FIGHT THE GOOD FIGHT OF FAITH!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

SUNDAY JANUARY 14, 2024.

SUBJECT: FIGHT THE GOOD FIGHT OF FAITH!

Memory verse: "Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses." (First Timothy 6 vs 12.)

READ: Second Timothy 4 vs 1 - 8:

4:1: I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom;

4:2: Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching.

4:3: For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears away from the truth, they will heap up for themselves teachers;

4:4: and they will turn away their ears from the truth, and be turned aside to fables.

4:5: But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.

4:6: For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand.

4:7: I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.

4:8: Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge will give me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.

INTIMATION:

Christianity is religion that anchors on our faith in God the Father and Jesus Christ—His Son, and the exercising of that faith in our day to day lives. It is not a passive religion that advocates waiting for God to act while we watch. Your believe or faith must be active; training, working hard, sacrificing, and doing what you know is right. 

It is a faithful calling by God into relationship with Him, and fellowship with His Son. He is calling you to come and walk with His Son, to live with Him, to carry on the Son's work in His absence. The “calling” is hard work in obedience and discipline. 

But the beauty of the work is that you are not alone; an Helper—the Holy Spirit, has been freely given to us by God the Father and the Son to help us in the fight. To fight the good fight of faith is to allow faith in God do its work in you. It’s to contend perseveringly against opposition and temptations of your faith in God. The main elements of faith in its relation to the invisible God are (1) a firm conviction, producing a full acknowledgement of God’s revelation or truth; (2) a personal surrender to Him; (3) a conduct inspired by such surrender. All these elements are given prominence in the life of the believer.

As followers of Christ, our goal is to know Him, to be like Him, and to be all He had in mind for us. This goal should take all of our energies, and not let anything take our eyes off our goal—knowing Christ. With the single-mindedness of an athlete in training, we must lay aside everything harmful and forsake anything that may distract us from being effective Christians. It takes hard work, self-denial, and grueling preparation, and requires us to give up whatever endangers our relationship with God, while running with endurance, and struggling against sin with the power of the Holy Spirit. To live effectively, we must keep our eye on Jesus, and we must always keep Him at sight. We are running toward our heavenly reward, and the essential disciplines of prayer, Bible study, and worship equip us to run with vigor and stamina. 

The winning streak in our faith fight is self-discipline, and it requires an honest look at your strengths and weaknesses, with emphasis on the latter. It means building the will to say no when a powerful appetite inside you screams yes. For example, when you have self-discipline, you can (1) say no to friends or situations that will lead you away from Christ, (2) say no to casual sex, saving intimacy for marriage, and (3) say no to laziness in favor of “can do” and “will do.” Self-discipline is a long, steady course in learning attitudes that do not come naturally, but requires channeling natural appetites toward God’s purposes. 

In the passage we read today, the apostle told his spiritual son, Timothy, the things to do in his good fight of faith; preach the Good News—the gospel—to take a stand for Christ and tell others about His love, as it is the most important responsibility Christ has given to the Body of Christ and its members. It may be inconvenient, but he must be prepared for, courageous in, and sensitive to God-given opportunities to tell the Good News. He said he should be convincing in his message, rebuking his hearers for their wrongdoings, and exhorting them—urging them strongly in the right attitudes. And he should be sensitive in his work of ministry, keeping a clear mind in every situation so as to be morally alert to temptation, resistant to pressures, and vigilant when facing responsibilities.

The Scripture, in Hebrews 12 vs 1 - 2, is a perfect reference to encourage us in the fight. It says, “Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” 

We have read in the Bible of many that fought the good fight of faith and prevailed (See Hebrews chapter 11), and have so many great cloud of witnesses around us today. This simply tells us it is doable. To effectively run the race that God has set before us, we must not let anything deter us; life’s circumstances, worldly pleasures, and pressures, and so on. We must strip off the excess weight that slows us down. 

How can we do that? (1) Be God-focused, “looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith.” (2) On worldly pleasures and pressures, drop certain activities that are distractions to your heavenly race, wisely choose friends who are also committed to the race. Wrong friends will have values and activities that may deter you from the course. Much of your own weight may result from the crowd you run with. (3) Get help for addictions that disable you. For instance, if you have a secret weight such as pornography, gambling, or alcohol, admit your need and get help today.

Prayer: Abba Father, endue me with a warrior spirit to enable me fight the good fight of faith, looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of my faith, and to endure to the end so as to receive the crown of glory—eternal life with You, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed. Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

The Command That Creates

 Anything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says, “Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.” (Ephesians 5:14)

When Jesus commanded Lazarus to rise from the dead, how did he obey that command? John 11:43 says, “He [Jesus] cried out with a loud voice, ‘Lazarus, come out.’” That was a command to a dead man. The next verse says, “The man who had died came out, his hands and feet bound with linen strips” (John 11:44).

How did Lazarus do that? How does a dead man obey a command to live again? The answer seems to be: The command carries the power to create new life. Obedience to the command means doing what living people do.

This is extremely important. The command of God, “Rise from the dead!” carries in it the power we need to obey it. We do not obey it by creating that life. We obey it by doing what living people do — Lazarus came forth. He rose. He walked out to Jesus. The call of God creates life. We respond in the power of what the call creates.

In Ephesians 5:14, Paul says, “Awake, O sleeper, and rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.” How do you obey a command to wake up from sleep? If your house has poisonous carbon monoxide in it, and someone cries out, “Wake up! Save yourself! Get out!” you don’t obey by waking yourself up. The loud, powerful command itself wakes you up. You obey by doing what wakeful people do in the face of danger. You get up and leave the house. The call creates the waking. You respond in the power of what the call created — wakefulness.

I believe this is the explanation for why the Bible says paradoxical things about new birth; namely, that we must get ourselves new hearts, but that it is God who creates the new heart. For example:

Deuteronomy 10:16: “Circumcise your heart!”

Deuteronomy 30:6: “The Lord will circumcise your heart.”

Ezekiel 18:31: “Make yourselves a new heart and a new spirit!”

Ezekiel 36:26: “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you.”

John 3:7: “You must be born again.”

1 Peter 1:3: “God caused us to be born again.”

The way to obey the command to be born is to first experience the divine gift of life and breath, and then to do what living, breathing people do: cry out to God in faith and gratitude and love. When the command of God comes with the creating, converting power of the Holy Spirit, it gives life. And we believe and rejoice and obey.

HUMILITY ENGENDERS GOD’S GRACE!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

SATURDAY JANUARY 13, 2024. 

SUBJECT : HUMILITY ENGENDERS GOD’S GRACE! 

Memory verse: "Surely He scorns the scornful, but gives grace to the humble." (Proverbs 3 vs 34.) 

READ: First Peter 5 vs 5 - 7:

5:5: Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for "God resists the proud. But gives grace to the humble."

5:6: Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time,

5:7: casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.

INTIMATION:

God gives grace (unmerited favor) to the humble, to those who adhere to, trust in and rely on Him and not on their own ability, schemes and devises; not relying on their own great wisdom, knowledge and faith. Being humble is not to think too highly of oneself; it’s being modest, simple, unpretentious, submissive, not prideful, gentle, and lowly. Humility means proper respect for God, not self-depreciation.

To humble yourself under the mighty hand of God is to put your trust on Him; relying on Him in everything. It means to ask the Lord for what you need and then wait on Him to provide it as He sees fit, knowing that His timing is always perfect, and that in due time He will exalt you. It means to be still and know that He is God, and that He knows what is best for you in every situation of life. It means to stop trying to make things happen yourself and allow the Lord to show you what you need to do and to co-operate with His plan and purpose for you.

Some people try to give the appearance of humility in order to manipulate others. Others think that humility means putting themselves down. Truly humble people compare themselves only with Christ, realize their sinfulness, and understand their limitations. On the other hand, they also recognize their gifts and strengths and are willing to use them as Christ directs. Humility is not self-degradation; it is realistic self-assessment and commitment to serve.

The person who really understands the grace of God will not worry. Why? Because worry is a work of the flesh. It is trying to figure out what to do to solve your problem rather than trusting in God for deliverance. The individual who is living in constant worry is not receiving the fullness of God's grace, because just as perfect love casts out fear (First John 4 vs 18), so God's grace expels all traces of worry and anxiety. Walk in the grace of the Lord and you will not fulfill the work of the flesh.

We often worry about our position and status, hoping to get proper recognition for what we do. Remember that God's recognition counts more than human praise. Humbly obey God regardless of present circumstances, and in His good time, He will lift you up. Carrying your worries, stresses, and daily struggles by yourself shows that you have not trusted God fully with your life, and that is pride. It takes humility, however, to recognize that God cares, and to admit your need and lay them at the feet of our Messiah.

Sometimes we think that struggles caused by our own sin and foolishness are not God's concern. But when we turn to God in repentance, He will bear the weight even of those struggles. Letting God have your anxieties calls for action, not passivity. We display lack of knowledge of God when we think of everything we did wrong and figure that it automatically disqualifies us for any of God's blessings. And it is under this weight of lack of knowledge that we are destroyed (Hosea 4 vs 6).

If God could bless only perfect people, then He could never bless anyone, because we have all sinned and come short of the glory of God. (Romans 3 vs 23.) Consequently, none of us supposedly deserve any good thing from the Lord. But that fact did not keep us from receiving His glorious salvation; why should it keep us from receiving His manifold blessings? If He didn't spare or withhold even His own Son, but gave Him up for us all, will He not also with Him freely and graciously give us all other things? (Romans 8 vs 32).

The apostle Peter says we should cast the whole of our care (all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns) on God Almighty, for He cares for us affectionately and cares about us watchfully. Don't submit to circumstances, but to the Lord who controls circumstances.

Prayer: Abba Father, in You I live, and move, and have my being. I will forever humble myself before You, knowing that outside of You I am nothing and can do nothing. Give me the grace to submit totally to You. and rely on You completely in all things, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed. Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD! 

The Experiential Key

 God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work. (2 Corinthians 9:8)

We know that faith in God’s future grace is the experiential key to generosity, because in 2 Corinthians, Paul holds out this wonderful promise: “God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work” (2 Corinthians 9:8).

In other words, if you want to be free from the need to stash away your money, if you want to overflow with an abundance (of grace!) for every good work, then put your faith in future grace. Trust the promise that “God is able to make all grace abound to you” in every future moment for this very purpose.

I just called faith in future grace the “experiential key” to generosity, so as not to deny that there is a historical key as well. There is a key of experience, and a key of history. When talking about the grace they received, Paul reminds the Corinthians of the historical key of grace, “You know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich” (2 Corinthians 8:9).

Without this historical work of grace, the door of Christ-exalting generosity would remain closed. That past grace is an indispensable key to love.

But notice how the past grace in this verse functions. It is made the foundation (Christ became poor) of future grace (that we might become rich). Thus, the historical key to our generosity operates by putting a foundation under the experiential key of faith in future grace.

Thus, the experiential key to love and generosity is this: Put your faith firmly in future grace — namely, that “God is able (in the future) to make all (future) grace abound to you” — so that your needs are met, and so that you will be able to overflow with the love of generosity.

Freedom from greed comes from the deeply satisfying faith in God’s future grace.

THE SPIRIT OF GRACE AS OUR HELPER!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

FRIDAY JANUARY 12, 2024.

SUBJECT : THE SPIRIT OF GRACE AS OUR HELPER! 

Memory verse: "This is word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: 'Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,' says the LORD of hosts." (Zechariah 4 vs 6.)

READ: Ezra 4 vs 1 - 5: 

4:1: Now when the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the descendants of the captivity were building the temple of the LORD God of Israel,

4:2: they came to Zerubbabel and the heads of the fathers' houses, and said to them, "Let us build with you, for we seek your God as you do; and we have sacrificed to Him since the days of Esarhaddon King of Assyria, who brought us here."

4:3: But Zerubbabel and Jeshua and the rest of the heads of the fathers' houses of Israel said to them, "You may do nothing with us to build a house for our God; but we alone will build to the LORD God of Israel, as King Cyrus the king of Persia has commanded us."

4:4: Then the people of the land tried to discourage the people of Judah. They troubled them in building, 

4:5: and hired counselors against them to frustrate their purpose all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius King of Persia. 

INTIMATION:

The Spirit of grace—the Holy Spirit—is our enabler for extraordinary tasks. It usually causes a temporary and spontaneous increase of physical, spiritual, or mental strength. The empowering of the Spirit can be an extraordinary and supernatural occurrence to prepare a person for a special task. This power of God available to us to accomplish our tasks. We should ask the Holy Spirit’s help as we face our daily problems as well as life’s major challenges. The Holy Spirit is a personality promised and made available to all believers in Christ, as our Helper in our new life as Christians. He enables us to accomplish those tasks we ordinarily will not be able to handle.

To understand His helping power, we will look at the passage we read today from the Book of Ezra. The adversaries of the two tribes of Judah and Benjamin were people who had been relocated in the northern kingdom when Assyria conquered Israel. In an attempt to infiltrate and disrupt the project these people offered to help in the rebuilding project. Their real motive was to disrupt the temple project because they don't want Jerusalem to be strong again on their return from exile. 

Although it is true they were worshipping the God of Israel, but they also worshipped many other gods. To these foreigners God was just another 'idol' to be added to their collection. In God's eyes, this was not worship—it was sin and rebellion. True worship involves devotion to God alone. The Jews however, knew this—they saw through their ploy and refused their assistance. Since the Israelites (Jews) were well aware of that fact, they told the Samaritans, their long-time enemies, that they had no part in building a temple to the Lord. And this angered the Samaritans that they began to do everything in their power to harass and cause trouble for the Israelites, to frustrate their purpose and plans. 

Now, in Zechariah 4 vs 1 - 3, the Bible says, "And the angel who talked with me came again and awakened me, like a man who is awakened out of his sleep. And said to me, What do you see? So I said, "I am looking, and there is a lampstand all of solid gold with its bowl on top of it, and on the stand seven lamps with seven pipes to the seven lamps. Two olive trees by it, one at the right of the bowl and the other upon the left." 

In Zechariah’s vision the lampstand, the seven lamps upon it, the seven pipes to the lamps, are connected to the two olive trees that fed the lamps continuously with oil. Students of the Word of God know that oil represents the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit is the power of Almighty God. And the grace of God is the power of the Holy Spirit available to us to meet our needs and solve our problems. Now, the seven lamps on the lampstand can only give light and glow if they have oil supplied to it, and they had constant supply of oil from the olive trees. 

The angel explained the vision to Zerubbabel in Zechariah 4 vs 4 - 6 thus; "So I answered and spoke to the angel who talked with me, saying, "What are these, my lord? Then the angel who talked with me answered and said to me, "Do you not know what these are? And I said, No, my lord. So he answered and said to me; This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: 'Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit,' says the Lord of hosts." Here the Lord is speaking to the same people who were trying to build the temple with Zerubbabel. He showed them how they should react to their frustrating situation, that their response to troubles should be to depend not upon their own abilities or efforts, but upon the limitless power of the Holy Spirit to meet the issues and resolve the crises they face. 

The vision given to Zechariah, shows the limitless power of God's grace in meeting our needs being made manifest. Remember, it is not by your power or might but by the Spirit (the grace) of God that we overcome all our lives' challenges. Many people believe that to survive in this world a person must be tough, strong, unbending and harsh. But God says, "Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit." It is only through God's Spirit (God's grace) that anything of lasting value is accomplished.

Prayer: Abba Father, thank You most precious God for the gift of the Holy Spirit. By my strength I cannot do much to prevail, but by Your strength available to me through the Spirit of grace, I can do all things, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed. Amen. 

PRAISE THE LORD!

Passionate for God and Truth

 What if some were unfaithful? Does their faithlessness nullify the faithfulness of God? By no means! Let God be true though every one were a liar, as it is written, “That you may be justified in your words, and prevail when you are judged.” (Romans 3:3–4)

Our concern with truth is an inevitable expression of our concern with God. If God exists, then he is the measure of all things, and what he thinks about all things is the measure of what we should think.

Not to care about truth is not to care about God. To love God passionately is to love truth passionately. Being God-centered in life means being truth-driven in ministry. What is not true is not of God.

Ponder these four sets of texts on God and truth:

1) God Is the Truth

Romans 3:3–4 (God the Father): “What if some were unfaithful? Does their faithlessness nullify the faithfulness of God? By no means! Let God be true though every one were a liar.”

John 14:6 (God the Son): Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

John 15:26 (God the Spirit): “When the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me.”

2) Not Loving the Truth Is Eternally Ruinous

Second Thessalonians 2:10: The wicked will perish “because they refused to love the truth and so be saved.”

3) Christian Living Is Based on Knowledge of the Truth

First Corinthians 6:15–16: “Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? Never! Or do you not know that he who is joined to a prostitute becomes one body with her?”

4) The Body of Christ Is Built with Truth in Love

Colossians 1:28: “Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ.”

May God make us passionate for him and for truth.

FAITH ATTRACTS GRACE!

 

EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

THURSDAY JANUARY 11, 2024.

SUBJECT : FAITH ATTRACTS GRACE! 

Memory verse: "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourself; it is the gift of God." (Ephesians 2 vs 8.) 

READ: Ephesians 2 vs 4 - 10:

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

2:5: even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have saved),

2:6: and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,

2:7: that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

2:8: For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourself; it is the gift of God,

2:9: not of works, lest anyone should boast.

2:10: For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

INTIMATION:

Faith attracts the grace of God. Where there is faith in God His grace abounds. It’s for this reason we are saved. We are saved by God’s grace through faith in Him. Please note these two words 'by' and 'through' because the vital difference between these two words will help keep in proper perspective the different roles and functions of grace and faith.

Grace is the unmerited favor and benevolence of God. It enables us to draw from God’s power through the Holy Spirit to meet our needs. While faith is the substance; the confidence, conviction, confirmation of things we have hope for, and the evidence or proof of things we have not yet seen but convinced of their reality. Faith perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses.

The key words that describe faith are confidence, conviction, confirmation and certainty. These qualities need a secure beginning and ending point. The beginning point of faith is believing in God's character—He is who He says He is. The end point is believing in God's promises—He will do what He says He will do. Therefore, when we believe that God will fulfill His promises even though we don't see those promises materializing yet, we demonstrate true faith. It is the 'believe'—the confidence and conviction—in God, and assurance—confirmation and certainty—of His promises, that is faith. And it is through faith in Him that His grace (the power of the Holy Spirit) we receive God's blessings.

The major problem believers have is that once we are saved by ‘grace through faith,’ we immediately make the mistake of turning from living by grace to living by works. We begin to match God's blessings by our works. Or put in another form, we want to buy God's blessings by our works. What do I mean by this? We begin to think we have prayed enough or not enough to get God's blessings—answer to our prayers, or we have been operating enough or not enough in the fruit of the Spirit to get or not to get His blessings, or that we weren't nice when we got caught in some situations, consequently, we cannot be blessed by Him. 

We think of everything we did right or wrong and figure that it automatically qualify or disqualify us, as it were, for any of God's blessings. All these are works, though in themselves are good and should be done, but are not the channel or reason for receiving from God. Remember what the Scripture says in Romans 5 vs 8, “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” This is amazing! God sent Jesus Christ to die for us, not because we were good enough, but just because He loved us. It is not by works of ours. 

God didn’t stop at that. He comes alongside us and be within us to help us do the right things expected of us. He gives us the desire and the power to do what pleases Him. But we have to do our own part; submit to God’s control and let Him work. It is even "God who works in us both to will and to do for His good pleasure"  

(Philippians 2 vs 13), and He does this by His grace (the power of the Holy Spirit) in you. Disconnect from Him, and you can do nothing. (John 15 vs 5).

For those who have faith in God, that is, those who have believed—adhered to, trusted in, and relied on God—do enter His rest because His grace is sufficient (the power of the Holy Spirit) to meet their needs (see Hebrews 4 vs 3). You will enter His rest when you receive His grace and you will lead your life as the apostle Paul advised Philippians 4 vs 4 - 6; "Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I say rejoice! Let your gentleness be known to all men....Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." That is life of who has entered His rest.

Prayer: Abba Father, my trust and complete confidence is in You. I am saved by Your grace through my faith in You; in what Christ wrought for me at the cross. Give me the grace to lead a life pleasing to You, in full realization of Your power available to me through the Holy Spirit indwelling me, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed. Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!