Do You Have An Idols In Your Life?

Idols are not wood and stone images. Whatever drives you and makes you happy is an idol. If you lost it, your world would seem to fall apart and life would have no meaning then that is your idol. If something besides Jesus that you feel you must have to be happy, to feel loved, or something you turn to for safety like government, money or guns is an idol to you. God hate idolatry. John wrote 1John to tell us how to walk in Christ; idols stop us from doing just that they are dangerous and deadly. The last words of in 1John tells us to “Little children, keep yourselves from idols.” 1John 5:21.

Spending Time With God.

I came home for lunch and Caleb climbed up on my lap, he just wanted to talk and laugh, sit by me, he wanted to be close to his daddy it was great! I was so happy… That is how God wants us to spend time with Him, not asking for things or working to please Him, just spending time with Him laughing, listening, talking, just being still. We must come to Him as little children that makes Him smile! *Mark 10:15

What You Know & What You Believe

What you know will not change how you live.

What you believe will change everything.

Most Christians only know about God and the Bible so they live like everyone around them, same dreams, hopes, retirement, savings, iphones, new cars and bigger homes and maybe two.
However when you believe the Bible is God’s Word it will change how you live, what you do with your time, how you spend your money, what you watch on TV, what you read, it will radically change every part of your life and will not look anything like those living around you. You will indeed be a stranger living on this planet we call earth.
Galatians 5:17 & Romans 12:1-2

WHEN CHRISTIANS SHOULD TURN OFF THE TV

• Turn off the TV when you start spending more time with it than in God’s Word/Bible.
  
• Turn off the TV when you have more interest in the shows personalities than you do in God.
  
• Turn off the TV when God's name is taken in vain or godly morals are mocked.
  
• Turn off the TV to honor the Lord's Day.
  
• Turn of the TV when you go to it for a rest or a break instead of going to the Jesus when you are stressed.
  
• Turn off the TV when the authority of parents are challenged, made fun of, or neglected.
  
• Turn off the TV when someone is murdered or killed or when anger and revenge is used.
  
• Turn off the TV when violence is used for entertainment or sport.
  
• Turn off the TV when lust or adultery are accepted even if the people love each other.
  
• Turn of the TV when your tempted to lust.
  
• Turn of the TV when you are tempted to want what they have or are advertising (its called coveting).
  
• Turn off TV when someone steals and it is accepted as good.
  
• Turn off the TV when someone tells a lie or misrepresents the truth and it is accepted even for a good cause.
  
• Turn off the TV when you desire something that God does not want you to have.

Some (but not close to all) supporting verses:
But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness. -Romans 6:17&18

So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I pummel my body and make it a slave lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified. -I Corinthians 9:26&27

Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, -Philippians 3:12&13

Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness; for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come. -I Timothy 4:7&8

But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil. -Hebrews 5:14

To have Christ as a treasure we have to protect our minds and hearts by what we look at and listen to...

Jesus or the Spirit? Who will you choose for one day?

If for just one day you could have the Holy Spirit in you as He is now, or not have the Spirit and walk with Jesus physically, all would return the next day, whom would you pick? The question in the Spirit for a day or Jesus?
I hope you would say the Spirit although it is tempting to pick Jesus. The truth is Jesus said in John 16:7 Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. (ESV)

Wow, Jesus Himself says it is better to have the Spirit than to walk and talk with Him. He is telling the disciples this, and the same is true today. If you believed and your life has been made new by a holy, just and gracious God of the universe Whom looked upon you as hopelessly sinful and sent His Son, Jesus Christ, God in the flesh, to take His wrath against sin on the cross and to show His power over sin in the resurrection so that all who have faith in Him will be reconciled to God forever… if so then Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to live in your life, to guide your life, to rule your life, so you can walk in step with the Spirit and defeat sin. What an awesome thing!

We are told the Spirit, He is God, He is Truth, He is our Helper (so that means we will have trouble). He/Spirit bears witness about Jesus, He guides us to truth found in the Word of God/Bible. The Spirit gives glory to the Son/Jesus, He gives us the Bible, He makes us to be born again, He convicts us of sin, He comforts, restores and heals. The Spirit speaks to our spirit and lets us know that we are God’s children. The Spirit is far better than walking with Jesus, we just have to learn how to walk and listen to Him (Gal.5), we do that by learning and studying truth found in the Word of God the Bible. Study it for yourself and if you do not know how learn do not read other peoples books read the Bible for yourself and lean by the Spirit. A good place to learn study skills is Precept International. But still be carful to not just listen to them but read and think and study and dig deep into the Word being guided by the Spirit to open truth found in context to what He tells us and not twisting truth (II Peter 1). Therefore, start walking in the Sprit and living life every minute with God Who is in you.
In His grip, Jim

Built up for Service

I Peter 2:5 says 'you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.' How awesome is our God! To grow each of us into His chosen ones to go to Him one on one, so that we can grow in Him and serve Him as priests, giving our lives as sacrifices to His will, to His work and His passions and not our own dreams, wants or desires. Thank Lord you are good.

Living For Our God As His Royal Priests: Overcoming The

Living For Our God As His Royal Priests: Overcoming The Flesh And Its Desires.

We forget why we are here on earth, we think, and act like this is our home. We act and think as if we need things to help us be happy, to be safe, to provide for our future. We forget that we are Christ followers who treasure Him over all things because God caused us to be born again -I Peter 1:3-12.

So then, we are to act as if we are exiles and sojourners here on earth by abstaining from the passions that go to war with in us every day, passions of the flesh. We are to be different and to live so all well glorify God on the day He comes back -I Peter 2:11-12. This is not an option but a command if ‘we are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, and a holy nation, a people for His own possession’ at Peter tells us in I Peter chapter 2 verse 9 and he goes on to say that our duty is ‘to proclaim the excellencies of Him Who called you out of darkness into His marvelous Light’.

To do this we must never forget to put away to crucify the passions of the flesh –I Peter 2:1 Gal. 5:24. How can we do this take a look at I Peter 2. First we also must long for the pure Gospel the Bible the Word of God so by His Word we may grow in our salvation it is the only way to grow in Christ is by the Bible taking it in context and learning truth for yourself. Third we must go to Him, longing for Him is great only if you put to action what you want and go to the Bible open it and start reading it like a baby craves milk good pure milk. We all must go to the Word daily several times a day to feed on God’s Word the Bible then we will be able to put away all fleshly passions and we will have a longing for more. And finally we are to be a royal priesthood offering our body’s to God as spiritual sacrifices, staying away from the things that naturally draws us and turning to the Word of God and knowing God’s will from the Word daily. We are to live for Him because all that believe in Him those He has caused to be born again, we are no longer our won but we are His people made new to follow and server Him by declaring with our lips and showing with our lives that He is more precious then anything on this earth. Lets never for get this world is not our home.
-I Peter 2:1-12
2:1 So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander. 2 Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation— 3 if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.
4 As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, 5 you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6 For it stands in Scripture:
“Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone,a cornerstone chosen and precious,and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.”
7 So the honor is for you who believe, but for those who do not believe,
“The stone that the builders rejectedhas become the cornerstone,”
8 and
“A stone of stumbling,and a rock of offense.”
They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do.
9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
11 Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. 12 Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.
-I Peter 2:1-12