Good day. Today's video Just the Opposite is on the topic of: The Lord's thoughts and ways are different than ours. Our carnal mind is in opposition to God, and we cannot do those things that please our Father when we operate in our carnal mind. Thus, we are encouraged to renew our minds daily on things above being led by the Spirit. We are to walk by faith and not by sight. We will experience situations in our walk with the Lord that turn out just the opposite of what we thought they would. The flesh (our carnal mind, worldly) and the Spirit are contrary to one another, so that you cannot do those things that you would. Those things that we think will enhance our walk with the Lord, may be just the opposite from that which the Lord really desires for us, which is why we are to seek first the kingdom on God and his righteousness, going to our Father first, seeking his counsel, and not leaning to our own understanding. Our own thoughts and ways will not bring us closer to the Lord; we have to cast down those imaginations of our carnal mind (arrogant reckonings, reasonings) and every lofty thing (stronghold that towers high in defiance of ) that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, and bring into captivity (subjection) every thought to the obedience of Christ; in obedience to the Word of God we grow closer to the Lord, and come into agreement with His thoughts and ways which will be pleasing in our heavenly Father's sight. Just the opposite of the world; it is not of works; it is by grace through faith that we will stand justified in His sight. You can view all previous videos by going to our YouTube channel Doctrine of Christ Ministry or by clicking on our archive page link above - Doctrine of Christ Ministry Archive. Have a blessed and prosperous day in Christ Jesus our Lord. Good day. Today we are posting A New Desire day five, written January 21, 2011. Our prayer is that you will be blessed and encouraged by this series of our writings. ***You can download a copy of the writings for personal use only by clicking on the Doctrine of Christ Ministry Archive page link above and scroll down to the year 2011.
Friday, January 21, 2011 A New Desire Matthew 7:7-8 Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: (8) For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. (KJV) You know, it is nice to knock on a door and then have it opened, and to enter into a peaceable realm, or a house that is in order. For many though they are knocking on the wrong door with the wrong motives, then wonder why they are denied access to what is rightfully theirs for the taking. Knowing what door you are knocking on and what the code name is that will get you access will be rewarding to say the least. John 10:1-5 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. (2) But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. (3) To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out. (4) And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice. (5) And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers. (KJV) Our Lord is referred to as a fore runner, the first born as well; one who ran this race toward the mark of the prize which is located above and not below here. Our Lord went before us and died so that we could have access to the realm above, no longer entrapped and in bondage to the things below. Have you answered your call today; seeking first the kingdom of God, or were you to busy following something foreign, a stranger who will not get you to your destination? John 10:6-9 This parable spake Jesus unto them: but they understood not what things they were which he spake unto them. (7) Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep. (8) All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them. (9) I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture. (KJV) You know, when you enter into the Lord’s realm or rest, it is then that you cease from your own works, and desire what He would have for you this day. All that ever comes before the Lord, any other thing or even person that you would put before our Lord on your priority list is robbery, and will not get you what our Lord desired for you to partake of this day. Mark 11:23-24 For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith. (24) Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them. (KJV) In this fallen realm that we are surrounded with many will make mountains out of mole hills, allowing a little leaven to get past their spiritual radar. In our Lord’s realm it is just the opposite; when you make our Lord a priority then what seemed like a big distraction and obstacle, is quickly cut down and removed. But this will only take place when you enter in through the door of our Lord and make Him your top priority. Revelation 3:19-21 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent. (20) Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. (21) To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne. (KJV) In closing this week, we need to keep in mind that salvation and our prayer life are a two way street; our Lord responds to our requests and desires as we give ear to His. We all want that door in heaven opened, especially in a time of need. By keeping the door of your heart open to the Lord as well will allow you to be an over comer instead of an underachiever. Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. (KJV) Are you a ‘can do’ Christian? Well, only if you allowed a can did person access to your heart. God bless and continue to desire Spiritual things. Have a very blessed and prosperous day in Christ Jesus our Lord. Good day. Today we are posting A New Desire day four, written January 20, 2011. Our prayer is that you will be blessed and encouraged by this series of our writings. ***You can download a copy of the writings for personal use only by clicking on the Doctrine of Christ Ministry Archive page link above and scroll down to the year 2011.
Thursday, January 20, 2011 A New Desire Psalms 37:4-6 Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. (5) Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass. (6) And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday. (KJV) As you draw near to God, He in turn will draw near to you as well; making His kingdom as bright and apparent as a sunrise on a new day, and the results will be as clear as the light at noon. What are you really seeking after, and in hot pursuit of today; is it the things above, or are you settling for something inferior like the things below? The Lord made us spirit, soul, and body; so in order to be complete we will need to address all those areas. My prayer is that you put the Spiritual first, and not last which is why many don’t last. Matthew 7:7-8 Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: (8) For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. (KJV) With both of these words, ask and seek, you will find the term desire as well as crave in the definitions. When you asked the Lord to come into your life you began on a new path that would lead to eternal life. When you sought His word and made it a priority in your life, you then were able to see beyond the veil of the flesh, and come to an understanding of the mystery of the gospel that is hid to the carnal man but ready to be revealed to the Spiritual one. Then as you continue knocking, all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge that are only found in Christ is opened unto you so that you can walk in His wisdom, no longer leaning to your own understanding. Colossians 1:9-11 For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; (10) That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God; (11) Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness; (KJV) Paul’s own prayer and desire for God’s people is that they would continue seeking the wisdom and spiritual understanding from above so that they could be strengthened from within. If you notice, there are a lot of things that are available for those that pursue Spiritual things, things that can’t be bought or found in this carnal ream. 2 Chronicles 15:1-4 And the Spirit of God came upon Azariah the son of Oded: (2) And he went out to meet Asa, and said unto him, Hear ye me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin; The LORD is with you, while ye be with him; and if ye seek him, he will be found of you; but if ye forsake him, he will forsake you. (3) Now for a long season Israel hath been without the true God, and without a teaching priest, and without law. (4) But when they in their trouble did turn unto the LORD God of Israel, and sought him, he was found of them. (KJV) The Bible is consistent throughout in the fact that with what measure we give to God is then measured back our way in return. You know, instead of waiting for a time of trouble to manifest in your life, many of these heartaches and frustrations can be avoided if you simply made the Lord your only desire. If you notice also, that trouble came a knocking once the people were no longer abiding in the truth of God, but rather were settling for a lie. 2 Chronicles 15:12-15 And they entered into a covenant to seek the LORD God of their fathers with all their heart and with all their soul; (13) That whosoever would not seek the LORD God of Israel should be put to death, whether small or great, whether man or woman. (14) And they sware unto the LORD with a loud voice, and with shouting, and with trumpets, and with cornets. (15) And all Judah rejoiced at the oath: for they had sworn with all their heart, and sought him with their whole desire; and he was found of them: and the LORD gave them rest round about. (KJV) In the Old Testament it was a death sentence when they would not pursue the things of God, but rather desired things that were contrary. You will find in your walk too that if you start to desire something other than what our Lord intended for you to walk in, yeah that sunny day you started out with will become darkened with some storm clouds. Do take note also in verse 15, that the result of seeking the Lord was that there was some rejoicing taking place rather than doubt and frustration. So go seek the Lord and He will give you something to shout about today as well. Have a very blessed and prosperous day in Christ Jesus our Lord. Good day. Today we are posting A New Desire day three, written January 19, 2011. Our prayer is that you will be blessed and encouraged by this series of our writings. ***You can download a copy of the writings for personal use only by clicking on the Doctrine of Christ Ministry Archive page link above and scroll down to the year 2011.
Wednesday, January 19, 2011 A New Desire Psalms 37:4-5 Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. (5) Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass. (KJV) With a new heart will come a new desire; however, your new desire and way of life is totally contrary to the old one. It is our Father’s good pleasure to give us His kingdom; thus the reason why He sent us His Son to buy us back, and redeem us. Now you will notice that throughout your Bible there are terms and conditions for these desires to be fulfilled. Another way of looking at it is referring to your prayer life, not only knowing that your prayers are getting heard but getting some actual results and the response from above that you are looking for. You will also find that in order to get a response from above, you will need to respond accordingly as well. This is what will build your confidence and trust in the Lord, not only knowing that you can go to Him in time of need but that you will respond to His request as well. Yeah, believe it or not this salvation stuff is a two way street. 1 John 3:19-22 And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him. (20) For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things. (21) Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God. (22) And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight. (KJV) Ever hear of the term identity theft; you know where someone gets a hold of someone else’s credit card and uses their name to make withdrawals? Many Christians are like that, they come to our Lord in time of need making withdrawals from their spiritual accounts, however, only a few return to see what they can deposit to keep their account open. If you notice above, that if there is peace in your heart then you know that you are still on the right path that our Lord ordained for you to walk on, and you will have confidence as well. However, if your heart is being pricked a bit you have a choice to cease and desist from something unhealthy, or continue on a path that will lead you further from the truth. The word ‘ask’ means to desire or crave; so as long as we continue to ask things that are in line with what our Lord intended for us to seek after, then we will get His results. James 4:1-3 From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members? (2) Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not. (3) Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts. (KJV) When looking at verse one, I personally don’t see much peace there, rather a lot of turmoil and frustration is starting to set in and take over. As you can see, this is all a result of our desire; trying to fill a Spiritual need with a carnal one, just not happening. Oh, and the more you try to justify yourself the more this stuff just keeps spinning and spinning inside of you, stirring up the more muck and mire. I find that with many, when all you hear is them trashing others, playing the blame game, yeah they are just taking out their own faults and shortcomings on others rather than coming clean and dealing with the real source of their fall. James 4:4-6 Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God. (5) Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy? (6) But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. (KJV) You know, when you make a commitment to the Lord and then go back to the world and its way of thinking, yeah, that is when you open the door for a world of hurt. Some of these people that you are associating with, even those that say that they are Christians, ahhh, the reality is that they are just like the world, it’s just a different disguise that they are wearing. Your Bible is very clear on what evil communication does to someone who may have started out with good intentions. Yeah, if continued in it, it will corrupt your good morals that you started with in the beginning of your walk. 1 John 5:13-15 These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God. (14) And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: (15) And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him. (KJV) Hey, look what happens when we get our heart right with the Lord, and desire the things above instead of those below the standard that He intended for us. Instead of wars and frustrations, fear and doubt is replaced with words like knowing, believing, as well as some confidence being thrown in the mix for good measure. Do you desire results in your prayer life? Then seek those things above, and you will find them. Have a very blessed and prosperous day in Christ Jesus our Lord. Good day. Today we are posting A New Desire day two, written January 18, 2011. Our prayer is that you will be blessed and encouraged by this series of our writings. ***You can download a copy of the writings for personal use only by clicking on the Doctrine of Christ Ministry Archive page link above and scroll down to the year 2011.
Tuesday, January 18, 2011 A New Desire Psalms 37:4-5 Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. (5) Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass. (KJV) So where does your delight come from today; is it based on outward events and circumstances, or are you one of the few that has found the inward delight that can only come from above? If you commit yourself to the Lord and stay committed, well, He will stay committed to you as well so that your life will never become stale. You know, with a new heart will come a new desire, something that you definitely should be seeking after. Ezekiel 11:18-20 And they shall come thither, and they shall take away all the detestable things thereof and all the abominations thereof from thence. (19) And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them an heart of flesh: (20) That they may walk in my statutes, and keep mine ordinances, and do them: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God. (KJV) Verse 19 talks about one heart, as well as a new spirit. In order to continue your walk on the path of life that our Lord ordained for you to walk on you will need to keep your mind renewed daily to the things above otherwise you will fall for any cheap hoax below. The Lord did a heart transplant on us once we received His plan of salvation, taking out the stony hard heart and replacing it with something that He can work with and mold, like clay. However, just like with clay, one needs a daily dose of living waters to keep it pliable, or else it will harden again. Mark 4:3-6 Hearken; Behold, there went out a sower to sow: (4) And it came to pass, as he sowed, some fell by the way side, and the fowls of the air came and devoured it up. (5) And some fell on stony ground, where it had not much earth; and immediately it sprang up, because it had no depth of earth: (6) But when the sun was up, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away. (KJV) Here we see some examples of what happens when a Christian no longer desires the things above, but rather starts looking elsewhere, thinking that something here on earth would ever satisfy an inward hunger. You know, one of the first things a good farmer will do is go into a field and pick all the rocks out of it before planting a crop. Without some good soil to work with, as well as living waters, the plant will not take root and will eventually wither away. Many of God’s people experience the same results when they no longer seek the things above but rather put their hand to the plow and then look back behind them for answers again. Mark 4:18-20 And these are they which are sown among thorns; such as hear the word, (19) And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful. (20) And these are they which are sown on good ground; such as hear the word, and receive it, and bring forth fruit, some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some an hundred. (KJV) You know, once you get your Spiritual house in order it is up to you to keep a watch over it and not allow anything contrary to sound doctrine to enter back in and mess it up. Verse 19 gives us a clear example of what is not desirable as far as the kingdom of God is concerned, and will choke the life out of the believer if they continue to pursue these things. Contrary to what many are teaching today, you know where they make it appear that God owes us a hundred fold return on our carnal riches, we are actually the ones who need to be bringing forth and bearing a hundred fold return on His seed, which is Spiritual. Christ is the only seed; the word of God is the only thing that we should be desiring and becoming rooted and grounded in; while anything else will just dry up and be blown away with many winds of doctrines. Have a very blessed and prosperous day in Christ Jesus our Lord. Good day. Today we are posting A New Desire day one, written January 17, 2011. Our prayer is that you will be blessed and encouraged by this series of our writings. ***You can download a copy of the writings for personal use only by clicking on the Doctrine of Christ Ministry Archive page link above and scroll down to the year 2011.
Monday, January 17, 2011 A New Desire Psalms 37:4-5 Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. (5) Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass. (KJV) You will find that with any document or contract that there are terms and conditions that are written into them that explain how it works, or is made void and nullified. Our Father in heaven left mankind a will, His will and desire for mankind so that the time that they spend here on this earth would be blessed, as well as their eternal time once they leave this earth. Knowing for yourself how and why God responds to your prayer or desires, petition would be another way of putting it, will build a trust and confidence so that you can know and not have to guess that they have been heard and answered as well. Proverbs 3:13-15 Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding. (14) For the merchandise of it is better than the merchandise of silver, and the gain thereof than fine gold. (15) She is more precious than rubies: and all the things thou canst desire are not to be compared unto her. (KJV) Oh if you could just bottle this up and then give someone a taste, then they would see how much greater the Spiritual is compared to this carnal fallen realm. In order to find wisdom and understanding, you would need to make these things a desire, or let’s say a priority in your life. This is where many draw the line, call it quits, looking more at what they are walking away from instead of the newness of life that they are walking into. With a new heart will come a new desire, a desire for the things pertaining to the Spirit, no longer being influenced and overwhelmed with the things of the flesh. So start looking up Church, and you won’t be let down by the things of this fallen realm that can never satisfy or bring peace and contentment to the inner man. Ephesians 2:1-3 And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; (2) Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: (3) Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. (KJV) The term quickened refers to bringing back to life. So your dead end life was a result of the dead end desires you sought after and thought would bring peace. The sad truth is that many of God’s own people are brought back to life for a season; however, that season dies when they think that they can still incorporate the old things with the new man in Christ. A life that we thought would be fulfilled by carnal things needs to be replaced with a desire for the Spiritual things of God if one truly desires to make it to their eternal destination. You will find someday when standing before the Lord and giving an account of what you desired here on earth, that you will definitely desire to hear the statement “well done good and faithful servant, enter into the joy of the Lord”. Matthew 4:2-4 And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred. (3) And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. (4) But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. (KJV) You know, the enemy took a shot at our Lord at a time when the flesh definitely desired to be fed. However, our Lord knew that in order to live He would need to keep His body in subjection to the Spirit, and desire the Spiritual over the carnal. So what is your desire today, and are you feeding the inward first before seeking the outward? Have a very blessed and prosperous day in Christ Jesus our Lord. Good morning. Today's video Captivity is on the topic of bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ. Each day we have the choice to remain captive of the Lord at His will or allow ourselves to become captive of the devil at his will. Our thoughts brought us to where we are today; and they will bring us to where we are tomorrow. What are you thinking on? We are encouraged to bring into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ (we have the mind of Christ) and to cast down imaginations and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God. All things are lawful for us, but all things are not profitable to our salvation and growth in the wisdom and knowledge of God; all things are lawful for us, but all things do not build us up in faith and confidence in our Lord Jesus Christ. This includes our thoughts; although we have liberty in Christ, we are not to use our liberty as an occasion to fulfil the lusts of the flesh. Why do we say this? Because the carnal mind is enmity with God. And if you don’t bring every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ and cast down those things that are contrary to God, then how will you know whether it is of God or not; how will you be able to remain in the liberty which is in Christ and not be brought into bondage again to the traditions of men after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ? When a thought that is not of God is left to itself, not checked out or brought into captivity, it can lead to imaginations or temptation in other words, and draw you away of your own lust and entice you (remember we still have a carnal nature to overcome). Now you are left with a choice, cast down the imagination or act on the imagination; if you act on it, lust has conceived, it brings forth sin, and when sin is finished, it brings forth death; or enmity with God, and you are now captive at the devil’s will. This is why it is so important to renew our minds daily on the things of God so that we are able to rightly divide the word of truth having our spiritual senses exercised to discern between that which is of God, and that which is of the world and the prince of the power of the air, which is Satan who walks about continually seeking whom he may devour. When the Lord ascended to the right hand of God he led captivity captive, and gave us the gift of life and life more abundantly, the Spirit of truth to guide us into all truth so that we are enabled to not be brought into bondage again (being captive of the devil at his will). In Christ is all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge; and we have been given this treasure within us to lead us in a better way of life based on truth and not imaginations. Salvation is a daily choice; today is the day of salvation, now is the accepted time (2 Corinthians 6:2); choose you this day whom you will serve; choose you this day to whom you will be captive. God bless and lead captivity captive in your own life as the Lord did in his. Please note in the video the following corrections to scripture references: Proverbs 6:22 should be 6:16-19 Romans 7:23 should be 7:14 Luke 11 reference toward the end of the video on counting the cost should be Luke 14:25-33 You can view all previous videos by going to our YouTube channel Doctrine of Christ Ministry. Have a blessed and prosperous day in Christ Jesus our Lord. Good morning. Today's video The Son - Part12 is on the topic of who the Son of God is; the cross of Christ. Dear Church, loved of God our Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ, are you dying to get to Heaven? Paul the apostle said he died daily. 1 Corinthians 15:31 I protest by your rejoicing which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily. (KJV) We were given an example by our Lord Jesus Christ of dying daily as He did to the fleshly lusts and desires so that He could be resurrected a new man upright and well pleasing in God’s sight. The Lord Jesus took up His spiritual cross daily, not just the physical cross that happened once that everyone knows about, but daily He died that we might live, thus why the scriptures refer to the cross of Christ. He humbled himself and laid aside the lusts of the flesh, but not without suffering, and followed the Spirit of Christ within Him. Learned He obedience by the things which He suffered; having been tempted in every manner as we are and yet sinned not (Hebrews 2:18; 4:14-16). Philippians 2:5-8 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. (KJV) Hebrews 5:7-10 Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared; Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered; And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him; (KJV) Have you taken up your spiritual cross, nailing the lusts of the flesh to it through obedience on a daily basis, and suffering for Christ’s sake? Taking up our cross involves dying to self, daily crucifying the old man which was born into sin (of the flesh) so that we are able to resurrect into the new man which was born into the righteousness of God (of the Spirit), Christ in us the hope of glory. Salvation is not a one and done; each day we make the choice to take up our cross and follow the leading of the Holy Spirit in obedience. We have a choice to suffer and follow Christ or to take the path of least resistance and follow the lusts of the flesh and the world thereof. Romans 6:4-14 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection: Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. For he that is dead is freed from sin. Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him: Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him. For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God. Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God. For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace. (KJV) Sin is destroyed when we choose to be obedient to the leading and guiding of the Holy Spirit. But remember sin can revive through temptation when we are drawn away of our own lusts, and enticed; then when lust has conceived it brings forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, brings forth death (James 1:14-15), which is separation from God our Father. Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (KJV) But thanks be to God for His grace who has given us a great high priest, an advocate, on our behalf, Jesus Christ our Lord who is the only way to restore peace with the Father. There is no peace with God our Father without abiding (remaining) in Christ, and Christ abiding in us; the cross of Christ. So dearly loved, take up the cross of Christ and live. You can view all previous videos by going to our YouTube channel Doctrine of Christ Ministry. Have a blessed and prosperous day in Christ Jesus our Lord. Good morning, today's encouragement is to be content with such things as you have.
If you would like to download a copy click on the Daily Bread For Life Archive link above to access the link to get your downloaded copy. Have a blessed and prosperous day in Christ Jesus our Lord. Contentment 1 Timothy 6:6-8 But godliness with contentment is great gain. 7 For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. 8 And having food and raiment let us be therewith content. (KJV) Contentment in verse 6 means sufficiency. Content in verse 8 means be enough, suffice, or be sufficient. Our sufficiency (ability) is of God. Jesus Christ gave us the ability to become the sons of God; now it is up to us to walk by faith knowing that we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us. He gave us the ability to overcome the world and its ways just as He did. He gave us the ability to be free from the fear of death; to have that confidence that we are one of His having done the will of God from the heart. This is great gain. So you ask then, what is the will of God? Take some time and read these scriptures (Romans 12:2, 1 Thessalonians 4:3-7, 1 Thessalonians 5:18, 1 Peter 4:1-2, 1 John 2:15-17) knowing that these are just a few that talk about His will; then allow the Holy Spirit to expound on them or add to them, and lead you into all truth of what our Father in heaven is asking of you personally. Knowing this, His will for you is anything that will bring you into a deeper relationship with Him, and that will lead you out of this world and into His eternal kingdom. Hebrews 13:5 Let your conversation (manner of life) be without covetousness; and be content (suffice, enough) with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. (KJV) The eyes of man are never satisfied; the natural man is covetous, it wants not only its own things but also the things of others; it is not satisfied with just food and raiment which is our basic need. If you give it an inch it wants to take a mile; it wants to be first, not last; it wants to be known, not unknown; it wants the approval of man, not of God only; it wants to be admired, not despised; it wants more and more. As Solomon wrote: vanity, vanity, all is vanity. All that is in this life will not satisfy the natural man, which is why we are encouraged to be content with what we have; because as 1 Timothy 6:7 states, we brought nothing into this world with us and it is certain we will carry nothing out. Now think about that, are you satisfied with what you have knowing that all your need (not wants) has been supplied, spiritually and physically by our Father in heaven? And if you don’t have what you need, did you ask? If God knows what we have need of and has provided in advance all that we need, why should we have to ask? Because in this is our Father glorified, through His Son Jesus Christ; and in this we acknowledge that we cannot get through this life on our own and that our Father will know best the need and how to supply it. It keeps us humble to know that our sufficiency is not of ourselves, knowing that without Him we can do nothing. Also remember, that if we don’t get what we ask for right away, examine first if it is a need or a want, is it the best thing for me (I might think it is but does my Father in heaven think so), is it in line with the will of God for my life, will it put me under bondage to this world to have this thing? It might well be that it is not the right time for it to come to pass as yet, because as we know He makes everything beautiful in its time. So seek the Father’s will first and if you believe it is in line with God’s will then continue to hold fast in faith, and remember to always thank our Father that He has supplied the need and for the manifestation thereof, and let patience have its perfect work. Know this also, that our Father in heaven is able to grant you the desires of your heart as long as those desires are not harmful to you spiritually or physically; He is not being mean by withholding, He has a reason, and besides His thoughts and ways are higher than ours; He sees and knows all things before they come to pass. His desire is that you would have life and life more abundantly in and through His Son Christ Jesus. So, is your soul worth selling out to the world for? To follow and seek after the things of man, and not the things of God? Can you be content with food and raiment, and such things as you have? Can you enter into His rest and cease from your own works knowing that God our Father has your best interests at heart? Hebrews 13:6 So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me. (KJV) Having an eye of abundance (the natural man says we don’t have enough), the spirit man renewed in the things of God, will always see that we have enough and more left over, our cup running over. Dearly loved brethren, we have been given an abundant life in Christ Jesus our Lord, all that we need to make it through this life here on earth with strength and wisdom to overcome the world within us and to make our way in patient continuance with contentment in the kingdom and righteousness of God which is great gain in the sight of God our Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ. God bless and remain content in Spirit and in truth. Amen. 1 Corinthians 7:15-16 But if the unbelieving depart, let him depart. A brother or a sister is not under bondage in such cases: but God hath called us to peace. (16) For what knowest thou, O wife, whether thou shalt save thy husband? or how knowest thou, O man, whether thou shalt save thy wife? (KJV)
Before packing your spiritual baggage and going on a guilt trip, stop and consider before boarding a potentially sinking ship. Make sure you know ahead of time what you are getting into before boarding a vessel that is getting ready to set sail on the dead sea with winds of doctrine predicted also. So you decided that you were the one and only that God could use to save your unbelieving husband or wife as verse 16 makes reference to? Now that they have departed you think you failed God and did something wrong? Basically what you are saying and what gets taught in many religious organizations, is that it is your duty to be the savior and make sure your significant other gets saved. I have heard the phrase spoken so often that “God hates divorce” even to the point that some make it seem like it is some unpardonable sin. The truth be known is that marriage is only temporary; in other words it is something that takes place here for our time on earth and does not carry over into the eternal realm. There is a divorce God does not look kindly on and that is when one divorces themselves from the truth of God and His plan of salvation, and falls for the lies of the devil and his cheap imitations. James 4:4 Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God. (KJV) You ever hear the term high maintenance? That is what happens when you end up with someone more concerned with earthly things than the things of God. Spiritual prostitution, selling oneself out for a thrill in the flesh; something that can be a huge distraction to a believer who desires a relationship with God. My point, having dealt with a situation like this myself, is that maybe the departure is a blessing in disguise; so before you gather your prayer groups together and pray this person back into your life, watch what you ask for. Matthew 5:31-32 It hath been said, Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement: (32) But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery. (KJV) Many times these verses are looked at in the literal or physical context, and not the spiritual. As we just saw in the verses from James, many husbands and wives are cheating on the Lord with their spiritual adultery and have separated themselves from Him. Again, how can two walk together unless they be agreed? And if one or the other partner in a relationship is more concerned with the things of this dead fallen world, then the believer ends up carrying around dead weight. I can assure you that if the Lord says something is dead and needs to be discarded, and He then makes a way of escape, it would do one good to take heed before they end up dead also. Exodus 34:14-16 For thou shalt worship no other god: for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God: (15) Lest thou make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, and they go a whoring after their gods, and do sacrifice unto their gods, and one call thee, and thou eat of his sacrifice; (16) And thou take of their daughters unto thy sons, and their daughters go a whoring after their gods, and make thy sons go a whoring after their gods. (KJV) God is a jealous God because He knows that His way and His plan for mankind is so much better than what we could ever ask or think. Just like with a parent raising a child, you envision a life for them of blessings, and how it breaks your heart to see them end up in a life of misery and despair because of bad choices and decisions. Also as a parent when you see your son or daughter has made a bad choice concerning a husband or wife, you reach out and try to stop them before they get to deeply involved in a destructive lifestyle. Ezra 10:10-12 And Ezra the priest stood up, and said unto them, Ye have transgressed, and have taken strange wives, to increase the trespass of Israel. (11) Now therefore make confession unto the LORD God of your fathers, and do his pleasure: and separate yourselves from the people of the land, and from the strange wives. (12) Then all the congregation answered and said with a loud voice, As thou hast said, so must we do. (KJV) The spiritual is greater than the physical, and as we see God has dealt with situations throughout the Bible where His people are in a bad place because they are unequally yoked with someone unhealthy to their walk, and He provided a way of escape for them. Your spiritual welfare is of more concern to our Lord than your temporal marital status here on earth, and should be yours also. 1 Corinthians 10:13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it. (KJV) I have seen times where a departure of an unbeliever is actually a way of escape being provided by the Lord and not some failure on your part as the devil would like many to think. That heartache and misery you have been experiencing, the confusion and doubt that has been dogging you and sucking the life out of you was doing more harm than good. While the Lord is throwing you a lifeline so that you don’t end up drowning in frustration and despair, the devil is throwing you the line to an anchor of a sinking vessel, guilting you into thinking you must go down with the ship. 1 Timothy 4:1-2 Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; (2) Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron; (KJV) Know this, that if an unbeliever departs, the person they departed from first was God. That person you have been married to may have once been a true believer, but like we see in the above verses has departed from the faith. Like with a bus schedule, they give you departure times as well as arrival times; in other words you can’t depart from something unless you were actually there at one time. Seducing spirits, doctrines of demons that appeal to the lower fallen nature of man, spiritual adultery, which ends up separating them from the love of God. My point today is, no you don’t take your marriage lightly or look for a way out because you want to find something better. The message God has for today is that the spiritual is so much greater than the physical realm, and if there is something or someone that is hindering your walk and needs to be let go of, then heed the way of escape and don’t be taken in by some phony guilt trip. I have seen some of these so called Christian men who treat their spouses like some robotic slave, demanding respect and obedience to them when they are nothing more than shallow flakes. If you are in a situation where you are married to someone who is more like a dictator than a loving Christian, and they are pulling you down rather than building up, be assured this is not something our Lord would want you to continue in, but will make a way of escape if you are willing. Don’t let anyone pack your bags and try to send you on some guilt trip, because when people try to make you think that by being separated or divorced is a failure, the truth be known, is that they are just telling you that they hold more to the physical than the spiritual. God is more concerned with your eternal marriage than your earthly one; so if He has made a way of escape, heed the warning and cancel the guilt trip. God bless and have a prosperous day in Christ Jesus our Lord. |
AuthorWe are stewards of the mystery of Christ. Ambassadors on His behalf to share the conditions of peace with God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Archives
December 2024
Categories
All
|