Worshipping God

God holds the worship His children offer to Him with high regard. He desires complete consecration to Himself; and He has pledged that our needs will be met if we rely solely on Him.

We need not entangle ourselves with the things of this life. God’s presence is all that matters. It is the Holy Spirit that fosters the extraordinary communion with divinity. He makes the presence of the Father and the Son to be real to us. That is the source of true joy- the joy that cannot be expressed by words. This was what Jesus meant when he said: ”…that your joy may be full” (John 15: 11). When our low is full, then we are on that point when we “will worship the Father in truth and in spirit (John 4: 24).. We must strive to be in God’s presence continually. That makes us sensitive to the Holy Spirit and the Word of God, which is our defense against the assaults of sin and the devil and makes up to become partakers with Christ as we sit together with Him in heavenly places.

God bless you.

Hope 4 U-Discover God’s love, acceptance and forgiveness.

 

The Wilderness Experience

”THEN was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.” -Matt. 4: 1

There comes a time in the Christian’s life when he has to pass through the wilderness in his journey to his place of eternal rest. That wilderness is where he is proved whether he is worthy of that heavenly home or not, whether he is deeply rooted in Christ or just on the surface. Jesus was led by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness in order to be tempted by the devil. The devil challenged Him, but He succeeded. When we are faced with persecutions, trials and tribulations, we should look to Jesus and be at peace because He has assured us that even though we shall face troubles, He has overcome the world. John 16: 33.

God allows us to be tempted in order to refine us and to conform us into the image of Christ. But the devil brings the temptations in such a way that we will give up and turn back. We must not relent, God has provided a means of escape for us. That is His Word. Satan tempted Jesus, quoting the Scriptures (Luke 4: 9-11). Satan can quote the Scriptures and can twist its teachings. If we would stand in time of temptations, we must understand what the Bible teaches. That is the essence of studying and meditating on God’s word. Someone has rightly said: ”He who builds up a Christian experience in obedience to the word of God will have something to serve Him in a time of need.

Our task is to glorify God no matter what the circumstances. If we do, our struggle can direct others to the Saviour as we make our way towards our ultimate goal of rest and reward in heaven.

 

Doing The Will of God.

”For whosoever shall do the will of my Father, which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister and mother.” Matthew 12: 50.

Every genuinely born-again Christian is a brother and sister of our Lord Jesus Christ. What a priviledge to be identified with God as brethren! Surely, everybody longs for that day in which they’ll be welcomed by their brother into the place of rest that has been prepared for them from the foundation of the world.

However, every Christian must DO the will of the Father to be reckoned with Christ as His brother. It is not enough to seek and know His will but to do it. Some may ask, ”what is the will of God?” Apostle Paul answers this question in his letter to the Romans: ”…that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service” Romans 12: 1. It is when we offer ourselves as a living offering unto Him that we’re doing His will. Jesus laid this example by giving Himself to reconcile us back to God; to do the will of His Father.

God wants the same from us. When we make deliberate efforts to do His will, He gives us even more grace. We must destroy our ”SELF” which is at enmity with the spirit. That is when we are controlled by the Spirit of God and we’ll say, just as Jesus said, that: ”…not as I will, but as Thou wilt” Matthew 26: 39. When we are brought to a state of total submission to God, we begin to know Him the more. Nothing motivates us more than to do His will; ”…my meat is to do the will of Him that sent me…”. And at the end of our life here on earth, we have an incorruptible inheritance in heaven.

Trust and obey,

For there’s no other way,

To be happy in Jesus

But to trust and obey

 

Hold Fast To What You Have

”Behold, I come quickly; hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown” Rev. 3. 11

When we look at the letters Jesus sent to the seven Churches, we discover that the main emphasis is that they should hold fast to the gospel that has been given to them. There are many false teachers and prophets today that teach false doctrines- doctrines of demons. The message of Jesus to the Churches also applies to us- we should hold fast to what we have.

Jesus Christ warned us to hold fast so that no man can take our crown. Many of us today have little or no regard to this exhortation. We know certain areas of our spiritual life that is ”dead”; and yet we don’t do anything about it. We overlook it and pretend as if everything is all right- no, it isn’t. When we hold fast to what we have, we cannot let it slip away. We jealously guard it. As Christians, we are to hold fast to the Word of God. We should keep it in our heart and obey it. The Psalmist said, ”Thy word have I hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against thee”. When our life is not in harmony with one text of that blessed book, we are letting it slip away. We should wake up and be on the watch, so that we can strengthen those aspects of our lives that are about to die.

When Jesus gave the parable of the talents, the lazy and unfaithful servant did contrary to his master’s wish, he let what he had to slip away. As a result, his talent was taken away from him and was given to the servant with ten talents. When we let God’s word slip away from our heart, we work contrary to His will, and our reward (crown) will be given to another man that made the best use of God’s word. Therefore let us hold fast to what we have, so that no man can take our crown.

God bless you.

 

Hold On To the Faith

”So then, my brothers and sisters, try even harder to make God’s call and his choice of you a permanent experience; if you do so, you will never fall into sin.” -2 Pet. 1: 10

Apostle Peter was addressing the early Christians about the need to remain firm in the faith. There were doubtless some who have grown weary and have sat on a comfortable plateau; awaiting what the future holds for them. They failed to see Jesus at the end of their spiritual journey waiting to receive them into His Kingdom. Such is the case of many Christians today!

The Bible makes us to understand the activities of the devil in the affairs of men. ”…The devil walketh about as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour” 1 Pet. 5: 18. The major work of the devil is to set up situations and circumstances so that a Christian can fall. He does not trouble himself much with the unbelievers- they are already his. That is why the Bible warns us to be alert and be on the watch against his devices. How can we do that? One way is by diligence and faithfulness in serving God. We are to strive to make our calling and election sure.

There are some people who tell stories of how they had been zealous for God and were used mightily for His service but have backslidded in some trying situations. There is danger in this for the Bible tells us that it would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness than to know it and then turn away from the sacred command that was given them (2 Pet. 2: 20). We must continually dwell in God’s presence and the infilling of the Holy Ghost must be a permanent experience. We must strive to serve Him with the understanding that God chose us because He knows that we are perfectly suited to carry out His plans and purposes. After our work is accomplished here on earth, we have an inheritance that is incorruptible in Heaven.

 

Wilt Thou Be Made Whole? 1

Read John 5: 1-9.

This is the story of the lame man at the pool. A great multitude of impotent folk, of blind, halt, withered, laid around the pool, waiting for the moving of the water. Jesus did not heal everybody. He left many around that pool unhealed. There were doubtless many who had their eyes on the pool and who had no eyes for Jesus. There are many today who have their confidence all the time in things seen. If they would only get their eyes on God instead of natural things, how quickly will they be helped.

There they are round the pool; and this man had been there a long time. His infirmity was of 38 years standing. Now and again an opportunity would come, as the angel stirred the waters, but his heart would be made sick as he saw another step in and be healed before him. But one day Jesus was passing that way, and seeing him lying there in that sad condition, enquired, ”Wilt thou be made whole?” Jesus said it, and His word is from everlasting to everlasting. This is His word to you, poor, tried and tested one today. You may say, like this poor impotent man, ”I have missed every opportunity up till now.” Never mind about that-Wilt thou be made whole?

There was one difficulty in the way of that man. He had one eye on the pool and one eye on Jesus. There are many getting cross-eyed this way these days; they have one eyes on the doctor and one on Jesus. If you will only look to Christ and put both your eyes on Him, you can be made every whit whole, spirit, soul and body. It is the word of God that they that believe should be justified and made free from all things.

You say, ”Oh, if I only could believe! ” He understands. Jesus knew He had been a long time in that case. He is full of compassion. He knows that neuralgia, that kidney trouble. There is nothing He does not know. He only wants a chance to show himself merciful and gracious to you. If thou canst only believe, thou canst be saved and healed. Dare to believe that Jesus was wounded for your transgressions, was bruised for your iniquities, was chastised that you might have peace, that by His stripes there is healing for you right here and now. You have failed because you have not believed Him. Cry out to Him even now, ”Lord I believe, help Thou my unbelief.”

Source: Ever Increasing Faith by Smith Wigglesworth

 

Eternal Rest

”I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness which the Lord, the righteous Judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love His appearing” -2 Tim. 4: 6, 7.

The ultimate goal of every Christian is to make heaven after our sojourn here earth. We hope for that blessed place of rest where will be no tears but pleasures forevermore. This is the will of God towards His children.

However, we must be overcomers in the battles of life in order to reign with Christ. We must not allow anything to weaken or distract us from our tasks. Many a times, we allow the devil to have his way in our lives. God did not desire this to happen. Instead He wants to build a glorious and holy church- not a church decimated by Satan’s machinations. As Christians, we must not look for any other thing than to focus on the race that is set before us. ”No man that wars entangles himself with the affairs of this life…” (1 Tim. 2: 4). We must make our calling and election sure. We must fulfill the prophecies which went before us.

Instead of allowing the devil to deceive us with worldly glory, we should strive to be the person God wants us to be. We must preach the Word of God to the dying world. We are in the perilous times, and the powers of darkness are out to drag as many people as they can to destruction. We must intercede for men and nations. We are commanded to ”do the work of an evangelist…” (2 Tim. 4: 5). The Holy Spirit is moving mightily in the earth at this time, convicting people of their sins. We must allow God to use us to bring these souls unto Himself.

However, we must be careful about the way we live our lives. Remember the words of Jesus in Matt. 7: 22, 23 that many would tell Him how they had labored for Him, but they will be turned into the lake of fire because they were not careful with their lives. We, like Apostle Paul, must keep our bodies, and bring it into subjection, so that when we have preached to others, we ourselves would not be a castaway (1 Cor. 9: 27)./p>

We must finish our course in this world before we receive our crown. We must be good soldiers of Christ. How we live our lives here on earth will determine where we’ll spend eternity. Dear reader, are you following God’s will for your life or you are being tossed around by Satan’s whims and caprices? Think about your life!!! Its more important than anything in the world.

P.S. Perhaps you have not given your life to Christ or have not surrendered your all to Him, cry out from your heart for God’s mercy and forgiveness. We are at the time of God’s grace, and its running out. The world is coming to an end, and only those who the Lord recognises as His own would escape the tribulations that is about to come upon the earth. Confess your sins before Him with a sincere heart. He is willing to forgive you and restore you to Himself.

GOD BLESS YOU!