Why Believe in God?

 

The premise of the idea of God comes from the fact that the galaxies and everything in them need an origin. Scientists say that a particle of gas exploded. The Bible calls that gas the breath of God, “God said” (Genesis1:3). Even the human body, soul and spirit are miraculous, and demand a Creator who developed the precision and magnificence of who we are.

There are two forces at work in our world: light and darkness, good and evil, God and the devil. God created Satan as a holy archangel, but pride and rebellion rose in his heart. Rather than being grateful to God for the multitude of blessings he enjoyed, he promoted a mutiny and took an army of angels with Him when God cast them out of heaven. God sent them to the earth and gave Satan authority over this world (Isaiah 14:12; 2 Corinthians 4:4; John 12:31).

Then, God created mankind and fashioned Paradise for him (Genesis 2:8). Adam and Eve were protected from Satan and his demons and God provided everything they would ever need for a wondrous life. Satan was delighted to finally have someone to influence and possibly to rule over and to add to his kingdom. He worked his deceptive magic on Adam and Eve and he has been propagating his lying subterfuge ever since.

We all go through negative experiences in life and we often “try God” during these times. We find fulfillment for our soul – our thoughts, choices and emotions. This emotional high lasts for a while and we start to heal. We experience the fellowship of authentic Believers and the love of God in them.

Once we heal emotionally, however, we believe we no longer need the emotional support of the church anymore. Our thoughts go back to the familiar life pattern from our former existence. Satan readily supplies us with doubts about the reality of God, and he helps us to find sufficiency in our self. We try God’s way, but decide we no longer need God.

However, our soul soon gets discouraged with life again. It knows that it cannot carry the complete weight of life on its own any longer. We come full circle back to God. We would like for God to be the answer to life for us, but Satan’s lies continue to cloud our judgment.

Authentic, Born Again Believers do not ask what God can do for us, but we ask what we can do for God. We willingly submit, as a bondservant (Galatians 1:10), to do only His will for our life until the day we leave this world and go to live with Him for eternity. We no longer use God to meet our needs, but we realize whom we are privileged to serve. We enjoy living in the center of His will – the happiest place on earth.

Prayer:

Father God, teach us not to use You for our Aladdin’s Genie to grant our wishes, but as our Lord and King. You deserve our utmost respect, not our disparaging remarks and ridicule. You told us through the prophets that sin would rule the world at the same time the Roman Empire revives, Israel becomes a nation once more and the World Council of Churches convinces the world that ecumenical unity is the only true religion. We see all this happening in the world today. We look forward to Your soon return.

Thought for the Day:

The only way to truly experience the fullness of God is to totally surrender to Him.

New Life in Christ

Jesus became sin for us and hung as a criminal on the cross in our place. After His resurrection, He walked the earth for 40 days, appearing to people and ministering to them. These eyewitnesses give us infallible proof of His resurrection. He was the first born of God’s children to come back from the grave and He now has total supremacy over the all things (Colossians 1:18).

For His entire life on earth, Jesus surrendered His will to God’s and He calls us to do the same thing. His resurrection power works in us, giving us the ability to do His will (Philippians 2:12-13). We relate to Jesus death through the death of our carnality and by our baptism into His life (Colossians 2:12, Galatians 2:20). We have perfect fellowship with our Heavenly Father, just like Jesus did (1 John 1:3).

God rewarded Jesus’ faithfulness with the glories of Heaven. Jesus demonstrated to us that when we give up our life for God, we gain the splendor of Heaven as well. We walk in the victory of God’s Spirit in our spirit, victory over sin in our soul and victory over death in our immortal bodies (1 Corinthians 15:53-54). Jesus lives out His life in us by God’s Spirit, who abides in us and leads us each moment of our day.

We receive Christ’s divine nature as we total surrender to and obey God’s will for our life. We are holy vessels, set apart for God’s service. We renounce all worldliness, rebellion and apathy as we admit our helplessness without Him, live in dependence on Him and accept our significance in Him. God’s Spirit works the holiness of Christ in us and gives us His life and anointing.

Prayer:

Father God, as our flesh dies with Christ, our spirit rises up to walk in a new life in Him (Romans 6:4). Like the three Hebrew children taken into slavery, we refuse to partake in the sin of this life. We keep our self holy and pure by fleeing from temptation and submitting to Your Spirit each day. Help us to live a life of responsibility, forgiveness and wisdom like Joseph did. We wait in breathless anticipation for our new adventure in Christ to unfold with each new day.

Thought for the Day:

Everyone in Egypt saw the hand of the Lord on Joseph’s life, because the Lord was with Him as He is with and in each of us. – Genesis 39:2

 

A Brand New Identity

Before Christ, our natural man had no comprehension of the meaning of spiritual things (1 Corinthians 2:14). Believers were foreign to us, and we made fun of them. Before we surrendered our life to Jesus Christ, our human nature controlled us. We were slaves to sin and death. When we came to Christ, He gave us victory over Satan and destruction (Romans 6:2-6). Now God’s love always surrounds us, fills us and lifts us.

Our former self died in Christ and we are now hidden in Christ with God (Colossians 3:3). Although we still live on this earth, it has no more power over us. We are justified, as if we had never sinned, and God’s Spirit is sanctifying us from one stage of glory to the next (2 Corinthians 3:18). We live by the faith of Christ, who loves us and gave Himself over to a cruel death for our sake (Galatians 2:20).

This free gift is not the result of our goodness or any works, which we perform (Ephesians 2:8-9). It comes from Jesus, through whom we are crucified to the world and the world to us (Galatians 6:14). The world and the lusts of it have no power over or attraction for us anymore. The nature to sin is replaced by the divine nature of Christ (Ephesians 2:1-3; 2 Peter 1:4). We live in the Spirit now, rather than in the flesh (Romans 8:8-9).

As a new creation, our life is transformed from sin and deprivation to righteousness, peace and joy through the Spirit (2 Corinthians 5:17; Romans 14:17). We rest in God’s love and stand firm in His power, devoting our self to His Kingdom (1 Corinthians 15:58). God’s Spirit provides us with God’s divine power to live a Godly life, and He accomplishes God’s victorious life through us (2 Peter 1:3; Ephesians 2:10).

Prayer:

Father God, knowing that Christ crucified our flesh on Calvary’s cross allows us to choose to live in holiness rather than in disobedience to You. Once we are Born Again, we only sin when we fail to acknowledge You and seek Your plans for our day (Proverbs 3:5-6). Thank You for directing our feet on the paths of life and for protecting, guarding, directing and loving us with Your amazing grace and love.

Thought for the Day:
When we choose to sin, we act out of character with our new nature and new identity in Christ.

In Times of Trouble

 

In this life full of trials and tribulation, we often adopt an angry attitude and walk around with a huge chip on our shoulder. We had noble and worthy expectations coming out of high school; plans and dreams and aspirations of health, wealth and success. How dare life stand in our way? We often blame God for our failures, never realizing the magnitude of blessings He actually, already provided for us. 

We struggle on, hoping that tomorrow will be different; that we get our bonus, raise or promotion soon. We pray for a baby; and when God answers, we wish He’d take it back – sleepless nights and a mountain of dirty diapers were not in our original bargain. Humans are never satisfied, always upset and rarely ever happy. We take out our disappointment on those we love, expecting them to forgive us.

God’s antidote for this poisonous existence is for us to search for Him and His strength, to seek Him in every area of our life (1 Chronicles 16:11). He allows us to struggle and to attempt to succeed on our own. However, He patiently waits for us to call out to Him in our times of trouble. He is anticipating that we will need Him to rescue us. When He comes, we are filled with praise and we give Him all the glory (Psalm 50:15).

There are so many people in other countries that are not reaping the blessings provided for them, which our ancestors guaranteed for us in America (Exodus 20:6). If you think that your life is poor and miserable, take a trip to a third world country. I guarantee that you will return with the high praises of God on your lips. Remember, in the times of blessings in your life, that many people need your help in theirs.

Prayer:

Father God, You reign forever. You established Your throne and You judge the world by Your righteous standards. You govern us with justice and mercy and provide for all of our needs. You are a refuge for the abused and neglected. You are a fortress and you protect us in our times of trouble. Anyone who knows You will put their trust in You, because You have never, ever, not one single time, by no means at all, forsaken those who seek Your will for their life (Psalm 9:7-10).

Thought for the Day:

The Bible has the answers for us, if we only take the time to ferret them out.

Faith Without Doubt

 

After Pentecost, the apostles, full of faith and the Holy Spirit, continued to share Jesus’ teachings. The Word of God multiplied in the hearts of many, and even some of the hard-hearted priests, who schemed to bring about Jesus’ demise, put their faith in His divinity (Acts 6:7). This same thing occurs today through the preaching of God’s Word.

Faith gives us the assurance of what we hope for, and confidence even when we see no way for it to occur (Hebrews 11:1). Jesus’ life gives us the faith to believe that God exists also, because God raised Jesus from the dead and glorified Him at His right hand in Heaven. This allows us to place our trust and hope in God alone rather than in our own abilities (1 Peter 1:21).

Our faith grows as we exercise it. Faith visualizes the impossible (Matthew 19:26), overcomes the lies of the devil (Revelation 12:9-11), believes in God without proof (Hebrews 11:1), holds us firm during life’s tribulation (Matthew 7:24-27), places our feet on the solid Rock (Psalm 40:2), sees the Creator in nature and clings to God’s faithfulness (Deuteronomy 7:9).

Faith overcomes temptation from the world, the flesh and the devil without giving them any credence (Galatians 5:16). Even when we do not fully comprehend it, faith helps us to believe the truth of God’s Word (Mark 9:24). Just a little faith allows us to move huge impediments in our life, even those, which are the size of a mountain, because nothing is impossible with God (Matthew 17:20; 19:26).

Prayer:

Father God, many in this world condemn themselves to hell by their unbelief (John 3:18). Their stubbornness and pride cripple their heart and prevent them from trusting in anyone but their own self. Those of us who do believe in You, often have trouble with whole hearted trust. Father, help our unbelief (Mark 9:24). Take our human doubts, which wiggle into our hearts and bind them with Your truth. Your Word proves Your faithfulness to us over and over again. Thank you for all You do for us each moment of every day.

Thought for the Day:

We live by faith, not by sight. - 2 Corinthians 5:7

Satan's Hoax

God warned Adam and Eve that sin would bring them death and destruction. However, when Satan offered them what seemed to be a more appealing alternative, they chose to believe Satan over God (Genesis 3:4). The path of least resistance is always more appealing to human beings, and Satan loves to convince us that there are no consequences for disobeying God.

Sin always pushes us beyond our comfort zone and costs us more than we can afford. Satan uses our desires to hook our flesh. He makes something that we see, we want to feel or that appeals to our pride to lure us away from holiness (1 John 2:16). Lust locks on and pulls us against our will. Sin entices us to forget God’s Word and to neglect our relationship with Him.

Some people lose confidence in God and rely more on their human reasoning. God calls us to focus on the spiritual rather than on the material; but our flesh nags us to pursue carnal quests instead. Satan makes sure that we are aware of the worldly philosophies of modern comedians and new age practitioners. They disparage the Word and ridicule our faith in an unseen God (Acts 17:23).

Satan gave Adam and Eve a false sense of security based on his evil lies. He convinced them to do what their heart told them to do and what seemed right in their own eyes (Jeremiah 17:9; Genesis 3:5-6; Proverbs 21:2). As a result, we now work by the sweat of our brow and with pain in childbearing (Genesis 3:16-17). Adam and Eve regretted that one decision for the rest of their life.

Prayer:

Father God, we all lost Paradise, which You provided for us, when Adam and Eve sinned. It seems that the modern mind wants tangible proof of Your existence. They discount the exact order in the galaxies and nature, as well as the miracle of human birth. They give credit to some big bang rather than to You. You are under no obligation to prove Your self to us; yet, You reveal Yourself in dozens of different ways every single day. We are just too wrapped up in our hectic lives to pay attention. Draw us close to You and never let us go (Ephesians 2:19-22; 1 Peter 2:4-8).

Thought for the Day:

God supplies all of our needs according to His own assets and splendor. – Philippians 4:19

Glorious Freedom

 

Faith is an ethereal concept, wispy, something that we cannot get a grip on. The meaning of faith seems to elude us at times. The hard part about faith is that in order to have it, we cannot doubt (Matthew 21:21). Jesus said that faith is the substance of the things, which we hope for (Hebrews 11:1). Faith helps us to believe that our hopes are real. How does faith do that? It causes us to put our trust in God alone.

Jesus chided people for their unbelief (Matthew 17:20). He actually marveled when He found great faith in people (Matthew 8:10; 15:28). He spoke a great deal about faith. Jesus told His disciples that faith is actually a cure for fear (Matthew 8:26). He builds our faith with statements such as the fact that God clothes us like the grass in the field, because we are of far more importance to Him (Matthew 6:30). 

When Jesus saw the faith of the sick people who came to Him, He immediately healed them (Matthew 9:22, 29; Luke 7:50). He even healed people when their friends or family had faith for them (Matthew 9:2; 15:28). When we are full of the faith of Jesus, we can do the great deeds, which He directs us to accomplish (Acts 6:8; Ephesians 2:10). Many people come to Christ when they see us living out our authentic faith (Acts 11:24).

Actually, we do not have to manufacture great faith devoid of all doubt; we simply need to live by His faith (Galatians 2:20; Acts 3:16). Satan’s demons attempt to distract us or discourage us, but God is the author and finisher of our faith (Acts 13:8). His faith heals us in body and soul (Acts 14:9). We comfort each other by sharing our mutual faith in God with one another (Romans 1:12). Our faith pleases God (Hebrews 11:6)

Prayer:

Father God, You multiplied the number of Believers in the early church, and You continue to do that same thing all over the earth and throughout the ages of time (Acts 16:5). We thank You for opening the door of faith to the Gentiles, as well as to the Jews. You make no difference between them and us, because You purify our hearts by faith (Acts 15:9). In this life, we enter Your Kingdom through much tribulation, which helps our faith in You to grow (Acts 14:22).

Thought for the Day:

God gives us faith as He turns us from the darkness of this world to His light, and from the power of Satan’s stranglehold on us to His glorious freedom. – Acts 26:18