Full Confidence comes when you know the true.

People have this idea, the Christian life is hard, yet my Bible tells me;

the way of transgressors is hard in proverbs 13:15.

But Jesus says take my yoke upon you for it is easy and light. Matthew 11:30

Matthew 11:30 defines the Christian life. The first thing we need to do is to; give our yoke (burden) to Jesus Christ.

And in the face of adverse circumstances, there will be peace, there will be Joy when we know who is the one carrying our burdens.

God Bless

Love And Wrath

1 John 4:8 (NIV) - Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.

We often see that God being angry all the time in old testament. Perhaps this has cause you to think that God is wrath?

Friend, God has wrath, but the Bible never defines God as wrath. Instead, according to the Bible’s definition, God is love (1 John 4:8).

We need to have a correct perspective of who God is.

Consider this bible verse then

Ezekiel 33:11 (NIV) - Say to them, ‘As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live. Turn! Turn from your evil ways! Why will you die, people of Israel?’


2 Key points.

1) God Himself take no pleasure
2) of the wicked.

Wicked people..... think for a moment here. God takes no pleasure in their death even. For us, we might because of the wicked evil things they've inflicted against us.

If you've been far away, come back home to God. You can find hope in his love.

God Bless.

If you understand who God is and who you are in him, you are on the narrow gate. Yes God is love but the main attribute of God is holy holy holy.

Revelation 4:8 — The New International Version (NIV)
8 Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under its wings. Day and night they never stop saying:

“ ‘Holy, holy, holy

is the Lord God Almighty,’

who was, and is, and is to come.”

The creatures din't said

(Love Love Love)

1 Peter 1:16
for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.”

Leviticus 11:44
For I am the LORD your God; consecrate yourselves, therefore, and be holy, because I am holy. You must not defile yourselves by any creature that crawls along the ground.

Leviticus 11:45
For I am the LORD, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt so that I would be your God; therefore be holy, because I am holy.

Leviticus 19:2
"Speak to the whole congregation of Israel and tell them: Be holy because I, the LORD your God, am holy.

Leviticus 20:7
Consecrate yourselves, therefore, and be holy, because I am the LORD your God.

Isaiah 35:8
And there will be a highway called the Way of Holiness. The unclean will not travel it--only those who walk in the Way--and fools will not stray onto it.

thanks for sharing! Need this verse

Holiness is a gift

Hebrews 10:9-10 (NIV) - Then he said, “Here I am, I have come to do your will.” He sets aside the first to establish the second. And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

The Bible tells us, Jesus Christ is the exact representation of our Heavenly Father. Would you agree with me Jesus is as holy as the Father in Heaven?

We have this idea that holiness is the way you wear your cloths, how staunch you can be in religion, etc. You get the idea.

Yet the holiness that we see in Jesus Christ is an approachable holiness, one that even comes close to minister to people like prostitutes and tax collectors. Think about it.

The Hebrew word for holy is the word Kadosh, which means to be "set apart." Holiness means, to be separated unto God, to be set apart unto God and away from the world's system.
It is to be uncommon, for example, When people use profanities, your words should instead be edifying filled with praise and thanksgiving.

In other words, To be Holy is to be uncommon.

And perhaps there are some us who did not know holiness is a gift given to you without your own performance involved?

Hebrews 10:9-10 (NIV) - Then he said, “Here I am, I have come to do your will.” He sets aside the first to establish the second. And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

This verse tells us, we have been "made".

From my understanding of the Bible, usually The Lord will equip you before asking you to do something. With this regard, when God tells us to be Holy is because He has given us Holiness.

As Christians, we need to understand what is our inheritance under the New Covenant. There is so much that has God has given us.
I pray that the Holy Spirit will guide me to reveal it to the brother and sisters in Christ here.

God Bless.

welcome bro.

To Add on matter of Holiness

1 Peter 1:13-16 (NIV) -

13 Therefore, with minds that are alert and fully sober, set your hope on the grace to be brought to you when Jesus Christ is revealed at his coming. 14 As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. 15 But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; 16for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.” a

in the Old Testament, it was a different covenant. If it was the one and the same covenant, Hebrews 10 verse 9 would have not stated, Jesus set aside the first to establish the second, referring to the covenant made.

So again in the OT, When God said to be Holy because He is holy, it was depending on your performances.

As born again believers under the new covenant, I think it's important to know on which mountain we still stand upon, there cannot be 2. Only 1 Covenant. God would not have it.

Jesus said if you try to put new wine into old wineskin, it will not hold. (referring to all of us, if we try to still hold on to the OT Covenant).

We can quote OT verses but we need to understand how it applies and when it applies.

Under the new covenant, where God tell us to be Holy, look at 1 Peter 1:1-12.

1. God has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ (1 Peter 1:3)
2. God tells us to set our hope on Grace (1 Peter 1:13)

When God has given you these, then He tells you to be Holy. As I've said before, The Lord usually does not ask you for something where He does not equip you with.

You can see the consistency of how God deals with us.

God Bless.

Power through knowledge of Jesus

2 Peters 1 (NIV) - His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.

God has promise His power to his children, many a times we think we get it through prayers but that is only partial truth. The other partial truth that completes this access is through the knowledge of Jesus Christ.

The more you know about God's Son, the more you are able to utilize the powers given by God.

All that I've shared is in pursuit of knowing Jesus Christ, what He has done for you for Salvation, how He made you Holy and Righteous.

The Bible tells us, it is through the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness, one shall reign in life.

Some people may say I share too much about Love, Grace, Gift of Righteousness, not so much about holiness, wrath, etc of God.

Well the Bible uses the word "Abundances: of Grace and Gift of Righteousness. Bible also tells us to first seek the Kingdom of God and His Righteousness. Bible also tells us to pursue peace. What the Bible tells us to pursue, I share.

I've never seen any word of God, telling us to pursue God's Judgment and wrath. Yes there is God's wrath and judgement but where is your seeking? If you're so afraid, you're seeking to know God's wrath instead of His Son Jesus Christ and His Finished work on the cross, there is something amiss.

As a child of God, you must know though God is the Judge on the white throne, BUT HE is your heavenly father. The Lord Jesus has taken your place in judgment of your sins. Where your sins have been judged in the body of Christ, it makes no sense to say God will judge you again for the sins judged on Christ.

Friends, you need to understand the magnitude of how much Christ has saved you in His Love and Grace. That is why, you need to know Him!

Because God the Father is never more please when you seek and know his Son Jesus Christ.

God Bless.

For this very reason! (Continuation from 1 Peter 1:3-4)

2 Peter 1:5 - 6 For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; 6 and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; 7 and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love.

I love this word..."For this very reason". And what reason is that? If you read the preceding words, Bible tells you, God "has" not maybe or in the future but has, given us everything by his divine power that we can actually make use of (verse 4).

As I've said before usually the Lord will rarely ask you to do something that He won't equip you before hand.

So because God has already given you his divine power to make use of THEREFORE.....FOR THIS VERY REASON, then make every effort to add goodness, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, mutual affection and love.

You may argue, but you just can't do these, it's something that you're not able to, at least not all of them.

Hence the reason why, you need to know by faith what Christ has done for you. As I said also before, it takes faith to live the Christian life. That Faith is the very reason God can come into your life to work inside of you. It takes faith to believe what God has promise you in 1 Peter:3-4.

We have been hearing wrong messages when there are teaching that tells us to "try" to match up, we need to endeavor to reach holiness without explaining Jesus Christ. I urge you to cast away and ignore lopsided messages that "biasedly" focus on God's Law. Because the devil knows, you will be defeated in there.

For this very reason....dear friends, think about it. You have it. Salvation is given to you by faith, so are the divine powers of God given to you!

God Bless.

This post has been edited by unknown warrior: Aug 26 2021, 07:54 AM

This post has been edited by unknown warrior: Aug 26 2021, 09:18 AM

Our destination is Heaven's way of Life

2 Peter 3:9 (NIV) - The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

As human beings, we can be quite impatience with one another. There are some of us who don't realize God is far more patience and makes a better parental figure than any of the best humans on this planet. I say that to give hint what is heaven's life like.

I know that God has been especially patience with me, with my flaws. Yet I'm reminded I'm heading towards heaven's style of life as many of you believed and accepted Christ.

I wonder if any of you like me actually bother to give thought, the way we live now, the way the saints live in heaven...are we conscious that we are subscribing to how God wants us to be?

Because if we are not, we are not making sense of what we come accept and believe. We fool ourselves.

In 2 Peter 3, we are reminded, that the destruction of this earth is coming. I don't know if that grasp you, many of us just rush read this and think nothing much of it. For now, God is holding back destruction because He wants everyone as many as possible to be saved. This is our God.

Contrary to how the world accuses of God, God doesn't want anyone to perish in eternal separation. Anyone separated from God, their spirit will only experience much suffering that is very unbearable.

But the life in heaven is of much peace and joy. I imagine that for 1 day and weeks, months and years of peaceful life AND joyful life where former things of earth is no more. It is eternal living in that atmosphere. There may be some who may feel heaven's life is foreign, because we have not tasted heaven and are so used to this fallen world way of living. But it's coming whether we like it or not.

With this in mind, Apostle Peter tells us to start being foreign in this world. Why? So that we won't feel foreign when we get there. Have we consider getting rid of sinful traits? It is not an option when you think about it.

I urge you brother and sisters in Christ, shun away what is sin. As how scripture tells us;

Ephesians 4:31 (NIV) - Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.

Ephesians 4:22 (NLT) - throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception.

Ephesians 4:25 (NIV) - Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body.

Colossians 3:8 (NIV) - But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips.

There are more, but you know them.

Look to our Lord Jesus for change, look to the Holy Spirit for power to do it. The Lord has promise He will do it. I know that God has done changes in my life even without me being conscious of it because I believe in Him.

God Bless.

That narrow road will lead to paradise. On that narrow road there will be tribulation. Stay the course.

Psalm 119:105 Thy Word Is a Lamp Unto My Feet and Light Unto My Path

You have died

Colossians 3-4 (NIV): 3 For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ, who is your a life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

This verse above explain to us how we have Salvation. When we appear before our Heavenly Father, we appear with Christ representing us. In verse 3, the word hidden in the Greek "kruptó" means "conceal".

Why conceal? Because your old self can never be justify for life but only condemnation unto death. It's stained with sin. Sin separates you from God.

Hence when you accept Christ as your God and Savior, your old self died with Christ at the cross and God put your life conceal with Christ. This is why in verse 4 it says When Christ who is your life, it means that Christ now represents you.

Our Lord Jesus tells us this;

John 11:25
Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in Me will live, even though he dies.

This is why you can now have favor and peace with God. But the condition is that as in verse 3.."For you died".

How many of us, still live day by day, thinking your self is still alive and God is going to judge you for your sins? This is where you have missed it. This is where you nullify what God promised you for your inheritance. There is an error of teaching where it is said, you must die daily, referring to 1 Corinthians 15:31.

Actually you have died permanently in status, not daily.

1 Corinthians 15:31 in context is actually referring to Paul facing the danger of death in his life, using wild beast as ref, dangerous people. Read the context carefully.

If you can understand what is said here then you will understand;

Galatians 2:20 (NIV)
I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

Live everyday with the revelation that Christ is your new life and Christ represents you whenever you meet God the Father. Even on Judgement day.

God Bless.

This post has been edited by unknown warrior: Aug 30 2021, 09:45 AM

In simple term. You are in prison and in prison you have free will. Eat sleep do whatever you like in prison(slave by sin). Only by the blood of Christ you are purchase out from the prison. Jesus paid the ultimate price using his own blood which acceptable to GOD. Now you are a new creature and slave to righteousness.

This post has been edited by OlgaC4: Aug 30 2021, 10:55 AM

…it is written, "Be holy, for I am holy." —1 Peter 1:16


We must continually remind ourselves of the purpose of life. We are not destined to happiness, nor to health, but to holiness. Today we have far too many desires and interests, and our lives are being consumed and wasted by them. Many of them may be right, noble, and good, and may later be fulfilled, but in the meantime God must cause their importance to us to decrease. The only thing that truly matters is whether a person will accept the God who will make him holy. At all costs, a person must have the right relationship with God.

Do I believe I need to be holy? Do I believe that God can come into me and make me holy? If through your preaching you convince me that I am unholy, I then resent your preaching. The preaching of the gospel awakens an intense resentment because it is designed to reveal my unholiness, but it also awakens an intense yearning and desire within me. God has only one intended destiny for mankind— holiness. His only goal is to produce saints. God is not some eternal blessing-machine for people to use, and He did not come to save us out of pity— He came to save us because He created us to be holy. Atonement through the Cross of Christ means that God can put me back into perfect oneness with Himself through the death of Jesus Christ, without a trace of anything coming between us any longer.

Never tolerate, because of sympathy for yourself or for others, any practice that is not in keeping with a holy God. Holiness means absolute purity of your walk before God, the words coming from your mouth, and every thought in your mind— placing every detail of your life under the scrutiny of God Himself. Holiness is not simply what God gives me, but what God has given me that is being exhibited in my life.

https://utmost.org/

This post has been edited by OlgaC4: Sep 1 2021, 02:30 PM

Vision

I want to write this down before I forgot.

Lamentations 5:19 tells us; You, LORD, reign forever; your throne endures from generation to generation.

I was soaking myself hearing God's Word and this is something that I believe the Lord spoke to my heart.

Because God reigns forever (Rule forever) and His throne endures, his children can learn to have good vision.

See, it all depends on where we put our hope. Many people put their security in money, in career, in their paper qualifications, in whatever things of this world.

But we... as christian learn to put our hope in God and in fact if we understand that God rules forever, we can dare (Have Faith)... to have good vision. Understand that because God reigns, He has the say over what goes on. If you know that God is for you and is not against you, then Having Good vision is important because the Bible tells, it is out of our heart, we either bring good things or evil things.

Proverbs 4:23 tells us;
Guard your heart with all diligence, for from it flow springs of life.

Jesus said in

Matthew 12:34
You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks.

And in

Matthew 12:35
The good man brings good things out of his good store of treasure, and the evil man brings evil things out of his evil store of treasure.

The heart is where you see things and envision things. If we are always having negative vision of whatever it is, we will inevitably bring our lives there.

I'm sharing this devotion, so that you may begin to have good vision.

God Bless.

Jesus Christ is where we can run to.

Psalm 91:1