Faith Overcomes

“. . . for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.” 1 John 5:4-5 (NIV)

As we mature in Christ, we more easily accept what He tells us and we grow closer to Him. For me, this has a special meaning. For me, things of this world are just that, things. Now, please, don’t misunderstand me. I know we have certain possessions that are basic to living safely. I know we aren't to get attached to them. These products serve a purpose and break down. But we shouldn't act defeated when this happens; our faith is not in that equipment but in the LORD.

Faith Statement My life is not my own. I belong to Christ.

Our Faith Needs To Grow

               “So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught and overflowing with thankfulness.” Colossians 2:6-7 (NIV)

Do we remember how we felt when we first accepted Jesus into our hearts? Paul tells the Colossians and us how to become rooted, built up, and strengthened in our faith.

“. . . continue to live in him . . .” When we ask Jesus into our hearts, we intend to have that relationship forever. Following Jesus is not something we do part-time. He went to the cross in order for us to become acceptable for entry into heaven.

“. . . strengthened in the faith . . .” We learn as we read His Word. God gives us instructions about how to live, giving us power to overcome the trials and circumstances the world throws at us.

“ . . overflowing with thankfulness. . .” As children of God, we should be giving thanks to Him each time we pray, every time we see a sunrise or sunset, and each time we hear of a miracle.

I have heard it said that “If we do not grow in our faith (move forward), we stagnate in it and then regress (go backwards). Given the tenor of the times, I believe it’s safe to say that no Christian would want to not grow in faith. With all the Bible studies, devotional books, and translations of God’s Word, we have advantages over the Colossian believers to facilitate our growth in the faith.

My Faith Has Found a Resting Place

Faith Pleases God

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“And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” Hebrews 11:6 (NIV)

The writer of Hebrews states some very definite points here.

               1.) In order to please God, we have to have faith.

               2.) We must believe He is real or we cannot approach Him.

               3.) If we earnestly seek God, He rewards us.

There was a term used in the late 1960’s that described what some people seemed to do then.

By and large, they seemed to ‘play church’. The best way to describe it was that they attended church on Sunday and, as they left God’s house, they laid aside that part of them that believed in Him and went out into the world and acted like all those around them. Come Sunday morning, they approached God’s house and picked up what they had left there and went in and went through the motions of belonging to Him.

Christians have watched as the world lowered its standard for morals. I am reading Next Door Savior a book by Max Lucado. He uses a term that describes what I mean-Mardi-Gras morals. Could it be that those watching us decided valued our Monday through Saturday personas more than we did our Sunday selves?

Christian believers have been praying for God to pour out His grace on our world in order to bring around revival.

On Christ The Solid Rock I Stand

The Gift of Faith

               For it is by grace that you have been saved, through faith-and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-not by works, so that no one can boast. Ephesians 2:8-9 (NIV)

There are several words in this passage that make it dear to a follower of Christ. Today we will look at the phrase, “through faith.”

We come to Christ, asking Him into our hearts, giving Him control over our lives, accepting Him into our hearts and believing what He tells us.

We begin to read God’s Word and discover we need to allow God to change us. We submit to Him. 

               Paul tells the believers at Ephesus and us that faith is a gift from God. One person presents a gift to another, sometimes for no reason beyond the one person wanting to. The recipient can’t boast because that person might not know why he or she is being rewarded.

When we become ‘rooted’ in Christ, our faith grows and we become stronger. The way to allow our faith to grow is to read God’s Word; meditate on the passages and apply what we learn to our hearts.

Faith Statement “And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.” Phil.4:19(NIV)

A Departure From Usual Posts

http://tahirthehacker.blogspot.com

It finally happened. My writing email account got hacked. I opened that account to see what I needed to read and respond to. Well, I received emails from a lady at church, another  in Rhode Island, yet another in South Africa and one in Canada. One in Tennessee advised me to change my password.These are the ones I remember.

I couldn't get into my account information on line. That's another story for the future.

I had to telephone my ISP.I got the privilege of taking to three different real (98.6) people. The last person was a man working on the 'second tier'.  He had to explain to me that the company has a policy of blocking all outgoing emails on a hacked account for 24 to 48 hours. We finally got my password changed. This was nerve racking enough without Hubby standing in the background telling me we had to go to the store and then keep an appointment.

Our appointment went well. Then we went to eat. Later, I logged in to the hacked account and read the messages. Just a while ago, I decided to check my personal account. I saw where the hacker has sent something to me from me. It looked as if I was hacking my own account. :)

Our Focus

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               “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Hebrews 12:2 (NIV)

“Let us fix our eyes on Jesus . . .” As people living in the 21st Century, we have times where we have a vision issue. We look at other people rather than focus on Jesus. It seems like any time I find myself having doubts about something, I finally realize that I haven’t been looking at Jesus .

“. . . the author and perfecter of our faith. . .” God created mankind to worship Him. Jesus, guided by His Father, instilled our faith and caused it to grow. At Calvary, Jesus took upon Himself all our sin in order for us to be deemed worthy to enter heaven and live with Him forever. 

” . . . who for the joy set before him endured the cross,” At Gethsemane, Jesus turned his outcome over to the Father. He knew that He would return to heaven and be reunited with God. For Jesus, the cross was not the end, He could see beyond the cross to His glorification.

“. . . scorning its shame. . .”  Jesus left Gethsemane, knowing what was ahead for Him. We have no proof of fear on His part. He chose not to balk at the criminal’s death he would endure.

” . . . sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” When Jesus ascended into heaven, He took His rightful place. He still is there reigning with the Father and waiting for His time to return to earth.

Faith Statement: Faith is not knowing what the future holds but knowing who holds the future

Faith, Assured and Certain

“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we don’t see.” Hebrews 11:1 (NIV)

When we come to Christ, we hear a lot about faith. But we don’t know what it is. We have questions about a lot of things but every time we hear a discussion on the ways of God we always hear the word, “faith.”

Sometimes this brings up more questions. Can we have faith in other persons? Can we have faith in ourselves?

The writer of Hebrews explains faith as an assuredness and a certainty. We hope for things to happen in the lives of our loved ones or even our own lives. When we become certain the hoped for event will transpire, we have exercised faith.  

When we have faith in other persons, we may become disheartened when they let us down. People will disappoint us. If we believe in just ourselves and our strength we discount the power of God.

I have said this before; God sees the big picture while we can only see what’s right in front of us. We learn to have faith by learning to trust the Lord.

Faith Statement: “I can do everything through Him who gives me strength.” Phil. 4:13 (NIV)