Impossible

 

    Nothing is impossible for God except for Him to break His word.  That means that once you step into His world in faith, you are a saved.  You are a true Christians and nothing can take that away from you.  Salvation is eternal and lived out in your life.

    Salvation is irrational.  It goes against everything about human nature.  It makes no sense why God would sacrifice Jesus to become the door between humans and Himself.  However, that is exactly what He did.  That sacrifice created an everlasting covenant with everyone willing to walk in faith to have a real relationship with God and never have that relationship taken away from them.  It is impossible to loose your salvation because God said so.

    It is illogical to loose your salvation.  The Gospels tell us exactly how much God loves us.  He backed His Word with action.  He made the sacrifice to show people what love really is.  His sacrifice was an act of mercy for us.  If we accept it, then we receive unmerited grace.  God's grace can only be received through faith.

    It is impossible to loose your salvation because once God forgives you of your sins they are erased.  It becomes almost like there was not a time that you were not saved.  At the same time we should not abuse the gift that God gave us.  We need to practice forgiveness too.  We need to forgive ourselves and other people.  We also need to do all we can not to sin anymore.  When we do, then we still need to repent to maintain our good standing, but that does not mean that we would loose our salvation.

    Salvation is not something anyone can ever learn.  We are in a loop of habitual sin before we even know what sin is.  We are incapable of being perfect.  We only get better once we start walking in faith.  To walk in faith you have to believe, accept, and embrace the truth about Jesus.  He is the only doorway into an eternal life with himself, God, and the Holy Spirit.  He gives you the identity of God's child.  His way is true security in life.

Psalm 13, John 10:25-30, Acts 4:19-22, & Ephesians 2:8-10

Wise Heart

 

    Every heart is wise or foolish.  The heart is easier to control than the tongue, but you have to have self-control.  You have to control your thoughts or your heart will run wild.  The state of your heart will determine if you obey God or not.

    The heart gathers good things or scatters them.  It will feed your soul or starve it.  It will guide your or lead you astray in life.  Your heart will protect you or harm you.  It is the strongest muscle in your body, but the easiest to hurt.  If you have a wise heart, then you can protect your heart from a lot of pain by following Jesus.

    Your heart determines life or death.  Physically when the heart stops working, then you dye.  Emotionally, you become isolated.  Spiritually, you push God away.  It is wise to take care of your heart.  That requires some sacrifices now for the future or greater good.  If you allow your heart to be foolish, then it becomes sullied.

    The heart encourages or destroys your attitude and spirit.  It gives grace or holds grudges.  It will submit or reject to God's will.  The heart will choose to love or hate.  If you choose the aspects of God to control your heart, then you will have a wise heart.  A wise heart makes God happy.

Proverbs 10:8-21, 16:21-24, 23:15-16, & Ecclesiastes 10:1-4

Wise Words

 

    When you speak you have the power to tear down someone, build them up, or provide healing.  If you are a Christian, then your words are the words of an ambassador for God.  They hold power, mean, and representation.  It is important that we are careful with our words.  It is important that we speak wisely.

    Our words reveal our righteousness or evil in our heart.  If you have a redeemed heart, then it is your responsibility to speak love.  It takes time and practice to restrain your lips or when to be silent.  It requires self-control over your mind and tongue.  To be able to speak wisely is a gift.

    Words have a magnitude of power.  No matter how you use your words it will lead to understanding.  People will understand you better or the situation.  You need to hold yourself accountable.  When you abuse words, then you need to say that you are sorry and mean it.  It is amazing how an apology can defuse a situation or bring healing to a hurting heart.

    The hardest part may be yielding your words to God.  You can make sure you have the last word or you can give God the chance to reveal a truth.  You have to work at refining your words so that they are pure.  If you have a heart that seeks God, then you life and words should reflect that.  You have to back your words with your actions and body language.  

    Your life is a journey.  It is with God or it is alone.  No one escapes the affects of the power of words.  All you can do is allow God to heal your wounds caused by words and embrace the truth.  God's Words are true and give hope and love.  If you learn how to speak by following Jesus, then you will use your words to encourage others to do the same.  Wise words are precious jewels.

Psalm 27:4-6, Proverbs 10:17-21, 12:15-19, 20:12-15, & Philippians 4:10-14

Rejecting Truth

 

    To reject the truth about God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit is to have lying lips that reveal a foolish heart.  Christians that do not follow Jesus are hypocrites.  They wear a mask while playing games that lead others astray.  The truth is harsh sometimes, but always needs to be faced.  Lies that are the most believable come from people who believe the lie.

    Only fools slander other people.  They have to exalt themselves by tearing other people down.  They spread or create gossip to have control over a storyline.  This behavior in a church will cripple the church because gossip is evil.  People that listen to gossip are garbage collectors.  It does nothing but pollute the mind.

    Reject the lies of the world and choose to be a person that encourages other people.  You do not have to be the slanderer or the gossiper to cause trouble.  If you listen or don't put a stop to it, then you are just as guilty as they are.

    Seeking the truth can be hard because it takes you to new places.  It makes other people in your life uncomfortable, but it will give you soul life.  Learn the truth before you pass it along a fact.   The truth is helpful and necessary in life.  To tell the truth is an act of kindness even if it is unwanted.  

    We all have struggles with wanting to be seen, recognized, notices, or just have attention.  Understanding the truth about God helps you put that into perspective.  It opens your eyes to your transgressions and influence toward sin.  

    The battle of desire versus truth is fought in your mind and expressed through your words.  We are all corruptible.  That is why we need to consider our words and measure our speech.  God gave us two ears and one mouth.  

    We need to train ourselves to listen more and speak less.  Do not make excuses for yourself, blame others, play the what if game, or anything else that removes personal responsibility.  The truth is in your hands.  You either accept it or reject it.

Proverbs 10:17-21, 17:3-5, Romans 1:18-20, 2:5-11, & 2 Timothy 4:3-8

Words

 

    The average person speaks 16,000 words a day.  How many of those words are life giving, productive, and provide healing to yourself or other people?  Words have meaning.  Words have power.  Words can build people up or tear them down because they are significant.

    When you speak try to use wisdom in your words.  This means that you take the time to pray or have your alone time with God before you speak to anyone.  It shows that you yield your trust in God's promises.  When you speak truth in love, then you build people up.  You may have to say some hard things that hurt initially, but it will help them grow and be better.  Reveal the error in a way that will bring forth life instead of crushing the soul or making the person defensive.

    Foolish lips do not consider their words.  Your words will reflect your heart over time.  It will reveal what you are thinking.  It takes self-discipline to use your words well.  If you reject correction, then you will lead others astray.  If you speak evil, then you destroy your own world.

    The tongue is like fire.  It can't be tamed without God.  It will speak poison, curses, or blessings.  Watch your mouth and the words that you allow out of it.  The more you speak, them more you leave the opportunity for Satan.  Once you say something, it can't be unheard.  Be careful with your words.

Proverbs 10:17-21, Ephesians 2:8-10, Colossians 1:15-20, & James 3:5-12

Pastorial Prayer

 

    Pastoral prayer is a public prayer led by the pastor in a church service.  That sounds very doctrinal, but it is more than that.  It is the pastor humbling leading his church.  He reveals his heart to the public.  He shows the church how to pray thanksgiving and intercession.  

    The Pastor leads prayer by praising God, ask for forgiveness, ask for guidance or assistance, and how to lead.  In Pastoral prayers they will also include needs physical and spiritual), the church, community, city, state, and nation.  He prays for missionaries and church planters.  He prayers over significant crisis.  Basically he leads the church in prayer in a healthy pattern of worship.

    When the pastor prayers blessings over his commissioned church, he is drawing the people in.  He is showing grace and praying that they see God's grace too.  He is showing confidence in his relationship with God to lead the people as God instructs.

    The Pastor is the leader of the church, but it is not his job to force anyone into responding to prayer or come to salvation.  That is a personal choice.  When he prays, he is showing patience in his church.  He knows he has to wait until they are ready to make life changes and choices.

    When the pastor prays for the community.  It is should about getting a bigger church.  It needs to be about not wanting to leave this world with anyone unreached or having the opportunity to become a Christian.  He understands that it takes time.  

    The church is not about money, but the church building does need money to maintain and take care of what God has given the community of believers.  That means that sometimes the pastor has to pray over money.

    The pastor leads his people in a time of reflection.  It is time for people to not be rushed to a decision, but to really work salvation out.  They may have other issues that need attending.  Some people may need a moment of stillness.  It is for the overall health of the church, so the pastor will pray silently, but still leading his people.  At the end the people that got involved should be in a place of peace and ready to focus on the sermon or what is to come in the day.

Numbers 6:22-27, Romans 15:5-6, Hebrews 4:14-16, & 1 Peter 5:6-11

God the Gardener

 

    God is the creator of all life.  He cares about everything He created.  However, if it does not bare fruit, then he will cut it off.  Anyone can claim to be a Christian, but if you do not live the Christian life, then you will be cut off from eternal peace and glory with God.    

    The people that care cut off will be discarded and burn for eternity.  The soul is eternal.  It feels more intensely than your body.  It will not be consumed by the flames.  Instead the soul will endure eternal agony with no relief.  The day of judgement is when the pruning happens and once it happens, it will not be reversed.

    If you are a true Christian, then you are saved by the grace of God through faith and following Jesus.  Your salvation is what sustains you in life.  If provides blessings, but that does not mean you will not face trails and tribulations.  Endure for now because the reward in Heaven is eternal.  It will not be taken away.

    To follow Jesus is to become more like God in how you think and face the world.  It does not make you a god.  It does not make you better than anyone else.  It makes you blessed and opens your eyes to the truth, so you do not live like a carnal Christian or worse a non Christian with no hope.

    God has made it clear to all who want to know how to have salvation.  If you don't want to know, then you can't complain about the consequences.  In reality, only God and you know the true status of your salvation.  People will speculate and judge, but God is the only one that matters.  

    If you have questions about your salvation or how you are living as a Christian, then test yourself.  Do not go easy on yourself.  It is better to know who you are in Christ now rather than face judgment later.  When you understand that your salvation is real and eternal, then you can really start to grow and live free now.  All you have to do is seek a connection and a true relationship with God. 

Matthew 7:21-23, John 15:1-17, Romans 8:26-30, & 1 Corinthians 3:5-9