God's Word: the Shield

 

    God's Word provides all the protection you need in this world.  Without God's Word, we could not have faith.  God warned people not to add to or change His Word.  He had it written and spoke just the way it needs to be.  There are serious consequences to go against God.  His warning comes with consequences: plagues.

      Do not judge or add a condition onto people.  God's laws and ways bring life to people.  It is other people that add to it that makes life hard.  If you make another person's life harder, then you can't judge if they do not act the way you think they should.  Do not humanize to rationalize sin.  If you go against God's Word, then you are sinning.

    Put yourself under God's control,  Anything else is you trying to control God's plan.  It never works and you waste a lot of energy in the process.  Make plans and give them over to God.  Go along with the plan until God gives you new direction.  He will not bless those who sit and wait for everything to come to them. 

    God does not change.  You are the one that will change.  If you change to become more like Jesus, then God gives you a life with fuller meaning and reveals additional truth to you.  To have God's wisdom is to have profound insight.  He does not need you to speak for Him, but He chooses you to do so for your benefit or to benefit someone else more.  You are meant to be a tool for unity, not division.

    God's revelation is enough.  You discover it in God's Word.  When you are under attack it comes to you to protect you.  That is why you need to know God's Word for yourself.  You essentially to have a hunger for His Word.  Avoid babble that will lead you away from the truth to avoid many problems in life.  This is how God's Word is your shield.

Deuteronomy 12:1-3, Psalm 18:30-45, Proverbs 30:5-6, Ephesians 6:13-17, & Revelations 2:18

Biblical Refuge

 

    Faith is more than a philosophy.  It is based on God's Word.  It is made up of 6,000 manuscripts over time from eye witness written reports.  In the Beginning, God warned about changing His Word.  His people took that seriously, so that today we can trust the words that are written are true.  The Bible upholds academically, but it is so much more than just knowledge.

    The Bible gives us the original archeology.  It leads us where to look for places that He destroyed or allowed to be destroyed.  We can find where Jesus was born, died, resurrected, and ascended.  The Bible is powerful.  It gives life to those who read it and want it.  It gives instructions on how to live a holy moral life.

    The Bible is a source of refuge for those who trust God.  If you allow the Holy Spirit to speak to you as you read the Bible, then you will not be disappointed.  You will find redemption.  Hold onto true hope that you will find in the Bible.

    Learn how to allow God to become your strength.  He is your refuge where you find rest, comfort, and protection.  He is the reason why you do not need to be afraid.  He can't be broken, dethroned, or killed.  He is over the most powerful army that can exist.  He is the fortress that holds onto your salvation.  Open your eyes and see Him work on your behalf.

Psalm 18:21-3, 46:1-7, 62:5-8, 91:1-8, Proverbs 30:5-6, & John 16:31-33

The Shield

 

    In the armor of God we have the shield.  The shield is our faith.  It is the reliance you have on God's promises of protection against evil.  It is believing every word that the Bible tells you is true.  You understand that when God speaks it is for your benefit.  You recognize that His words hold power.  When you are going through challenging times it is your faith that will get you through.

    When God speaks things happen.  His voice will convict you, give you healing, and holds powerful promises.  His words turned into confirmation through Jesus to provide you with a chance of salvation.  He spoke the world into creation.  His words hold significance and have impact.  

    He is perfect and Holy.  It is humanity that is flawed and corrupt.  People are the ones that gave Satan as much power for destruction that he has.  When you allow Satan into your mind, then he has power.  if you resist and fight him with the shield, then he has no power over you.  If you allow Satan in, then God will allow him a certain level of power.

    God is sovereign.  He knows everything.  He is eternal.  His power is unlimited.  You can trust God because He is reliable.  He gave the Holy Spirit to everyone who chooses to follow Jesus faithfully.  It is the Holy Spirit that is your internal witness.  He is your source of truth.  He gives you spiritual fruit to help you thrive in life and the church to grow.  He personally helps you change for the better.

Psalms 18:1-3, 84:9-12, 94:1-7, Proverbs 30:5-6, & Ephesians 6:10-17

Confront Misinterpretation

 

    Confrontation is not easy for everyone, but when you believe in something you have to confront misinformation or misinterpretation.  God's Word is something that all Christians should be getting to know or know well enough to defend.  New Christians often will need help learning how to read God's Word.  Make sure that they have help and do not accidently misinterpret what God is saying.

    The number one issue that needs to be defended is the truth on salvation.  Jesus is the only way to salvation.  Anyone who says differently is mistaken.  Find a way to correct them that will not turn them off from hearing the truth.  Some people have a hard heart, so no matter what you say they will not listen.  Do not let that get in your head.  Be obedient to God's Word and you have done all you can do.

    Examine your heart when approaching God's Word.  You need to submit to God's authority to get the message He is trying to give you.  If you have any defiance, then you may find yourself manipulating God's Word to make it say what you want it to say.  Accept God's Word as truth and reject everything else as lies.  Pray over what you are reading, to get what you need to get today.  This is how you will be a good steward for God's Word.

Proverbs 30:4-6, Jeremiah 29:10-14, Romans 8:26-30, Ephesians 4:25-27, & Philippians 4:10-14

Light of Hope

 

    Mercy is when we receive forgiveness when we do not deserve it.  We are all sinners.  We all deserve judgment and punishment.  Sin makes us feel entitled to more than we actually deserve.  That is how Satan tempts us.  It is never is big things.  It always starts with something small that look innocent.  He captures our attention and then he starts to twist what was innocent into something evil.

    God's mercy never ends.  He is more powerful than any temptation.  He gives us a way to escape doing evil.  He never gives up on us.  In His mercy, He sent Jesus to die and take all of our sins with his body.  When he resurrected it was mercy coming to life.  It gives us all the opportunity to surrender our sinful nature and accept a new nature through salvation.  It is always your choice to accept or not.

    Jesus is the light of hope.  He is God's love sent to this world to connect with people.  The world may fall apart, self-destruct, or just be chaotic, but we have hope thanks to Jesus.  If you do not have hope, then you need to turn to Jesus today.  He is the only way to find true hope.  When you understand your hope and where it comes from, then start showing other people the way.

Psalm 9:17-18, 119:129-136, Jeremiah 29:10-14, Lamentations 3:19-24, Micah 7:7-10, & Romans 15:7-13

Gloom of Affliction

 

    Afflictions in life bring gloom.  If we don't remember the hope that we have in life, then affliction can makes the world feel dark, overwhelming, and make you feel insignificant.  We need hope.  Hope makes the world beautiful, places a smile on your face, and keeps your spirit alive.

    Disobedience leads to suffering and affliction.  There is always negative consequences to sin and disobedience is sin.  Remember the mess that sin has caused in your own life.  Do you ever wonder about your nature that draws you toward sin?  Do you ever question why you do the things you do?  Sin will always break and humble the soul.

    You have to realize that you can't save yourself.  Jesus is your only hope for salvation.  He is your hope in the darkest places because he is your way out.  You can trust that God loves you and will never give up on you.  That trust gives your soul hope.  All you have to do is trust in Jesus and proclaim the truth and your salvation is secure for eternity.  Jesus is your deliverance from the gloom of affliction.

 Psalm 34:11-22, 86: 1-7, Isaiah 8:20-22, Lamentations 3:19-27, Acts 7:33-34, & James 4:7-10

Jesus' Justice

 

    Jesus' justice is simple and clear.  If you have sinned, then you are bound for hell.  We all have sinned.  It is a natural part of our nature because it became a part of humanity as soon as Adam and Eve sinned.  Jesus made the way out of doom simple too.  Believe in him and proclaim the truth.  The moment you do, you have salvation from your sins.

    The thing is many people do not take this seriously.  If you rebel against God's way, then you will face Jesus on judgment day.  The out come will not be what you want.  You can't earn your way into Heaven.  You can't manipulate, charm, or demand your way into Heaven.  Jesus is the only way.  If you reject Jesus, then you will face the full wrath of God.

    We all face internal torment at one point or another.  Can you imagine living eternally in that torment, but amplified by a million?  It is unfathomable.  Why risk it?  We will all die in the body that we have.  We will all be placed in new eternal bodies.  

    When we get our eternal bodies, we will all face judgment.  There will be the final separation where Christians will face God to answer for all the things we did not do.  Then there will be everyone else to face their second death.  

    The second death is where there is no chance to change things.  You will face the pit of eternal suffering.  That is horrible, but the worst part will be an eternity without God's presence.  It is eternity without hope.  Earth can be hard and miserable, but God's presence is always here.  You can see glimpses of Him anywhere you look (nature, sky, the earth itself).  We have hope here, but in hell all that will be gone.

    Your life is now.  Your only chance for Jesus to justify you and spend eternity with him is while you are alive.  Once you die, all opportunities are gone.  No one knows when their last breath is, so it is a gamble with your soul every time you put it off.

    The pit is a lake of fire where there will be no love, peace, kindness, or anything else that is good or true in this world.  Once you enter the doors of hell, they are locked.  It is a one way entry.  There is no escape.  There is nowhere else to go.  Don't choose to go there.  Choose to follow Jesus and be justified.  Choose love and peace and hope.

Amos 5:21-24, Micah 6:6-8, Matthew 5:3-10, 8:10-12, 25:36, John 3:34-36, 2 Thessalonians 1:7-10, & Revelations 14:17-20