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Romans 8:35-39 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? (36) As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. (37) Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. (38) For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, (39) Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (KJV)
You know Church, sometimes we just need to stop and count our blessings, and take the time to realize that we win. We not only are on a winning team, but are able to be led by a winner, a forerunner for us, Jesus Christ. You have the choice of what you are going to hold to as truth; what you see with your outward vision, or what you allow your spiritual eyes to behold as truth. Sometimes when I listen to certain people who profess Christianity they come off like a one legged man in a butt kicking contest, always on their backside. But you know Church, this is a friendly reminder for all, not only do we win, but we are more than conquerors; and the more you realize this the more you will start acting like it. Are you persuaded that nothing, or no one this day is going to come between you and your heavenly Father, and that you will not allow anyone to separate you from His love? Deuteronomy 28:12-13 The LORD shall open unto thee his good treasure, the heaven to give the rain unto thy land in his season, and to bless all the work of thine hand: and thou shalt lend unto many nations, and thou shalt not borrow. (13) And the LORD shall make thee the head, and not the tail; and thou shalt be above only, and thou shalt not be beneath; if that thou hearken unto the commandments of the LORD thy God, which I command thee this day, to observe and to do them: (KJV) Do you go into a situation expecting the best, or thinking the worst? The Lord promised us a total victory before we ever stepped out on the field, so why do we act at times like He has let us down, or has a losing track record? You are not the tail, so quit acting like the tail end and start moving forward. According to the word of God, He will bless all the work of your hand. The only question is will you hearken to His word, and follow through with what is promised, and what is rightfully yours. The reason we have a hard time holding fast is because we know we haven’t done all to stand, and by giving a half hearted effort we end up hoping and not expecting the victory. Hebrews 2:14-15 Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; (15) And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. (KJV) It was the fall of man by the influence of the devil which led to his separation from God. It is by the obedience of one man, Jesus Christ and His victory over the power of death, that we are able to triumph and be overcomers by faith in Him to partake of a new life of peace and reconciliation with God. We have been delivered from the power of darkness, and translated into His kingdom so that we too are able to walk in the same victory that He did. Colossians 2:14-15 Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross; (15) And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it. (KJV) We think we have it rough some times; here’s a man that was crucified and left for dead, and yet was able to rise again with the keys of hell and death so that those gates of hell would no longer hold us in bondage. So are you partaking of this victory, or still hoping someday it will happen? 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain. (25) And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible. (26) I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air: (27) But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway. (KJV) Are you fighting the good fight of faith, doing whatever is necessary to receive the prize? One will receive this prize, and those that are a part of the body of Christ and are one with Him will run this race and endure to the end, not accepting anything less than total victory. Are you faithful in little areas so that you can mature, and be faithful and victorious in bigger ones as well? Are you shadow boxing and missing the mark, or are you throwing a knockout punch every time the opponent tries to get in your way? Philippians 3:13-15 Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, (14) I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. (15) Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you. (KJV) The prize is before us and not behind us. Those that live in the past will find themselves off course and running in circles. Those that are perfect, mature in Christ, will put their hand to the plough and not look back to see what others are doing or saying about them. You become settled in the fact that One has already run this race, and in order for you to share in victory and celebration you will have to become single minded in the things of God in order to find the path of life. Though many will try to show you a different way, or try to achieve salvation through shortcuts and quick fixes, it’s only by the Lord revealing Himself to you personally that you will be able to keep sight of the prize and hold fast to the end. John 16:33 These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world. (KJV) So cheer up Church, although we are surrounded by trials and tribulations of a fallen world it doesn’t change God’s plan of salvation for you, and the victory which is yours for the taking. So hold fast your profession of faith without wavering so you too can take an eternal victory lap of celebration with your heavenly Father as well. God bless and have a prosperous day in Christ Jesus our Lord. Revelation 2:25-27 But that which ye have already hold fast till I come. 26 And he that overcomes, and keeps my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations: 27 And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father. (KJV)
Our Lord wasn’t a wishy-washy double talker was He? Because of this He is now seated at the right hand of our Father showing us the way to get there too. Are you keeping the faith alive and real in your walk by being more than a conqueror through Christ, or are you barely hanging on by a thread? 1 Peter 1:23-25 Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which lives and abides for ever. 24 For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower thereof falls away: 25 But the word of the Lord endures for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you. (KJV) I can tell by talking with many Christians what their love and commitment to the Lord is by their knowledge in the Word and how much time they spend in it. Given the fact that the Word is the only thing that will endure forever, I would think that should be the first thing a Christian would want to get a hold of daily. After all the question begs to be asked, what could be more important? John 15:9-11 As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love. 10 If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love. 11 These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full. (KJV) The joy of the Lord is our strength, something you want to keep yourself built up in. I know many who desire a closer relationship with the Lord, but fall short when it comes time to keep their commitment of spending time in the Word to keep the spirit man fed and full. 1 Peter 1:3-5 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fades not away, reserved in heaven for you, 5 Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. (KJV) We were all like sheep gone astray until our Lord came along and woke us up from a spiritual stupor. We are kept alive by the power of God which is the strongest thing available in the universe. With a deal like this there is no reason or excuse for not making it home. Proverbs 21:23 Whoso keeps his mouth and his tongue keeps his soul from troubles. (KJV) By our words we will either be justified or condemned, and whatever you put into the heart is going to come out of your mouth. Given the fact that our Lord said His words are spirit and life, I would suggest you put them into the heart first thing so that you can keep yourself in the love of God. Luke 11:21-23 When a strong man armed keeps his palace, his goods are in peace: 22 But when a stronger than he shall come upon him, and overcome him, he takes from him all his armor wherein he trusted, and divides his spoils. 23 He that is not with me is against me: and he that gathers not with me scatters. (KJV) When you have armed yourself with the mind of Christ you will experience His peace. If you stray and revert back to the flesh then the things of this realm will have more of an influence on you than the Lord and you will end up being overtaken again, the latter being worse than the beginning. Bottom line Church, it is vital for you to hold fast your profession of faith daily without wavering and keep your heart and mind guarded so that you can quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. God bless dearly loved, and have a prosperous day in Christ Jesus our Lord. Revelation 2:25-26 But that which ye have already hold fast till I come. 26 And he that overcomes, and keeps my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations: (KJV)
The intent of salvation is not only to find a new life in Christ, but to follow through with your commitment so that you will be rewarded in the end. Many begin so well with zeal and exuberance for the Lord, but then the things of this life seem to become more important. Luke 18:18-21 And a certain ruler asked him, saying, Good Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? 19 And Jesus said unto him, why call thou me good? None is good, save one, that is, God. 20 Thou knows the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honor thy father and thy mother. 21 And he said, All these have I kept from my youth up. (KJV) At some point in your walk you will come to a place that I will call the cross road, a point where what has been working in the past needs to be changed so you can continue to grow in the Lord. Sometimes this involves a change in lifestyle, or the people you have been associating with who are no longer beneficial to your walk. We see above what happens with every Christian, something that is so highly esteemed among mankind is not something our Lord desires to see you pursue after or make a priority any longer. Luke 18:22-23 Now when Jesus heard these things, he said unto him, Yet lacks thou one thing: sell all that thou hast, and distribute unto the poor, and thou shall have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me. 23 And when he heard this, he was very sorrowful: for he was very rich. (KJV) In the end what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his soul? The Lord is going to ask you to give up things that are near and dear to you; the question now becomes will you do what it takes to continue moving forward in your walk or will you walk away grieving the Spirit? Luke 18:24-25 And when Jesus saw that he was very sorrowful, he said, how hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God! 25 For it is easier for a camel to go through a needle's eye, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. (KJV) Bigger is not always better, and having more stuff is not always a blessing from above. Today many false prophets have sold out and walked away from our Lord by preaching phony prosperity messages which appeal to the lower nature, but are an abomination to the new one. If you are in a congregation where they seem more concerned with outward things than the inward I would suggest you head out. Romans 8:37-39 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. 38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, 39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (KJV) When the Lord comes to you personally and asks you to have a change of heart, will you have the mindset that nothing will stop or separate you from the love of God, or will you follow the rich young ruler down a path of destruction? God bless and have a prosperous day in Christ Jesus our Lord dearly loved. Revelation 2:25-29 But that which ye have already hold fast till I come. 26 And he that overcomes, and keeps my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations: 27 And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father. 28 And I will give him the morning star. 29 He that hath an ear let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. (KJV)
There are definitely terms and conditions concerning salvation based on what the Lord approves of and not man. If you don’t find out for yourself what those are, in the end you may find yourself on the outside looking in. Some claim that all you have to do is make a commitment to the Lord and it’s a done deal, but just like in a marriage, it can start out good, only to end in a disaster. Matthew 7:13-14 Enter you in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leads to destruction, and many there be which go in there at: 14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leads unto life, and few there be that find it. (KJV) Mankind has widened the path and has made a broad way that they claim is the right way; the problem is, it’s the wrong way. If you have ever driven the wrong way on a one way street you know it can lead to destruction. The same holds true spiritually for those that don’t diligently seek the Lord daily to avoid these death traps. Your way of escape from this present evil world is a narrow path that few find and even fewer are holding to till the very end. Romans 11:19-21 Thou wilt say then, the branches were broken off, that I might be grafted in. 20 Well; because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou stands by faith. Be not high minded, but fear: 21 For if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest he also spare not thee. (KJV) Salvation is not based on our works; it is one of faith, where we believe and hold fast to what our Lord has worked out for us. Many today think they are doing the Lord’s work without realizing that they have broken fellowship with the Lord; and their doctrines are highly flammable to say the least. Romans 11:22-23 Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shall be cut off. 23 And they also, if they abide not still in unbelief, shall be grafted in: for God is able to graft them in again. (KJV) The natural branches are the Jews, and we the Gentiles have been grafted into the tree of life so that we can bear the fruit of the Spirit; however, don’t be so high minded to think that you can’t walk away or be cut off at any time by your lack of diligence in the Word and not keeping the faith first and foremost in your life. Once saved always saved is based on you continuing your walk in the Spirit and not reverting back to the flesh. Matthew 7:21-23 Not everyone that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? And in thy name have cast out devils? And in thy name done many wonderful works? 23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. (KJV) If only a few really find the narrow and straight path that leads to life then what happens to the many others? Simply put they were deceived and cut themselves loose. Dearly loved, continue in the faith grounded and settled for today is the day of salvation; God bless and have a prosperous day in Christ Jesus our Lord. Revelation 2:25-27 But that which ye have already hold fast till I come. 26 And he that overcomes, and keeps my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations: 27 And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father. (KJV)
So how would you categorize your walk with the Lord today, are you an over comer or is the reality more of an underachiever? Have you held fast to your commitment to the Lord like you did in the beginning of your walk? Have kept your relationship with Him first and foremost in your life? The most important part of your walk is not the beginning, but the end, how you finish is what will determine your eternity. Today, why not make sure that you end up the victor? Titus 1:7-9 For a bishop must be blameless, as the steward of God; not self willed, not soon angry, not given to wine, no striker, not given to filthy lucre; 8 But a lover of hospitality, a lover of good men, sober, just, holy, temperate; 9 Holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers. (KJV) Many today show up on Sunday excited and giddy when they have an audience, but by Monday they look like something the cat dragged in. It’s not what happens when the congregation is around, but what takes place at home that will determine whether you will be used by our Lord or not. When salvation truly becomes a way of life for you, you will know that you are an over comer because you do all things heartily unto the Lord and are no longer concerned with what people think. Hebrews 10:23-24 Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; for he is faithful that promised;) 24 And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: (KJV) Remember what our Lord said was the greatest love we could have for Him, laying down our lives for others. When you are around other Christians are you really an inspiration or more of a spiritual buzz kill by your whining and fussing? Hebrews 3:6-8 But Christ as a son over his own house; whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end. 7 Wherefore (as the Holy Ghost says, today if ye will hear his voice, 8 Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness: (KJV) Our old nature fusses and whines when it doesn’t get its way and like children we throw a hissy fit to get attention. For those that have grown and matured in Christ, they realize the sacrifice it took to get us into the kingdom, that which keeps the heart tender and pliable like clay. 2 Timothy 1:12-14 For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day. 13 Hold fast the form of sound words, which thou hast heard of me, in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus. 14 That good thing which was committed unto thee keep by the Holy Ghost which dwells in us. (KJV) You are going to run into some opposition along the way, but just like endurance runners you’re going to have to keep going. It’s nice to have sunny calm weather to run in, however, in order to keep fit and ready for the Master’s use you will have to endure some inclement conditions to finish the course. God bless dearly loved, and have a prosperous day in Christ Jesus our Lord. Revelation 2:25-27 But that which ye have already hold fast till I come. 26 And he that overcomes, and keeps my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations: 27 And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father. (KJV)
Salvation is described as a race; a race of endurance that has to become a way of life for you to achieve the prize. Being born again is a great start, but you have to end your walk in the Spirit in order to be given a crown of life. You see the terms hold fast, keep, endure, and continue come up many times in the Bible. It tells us that when we begin in this new found realm of the Spirit we have to end there as well, otherwise our walk with the Lord is summed up in one word, vain. Colossians 1:21-23 And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled 22 In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight: 23 If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister; (KJV) The Lord has done His part and everything is good on His end; his promise to never leave us or forsake us is true. In times past before our conversion in Christ we were alienated or kept out of the kingdom of God because of our lower carnal nature which could not receive the things of God. If you revert back to that realm after being born again you won’t last long in your walk with the Lord. John 15:4-7 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. 5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abides in me, and I in him, the same brings forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. 6 If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. 7 If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. (KJV) Many are called by God, but few are chosen; because many become alienated from the path of life walking more by sight than faith. It is so vital that you spend time in the Word, renewing your mind on a daily basis so that you can keep His Word alive and working in you. Otherwise your time here on planet earth will be nothing more than a vain outward show which accurately describes religion. 2 Timothy 4:5-8 But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry. 6 For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. 7 I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: 8 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. (KJV) You can see what it takes to make it home; the commitment of keeping the faith is the only way you will be crowned with eternal life. Do you have the right stuff today? God bless and keep it up dearly loved; have a prosperous day in Christ Jesus our Lord. |
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