Difference between revisions of "Changing Our Strength 3"

Latest revision as of 23:40, 23 May 2018

Changing Our Strength, continued 3

I, John, your brother and companion in the suffering and kingdom and patient endurance that are ours in Jesus, was on the island of Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. (Revelation 1:9—NIV)

One of the great errors of today's Christian teaching is the emphasis on making the believer happy and prosperous in the present world. The Gospel of the Kingdom is our hope for a future world, a world of righteousness. In order to be found worthy of that world we must prove ourselves in today's furnace of affliction. If we are not found to be people of faithfulness and integrity we have little hope of being entrusted with the powers of the age to come. Mercy and grace have nothing to do with this, it is our moral transformation that is critical.

Be careful to follow every command I am giving you today, so you may live and increase and may enter and possess the land that the LORD promised on oath to your forefathers. Remember how the LORD your God led you all the way in the desert these forty years, to humble you and to test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands. He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your fathers had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD. (Deuteronomy 8:1-3—NIV)

God leads us through the wilderness of this world to humble us. Theologians tell us God knows everything, but apparently (from the above passage) He does not know what is in our heart until He tests us. God wants to know if we are going to keep His commandments when He releases us in the day of resurrection. It is extremely important that we keep our heart with diligence and always choose to do God's will as we understand it.

But those who are considered worthy of taking part in that age and in the resurrection from the dead will neither marry nor be given in marriage, (Luke 20:35—NIV)

We are not considered worthy of taking part in the new age of righteousness and the resurrection from the dead by taking "the four steps of salvation," or believing in Christ, or by grace or mercy or any other device. We Christians are counted worthy of the new age of righteousness only by doing God's will as we understand it. As we pray to Jesus He helps us do God's will.

I understand this is not what is being taught today but it is the truth of the Scriptures.

God humbles us. He makes us barren so to speak, depriving us of the good things of life, and then feeds us with manna. This means He gives us strength each day to do His will, to overcome the evil assigned to us that day. The Israelites did not enjoy being reduced to eating manna, but they could count on it being on the ground in the morning. You may not enjoy being deprived of what you want in the present life, but you can count on God's grace and faithfulness being renewed to you each morning.

To be continued Changing Our Strength 4

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-We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised. (Hebrews 6:12—NIV) <br><br>
-God teaches us that man does not live by material resources alone. Man is utterly dependent on the words continually flowing from the mouth of God on behalf of each individual. Our barrenness, and then the fulfillment of the promises made to us, cause us to understand what actually is true of every human being on earth and in the heavenlies—that we are living by the Words of God and not just by what the world provides. <br><br>
-Sometimes, as was true of Abraham and Sarah, we become impatient and take matters into our own hands. We feel we have waited on God long enough. Maybe there actually is a verse in the Bible, we think, that says "God helps those who help themselves." (There isn't, of course!) <br><br>
-Abraham and Sarah helped themselves and the result was Ishmael. Sarah soon came to grief over her decision as she felt the scorn of the pregnant Hagar. Abraham came to grief when he had to send Hagar and Ishmael off to die in the wilderness. The descendants of Ishmael have been a source of pain to the Jews to the present day. <br><br>
-You want to bring forth a "wild man"? Act before God's time. Try to overcome your barrenness in your own strength and wisdom. Observe the result! <br><br>
-Who among you fears the LORD and obeys the word of his servant? Let him who walks in the dark, who has no light, trust in the name of the LORD and rely on his God. But now, all you who light fires and provide yourselves with flaming torches, go, walk in the light of your fires and of the torches you have set ablaze. This is what you shall receive from my hand: You will lie down in torment. (Isaiah 50:10,11—NIV) <br><br>
-When we are walking in the dark, when we have no light, let us trust in the name of the Lord and rely on our God. Let us remember Job, Abraham and Sarah, Joseph, the mother of Samson, Hannah, and Elizabeth. Let us see what will come forth when God finally acts! <br><br>
-We understand from the above passage that those who go forth in their own strength and wisdom, even their own strength and wisdom in the work of the Gospel, displease the Lord greatly . "You will lie down in torment"! <br><br>
-Let us wait on the Lord and not move until we know what we are doing. I am speaking of major decisions, not of faithfully performing the daily tasks that have been entrusted to us. It often is better, for example, for young people to go to trade school or college rather than to shut themselves in a closet and fast and pray in the hope of forcing God to answer. I will tell you this: God does not like to be forced to answer! <br><br>
-Proverbs advises us to not depend on our own understanding but to acknowledge God in all our ways—in all our ways! When we acknowledge God in all our ways He seldom answers us by speaking to us but He always directs our paths. <br><br>
-God always helps those who place their t==Changing Our Strength, continued 3==
 <em></em>
 I, John, your brother and companion in the suffering and kingdom and patient endurance that are ours in Jesus, was on the island of Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. (Revelation 1:9—NIV) <br><br>
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 I understand this is not what is being taught today but it is the truth of the Scriptures. <br><br>
 God humbles us. He makes us barren so to speak, depriving us of the good things of life, and then feeds us with manna. This means He gives us strength each day to do His will, to overcome the evil assigned to us that day. The Israelites did not enjoy being reduced to eating manna, but they could count on it being on the ground in the morning. You may not enjoy being deprived of what you want in the present life, but you can count on God's grace and faithfulness being renewed to you each morning. <br><br>
-To be continued. <br><br>
-rust in Him. <br><br>
-To be continued. <br><br>
 ''To be continued'' [[Changing Our Strength 4]]
-[[Category:Changing Our Strength]]