Tag: salvation

Blessed With Full Assurance

Hebrews 10:22 NIV, “let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings…”

One of the many treasures of living our lives in Christ is the full assurance that having faith in Him brings. This assurance isn’t based on circumstances, and it isn’t based on our own abilities. It’s based on who He is. We are able to have complete confidence in Him, because of His flawless character. Things don’t have to make sense to our natural minds, because His wisdom and knowledge far outweigh our own.

Nothing can replace the full assurance we receive from having God’s love surround us. We can be honest with Him about our feelings. We can give all our doubts and fears to Him in prayer, and He will give us His perfect peace. He holds our future and He holds our hand as we walk through this life. Draw near to God with a sincere heart, and find rest as you rely on Him to guide you.

Our Motives Matter To God

Proverbs 16:2 NLT, “People may be pure in their own eyes, but the LORD examines their motives.”

Outwardly someone can look and sound like they are trying to please God and help others, but God can see their heart. He can see the motives behind each and every action. Praying and asking God to help us to be aware of the motives behind our actions is beneficial. Every act of kindness should be guided by His love. Having an ungodly desire for attention and credit can do harm to ourselves and others.

Unfortunately I’ve seen people manipulate situations just so they can get all the glory. We don’t have to drive ourselves crazy worrying about rewards. When we operate with pure hearts, God will bless us by making sure we receive the rewards we deserve.

Even in our prayer life, God wants our motives to be pure…

James 4:3 NIV, “When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.”

The will of God should be our primary concern. When we ask, we should ask according to His will. When we delight ourselves in Him, He promised to give us the desires of our hearts (Psalm 37:4).

Love should always be the motivation behind the things we do, because love never fails (1 Corinthians 13:8).

Stand Firm in Your Faith

1 Peter 5:8-9 NIV, “8 Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 9 Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings.”

As believers in the body of Christ, we will all endure test, trials, and tribulations. There is no way around it. However it brings strength, encouragement and comfort to know that as believers we are never alone. Not only is the Holy Spirit with us, we also have one another. We all share a common goal of fulfilling God’s purpose here on Earth. We all share a common hope of spending eternity in heaven with Jesus once our work on Earth is done.

As we go through the pages of God’s Word, we also can read the many stories of triumph and perseverance of those who came before us. Their faith in God helped pave the way for us today and set an example for us to follow.

There may be times in your walk with God where you do feel isolated. Unfortunately it’s possible to have these feelings of isolation even with other Christians around, because different Christians are in different stages in their walk with God. Plus everyone has different challenges they are facing.

I pray that if you do feel alone, that God will send the right fellow believers your way that you can connect with. I also pray that you would be refreshed and find endless hope, joy, and satisfaction in our Lord Jesus.

Jeremiah 31:25 NIV, “I will refresh the weary and satisfy the faint.”

Above all else, stand firm in the faith. Don’t give up the fight. As believers, we are all headed home to eternity. But until that blessed day arrives, may our lives be an example of God’s love to those around us. May we share the message of hope and restoration that has been made available through Jesus Christ.

Have a wonderful day!

Faith Defeats Our Giants

1 Samuel 17:26, 32 NLT

26 “David asked the soldiers standing nearby, “What will a man get for killing this Philistine and ending his defiance of Israel? Who is this pagan Philistine anyway, that he is allowed to defy the armies of the living God?”

32 “Don’t worry about this Philistine,” David told Saul. “I’ll go fight him!”

David, the young shepherd boy, is a great example of what will happen when we act in faith and leave our fears behind. David understood His true identity. He knew that He was a child of God. He was confident in God’s ability to protect him. He understood that with God’s help, he would be victorious over Goliath, the Philistine giant that he was going to fight. David also remembered that God had given him victory in the past, when he had to fight lions and bears to protect his sheep.

Although David was a shepherd, and Goliath was a warrior who had been fighting all his life, David didn’t let that discourage him. He wasn’t the least bit concerned about Goliath’s qualifications. He knew that all he needed was the power of God to operate on his behalf. Because of David’s faith in God, he was able to defeat the giant Goliath with a simple stone.

1 Samuel 17:45 NIV, “David said to the Philistine, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.”

David’s story reminds us that no matter what “giants” we must face, when we put our faith in God, He will equip us with all we need to win the fight. David never let fear hinder him, and neither should we. The same God who empowered David, will empower us. No “giants” we face are too big for our God.

A Gift From God

Ephesians 2:8 NLT, “God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God.”

This verse is such a refreshing reminder. Our salvation is a gift from God. There is nothing we did or can do to earn it. The Father’s unconditional love for us, caused Him to send His only Son to die for the sins of the world.

John 3:16 NIV, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

Everything that was needed for us to have salvation and eternal life was completed by Jesus Christ on the cross. All the praise and glory belongs to our Risen Savior, Jesus Christ. It’s an amazing privilege we have to know God intimately, through His Son.

The love we have for God should drive us to take action and serve Him wholeheartedly, but still the works we do can not save us. The works we do help draw others to Him. He is the Source. Thank God for His mercy and grace. His Holy Spirit lives in us and works through us to help share His love with a dying world.

Rejoice and be glad because God’s holy, and magnificent plan is perfect. All we have to do is believe and receive His free gift. He is so good.

His Hand Satisfies

Psalm 145:16 NKJV, “You open Your hand and satisfy the desire of every living thing.”

Although this verse is simple, it’s filled with life changing truth. God is promising us that He will satisfy us. What Christ Jesus offers us is deeper than temporary happiness associated with worldly pleasures. He offers us true satisfaction and contentment. He satisfies the longing in our souls and gives us His perfect peace.

When I find myself feeling discontented, I have to repent and humble myself under God’s mighty hand. I have to remind myself that God is good. He always does what is right.

1 Peter 5:6 NIV, “Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.”

The wisdom of God surpasses our human knowledge. His greatness goes far beyond our earthly degrees and accomplishments. We can always tell God exactly how we feel. He cares about every detail of our lives no matter how small.

There is safety in being humbled before God. He always has our best interest at heart, and He will lift us up to higher levels in Him as we grow in our faith. The more humble we are the more He can use us for His glory.

The hand of Jesus satisfies us. Look to Him to have your voids filled. Look to Him to be made whole.

A Clean Heart

Psalm 51:10 ESV, “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.”

When we give our hearts to Jesus, the Bible says that we become a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17 NIV, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!”). The Lord takes away our heart of stone and gives us a heart of flesh (Ezekiel 36:26). He also gives us His Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit comes to live in us. He is our Helper who convicts us of sin and empowers us to live for Jesus.

Conviction is what brings us to repentance, and repentance will keep our hearts clean before God. I ask God often to show me any sinful ways that I have, so that I can repent and turn from my sin. Sin separates us from God. But repentance draws us closer to Him. The cleaner our heart is, the more we can become like Jesus. A clean heart keeps us in a place of humility and submission before God.

This is why, I love the Holy Spirit so much. He is the third Person of the Trinity who works in us to keep our hearts clean, and lead us into a deeper relationship with our Lord Jesus Christ. He is the One who reveals truth to us so that we are not deceived by the enemy’s lies.

About 10 years ago, I read a really good book called, The Person and Work of The Holy Spirit by R.A. Torrey. He was an evangelist, pastor, educator, and writer who lived from 1856-1928. His book is one of the best books I have ever read. I developed a deeper understanding of who the Holy Spirit is and what He does for us.

John 14:16-17 NIV, “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever–the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.”

May God’s Spirit continue to work in you to bring you into a deeper relationship with our Lord Jesus Christ. Have a blessed weekend. ❤️