Dead and Buried

Colossians 2: 12 – 13

[H]aving been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised up with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead. And when you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions.

Because of and through your faith in Jesus, you have died, been buried and raised by the power that is at work in God for Jesus. For the power that raised Jesus from the dead, is alive and has renewed you too. If you have given your life to Jesus, then your old self has died and been buried. The life you now live is a new life in Christ Jesus. It is his life that we live because we are a part of Him. And for goodness’ sake, don’t go resurrecting that old man. He is dead and stinks. Leave him in the grave. Live a new life; one in Jesus. Live the life that Jesus bought for you. You are a new creature. The sin of the past has been buried and so have the habits of the past. Leave them with that old, dead flesh. All that was in the old person was only leading you to death and destruction. The new life that Jesus has purchased for you leads to life everlasting as well as victory here on this earth. Don’t let the devil trick you into considering your past and your old self. That person has died and all those problems died with him. Let your mind consider the glorious life that Jesus has given you, a life in Him and with Him. Let your mind stay on that so that your joy can be made full.

Walking Testimony

1 Timothy 4: 16

Pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching; persevere in these things; for as you do this you will insure salvation both for yourself and for those who hear you.
Our lives are our testimony. As we walk and talk, we minister God’s gospel. Therefore, let us walk in a way that is worthy of Him. How do we do that? First it is a choice of will but after that it is a matter of paying attention to the Word of God and seeking more intimacy in our relationship with Him. As we give heed to His Word and spend time with the Father in prayer, conversation and just silence, we become more attracted to the ways of the Father. We act more like Him because we are hanging out with Him. It is just like your mother told you when you were a child; you are going to act like those you hang around. Put your eyes on His Word, persevere in seeking Him. Order your words according to His Word. Then all will be well with you and your life will a light to all those with whom you come in contact.

I Can Hear

Isaiah 50: 5

The Lord God has opened my ear.

God has not determined that only a few may hear His voice. He has opened the ear of us all that we might be led by Him. Life becomes substantially easier when you can hear His voice. You are able to then receive His wisdom and walk in the path He determines is best for you. You may say that you have never heard His voice before though. Ok, first you must accept that you can hear the voice of the Lord. Then come to expect it. Next, listen. You should start to actively listen. The leading of the Lord can be subtle but with time you might also find that He can be loud and clear. I have noticed that some of us have a difficult time hearing a person that is standing three feet away speaking audibly. Our minds have so much chatter going on in them that we really don’t listen to people all of the time. If you have discovered this in yourself, don’t worry. You are not alone. It is an epidemic. We are busy people juggling a lot of data in a short period of time. Learn how to quiet your mind so that you can hear from Him. Sometimes it is just a thought that comes to you out of nowhere. As you listen for His voice and begin to hear Him, you will grow accustomed to His communication. You will begin to recognize His voice at the first whisper. You are meant to hear from Him. You are the special person that He wants to talk with.

God’s Success System

Joshua 1: 7 – 8

Only be strong and very courageous; be careful to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, so that you may have success wherever you go.

This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success. 


Here is a success kit. All you have to do is cut and paste this into your life and success will have to follow you. God’s word cannot be denied and here is His word on success, loud and clear. Perhaps we do not know how to believe as we should but we are all changing that day by day. But, God’s word works and it works all the time. We have lost the ability and or knowledge of how to receive in this country. Maybe it is because we have so much and really have not had to rely on God for our basic needs. In other countries, amazing miracles are taking place. We need only to put our faith back in God’s word and believe that what He says will come to pass. Then we meditate on it, we speak it out of our mouths and we do according to all that is written there. When we do that, we cannot fail. All that you want, and or need, is sure to follow.

Cheery

2 Corinthians 9: 6 – 8

Each one must do (give) just as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 

God loves a cheerful giver. God is less concerned about one giving from the abundance of one’s purse than giving out of the abundance of one’s heart. He is less concerned with how much you give and more concerned with how you give. He wants you to give to Him and to His work because you love Him and because you want to give. He does not want you to feel compelled because there is some good work to give to. He certainly does not want your guilt offerings. In other words, He doesn’t want your gift to Him to be motivated by your guilty feelings. Give less if need be so that you can get happy. Make it a joyous occasion between you and the Lord. Take your eyes off of the person, church or ministry that you are sowing into and put your eyes and heart on the Lord. Let your gift be a blessing unto Him. Then you will really be happy.

Economic Reality

Philippians 4: 19


And my God shall supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.
This verse is just two verses after yesterday’s verse about the gifts of the Philippians accruing to their own account. Here Paul delivers the punch line. Because they, the Philippians, met the needs of the ministry, God was obligated to meet all of their needs. We really need to learn that God moves resources all over the world according to this principle. He multiplies seed sown. This is the principle we all need to adopt in our finances. This is the way God set up the earth to work. We have turned it on its head and operated our economy according to all we can get. That is just the opposite of the economic principles God established in the earth in the beginning. One can see the righteousness in God’s way and the greed in the other way. It is no wonder our economy has collapsed around our ears. It was never meant to work that way. God is your source and your provider and he wants to see you well cared for. He does that by multiplying your seed so for goodness sake, sow some good seed today.

The Gift that Gives Back

Philippians 4: 17

Not that I seek the gift itself, but I seek for the profit which increases to your account.

The Apostle Paul, in this passage and its accompanying scriptures, taught the Philippians about giving into the Lord’s work. But he was not only teaching them to give into the support of the ministry. He also taught them the principle of sowing and reaping. He told them in this excerpt that their gifts accrue to their own account. You see, God works according to multiplication. He takes what you have to sow and from that creates a harvest. So the Philippians’ gifts to Paul not only supported his ministry but they were also the means God had to get more substance into their hands. I heard Minister Jesse Duplantis say one time, “God isn’t trying to get something from you. He is trying to get something to you.” I think that is Paul’s message in this scripture. As God continues to multiply the harvest back to the sowers, they have their needs met and more besides to support more ministries, to send ministers into every need.