For the Love of God...

What would you do to know that God loves you? Would you climb mountains for God, or sacrifice your lifestyle for God, or even dress in a way that makes you uncomfortable for God? What would YOU do to know that God is pleased with you?



It has come up a couple of times in conversation with people this week about what we CAN DO for God with our lives. One lady pointed out that this type of thinking is quite self-centered. We are thinking about what WE can do all the time, and not what God can do through our lives. We take the focus off God and put it back on ourselves. We make ourselves feel good about doing things for God, and making ourselves obedient to His Word. I believe we should obey God's Word as much as possible, and we should strive to grow in our relationship with our Lord. However, when we constantly focus on what WE can do for God, and we get trapped into self-centeredness, we also begin to become self-righteous. We begin to take credit for God's accomplishments, victories and successes in our lives. We conquer an addiction and we say it is because WE stopped drinking, doing drugs, having pre-marital sex, etc. Do we really give God the glory He deserves for everything He does in and through our lives, or are we trying to find works to do that make us glorified in the eyes of others? Are we stealing God's glory each and every day?



I am speaking to myself, as well as to the readers out there. God has laid upon my heart the great sickness in His church of legalism, and He has expounded upon the self-righteousness of His people. When a person becomes self-righteous, he/she becomes prideful, and ultimately becomes judgmental and critical of others who are less spiritual/holy than they are. I think some Christians tend to forget where they came from....and I admit that I have been guilty of this sinful heart attitude as well. Everything started going so well in my Christian walk that I began to feel like I was better than those other "sinners" around me. That is when God revealed my own heart to me in comparison with His holiness. I realized that I had not changed in nature as much as I thought....I still struggle with complacency, apathy, laziness and pride almost daily. I know that God has given me power by the Holy Spirit to overcome sin in my life, but I have also learned that God delivers me from sin in His timing, not mine. I can boldly ask my Father in heaven for grace to overcome sin, but He takes time in working the sin out of my heart and life. It is often not overnight, although I have experienced immediate deliverance from certain long-term sins in my life such as a drinking and sexual promiscuity. I believe the Lord knew that I just couldn't have those sins in my life anymore.



The Lord says He will never give me more than I can bear, and there will be never be temptation that is not common to man....and He always makes a way of escape for me. But how often do I really meditate on the grace of God in my life? Lately, I have been hearing a lot about grace and the Lord has been teaching me that everything I do, and everything I am in Him is because of His grace alone in my life. This is quite humbling to know that I cannot overcome sin without His grace, I cannot wake up in the morning and pray to Him without His grace, and I cannot live a godly life day to day without His GRACE. I thank God that He is delivering me from the sickness of pride in my life...but as He sheds the pride away from me, I am seeing how many of my brothers/sisters in Christ do not realize their own sickness as well. We are not going to reach people with the salvation of Jesus Christ by looking down our noses at others, and judging them for their sins. We have to let God be the true judge in our lives and the lives of others. When someone comes to me with a problem of sin in their life, I usually just start spouting scriptures to make sure they know the sin is wrong and needs to be repented of! But God is showing me that I need to love that person, right where they are. I need to stop judging them for what they are currently NOT, and just hope and pray for them that God will give them grace to overcome sin in their life!!! Probably the greatest destructive force of pride in the church is that it makes us focus on ourselves more than others, and ultimately, the love we have for God and one another starts to fade away. We start comparing everyone to ourselves, and not to the standard of God's Word. Jesus was loving, compassionate and forgiving of even the worst of sinners that He encountered. But lately, many people in the church (including myself) are resembling the Pharisees that Jesus so harshly rebuked rather than reflecting our Lord Jesus Christ. The Pharisees knew all the scripture, the laws, the prophets, and were awaiting a Messiah....but they rejected the true Messiah and Savior, Jesus. They basically thought they knew it all, and they ended up committing blasphemy of the Holy Spirit, the unpardonable sin. They crucified our Lord Jesus, and I believe when we act like Pharisees in the church today, we might as well be doing the same thing.



Join together with me today and make a heart decision (by prayer and God's grace) that you are going to stop being judgmental of brothers/sisters in Christ, and nonbelievers alike. Does that mean we turn a blind eye to sin in a person's life? Absolutely not. But if approach them regarding their sin, let it be done in love and in the spirit of truth. Make loving God and others as yourself the first priorities in your Christian life.



So, what would I do to receive the love of God? Well, instead of trying so hard to earn God's love (which is already there)...I am going to focus on how God has already shown His love for me, through the death and resurrection of His Son Jesus on the cross, when He died for my sins and reconciled me back to Himself. I am going to make a relationship with Jesus my first priority, and stop trying to earn my way into heaven. God loves me just the way I am, and He has justified me through Christ's blood, and faith in Him. All I need to do is accept God's love letter to me as truth (His Holy Word) and believe that Jesus' sacrifice was all the payment necessary to pay the penalty for MY sins. Does this mean I am free to sin? Yes and no. Yes, because I no longer pay the penalty of death for my sins, but NO because sin in my life will still bring on chastening of the Lord and lead to my physical destruction.



Romans 6:1-7 (NASB):



"What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace my increase? May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it? Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? Therefore, we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in the newness of life. For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection, 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; for he who has died is freed from sin."

The more I choose to obey God's commandment, and God's Word, and seek a deeper relationship with God Himself....the more of an abundant life I will have here on earth. If my eyes remained fixed on Jesus, then He will keep me in perfect peace. Who wouldn't want to live a peaceful life admist all the craziness, fear and tragedy lurking around every corner? In the end, I believe as long as I confess with my mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in my heart that God raised him from the dead, I will be saved (Romans 10:9-10).

I have been studying the relationship of grace/works in the gospel of Jesus Christ since the day I got saved. I have heard from others that we are not saved, or will not be saved until we reach the final day of redemption when Christ returns for us. I know that some believe that must continue to do works until that time, and it seems this is to "secure" our salvation by works. Isn't that like earning salvation in our own strength? I do believe that God sanctifies us through and by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, but as the Lord said to me in prayer one day, "Salvation is MY (God's) ministry." It is not my ministry to save anyone from the depth of their sinfulness, only God can do that through the blood of Jesus. It is also not my ministry to SAVE MYSELF from sin. That, too, is God's ministry in my life. He has saved me by His grace, not by any works, lest I should boast (as God said through Paul). When we focus on ourselves and OUR works, we begin to think we have something to boast about in somehow attaining our own salvation, thus giving way to pride in our lives. I think it is about time we give credit where credit is due - to the One who saves our souls from the depths of hell - God.

I pray tonight that this revelation has blessed your heart as much as it has mine. What a weight God lifted from me when I realized that it was His grace that was my salvation and not anything that I could do. I finally feel free in Christ to receive the abundant life God for me, and live out my salvation here and into eternity with joy and peace in the Holy Spirit. I pray in Jesus' name that God would unveil any pride in your life, and reveal to your heart if you are doing works in Jesus' name to glorify God or to somehow procure your own glory or salvation. May God give you His Spirit that will lead you into all truth. I pray that God would deliver me and you from ourselves and our sins. May God bless you in Jesus' name. Amen.

Thankful for God's grace,

Sarah

Religion or Relationship with God (Part 2)

Just a couple days ago, I never imagine how the Lord was going to begin to move in this area of my life. The Lord has revealed to me many of the ways that I have fallen prey to the monster of religion and legalism. When I came into a personal relationship with Christ, I did not worry about how I prayed, how I fasted, how I read the Bible, or how I talked about "religious" things. I just wanted God to save me from my former sinful life that wasn't working out, and causing me to be miserable. I remember not having any idea how to "pray" when I first became a Christian. I asked a friend, "How do I talk to God?"

She gave me the most sound advice of "just talk to God like He is your best friend." That started a beautiful daily conversation between myself and the Lord of Lords. Because I was not raised in church, I had no preconceived ideas about what a relationship with God SHOULD look like, so I just applied the desire in my heart to know Him to the scriptural truth of the Bible, and I began talking to God. You can imagine my surprise when I would pray to God, and then something would happen that was just downright strange....the answer to my prayer would just happen - and quickly (sometimes within minutes or hours). This began to grow my faith that God really was listening to me, and He wanted me to talk to Him more. So I just kept talking....something I was really good at....and God just kept listening and answering in my physical circumstances. At that time, I did not know how to "hear" God internally, so I just heard Him by watching Him answer prayer in my life day after day. It was simple, I prayed, He answered.

Then God led me to do a Bible study called "Experiencing God" by Henry Blackaby. I recommend this Bible study to ANYONE who wants more than a boring religion full of rules...but rather a life-giving relationship with Jesus Christ. God used this study to change my life and my relationship with Him forever. I found out that the things happening to me on a daily basis were not some freakish set of coincidences, but it was God trying to establish a real and deeply intimate relationship with me. I learned in this study the ways God communicates with His people, and I began to pay attention to even more ways that God was trying to "talk" to me. I still didn't get immediate internal answers to questions, but I would wait patiently and watch very observantly the world around me to receive God's answers to my prayers. The more I did this, the more God spoke to me internally. My faith began to build, and the next thing I knew, I realized that God was using my own mind and thoughts to speak directly to me. He would give me wisdom for various situations, and one situation would lead seamlessly into another, and then came the day when God answered my thoughts (not even my prayers) with a physical response in my circumstances.

Is this some special relationship I have with God that no one else can have? NO. This is what God hopes to have with EVERY living person. This is how God intended for it to be from the beginning. The problem is, the church is teaching people religion and not how to know God. I believe this is Satan's influence in the church, because if He can get people trapped into the bondage of religion, they begin to believe there is nothing more to be seeking (such as God's very Presence and His face).

You may ask, "What do people mean when they say - seeking God's face?" I can say that I was quite puzzled by this statement when I first heard it from a friend. I have learned over time that seeking God's face means getting to know God personally, and knowing His character well enough that you understand His ways and His plans (before they even happen)....much like you would know a family member or a best friend, or even your spouse. My husband knows me well enough because of our constant contact that he can predict what I will say, how I will react, how I will approach a given situation.....he knows my CHARACTER and he knows WHAT I HAVE DONE IN THE PAST. God gives us both in the written Word of the Holy Scriptures. By studying the Word of God, we can come to know how God has acted in the past, and His very character by what He says about Himself and how He approaches His people.

I know people will say..."Who can know the mind of God?" Well, we can't...but when you are truly a child of God and have been reborn by regeneration of heart (by the Holy Spirit)....you truly do have the Spirit of God living inside of you. And YOU cannot know the mind and heart of God, but God in you CAN. And He can speak to you through your own physical body and outward circumstances by His providence to show you He is real, and that He never changes. Is it a complex way of living....absolutely not! How God does it all, I don't know, but I know it is real...and it is a daily way of living for me and many others.

The #1 problem with people not understanding this is that they have been convinced by their religion that they are actually Christians when they are not. Does this mean they are doomed because they have been duped into believing they are child of God when they are not? Absolutely not. God is waiting for them to make the heart changing decision to follow Him for eternity and to have a relationship with Him.

I do NOT believe that everyone who utters the prayer of salvation is saved. I believe those who are convicted of their sinfulness to a point they cannot go on in their current way of life, and they ask God to save them because of their belief in His grace and power....those who are given a new life and new nature, and a new HEART by the Holy Spirit are saved. I believe in eternal security for believers, unless they commit apostasy by rejecting the gift God has given them after having received it. This is willful and intentional, and not because Satan led you astray....God will deliver you from such oppression. This would be a Christian who decides to reject the sacrifice of Jesus' Christ as having the power to save them from sin, and knowingly and willfully walking away from God permanently as apostasy. I am not even sure that those who truly have God's Spirit within them are capable of doing this, but it is mentioned here in the Bible (so I guess it could happen):

Hebrews 6:4-6 (NASB):

"For in the case of those who have once been enlightened and have tasted of the heavenly gift and have been made partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of this age to come, and then have fallen away, it is impossible to renew them again to repentance, since they again crucify to themselves the Son of God and put Him to open shame."

I think the problem is not with Christians who fall away from Christ's salvation, but more those who think they have it, and have never been reborn again of the Spirit. They are living out religion instead of a relationship with God because they are incapable of a relationship with God, because they have not been restored through the atoning blood sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

Does this sound harsh to some??? Probably. Some will probably even never want to read this blog again because of the truth of this word. But....the Bible says that open rebuke is better than secret love. I would rather you hate me for telling the truth which shakes your world, than for you to love me because I go along with the deception of Satan (which will lead your soul to hell) in your life. I am choosing open rebuke BECAUSE I love you.


Many have considered the following scripture, and I have already heard it interpreted in many ways in the past two years....but I believe God is referring to religious living vs. a relationship with Him.....read it and pray over it for yourself:

Matthew 7:20-23 (NKJV):

"Therefore, by your fruits you will know them. Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?' And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness."

God wants to know you personally. Through this personal relationship and the work of the Holy Spirit in your life, He will teach you the way to live day by day. You must be led by the Spirit through this relationship with God. Following the laws and obeying religious rules and doctrines will not end up equalling those who follow the will of God - which is to know, believe in, and trust in God through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

Romans 12:2 (NASB):

"And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect."

There is no other way to heaven but through Jesus Christ. Does this mean just claiming Jesus name for salvation, NO. It means confessing Christ, believing in Him, and knowing Him personally. He states this in His Word:

John 14:1-7 (NKJV):

"Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. And where I go you know, and the way you know.

Thomas said to Him, 'Lord we do not where You are going, and how can we know the way?' Jesus said to him, 'I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.' If you had known Me, you would have known my Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him.


So, let me ask you a question???

If you do not know Jesus personally in a relationship, then how do you plan to know the Father, and if you do not know the Father or know about where He is, then how do you expect to get there when you die?????

Do you think that following some pitiful rules about religion is going to get you to heaven? Jesus told us the way, now those of us who know the Way need to help others find it. Bring them to Jesus and teach them to shed their religion and exchange it for something more precious....knowing God.

I pray today that God blesses each of you with a personal, deeply intimate relationship with Himself. I pray that He opens up a way for you to fall away from religion and fall into Him. I pray that the deception in your eyes would fall away, and that the spirits which have tried to keep you from Him would be bound in the name of Jesus. I pray for your freedom in Christ, and that God would bring you quickly into the abundant life He has for you. May God bless you in Jesus' name. Amen.

Thankful for His Truth,

Sarah