Unfounded Claim

“That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched- this we proclaim concerning the Word of life.  The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. We proclaim what we have seen and heard, so that you may have fellowship with us.  And our fellowship is with the Father and with his son, Jesus Christ.  We write this to make our joy complete.  This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light and in him is no darkness at all.  If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth.  But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.  If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.  If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sin and purify us from all unrighteousness.  If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us.”  I John 1:1-10

 

 

We are all sinners.  Ever since Adam and Eve made the choice to defy God, we have all been subject to an inherent tendency to sin.  Any religion or philosophy that tells you otherwise, stands in direct opposition to the Word of God.

We have made life such a relative thing.  But there are still absolutes in this world.  There really is a black and a white; a right and a wrong; a correct action and a sin.  Regardless of extenuating circumstances and our preferences, the truth remains. 

If we deny the absolute authority of the Bible, every choice thereafter is skewed.  God knew we needed absolute truth and he laid his will out for us in the Bible.  If we want to live righteously, and avoid making God out to be a liar, we have to hide the Word of God within our heart.  We have to read the Word, study the Word, and memorize it. That way we know what is true and what is false.  When we listen to our own advice or opinion, we are likely to fall short of the mark.

I challenge you to begin to delve more deeply into the Bible, every day.  Life, wisdom and direction are found within its pages.  If you choose to make the Bible your foundation, the enemy will not be able to lie to you and shake you, you will stand firm!

Dear Lord, give me a deeper love for your Word.  A stronger passion for righteousness.  A greater desire to walk holy before you.  Forgive me for making you out to be a liar by my actions.  I am sorry.  In Jesus’ Name.  Amen.

Sherri

Guard Your Weapon

“…and the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God.”  Ephesians 6:17

 

Much of the equipment we have described up to this point is defensive in nature.  But the sword of the spirit is our weapon of offense.  With it, we can wield power against our enemy and defeat all he tries to do.  The Bible, or Word of God, is the Christian’s sword. 

When Jesus was being tempted in the desert by Satan, His response to all Satan would say was “It is written…” and then he would go on to quote an applicable scripture to go with the temptation presented.  Likewise, we can wield our Sword as we quote Scripture over our situations.  Sick?  Quote the verse that says “By his stripes we are healed.”  Broke?  Quote the verse that says “My God is able to make all grace abound to you that in all things and at all times, having all that you need you will abound to every good work.”

A Christian must have their sword handy at all times, since we do not always know when we will have a skirmish with the enemy.  It is a good idea to keep your Bible physically with you.  But it is also critical that we hide the word of God in our hearts so that when we need to slay the enemy, we have the right sized sword for the right problem.

Dear Lord, help me to value your Word above all else.  Help me to keep it ever in my thoughts, and renew my mind. In Jesus’ Name.  Amen.

Sherri

The Shoes Make the Man… Or Woman

“…and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.”  Ephesians 6:15

 

Walking in the Word is the life that God expects of a Christian.  He expects us to read the Bible, accept it as truth and walk in its ways.  When we do that, we find great peace in our lives.  Walking out the Word of God does not make life easy, but it does make it simple in that we know how we are to handle various sins, temptations, situations and obstacles.  When we have the Word hidden in our hearts, it helps keep us from sinning against God.

Additionally, we are to be Jesus’ feet in this world, going forth and continuing the work that he began during His earthly ministry.  We are to tell the people the good news of the gospel, we are to go forth and compel them to come in, and as we do so, we find great peace.

When you consider the shoes of the Roman soldier to which Paul was most likely comparing the components of the Armor of God to, the shoes are quite noteworthy.  They had spikes in the bottom which allowed the soldier to have a good footing even on uneven ground.  They consisted of greaves that protected even the soldier’s legs.

When we have solid footing that is based on the never-changing foundation of the Word of God, we can step out with confidence and go wherever He leads.  We can go with peace.

Dear Lord, help me to walk in peace today.  Help me to ensure that my feet are fitted with the readiness that   comes from the gospel of peace.  In Jesus’ Name.  Amen.

Sherri

Love the Belt!

 

“Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist…”  Ephesians 6:14a

 

Yesterday we talked about the importance of standing when we are facing an attack, while holding our ground in the Lord.  Today’s passage adds an important element to our understanding of the best way to stand.  It speaks of “the belt of truth.”  The belt of truth here is symbolic of the Bible, God’s Word to us.

 While we are standing, we must do so undergirded with the truth of the Word.  When you are standing and believing God to heal your body, the truth you have buckled around your waist is the knowledge that “by his stripes you were healed.”  (Isaiah 53:4-5)  When you are standing in belief about an outstanding bill you need to pay, the truth that must be around you is the knowledge that “My God shall supply all my need according to his riches in glory.”  (Philippians 4:19)  When you are standing while trying to forgive someone who has wronged you, the truth you need is the knowledge that “if we do not forgive others we cannot be forgiven.” (Matthew 6:15, paraphrase)

I am sure by now that you have the picture.  The type of truth we need to cling to varies according to the situation in which we find ourselves.  Notice that this truth is about the waist- at the center of the person.  We must let truth center us and provide the platform for our stand.

I have known of people before who take a stand on a platform not based in truth.  Perhaps they wanted a man or woman who was married and stood on verses that “if you ask anything in accordance with his will he hears you and you have what you ask of God.” (Paraphrase, I John 5:14-15)  That is not the correct application of truth and will not bear you up.  You cannot believe God to help someone else break a covenant and commit adultery.  That is why we must always look at passages of Scripture within the totality of the Word of God.  We must interpret Scripture with Scripture.  The balance to this example would be someone also knowing that the bible says “God hates divorce.” (Malachi 2:16)  And if “a man looks on a woman to lust, he has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” (Matthew 5:28)

Whatever you are going through, I urge you to get into the Bible and found out what the Word says about that situation.  Once you have uncovered truth about your situation, buckle it about your waist and prepare to stand!

Dear Lord, help me to rightly divide the Word of God.  Help me to understand your truth and apply it correctly in my life that I may stand.  In Jesus’ Name.  Amen.

Sherri

My Word!

“For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” Hebrews 4:12

The Word of God, the Bible, is the only truly “living” book.  It is a timeless book, having stood the test of the ages.  It has been proven true by historical documentation, but more importantly, by the lives that have been radically changed by it.

Satan, the enemy of your soul, knows that this Book leads to life and victory in Jesus Christ; thus, he does everything he can to keep people from reading the Word of God and following it.  That is why our culture is in such danger of falling away from truth.  We have removed the Bible from schools, social settings and the workplace.  We have to return to the absolute truth of the Word of God for matters of faith and practice.

The Bible is not only living- but active, sharp and powerful.  Declaring the Word of God over situations in your life can cause the situations to actually change.  The Bible renews our hearts and minds. It guides us in the path we should walk in.  It cries warnings to us when we are engaging in activities that are damaging to our soul. 

Perhaps like me, you often find your life too busy to spend a lot of time in the Word of God.  This is a lie propagated by the enemy and we cannot afford to let the Bible lose first place in our lives.  We must read the Word, study the Word, and meditate upon the Word.  As we do, we will see a change not only in our hearts and behaviors, but in our circumstances as well.

Dear Lord, thank you for loving me enough to leave your Word for me to follow.  Forgive me for treating the privilege lightly.  Help me to be a person of the Word.  In Jesus’ Name.  Amen.

Sherri

 

Standing by Your Word

“In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God.”  John 1:1

 

The Word of God has always been.  The Word of God will always be.  Before any human existed there was the Word.  Before the doubters and critics were ever born, the Word was.  I know this may seem simplistic, but think about it for a minute.  Whether or not the Word is banned from school, banned from government and banned from community life, the Word will continue to be.  The enemy will never destroy or obliterate the Word of God.  One day when life is over, The Word, will stand in judgment against anyone who chose to not heed its contents.

Jesus is the embodiment of the Word of God.  If we are to know Him, we must study His Word, which is contained within the Bible.  As the world despises the Word, the world despises the Word in us.  But we cannot be moved from its truths.  The Bible is our solid foundation in which we can stand and not be moved.  To do away with the sacredness of the Word of God is to completely do away with absolute truth.  Without acknowledging the absolute truth of the Word we open ourselves up to making everything a relative judgment call based on our wants, preferences, opinions or feelings at any given time.  This type of thinking leads to apostasy (a defection or falling away from God).

The Word cannot be separated from God.  The enemy of our soul seeks to keep us from time in the Word because he knows the benefits and strength a Christian gains from the Word.  In other places in the world, the Word is still a costly gospel.  Bibles are still banned from some countries and must be smuggled in at the risk of imprisonment and death. My question is, what are we doing with the four we own which are collecting dust?

Dear Lord, restore to me a deep and fervent love for your Word.  Help me to have a hunger for Your truth and help me to allow the Word to take root in my life and bring forth fruit.  In Jesus’ Name.  Amen.

Sherri