life.  Our daddy will take care of us.  What do you fear?  Let your daddy deal with it.

(Gal 4:5) so that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.

Isn’t it wonderful what God has done for us?  He redeemed us.  He bought us with the blood of Jesus Christ, so that we would have the privilege of becoming His own sons and daughters. 

Rom 8:16-17 The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, (17) and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him.

Oh my!  Here we learn that the Holy Spirit as He lives inside us talks to our spirit inside us and assures us that we are children of God.  And, that we are heirs, and fellow heirs with Christ.  Can you imagine being joint heirs with Jesus?  That means when the time comes and Jesus is handed over all that God has for Him, we will be partakers of that also.  I can’t even begin to imagine what that all means, but I know it is good!  We will also be glorified in Christ Jesus.

Under the Jewish law the older brother had a double portion, but Christ admits all to a joint share of the great inheritance.  (The People’s New Testament Commentary”)

In verse 17, it also talks about “if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him.” It seems that we do suffer with Christ and for Him in this world we live in.  We are persecuted, some more than others.  There are people dying for their faith even today in certain countries.  When we suffer Christ suffers with us, as we are one with Him.  But, some day we will also be glorified with Christ!

I hope these scriptures will open your heart to the fact that you are adopted into God’s family.  It is certainly a privilege, and as we begin to understand this, it shows us how different we are from the unbelievers in this world.  Yes, we are different!  And we need to realize this and live our lives in a new way.  We don’t think like the world thinks, and we don’t act like the world, and we don’t speak like the world speaks. We are new in Christ.

When we realize how much God has done for us already, we can rest assured that He will continue to take care of every need we have.  We do not have to worry and fret about things.  God is in control and He is our Father.  He will take care of every thing.  He must really love us immensely to have chosen us before He even created the world.  He must have had a plan for our lives. Let’s try to live it.

“Help us Lord to live our lives in a way that is worthy to be called sons of God.”

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The Obedient Christian

Posted in Bible Study, Christian, devotional, Faith, inspirational, Scripture, Worship, tagged , , , , , on January 16, 2009| 1 Comment »

February2008 037

Do you realize that God has plenty to say about how we live our Christian lives?  He wants us to obey Him in every area.  We will look at the Bible and see some of the scriptures that shows us that.

2Co 13:5 NASB  Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you–unless indeed you fail the test?

God tells us to examine ourselves to make sure we are truly Christians. If we have Jesus Christ in us, then we are a new creation.  We should be able to look back on our lives and see a transformation since we were saved. 

The way our lives become transformed is by the study of the Word.  We can then apply it to our lives as we live in obedience to it.  That changes us.

God talked about obedience back in the Old Testament.

Deu 7:9 NASB  “Know therefore that the LORD your God, He is God, the faithful God, who keeps His covenant and His lovingkindness to a thousandth generation with those who love Him and keep His commandments;

God is faithful and keeps his promises, and lovingkindness.  But, note, it is to those who love Him and keep His commandments. 

Neh 1:5 NASB  I said, “I beseech You, O LORD God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who preserves the covenant and lovingkindness for those who love Him and keep His commandments,

Here the Psalmist says that he delights in God’s commandments and actually loves them.  Can you say the same?  Psalm 119 is an awesome Psalm.  It would be good to go ahead and read the whole thing.  There is so much in it about God’s Word and how it is sweet as honey.

Psa 119:47 NASB  I shall delight in Your commandments, Which I love.

Here Christ tell’s us that if we love Him we will keep His commandments.  That is the acid test of our love of God.  Do you love Him?  Do you obey Him?

Joh 14:15 NASB  “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.

Look at this next verse.  It is wonderful!  If we keep God’s commandments it shows that we love Him.  It says, if we love Christ we will be loved by His Father.  Not only that, but Jesus will love us and actually disclose Himself to us.  Yes, He does that as we read and study the Word.  He allows our minds to be opened to take in and understand what He wants us to know.

What a privilege it is to be loved by Jesus and God.  What a privilege to have a personal relationship with the creator of the universe!  (If we obey Him.)

Joh 14:21 NASB  “He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will disclose Myself to him.”

Again, “if” we keep His commandments, we will abide in His love.  Jesus Himself set the example as He obeyed His Father’s commandments, even to death on the cross.  Could we do that? 

Joh 15:10 NASB  “If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love.

When we love God and obey Him, we also know that we love other believers in Christ.  God’s love is this:  We keep His commandments, and they are not burdensome.  In other words, we are pleased to keep them.  The older I become as a Christian the more I see the wisdom in God’s commandments.  They are given to us for our own good.  The only thing that could keep us from obeying them is our own pride.

1Jn 5:2-3 NASB  By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and observe His commandments.  3  For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome.

And to say it again.  We show our love of God when we obey Him and follow His commands. 

2Jn 1:6 NASB  And this is love, that we walk according to His commandments. This is the commandment, just as you have heard from the beginning, that you should walk in it.

I pray this little study in obedience has helped you realize that you are not your own.  He is our Lord and has every right to command us in our walk.  He owns us; He died for us; He paid the penalty of our sins.  We are His and as such we must bow the knee to his Lordship over our lives.  If He tells us something is wrong that we are doing we’d better pay attention. 

Trust and obey, for there is no other way, to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.

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Slave to Christ

Posted in Anxiety & Stress, Bible Study, Christian, devotional, Faith, Gospel, inspirational, Praise, Religion, Scripture, Worship, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on September 27, 2008| 1 Comment »

 Oct2007 011

October’s beauty!

Have you ever thought of yourself as a slave to Christ?  I hadn’t until recently.  I thought more of myself as a servant of Christ.  Like a helper at times.  But a slave, no.

As I began to think about this I realized that we can be slaves to many things.  Who or what are you a slave to?  Anyone or anything that controls us owns us, and we are slaves to them. 

Some could be slaves to alcohol, money, lust, sex, pornography, smoking, sports, illegal drugs, pot, television, work, or fear, worry, and anxiety.  Those are just some of things we can be controlled by.  We can also be a slave to people; our husbands, our children, our friends. 

On the other hand we should be a slave to Christ.  However, the Bible tells us we cannot serve two masters.

Matthew 6:24 NASB  “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.”

So there is the problem.  Who or what do we serve? 

When we become a Christian we do not any longer have to be a slave to fear.  God adopts us into His family.  He takes care of us from then on.

Romans 8:15 LITV  “For you did not receive a spirit of slavery again to fear, but you received a Spirit of adoption by which we cry, Abba! Father!”

It is the same with the other bondage’s that we find ourselves in.  When we turn our lives over to the Lord as our Lord and Master, then we no longer have to be a slave to anyone or anything. 

Rom 6:6 NASB  knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin;

The Greek work “Doulos” in the Bible is often translated as servant.  It should be slave.  It does make a difference.

A servant is one who has a choice.  They worked for wages and could quit at any time.  A servant can do what he wants and is free to make his own decisions. 

But a slave is bought and owned.  He is to do the will of his master.  He has no rights and cannot do as he pleases.

1Co 7:22-23 LITV  For the one called while a slave in the Lord is a freed man of the Lord. And likewise, the one called while a free man is a slave of Christ.  23  You were redeemed with a price; do not become slaves of men.

You see when Jesus died on the cross for the payment of our sins he bought us with his own precious blood.  He now owns us and the Word says we are to become a slave of Christ.  That is an awesome thought!

In the Bible, Paul saw himself as a slave of Christ. 

Rom 1:1 LITV  Paul, a slave of Jesus Christ, a called apostle, separated to the gospel of God,

Gal 1:10 LITV  For do I now persuade men or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I yet pleased men, I would not be a slave of Christ.

Paul is talking to Timothy here.  He refers to Timothy as a slave of the Lord.

2Ti 2:24 LITV  But a slave of the Lord ought not to quarrel, but to be gentle towards all, apt to teach, forbearing,

When we see ourselves as a slave of Christ our whole attitude changes.

  • We realize we have been bought and are not our own.  We can then die to “self.” And, let that part of us go.
  • We need to be always available and ready to serve our Master.
  • We need to make sure we don’t get caught up with trying to serve two masters.
  • We need to pray and keep close to our dear Lord.
  • We need to be dependent on Him for all things.  He will supply all our needs according to His riches in Glory.  (Philippians 4:19.)
  • We need to realize that God may allow trials and troubles to come into our lives, but they are to discipline us and grow us to be more like Him.  They are for our good.
  • And, we need to know that everything good that comes our way is from God Himself. 

We’ve truly been blessed when we come to know Jesus Christ as Lord and Master. 

  • He has made us a child and heir of God and a joint-heir with Jesus Christ.  (Romans 8:14-17) 
  • We are an ambassador for Christ, (II Corinthians 5:20),
  • a member of a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a citizen of a holy nation, a possession of God (I Peter 2:9),
  • and a holy temple of the living God. (II Corinthians 10:5)

We will actually rule and rein with the Lord in Heaven some day.  Isn’t that truly amazing!  What a Savior!  What a Master!

That is only a few of the blessings God bestows upon us.  And to be honest none of us deserve any of it.  I’m truly happy to learn that I am a slave to Christ! 

Scripture taken from NASB  New American Standard Bible and LITV Literal Translation of the Holy Bible

Note: For more teaching on the subject of slaves for Christ you can go here to John MacArthur’s web site. 

http://www.gty.org/Products/DVDs/8280-321

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God Will Take Care of You

Posted in Anxiety & Stress, Christian, Faith, Hymns, inspirational, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , on September 17, 2008| Leave a Comment »

Here is a comforting old hymn that I thought might bless you.  I’m thinking of all of you who have been displaced by Hurricaine Ike, and all the weather related problems that occured all through out the midwest and east.  Some  of you have lost everything.  You need words of comfort.  God is still there even though it doesn’t seem so at times.  He is still watching out for you and He is the God of all comfort.  My prayer is that He will take good care of you now. 

 Rest in his arms when difficulties come your way.  He is your Heavenly Father!

I Peter 5:7  (NIV)  “Cast all you anxiety on Him because He cares for you.”

Civilla D. Martin (1866-1948)

Words: Ci­vil­la D. Mar­tin, 1904; first appeared in Songs of Redemption and Praise, by John A. Davis, 1905.

I was con­fined to a sick bed in a Bi­ble school in Les­ter­shire, New York. My hus­band was spend­ing sev­er­al weeks at the school, mak­ing a song­book for the pres­i­dent of the school. “God Will Take Care of You” was writ­ten one Sun­day af­ter­noon while my hus­band went to a preach­ing ap­point­ment. When he re­turned I gave the words to him. He im­me­di­ate­ly sat down to his lit­tle Bil­horn or­gan and wrote the music. That even­ing he and two of the teach­ers sang the com­plet­ed song. It was then print­ed in the song­book he was com­pil­ing for the school.

Music: Wal­ter S. Mar­tin (MI­DI, score).  (click on MIDI to listen)

                              

                     W. Stillman Martin (1862-1935)

Be not dismayed whate’er betide,
God will take care of you;
Beneath His wings of love abide,
God will take care of you.

Refrain

God will take care of you,
Through every day, over all the way;
He will take care of you,
God will take care of you.

Through days of toil when heart doth fail,
God will take care of you;
When dangers fierce your path assail,
God will take care of you.

Refrain

All you may need He will provide,
God will take care of you;
Nothing you ask will be denied,
God will take care of you.

Refrain

No matter what may be the test,
God will take care of you;
Lean, weary one, upon His breast,
God will take care of you.

Refrain

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Believer or Unbeliever?

Posted in Agoraphobia, Anxiety & Stress, Bible Study, Christian, Faith, Gospel, inspirational, Panic Attacks, Panic Disorder Support, Religion, Scripture, Worship, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , on February 25, 2008| 1 Comment »

              

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Previously we talked about how different we are in God’s eyes when we are not saved and when we are saved.  We saw from the Word there is a great deal of difference.

Now that we are believers are we living like a believer, or are we still living like an unbeliever?

If you are not living as a believer, then you must examine yourself as the Bible says.  If there is any doubt in your mind about whether or not you are truly born again, please write to me privately, and we will go over it together.  This is very important because the things we will learn will not work for the unbeliever. 

2 Corinthians 13:5 Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you–unless indeed you fail the test?

“When you see our situation the same way you would if you were still an unbeliever, you are failing to realize what a great gift God has given you.”  (Wayne Mack, The Fear Factor, Hensley Publishing, pg.18.)  That gift is the Holy Spirit and all the resources God has.

You see we don’t have to live the same as before.  We don’t have to carry all our old baggage with us when we become believers.  Take a look at your own life.  Can you see any changes in your before and after picture?  Did you have panic disorder before you were a Christian?  I did.  When I became a Christian I did not know that God had made a way for me to be rid of fear.  But, it was still true.  It took me many years of Bible study to learn this.  That is why it took me so long to get better. 

When we become a true believer something wonderful happens to us.  God creates in us a new person.  We are not the same.  It is a supernatural work that the Lord does. We don’t look any different in our bodies, it is a spiritual new birth.  God gives us the Holy Spirit to come and live inside us.  Knowing this gives us the hope we need to be overcomers of any situation that comes up in our lives.

The world teaches us that the key to success is to “believe in yourself.”  Have “self-confidence” and good “self-esteem.”  Well, no matter how much you believe in yourself, and feel good about yourself it just won’t hold up.  We are not that powerful.  We cannot stop things from happening in our lives.  God is the only one who can control everything.  Isn’t that true? 

Look at the verse below.  It plainly says that if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature.  The old things passed away and brand new things have come.  Isn’t that amazing?  We are actually new creations in Christ! 

2 Corinthians 5:17 ‘Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.”

I love that verse because it tells me I am now different.  It is possible for me to change.  It gives me hope.  I want you also to have that hope.  You can change too.  Fear and anxiety, or whatever other thing plagues you, don’t have to dog us all the days of our lives.  We can be victorious.

Here is a story to illustrate this:

Suppose there was a very poor person who had a job but didn’t have any way to get there.  So, everyday, that man had to get up extra early to walk the five miles to work.  Then, after putting in a full-days work he had to walk all the way back home.  He was exhausted, and all he could do was eat some soup and go right to bed to be ready for the next day.  He didn’t have a home life with his wife and children.  All he did was toil and rest.  Sounds like a pretty boring existence doesn’t it?

Then one day along came a rich man who saw this man’s plight and said to him, “Here I will give you this brand new car.  It has a full tank of gas.  Oh, yes, take this, it’s a gas card so that whenever you need a refill you can fill up the tank.”  The poor man was very grateful and carefully parked the car in his driveway.

The next morning he got up and walked to work again and then walked home that evening as had been his habit. He continued on this same way ignoring the wonderful free gift the rich man had given him.  Oh, he would take the car out on Sunday and drive it to church and back but that was it.

What is wrong with this picture?  It is plain to see that the poor man was not taking advantage of the free gift that was given him.

Isn’t that how some of us live the Christian life?  We have been given so much from the Master, but do we really apply it to our lives?  He has made us a brand new creation spiritually in Christ. Not only that, He has given us the fuel to run on, the Holy Spirit.   That is similar to how the gas in the car gives the car power to run on.  The Holy Spirit gives us the power we need to do whatever God asks us to.

But, we too, can be like the man in the story and not use what has been freely given us.  It might be because we don’t realize what we have.  Or, it can also be like the man who was so used to walking to work that he could not change his habit.  We have many old habits that need changing, and God has given us the power and the ability to change them through salvation and the Holy Spirit. 

Sometimes we are like the man in the story and only show our spiritual side on Sundays when we go to church.  We go, sing songs, listen to a message, and go through the motions, but then just leave everything there behind us. When Monday morning comes along we act like we leave our spiritual side at home.  What a waste!  If we do this we need to examine ourselves and see if we really are in the faith. 

Being a Christian is far more than a Sunday habit.  We need to be in the Bible everyday, pray, and meditate on the Word.  Then, we can activate the power in our lives to conquer fear and anxiety.

Romans 8:11 But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.

That is another amazing and wonderful scripture.

Blessings,

Bonnie

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