Christian Diary: God

Showing posts with label God. Show all posts

JOHN 8:31-32 NKJ
31 Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, "If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed.

32 "And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."

Many people are afraid that God's Word will put them in bondage -- because of the rules they think they will have to follow. But Jesus said God's Word would make you free.

Abide means to live, to continue, or to spend time somewhere.

If you continue to spend time in Jesus' Word -- you will know the truth.

When you know the truth, you will act on that knowledge -- and acting on the truth will make you free!

The Bible, especially the message of Jesus Christ in the New Testament, will set you free if you continue in it.

We are not guaranteed instant results, although sometimes they do happen. Freedom is certain, however, if you stick with God's Word. Jesus gave His guarantee!

If you are not enjoying freedom in any area of your life -- you have not continued in God's Word enough in that area. Feed it in: speak it, sing it, read it, write it, think it, dream it!

God's Word has the information that, when acted upon, will make you free!

SAY THIS: I will continue in God's Word and it will make me free.

Image source: lovethispic.com

ROMANS 8:31 NKJ
31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?

We all face opposition. No one likes it. But opposition is a fact of life on earth.

But here's a more important fact: with God for us, opposition doesn't really matter.

With God on our side, what does it matter who opposes us? The worst anyone can do is kill us -- which would be doing us a favor. (Being a martyr for Christ and going to be with Him in Heaven is not bad!)

And never forget: God IS for you!

PSALM 56:9 KJV
9 When I cry unto thee, then shall mine enemies turn back: this I know; for God is for me.

PSALM 118:6-7 LB
6 He is for me! How can I be afraid? What can mere man do to me? 7 The Lord is on my side; he will help me. Let those who hate me beware.

EPHESIANS 2:10 NLT
10 For we are God's masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so that we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.

Outwardly, you may not appear to be much of a masterpiece. You may look like a piece of junk. But inwardly, and in reality, you are God's work of art -- and God does not make any junk.

All that is outward and seen is only temporary -- like the cocoon the butterfly inhabits for only a short time. So, while you should take care of your present body, don't be overly concerned about it. Most importantly, don't think of yourself as just the body you are now living in.

You are a child of Almighty God, creator and ruler of the universe. Someone God is "raising" to be His companion for eternity. You are NOT insignificant.

Admittedly, you are a work in progress. God still has more work to do with you -- but He is the artist, and He will finish His work. (Hint: as you submit to God, the easier it is for Him to change you into the wonderful image He has in mind.)

Someday, everyone will clearly see what God has done in you: making you a wonderful, unique individual worthy of Himself.

ROMANS 5:8 NKJ
8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

There is no reason to say, "If God loves me, let Him prove it!" He already has.

God gave a demonstration proving He loves you at Calvary -- where Jesus died a cruel death on a cross. He died, in your place, suffering punishment you deserved, to set you free.

By dying for you, God proved He loved you supremely. How could He love you more?

Jesus showed that He loves you more than He loves Himself.

JOHN 15:13 NKJ
13 "Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends.

Jesus gave His life for you. What more could He do?

1 JOHN 3:16a NKJ
16 By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us.

Many people have a distorted view of God. The true picture of God's nature is that He loves all the people of the world so much, He was willing to suffer for their freedom.

JOHN 8:31-32 NKJ
31 Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, "If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed.
32 "And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."

Many people are afraid that God's Word will put them in bondage -- because of the rules they think they will have to follow. But Jesus said God's Word would make you free.

Abide means to live, to continue, or to spend time somewhere.

If you continue to spend time in Jesus' Word -- you will know the truth.

When you know the truth, you will act on that knowledge -- and acting on the truth will make you free!

The Bible, especially the message of Jesus Christ in the New Testament, will set you free if you continue in it.

We are not guaranteed instant results, although sometimes they do happen. Freedom is certain, however, if you stick with God's Word. Jesus gave His guarantee!

If you are not enjoying freedom in any area of your life -- you have not continued in God's Word enough in that area. Feed it in: speak it, sing it, read it, write it, think it, dream it!

MATTHEW 1:21-23 NIV
21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins."
22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet:
23 "The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel"--which means, "God with us."

Part of the wonderful good news of the New Testament is that God is not just a far-off God, but He is right with us.

With us -- in many ways.

With us as we face life -- right here to help us. Not far away, and out of touch with what we are facing. Not difficult to reach -- but only a prayer away.

With us in understanding what it is like to live on earth and face the problems and difficulties we all face.

With us in knowing what it is like to experience pain and loss.

With us in knowing what it feels like to be rejected and despised and misunderstood.

With us in knowing what it is like to be hungry and have nothing to eat.

With us in knowing how difficult it can be to struggle against sin.

With us in knowing what it is like to be attacked by the devil.

HEBREWS 4:15 NIV
15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are -- yet was without sin.

God came to earth. He became a man. (No, I don't understand that, I just accept it.) Jesus experienced what we experience, yet He always walked in victory.

If you let Jesus, He will guide you into victory, also.

NAHUM 1:7 NIV
7 The LORD is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him,

Much could be said about God. But the first thing we need to realize is that God is good. He is not a bad guy. He is not against you. He is not your problem, but rather He is the answer to your problems.

Although the world doesn't know what God is like, they desperately need to know Him. Even sadder is the fact that most Christians do not really know what God is like, either.

If you want to know what God is like -- look at Jesus Christ. He perfectly revealed God to us.

JOHN 1:18 TEV
18 No one has ever seen God. The only Son, who is the same as God and is at the Father's side, he has made him known.

COLOSSIANS 2:9 PHILLIPS
9 Yet it is in him that God gives a full and complete expression of himself in bodily form.

Would you be content to just read what someone else says marriage is like? Why be content to just listen to what others say God is like? You need to taste and see for yourself.

Have your own relationship with God!

PSALM 34:8 NKJ
8 Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!

HEBREWS 10:23 NKJ
23 . . . He who promised is faithful.

The devil is trying to get you to doubt God and His Word. The devil wants you to give up on God, to not trust Him, to not expect Him to do what He said in His Word.

Do not give up! God can be trusted.

Someone who loves you enough to die in your place can be trusted. Someone who created all that you see, and all that you don't see, can be trusted to handle whatever you face.

TITUS 1:2 NASB
2 in the hope of eternal life, which God, who cannot lie, promised long ages ago,

God is not a liar. Whatever He says comes to pass!

1 THESSALONIANS 5:24 NIV
24 The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it.

God is trustworthy. Don't be moved by the circumstances. God will not fail you.

JAMES 1:17 ESV
17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.

We all face many problems in life, but God is not behind our problems.

God is your answer, not your problem.

Insurance contracts may call natural catastrophes "acts of God," but they are wrong. They are not acts of the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, but acts of the god of this world, the devil.

2 CORINTHIANS 4:4 NLT
4 Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don't believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. They don't understand this message about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God.

Jesus made a clear distinction between the work of God and the work of the thief in John 10:10.

JOHN 10:10 ESV
10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.

When terrible things happen, it is not unusual to find people saying "God, why did you do this to me?" This assumes God is responsible for every thing that happens. But the Bible gives us a different message.

1 JOHN 5:19 NLT
19 We know that we are children of God and that the world around us is under the control of the evil one.

The devil is behind the evil in the world. And people have allowed the devil to do his dirty work. So, ultimately, we humans are to blame. We cannot blame God. He has given us authority to stop evil, but we have failed to exercise our authority as we should have.

God gave mankind dominion on earth.

GENESIS 1:26 ESV
26 Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth."

When Jesus redeemed mankind, He restored to us dominion through His Name. We are responsible for what we allow to happen on earth, because Jesus has given us His authority.

LUKE 10:19 ESV
19 Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you.

MATTHEW 18:18 NLT
18 "I tell you the truth, whatever you forbid on earth will be forbidden in heaven, and whatever you permit on earth will be permitted in heaven.

Heaven will back us, but we have the responsibility to stand against evil on earth, using our spiritual authority.

Anything that steals, kills, or destroys is not from God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, but from our enemy, so it should be resisted.

Jesus Christ perfectly represented God and He went around doing good and healing people (Acts 10:38), not hurting people. Jesus was a giver, not a taker. And He is still the same today.

TITUS 1:2 NKJ
2 in hope of eternal life which God, who cannot lie, promised before time began,

It's not just that God has decided He will not lie -- He CANNOT lie.

God only speaks truth!

JOHN 17:17 NKJ
17 "Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.

Whatever God says comes to pass. God cannot lie, because anything He says will come into being -- even if it did not exist before He said it.

GENESIS 1:3 NKJ
3 Then God said, "Let there be light"; and there was light.

So God's Word is ultimate reality! More real, and lasting, than anything we can presently see.

God cannot lie because it is contrary to His nature. God's nature is one of selfless love for others. His nature is not to deceive. It is natural for God to be truthful and never to deceive.

NUMBERS 23:19 NLT
19 God is not a man, so he does not lie. He is not human, so he does not change his mind. Has he ever spoken and failed to act? Has he ever promised and not carried it through?

HEBREWS 6:18 NLT
18 So God has given both his promise and his oath. These two things are unchangeable because it is impossible for God to lie. Therefore, we who have fled to him for refuge can have great confidence as we hold to the hope that lies before us.

This is what makes the foundation of our relationship with God so solid -- God has given us His Word -- which cannot fail. If we are ever presented with evidence contrary to what God says, we can know we are being presented with a lie. For it is impossible for God to lie.

God cannot lie because it is not His nature, and because whatever He speaks will happen.

God's Word is medicine — for any weakness or sickness in body, mind, finances, family, marriage, etc.

Whatever sickness or disease you suffer from, God's Word can cure it. God's Word is effective for any condition. It works as a preventative as well as a cure. There is no cost and no danger of taking an overdose.

Like any medicine, God's Word must be taken to be effective. It will not work sitting on the shelf. And it has to be taken according to the directions.

But if you will follow God's directions as faithfully as you would follow the directions of a human doctor, you will see wonderful results.

Here are the directions:

PROVERBS 4:20-23 NKJ
20 My son, give attention to my words; incline your ear to my sayings.
21 Do not let them depart from your eyes; keep them in the midst of your heart;
22 For they are life to those who find them, and health to all their flesh.
23 Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life.

In verse 22 the Hebrew word translated health is translated as medicine in some translations.

PSALM 107:20 NKJ
20 He sent His word and healed them, And delivered them from their destructions.

God's Word will heal. It is full of God's power and carries the authority of God who spoke it.

JOHN 8:31-32 NKJ
31 Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, "If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed.
32 "And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."

You have the guarantee of Jesus — His Word will produce freedom.

But, you must abide, or continue in His Word. You must feed it in until you know that you know that you know the truth. Then you will act on that truth — and it will make you free.

God's medicine works by taking His Word into your being. You do that by listening to the Word, reading the Word, and speaking the Word.

You must fill your thoughts with the Word of God. The more of God's medicine you take, the better off you will be.

PHILIPPIANS 2:13 LB
13 For God is at work within you, helping you want to obey him, and then helping you do what he wants.

Don't be discouraged. God is at work!

You may not be happy with yourself now, but God is not finished working.

PHILIPPIANS 1:6 NASB
6 For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.

God can complete what He starts. Give Him some time.

HEBREWS 13:20-21 RSV
20 Now may the God of peace...
21 equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in you that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

You will never be able to please God just on your own effort, but through Jesus Christ and His work in you, you WILL become what God wants you to be.

1 CORINTHIANS 3:9 LB
9 We are only God's coworkers. You are God's garden, not ours; you are God's building, not ours.

We discovered that God's Word is a seed (Luke 8:11). Now we see that the Bible says that we, as believers, are God's garden -- the place where seed is planted.

The question for you to consider is: who determines the harvest? God, or you?

(The harvest I speak of is the fruit, or result, of the Word of God. The harvest of blessing that God's Word produces in your life.)

I suggest that the harvest is mainly controlled by the one who determines what seed is planted. Would you agree?

If wheat seed is planted, it is unreasonable to expect a harvest of corn. If only a few seeds are planted, it is unreasonable to expect a large harvest. Wouldn't you agree?

Yes, you are God's field, but He allows you a lot of freedom to choose what will be produced in your life. And the main way you choose is by choosing what seed will be planted in your heart and mind.

You can choose something other than God's Word. You can also choose different areas of God's Word. Planting different scriptures will produce different results in your life.

If all you ever plant are scriptures on the new birth, you cannot expect to have a huge harvest of healing or financial blessing in your life. The choice is yours.

EPHESIANS 2:4 NKJ
4 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us,

The devil promotes the lie that God is mad at people and anxious to condemn them, but the Bible says that God is rich in mercy.

Mercy means not getting what we deserve.

Rich means an abundant supply -- more than enough.

The Bible says 41 times of the Lord that "his mercy endures forever." Psalm 136 makes this statement in every verse.

PSALM 136:1 NKJ
1 Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.

We may look at people and think they don't deserve another chance. They may have blown it again and again and they may seem hopeless to us. But God looks at people differently. He looks at them through eyes of Love and sees their potential and so shows mercy.

Yes, God is against sin. But it's because He loves us, and knows how harmful sin is.

God not only approved of everything Jesus did -- He was very pleased with everything Jesus did.

JOHN 8:29 NKJ
29 "And He who sent Me is with Me. The Father has not left Me alone, for I always do those things that please Him."

Why is it important for us to look at this?

Many people are unclear what God's will is in many areas. There is much confusion over what many call "acts of God" which bring destruction. But if we understand that Jesus always did God's will perfectly, and that God was thrilled with everything Jesus did, then we can examine what Jesus did and see what God's will is.

Did Jesus ever make anyone sick -- even to teach them something? Did Jesus ever tell anyone it was not the will of God for them to be healed? Did Jesus ever tell anyone that God would not love them and help them? Did Jesus ever destroy anyone's property or steal it from them? Did Jesus ever kill anyone's family member?

No. Never. Jesus did what was pleasing to God. Those things are still not pleasing to God, and He should not be blamed for them.

Is God pleased when people are helped? Is God pleased when people are healed and delivered from bondage? Is God pleased when people's needs are met? Is God pleased when people have their sins forgiven? Is God pleased when people know that God loves them?

Yes. Those are the things Jesus did, and He perfectly pleased God.

Do you want to know God? Get acquainted with Jesus through the pages of the Bible.

JOHN 12:44-45 NKJ
44 . . .Jesus. . .said, "He who believes in Me, believes not in Me but in Him who sent Me.
45 "And he who sees Me sees Him who sent Me.

JOHN 14:7-10 NKJ
7 "If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him."
8 Philip said to Him, "Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us."
9 Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, `Show us the Father'?
10 "Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works.

Why am I stressing this point? It's simple. Most people think highly of Jesus of Nazareth. After all, there is not anything to fault with Him. But when it comes to God, most people blame Him for a lot of bad stuff.

The truth is: looking at Jesus gives you a perfectly clear picture of what the invisible God is like. Any other picture is a lie and a distortion.

2 CORINTHIANS 4:4 ICB
4 The devil who rules this world has blinded the minds of those who do not believe. They cannot see the light of the Good News -- the Good News about the glory of Christ, who is exactly like God.

What is God like?

Before Jesus of Nazareth came on the scene, the human concept of God was a bit fuzzy. (It still is for those who have not understood this truth.)

But Jesus perfectly revealed to us what God is like. He was (and is) Heaven's perfect representative.

COLOSSIANS 1:15 ICB
15 No one has seen God, but Jesus is exactly like him. Christ ranks higher than all the things that have been made.

COLOSSIANS 1:15 WEYMOUTH
15 Christ is the visible representation of the invisible God, the Firstborn and Lord of all creation.

HEBREWS 1:3 WEYMOUTH
3 He brightly reflects God's glory and is the exact representation of His being, and upholds the universe by His all-powerful word. After securing man's purification from sin He took His seat at the right hand of the Majesty on high,

The scriptures above should have made it clear that God is like Jesus. Now let's look at a verse summarizing the life of Jesus on earth.

ACTS 10:38 NKJ
38 "how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.

Notice that Jesus went about DOING GOOD -- not doing bad. Not hurting people, but helping people. That is what God is like.

JOB 40:8 LB
8 Are you going to discredit my justice and condemn me so that you can say you are right?

Many are quick to blame God for all the bad things in their life and in the world. "After all, God is ultimately responsible, isn't He?"

Is a parent responsible for the choices their grown children make? Certainly, they had influence in raising their children. But ultimately, each human makes their own choices and we are each responsible for our own actions. We cannot blame our parents -- our spouse -- or anyone else. If we choose to do wrong, it is our choice.

People are guilty. The devil is guilty. Not God.

"But what about storms, earthquakes, and such?"

Jesus rebuked the storm in Luke 8:24. Are we to believe that Jesus was rebuking something that God was responsible for?

Although it is not clear now to most people, one day it will be clear to all: God is not guilty of anything. The devil and people shoulder the blame for all the heartache, misery, and pain on earth.

JEREMIAH 9:24 NIV
24 but let him who boasts boast about this: that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight," declares the LORD.

1 JOHN 3:1 NIV
1 How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.

Yes, you have heard it before. No, you don't understand it yet.

Ephesians 3 mentions praying that believers would know the love of Christ -- which is really beyond knowledge. In other words, you need a divine revelation to understand God's love for you.

EPHESIANS 3:19 ICB
19 Christ's love is greater than any person can ever know. But I pray that you will be able to know that love. Then you can be filled with the fullness of God.

Yes, you know that Jesus died for you, that God watches over you, protects you and provides for you. But that does not really give you insight into how God feels about you. He could do all that just because He felt obligated to take care of you because He created you.

No. That is not the whole story. God LOVES you.

"But why would God love me? I don't even love myself" you may say. Well, pray for a divine revelation -- that is really the only way to know.

However, for those of you who are parents, this may help give you a little insight. Think about the love you have for your children. Can you adequately communicate how you feel to them? Well, our human love for our children is just a shadow of God's love for you, as His child.

EPHESIANS 3:15 AMPLIFIED

15 For Whom every family in heaven and on earth is named -- [that Father] from whom all fatherhood takes its title and derives its name.

I have included these different translations, with the notes from the margin, to show that the Bible says that all fatherhood derives from God. In other words, God is the original Father. Everything good that fathers are, was in God first. All earthly fatherhood is but a replica of what was first in God.

EPHESIANS 3:14-15 NIV
14 For this reason I kneel before the Father,
15 from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name.

NIV NOTE: Or whom all fatherhood

EPHESIANS 3:14-15 NRSV
14 For this reason I bow my knees before the Father,
15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth takes its name.

NRSV Note: Gk fatherhood

One mission of Jesus on earth was to show us what God was like, to reveal Him to us. Jesus introduced the concept of God as Father. The Jews did not know God as Father because the Old Testament does not teach it. No other religion had looked to God as a Father. Instead God was generally thought of as a judge at best, and often as a despicable character who could only be trusted to let you down; someone who would play tricks on you just for his amusement, and delight in disappointing you.

Concepts of God haven't really changed much, have they!

But Jesus revealed to humanity that God was not like they thought -- He was a good Father. Not someone who would do them wrong, but someone who would take care of them with their best interest always at heart. Someone who would love them more than they loved themselves.

How do you think of God?

God's Word Will Make You Free

Who Can Be Against Us?

You Are God's Work Of Art

God's Demonstration

God's Word Will Make You Free

God With Us

What Is God Like?

God Can Be Trusted

God Is Not Your Problem

God Cannot Lie

God's Word Is Medicine

God Is Working In You

You Are God's Garden

God Is Rich In Mercy

Jesus Perfectly Pleased The Father

To See God, Look At Jesus

Jesus Revealed God To Us

God Is Not Guilty

God Really Does Love You

God Is A Father

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