Christian Success

“Submit therefore to God.  Resist the devil and he will flee from you.
Draw near to God and He will draw near to you…”
James 4:7-8

 Success in the Christian life is obedience.  Once you know what God is asking you to do, move heaven and hell to do it.  And you just may have to!  But these verses tell us that we have the power that we need.  “Resist the devil and he will flee from you.”  Tell Satan, “No, Get out of my way!”  And he will.

 The best way to know God’s will and direction is to draw near to Him.  Seek Him.  Abide in God and His word.  Be in prayer and praise.  Live your life obeying what you know.  If God has something else for you, He will make it clear to you.  Abraham was living among pagan moon worshipers in Sumer when God called him out.  Paul was murdering Christians when God called to him.  Again and again in Scriptures we see men living righteously before God and God letting them know when He has a directive for them.  Don’t worry about missing God’s will in your life.  Life with integrity and according to the Scriptures and if and when God needs you, He is big enough to let you know.  Decide now that when God calls, you will follow.  That is true success.

Remember that God is more interested in your character development than in your comfort.  Character is for eternity; comfort is but for the moment.  We will be judging angels in heaven (1 Corinthians 6:1-3).  The maturity we gain here on earth is to prepare us for our eternal destiny.  Let God have His way in your life now, and wait for the reward in heaven.

 

Perfection!

 “Now the Lord is the Spirit,

 and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.
 But we all…are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory,
 just as from the Lord, the Spirit.”
2 Corinthians 3:5,17,18.

The place to begin is on our knees understanding and claiming that we are not adequate, but that our God is!   Then through Bible reading, prayer, and holy living we will be transformed.  God is transforming our character and inner  man with eternity in mind.  He has jobs for us there that will require the maturity of our souls.  There is much liberty since we are not under law, but use your liberty to make wise decisions about your time and activities that God might be glorified.  Give yourself much grace and know that “We are all in process, and that’s okay!”  Perfection will come when we get to heaven!

 

My Prayer for You

“To this end also we pray for you always,
That our God will count you worthy of your calling,
And fulfill every desire for goodness and the work of faith with power,
So that the name of our Lord Jesus will be glorified in you,
And you in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.”
1 Thessalonians 1:11-12

What is your calling?  For Billy Graham it was a call to evangelism.  For a little girl that I met in Springfield, MO it is to give her big beautiful smile to everyone she meets.  For now my calling is to be faithful in my writing and speaking and in hosting students for the holidays.   What has God called you to do in this stage of your life?  Whatever that calling is, be faithful to it that God might count you worthy to fulfill that which He has given you to do.  And, remember that He has equipped you to do what He has called you to (Hebrews 13:20-21).  God will also fulfill every desire for goodness and the work of faith with power.  If you aren’t feeling the power, you aren’t living the faith! 

It isn’t all about you, either (although, it is a little bit!).  But first, our purpose is to bring glory to our Lord and Savior, Jesus.  And in so doing, you will be glorified in Him (that’s the little bit!).  It’s really not about what man may think anyway.  Live your life in obedience to God and you will glorify His name and find your glory in Him.  All because of the grace of God that poured out upon you at Calvary.  You have the Holy Spirit within you.  Follow that voice; He will lead you into obedience and glory.  There you find peace.

God will...

“In Your presence is fullness of joy…”
Psalm 16:11

Overwhelmed, frustrated, unsure, confused?  Find your joy in the midst of life’s circumstances by seeking God and going into His presence through prayer and praise.  There you will find the joy that you need to carry you through each day.  He is not finished with you yet! 

 “For I am confident of this very thing, that He wo began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.” Philippians 1:6.  The song says that “He who began a good work in you will be faithful to complete it in you.”  Trust God, sit with Him, walk in His ways, and wait upon the Lord.

 

God's Word United with Faith

“…but the word they heard did not profit them,
because it was not united by faith in those who heard.”
Hebrews 4:2b

“For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword,

and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow,
and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”
Hebrews 4:12

"So let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace,

 so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”
Hebrews 4:16

Not only is the truth of God’s word for salvation, but also for victorious living for the Christian.  But we must continue to unite what we hear and read with faith.  God said it, therefore I believe it and will act upon it.  For example, Philippians tells us , “Be anxious for nothing, but through prayer and supplications make your requests known to God nad the peace thqt passes understanding will guard your heart and mind in Christ Jesus.”  So, I have heard the truth.  Now I must choose, minute by minute to not be anxious.  Every anxious thought that comes into my mind, I choose to turn it to prayer and praise.  I am shocked at the peace that I experience in the midst of hard times.  But I shouldn’t be shocked, it is God’s truth.

I know that the word of God is active and alive.  I must choose to allow the Holy Spirit to convict me of sin.  The word of God says that this is what the Spirit does.  When that conviction comes, by faith, I must repent and be cleansed and accept the judgment against that sin as well as the cleansing of Jesus on the cross.

God’s word says that we can draw near to the cross with confidence and there we will find grace and mercy.  God’s word says it, I choose to believe it and to act upon it.  He is my Father God, my Papa.  I can come to Him and know that no matter what I have done, that I can find forgiveness, acceptance, love, and grace, and mercy at His throne. 

There are so many commands and promises in God’s word.  Don’t just hear them, but begin to apply them with faith and see God’s glorious hand in your life.

 

God's Counsel

“I will bless the Lord who has counseled me;
Indeed, my mind instructs me in the night.

I have set the Lord continually before me;

Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.

Therefore my heart is glad and my glory rejoices;

My flesh also will dwell securely.”
Psalm 16:7-9

Those who are in Christ Jesus have the mind of Christ! (Corinthians 2:16).  The key is to do verse 8 – I have set the Lord continually before me.  When He is at our right hand, then we will stand firm in our beliefs, our integrity, our hope, and our convictions.  It doesn’t mean that bad things won’t happen, but that in the midst, we will stand.  And because we will stand, our hearts will be glad and we will dwell securely both now and for eternity.

Tracy and I have seen this happen many times.  We go to sleep praying about an issue and in the morning, we have a very defined plan.  It’s really quite cool!  Do your part, and God will be faithful!

 

Not Crushed

But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the; surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves,
We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed;
Perplexed, but not despairing;
Persecuted, but not forsaken;
Struck down, but not destroyed;
Always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body.”
2 Corinthians 4:7-10

In our weakness, He is made strong.  Don’t despair when circumstances are hard, but throw yourself upon the cross and see God bring about a victory.  Walk with you heads up when situations are difficult; Satan wants to claim the victory, but we are more than conquerors! 

Clifton Jansky wanted nothing less than to be a country western star and to sing in Nashville.  He poured himself into his music and his career for years.  Then one day his dreams were dashed as he went outside to find that his trailer had been emptied of all of his equipment.  He had no money to go on.  His wife left him.  He was in despair.  Someone invited him to a Bible study and Clifton asked Jesus to be in control of his life.   God has used Clifton in a mighty way ministering to people and in places that he would never have been able to if god had not opened the doors.  Now he is glad that he has not sung in Nashville.  You may know Clifton Jansky as the writer of “Amarillo by Morning”.  He wrote it and recorded it and it went nowhere until George Strait picked it up and ran with it.  But God…

How is God going to use your present situations?  Walk with God, purge your life of any sin, trust in the Lord with all your heart, and wait expectantly for God to work.

 

Keeping an Eternal Perspective

Keep a proper perspective:

"I will enter His gates with Thanksgiving in my heart,

I will enter His courts with praise…”
Psalm 100:4

We can get really caught up in the immediate, especially when things aren’t going well.  But that’s the time that we most need to spend time in thanksgiving and praise to the Creator God who loves us and died for us. 

Joni Erickson-Tada wrote about a conversation that she had with some friends about hiking.  She asked them what the best part of hiking was.  They replied that when they got out from under the trees and stepped out onto the top of a hill, mountain, or peak and saw the vista before them, that was the best because they could see where they came from and where they were headed.  Then they said that the worst hikes are those that never come out from under the trees.  You just keep walking and walking and it seems like you will never see the end. 

Your time spent with God should be your vistas.  There you will find perspective.  You will remember the eternal and the temporal won’t be so oppressive.  Praise reminds you that the things of today won’t last forever.  So go ahead and take a look!  Whether you have an hour to sit and stare at eternity or just a few minutes to glance that direction, it will give you the right perspective and you will be able to get through your day.

Stand firm

Stand Firm.

 “Now after him was Shammah…

And the Philistines were gathered into a troop where there was a plot of ground full of lentils,
and the people fled from the Philistines,
but he took his stand in the midst of the plot,
 defended it and struck the Philistines;
and the Lord brought about a great victory.”
2 Samuel 23:11-12

“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might.  Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil.  For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, agasint the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.  …Stand firm…” Ephesians 6:10-13

Stand firm. 

Remember that Satan’s weapons are speculations, lies, and pride.  (2 corinthians 10:3-5).  Stand against these using the word of God and a pure and repentant and humble heart.  Stand firm.

A faltering or failed venture does not make you a failure.  Let God use every situation in your life to build you up into the young man that God created you to be.  Stand firm.

 

Drifting

For this reason we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard,
so that we do not drift away from it.
For if the word spoken through angels proved unalterable,
and every transgression and disobedience received a just penalty,
how will we escape if we neglect so great a salvation?
Hebrews 2 :1-3

We do not always make a conscious, volitional choice to become apathetic or to drift away from God’s word and His presence.  Usually, it is more of a gradual drifting away.  One Sunday we choose to stay in bed, and the next Sunday it is easier and easier.  Or maybe we are rushed to get to work or school and quiet times become a thing of the past.  We watch one television show that has homosexual couples in it and then another and another and pretty soon, it no longer seems to be such a bad thing.  Romans 12:2 says that we will either be conformed to this world or be transformed by the renewing of our minds.  Transformation can go either direction.  What we set our eyes and minds on, we will think and become.  Read Romans 12:2 again.  We must be transformed by the renewing of ur minds.  This renewal comes from bible study, prayer, church, and fellowship with other believers.  If you are not being transformed by the renewing of your mind, then you are being transformed by the world.

 If you don’t want to be caught in a raging river, don’t put you big toe into it!  Wading becomes swimming and pretty soon you have drifted so far away that you can’t see the shore!

 

God's Grace

For we also once were foolish ourselves, disobedient, deceived…
But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared,
He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness,
but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit,
whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior,
so that being justified by His grace we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.”
Titus 3:3-7

Praise God for His grace!  It is said that we are as sick as our sickest secret.  Those secrets are the foolishness that Jesus died to save us from.  Don’t be bound up and enslaved by the past, by your sins or foolishness. Find release by telling someone of grace and allowing them to minister to you.  There is nothing in your past that Jesus’ blood can’t cover.  Telling someone is hard.  But that festering sore must be opened up and drained of all its infection, then healing can begin.  Accept God’s grace, give yourself grace, and move forward in trust and joy!

“His grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” (2 Corinthians 12:9).  Give your weakness to God and let His power shine through!

Don't Conform (Computer Madness)

“Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God,
to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.
And do not be conformed to this world,
but be transformed by the renewing of your mind…”
Romans 12:1-2

Not a new verse.  But in this day and age, I ask you to look at it again.  Do not be conformed to this world.  I urge you to take up the spiritual disciplines of Bible study, prayer, meditation, fasting, and fellowship.  Bible study, prayer, and meditation that your mind would be renewed and you would be transformed.  Fasting from things which can be harmful or detrimental to your spiritual walk such as computer games, facebook, and/or any other thing that is stealing your time.  Then surround yourself with other believers that can hold you accountable, encourage you, and give you hope. 

This world is deceptive.  We can easily numb our minds with computer games (spider solitaire for me).  This is no different than being controlled by drugs or alcohol – it is just a different way of escaping our reality.  I read a report about computer games and television that said that when we play these games, we skip the work part of our brain and skip right to the pleasure center.  By doing so, real work loses its consequence of giving us pleasure.  To reroute the brain waves, we must stay away from these games or tv and interact verbally with others.

Don’t be conformed to this world, but be transformed through praise and worship, study and fellowship.