True Joy

 

    

 

Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. 2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing.  Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up;  Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; 5 does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil;  does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth;

 

NKJV    

 

As a parent, I have tried to stress the truth to my boys that real friends want what is best for you.  True friends, do not encourage you to get into sin, or enjoy you being in sin.  Rather, true friends urge you to walk in keeping with truth. Friends do not encourage you to get into trouble.

The saying that "misery loves company" is true.  A good number of people who are living an unhappy and miserable life encourage other people to join them.  Why?   Because we do not like to be alone in our mess.  If somebody else is doing it, we feel less condemned about our choices.  Less empty and alone.

Love tells the truth to a friend, even when the truth hurts.  Love does not condone self-destructive paths  and urges friends to take care of themselves.  Love requires us to be honest when we see a person begin a string of wrong choices.  It does not take any special moral fiber to tell someone what they want to hear.  But a strong and loving person will tell you what you need to hear.

Real love is based in truth.  It is built upon truth and sustained by truth.  Lies and love do not mix!

Are there area in a relationship where you are feeling the need to lie to sustain the relationship?  Begin to seek the Lord today about how you can bring the relationship into truth and real love.

Dear God, help me to be a person of truth in all relationships.  Help me to urge people around  me to remain in truth rather than inquity.  In Jesus' Name.  Amen.

 

 

Who Are You Calling a Liar?

 

"Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves the father loves his child as well.  This is how we know that  we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands.  This is love for God: to obey his commands.  And his commands are not burdensome, for everyone born of God overcomes the world.  This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith.  Who is it that overcomes the world?  Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.  This is the one who came by water and blood- Jesus Christ.  He did not come by water only, but by water and blood.  And it is the Spirit who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth.  For there are three that testify: the Spirit, the water and the blood:   and the three are in agreement.  We accept man's testimony, but God's testimony is greater because it is the testimony of God, which he has given about his Son. Anyone who believes in the Son of God has this testimony in his heart.  Anyone who does not believe God has made him out to be a liar, because he has not believed the testimony God has given about his Son."  I John 5:1-10

 

There have been people in my life that have lied to me.  There have been people I have lied to.  There have been others still who I accused of lying, only to find out that they were telling the truth.

 

How do we know when someone is telling the truth?  The easiest way is  that if we know their character to be one of  integrity.  If they have always conducted themselves in a trustworthy manner, then we are more prone to believe what they are saying. 

 

God has never been anything but truthful, faithful and loving to me.  He has met my needs, blessed me beyond measure and lavished me with his love.  How could I believe that he would ever do anything that was not forthright and honest?  Because I so believe in his holiness, I cannot do anything else but take him at his Word in all matters.  Even when there are things in the Bible that I may not fully comprehend intellectually, I can take the truth of it by faith.  By faith in the person of God. 

 

Anyone who does not believe Jesus is all that God says he is, makes God out to be a liar.  That is a serious offense.  One I hope none of us are guilty of doing.  As believers, our greatest job is believing.  Believing all that we are taught in the Bible and impressed by his Spirit.

 

Dear God, forgive me for the times I have failed to believe and made you out to be a liar.  Help me to increase in faith and walk in belief.   In Jesus' Name. Amen.

 

Sherri

 

 

 

The Person of Truth

 

"Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves the father loves his child as well.  This is how we know that  we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands.  This is love for God: to obey his commands.  And his commands are not burdensome, for everyone born of God overcomes the world.  This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith.  Who is it that overcomes the world?  Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.  This is the one who came by water and blood- Jesus Christ.  He did not come by water only, but by water and blood.  And it is the Spirit who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth."  I John 5:1-4

 

I am so grateful for the Holy Spirit! Through his ministry we can know what is true and what is false.  He convicts us of sin; he convinces us of the truth that we need to know about Jesus.  He testifies to truth, causing us to "bear witness" within ourselves about what is right and wrong. Jesus came, being born of a woman, he was fully God and fully man.  He grew up, grew in the things of God, was baptized and carried out a powerful ministry on planet earth.  But when the time came for him to look toward his death and ascension back to the right hand of the Father, he said, "But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away.  Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you:  but if I go, I will send him to you."    (John16:7)  Wow.  I am sure the disciples  were floored to hear that they would be better off after their Savior, Teacher, and Messiah left the world.

 

Why is it better for us that Jesus ascended  to heaven?  When he walked the earth, he could only be in one place at one time, thusly constrained by his human body.  But when he sent the Counselor, or Holy Spirit, he was made available to all believers.  He can fill me up at the same time  he fills you up.  He can be with me in America and be with you in Jamaica!  He is constantly present, teaching me things I need to learn, reminding me of things I have forgotten.  And always, always, he testifies to the truth that Jesus is the Son of God.  He never does anything that is not in complete harmony with Father and Son.  What a mighty God we serve!

 

If we are to walk in victory and overcome the things of the world, we must give place to the Holy Spirit, inclining our ear and heart to his voice.

 

Dear Lord, thank you for the marvelous gift of the Holy Spirit.  I am so grateful for his ministry in my life.  Help me to be a willing student with a teachable heart.     In Jesus' Name. Amen.

 

Sherri

 

 

 

Love Plus Truth

 

"Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God:  Every  spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God.  But every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God.  This is the spirit of antichrist, which you have heard is coming and  even now  is already in the world."  I John 4:1-3

The  belief that all roads lead to the same God is refuted by this passage of Scripture.  Religions  that acknowledge and exalt Jesus lead  to God,  whereas religions that deny Jesus are simply not from  him.  In our quest for "tolerance" and open-mindedness we have abandoned the idea  that there is a right or wrong answer.  This humanistic mindset seems positive, friendly and welcoming, but it is deadly to those who embrace it.   And unfortunately, humanism has crept into the church world as well.

We do not hold to the teachings of Jesus because we are hateful, intolerant and unloving.  Rather, we hold to them because we believe in the infallible truth of the Word of God.  Consequently, our love for the world for which he died, urges us to proclaim the truth to all, that all might be saved.  Humanism is a powerful enemy of truth and most likely will never be fully squashed, in fact, it paves the road for the Antichrist to arise in the end times.  But we can combat this type of teaching by declaring the truth of the Bible, while simultaneously displaying the love of Christ.  The world portrays Christians as hateful.  Unfortunately, some overzealous people have depicted us in that way by bombing abortion clinics,  holding signs declaring contempt for different types of people, or by using hate-filled speech.  This is not the way of Jesus!  He always loves the sinner, while hating the sin.  We must pair kindness and love with the rebuke that truth brings.  Let us strive to walk in humility and love toward all men.

Dear Lord, help me to avoid any of the antichrist teachings.   Enable me to aptly represent you in this world.  Grant us a harvest of souls.  In  Jesus' Name.  Amen.

Sherri

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Is This For Real?

 

 

 

"Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. "  I John 4:1

 

We live in the information age.  Too much information, in fact.  We can pull up random facts on the internet, we can go to a book store and be overwhelmed by choices of materials on any given subject.  We can watch TV preachers, catch iPod webcasts and follow their latest blogs or tweets.  This is a good thing, right?  Maybe.

There are many voices. But all are not true. How do we know who is legit and who is a faker?  As born again children of God, we have the indwelling, empowering teacher of the Holy Spirit.  He is active and relevant, participating in our everyday life.  He informs us when the information that we are taking in is incorrect or untrue. 

One way that he does this is by bringing Scripture to our remembrance so that we can apply truth to our current situation.  But we have our part to play, as well.  If he is going to bring it to our remembrance, we must first input it into our memory by being a student of the Word.  Other times, he allows us to feel an unrest or lack of peace  in our spirit.  We do not know why, but we simply cannot feel good about their message.  This is for our benefit.

I can readily think of at least two examples in my life where the Holy Spirit has done this for me.  Once, I had bought a book written by a pastor I did not know well.  As I read the book, I just did not "jive"  with its message, although I could not put my finger on the reason why.  Later, when I was exposed to his television ministry I felt my skin almost crawl with a knowing that he was putting on a show, rather than being sincere.  Was I judging?  I do not believe so, because my disrest came from somewhere outside of me.  Another time I was enamored with a pastor that I felt was so powerful and in tune with God, but every time I attended service at their church, I just could not feel comfortable being there.  I later heard of some incorrect teaching that was being preached from the pulpit.  We need the Holy Spirit to keep us out of trouble!

Dear Lord, guide me, teach me and grant me discernment.   In Jesus' Name.  Amen.

Sherri

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It is All Relative

 

"How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!  And that is what we are!  The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.  Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known.  But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.  Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure.  Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness.  But you know that he appeared so that he might take away our sins.  And in him is no sin.  Dear children, do not let anyone lead  you astray. he who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous.  He who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning.  The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil's work.  No one who is born of God  will continue to sin, because God's seed remains in him, he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God. This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are:  Anyone who does not do what is right is not a child of God; nor is anyone who does not love his brother."  I John 3:1-10

 

The passages from the last few days are strong teachings which can be hard to swallow- particularly for those determined to sit on the fence in their spiritual walk.  The truth of these passages  are quite plain- you do what is right, you are of God.  You do what is wrong, you belong to the devil.  Walking holy is more about black and white than it is about shades of gray.  There is truth and there are lies.  There is holiness and there is sin. A person desiring to follow the Lord has to make a decision.  We literally have to pick a team.  I once heard about an undecided soldier who came out in the civil war wearing a Confederate uniform on top and a Union soldier uniform on bottom.  It is told that when he went on the battlefield, that he was shot by both sides!  We must pick a side, rather than straddling the two.

Although in some passages we are warned against setting ourselves up as a judge, other passages, such as this one, indicate we can still identify a saint from a sinner.  A person is known by their actions.  We cannot have a right heart and constantly have wrong actions and behaviors.  Conversely, if Jesus is in our  heart, his character traits will work their way to the outside in tangible ways that others can observe and recognize.

One of the primary ways we show love of the Father, is to show love to our brothers and sisters.  We cannot love him and despise those made in his likeness.  We cannot love the Father, but not love his other children.  This makes sense and sound easy enough.  But truth be told, God always show his unconditional love for us; whereas, his children can treat us unkindly.  Other Christians can slander us and mistreat us.  there are times that our personalities just flat out clash.  When you are the nose in the body of Christ, you have little communion with the armpit in the body  of Christ! But if we want to please God, we must suppress our desire to protect our rights, and choose instead  to show love.  Loving our brother is about extending mercy  and forgiveness (especially when it is undeserved) and about putting the needs of others up there in importance with our own needs.  A tall order, to be sure, but possible through the grace of God.

Dear Lord, help me to show forth my relationship with you in my behavior.    Help my attitudes and actions to reflect your heart.  Help me to love others as you do.  In Jesus' Name.  Amen.

Sherri

Truth or Lie?

 

"Dear children, this is the last hour; and as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come.   This is how we know it is the last hour.  They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us.  For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us.  But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth.  I do not write to you because you do not know the truth, but because you do know it and because no lie comes from the truth."  I John 2:18-21

The enemy of your soul is constantly working, trying to find some entrance into your life to shipwreck your faith.  He tries to discourage you, deceive you and flat out lie to you.  He will, too, if you let him...

It is our job to hold fast to the truth that we know and to add to our knowledge base daily.  The Bible is a wealth of information, wisdom, knowledge and direction for your life.  When we neglect to invest in knowing the Word of God, we swing wide open the door of our hearts and mind to our enemy to come in and deceive us.  No matter how much you respect a teacher, preacher or evangelist, if their words are not based on the Bible, in their entirety, you cannot afford to accept their message.  There are false teachers out there and we must be armed with the truth to disarm a lie. But not only that, there are men and women who are honestly confused or deluded and believe that they are sharing the truth, the whole while propagating partial truth or a whole lie.  The only way to discern those teachers is from knowing your Word.  Heaven and earth will pass away, but the Word of God will stand... will you be standing on the Word of God?

A few years back I had some really important prayers answered differently than I had prayed.  That caused me to begin to question things I had always believed and even some passages of the Bible.  (Don't judge me too harshly, I was walking through a horrible season of death on every side.  I believe it was seven loved ones in one year.)  When I would read passages about God's healing, I would find myself saying, "unless he decides not to..."  There came a day the Lord called me on the carpet about my unbelief.  I had to reach a decision that the Word of God  would be truth and everything else a lie.  I refused to exalt my experience above the Bible.  Do I understand why things don't always work out as I hope and pray?  Of course not!  But I have decided to hang my hat- all I believe- on the truth of the Word of God.  From that,  I will not be moved. You know the truth.  Guard it.  Hold on to it.  Do not allow the enemy or anyone else to move you from those precious words!

Dear  Lord, thank you for sharing your Word with us.  Thank you for directing our paths and illuminating our way.  Help me walk all of my days upon the strong, immoveable foundation of the Bible.  In Jesus' Name.  Amen.

Sherri

Hey, You!

 

 

"Dear children, this is the last hour; and as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come.   This is how we know it is the last hour.  They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us.  For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us.  But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth."  I John 2:18-20

 

People's lack of loyalty blows my mind sometimes.  They are on your side as long as you do everything like they want you to; if not, they move on and never look back.  If their ball team loses a few games, they change teams. It is hard to understand how people can run from hot to cold so quickly.  This just shows how fickle emotions can be.

In the passage yesterday, it referred to the antichrists, or false teachers, that were spreading things that were not in keeping with the truth.  Today's verses goes on to explain that these false teachers had actually associated with the true church.  But somewhere along the way, they departed from strict adherence to the teachings of the apostles and the Old Testament.  They were not staying within the teachings of Jesus, which was the pattern for the new testament church.  The fact that they went "rogue" proves that they were not really a part of the true church.  We get in trouble when we think we can strike out on our own, not needing the accountability of church.  We fall prey to the enemy when we begin to exalt our own thoughts above the truth of the Bible or of those with more knowledge and experience  in the faith than we have yet experienced.

But I love what John says next, "but you have an anointing from the Holy One."  In other words, enough said about them, you move on, you walk in what you know, you remember the anointing that rests on you and you stay in the truth that you have learned.  We are to care about others; we are to grieve when people wander from the fold.  But at the end of the day, we have to be true to God all by ourselves.  We stand alone before him and cannot allow other people to change our course.  Do not be moved from what you know you are to do, just because no one else will do it with you. Sometimes we are called to stand alone.  But if we are, the anointing arrives to give us the supernatural ability to do  it.

Dear Lord, help me to be true to your teaching and never to wander.  Help me be faithful whether anyone else around me is or not. In Jesus' Name.  Amen.

Sherri

 

To Tell You the Truth

“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.”  I John 1:1-2

 

Jesus.  He has always been.  When the very foundations of the earth were laid, Jesus was there.  He existed before time as we know it existed.  Prior to coming to dwell on earth, he lived in the resplendence of heaven with the Heavenly Father and with the Holy Spirit.  Jesus did not just come to be when Mary gave birth to him in a stable.

For those of you who have been in church all your life, this may be a “no duh” moment.  These are things you hold to be true.  But for an ever increasing number of Americans, even some who call themselves Christians, these truths are subject to being discounted.  As Christians we can easily fail to see the danger in all of this and not sweat the small stuff.  But the small stuff unravels bigger stuff.  An entire blanket can be unmade by pulling on one piece of thread at a time. 

Jesus was there in the beginning.  He appeared to hundreds of people on this earth with convincing proof that he is Messiah.  The disciples continued to proclaim the truth of all of this even after Jesus had died, been entombed, rose again, dwelled among them and ascended up into heaven.  These truths prove his deity and cannot be dismissed.  In the truth of Jesus lies eternal life.

A day is coming when the church will have to give up on being politically correct and choose to be Biblically correct.  We are tolerating and loving people right into hell.  Yes, we hate sin and love the sinner.  Yes, we respect other people’s right to have a different opinion.  But the church has to decompress the mute button and once again be a proclaimer of the truth about the Bible and Jesus.  He is eternal life.  If people do not know that, they cannot have eternal life.  Join with me in praying that the purity of the gospel would return to the church and to America.  Other countries appear to receive the truth more readily than we do here.  As Christians we must pray and proclaim!

Dear Lord, help me as a Christian to get back to the basics of the gospel.  Help me to get back to my “first love” and the passion that I felt when I first came to know you.  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