FTaylor'sWear the Word: Sin, Salvation & Freedom of Choice

FTaylor'sWear the Word: Sin, Salvation & Freedom of Choice:                     Sin, Salvation & Freedom of Choice If I were to ask ten people what is the definition of sin, I'd get some...

Sin, Salvation & Freedom of Choice

          
         Sin, Salvation & Freedom of Choice

If I were to ask ten people what is the definition of sin, I'd get some very interesting answers.  I asked ten people and these are the answers that were given me:

1. When you do something wrong that you know you shouldn't do
2. Doing what is not of God
3. Doing what you know is wrong
4. Taking from innocent people
5. Deliberately hurting others
6. Sex before marriage
7. Everything that everybody is doing
8. Lying
9. Purposely hurting others
10. Um, I don't know.  I have to think about it

As you can see, sin means different things to everyone I posed the question to.  In Zondervan's Bible Dictionary it says that 'Sin' is anything in the creature that does not express, or which is contrary to, the holy character of the Creator.  It also states that the essence of sin is living independently of God, and the solution to the problem of sin is found in Christ, in the redemption provided by Him (Rom. 3:21-8:39).

 In those scriptures we are told that all have sinned and are in need of forgiveness.  Our redemption was paid for with the blood of Jesus being hung on the cross.  We were justified by faith and not of ourselves.  God gave us this gift, because He knew we could never be worthy of it in and of ourselves.  There isn't anything that could we could do to right our relationship with Him.  Except that we repent, believe Jesus died and rose again, and daily put on the new man that we've become in Christ.

"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God - not by works, so that no one can boast."  Ephesians 2:8-9 

Sin separates us from God.  God is truth and everlasting life.  Sin is darkness and death.  Sin is a system of failure.  But God being a loving and forgiving God, who will forgive every time we sincerely repent.  We have the Holy Spirit, who is our helper, our mediator who speaks to God on our behalf.  The Bible says the Holy Spirits makes intercessions to God with moans and groans that words can not express.  Although we have "Freedom of Choice", God didn't want to lose any of us.  He created us in His image, and gave us the Word, which is Jesus Christ to bring us back to a right relationship with Him.



God never desired to force Himself on humanity.  He always wanted to be our Heavenly Father, with us living with Him eternally.  We created for His worship and pleasure.  It is sad that even angels have been guilty of sin, Lucifer, who became arrogant within himself and persuaded others to turn from the one and true God.  That arrogance got him and others like him kicked out of heaven.  It was Satan who convinced Adam and Eve to sin against God.  They both knew full well of what was expected of them.  Through our first mother and father hath sin entered into the world and was passed on to all of mankind.  We can either choose life or death.

"The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life and have it more abundantly."  John 10:10

Everyone of us are welcomed to the gift of salvation and everlasting life.  Through salvation we are delivered from the wiles of evil and sin.  Complete trust in God, repentance, obedience to God's moral laws are things that are important for our salvation.  Not everyone is interested in salvation and the Word says that they can continue doing things their way, but they will have no parts in God's new heaven and earth.  Because they chose the world and death, so that is what they shall receive when Christ comes to redeem His church and bride.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            

The picture to the right, reminds us that we will answer to God for all sins committed while living on earth.  Living your life how you want to now, instead of for God, means you pay with your life in the end.  The cost is 'Death.'  The Bible has made known to us what is acceptable and unacceptable to the adopted sons of God.  It may seem like fun now, if you are one of those people who are caught up in the cares of this world; money, power and respect.  But those things will all pass away in due time.  I'd for one would rather be like the Apostle Paul, and go on fighting the good fight, because the reward comes to those who diligently live according the laws and precepts presented to us in the Bible.

Remember that "Freedom of Choice" do come at price, it's life or death.  We all should want to choose life.  But as the Bible says, "The world didn't know Him that came to give life and more abundantly."  We can either remain blind and deaf or we can pray to the Lord to give us wisdom, knowledge, and understanding of the mystery of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  For it is power unto salvation, which is freely given to those who wants it.

Choose Christ, Choose Life!

God Bless Us All!

FTaylor'sWear the Word: "Be Still And Know That I Am God!" Psalms 46:10

FTaylor'sWear the Word: "Be Still And Know That I Am God!" Psalms 46:10: "Be Still And Know That I Am God!"  Psalms 46:10 Have you ever felt like your load was too heavy to carry?  Do you ever think th...

FTaylor'sWear the Word: Trusting God Completely

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FTaylor'sWear the Word: Pride: The First of the 7 Deadly Sins

FTaylor'sWear the Word: Pride: The First of the 7 Deadly Sins:             Pride: The First of the 7 Deadly                                      Sins                                              ...

FTaylor'sWear the Word: The Untameable Tongue

FTaylor'sWear the Word: The Untameable Tongue:                     The Untameable Tongue "Many things are opened by mistake, but none so frequently as the mouth. "  ...

The Untameable Tongue

                    The Untameable Tongue

"Many things are opened by mistake, but none so frequently as the mouth."  

James 3:8 " But the tongue can no man tame, it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison." 

We all know that our words carry power.  We use them for encouragement and as an instrument to hurt others feelings.  We are told that we praise God and curse man in the same breath.  Most of us have spoken before actually giving thought to the affects our words may have.  Man has the power to control many things in this world, but when it comes to the tongue, it is his hardest challenge.  Getting a handle on how we use our words is an ongoing battle.  King David knew that the tongue was something to be controlled and disciplined, and how we needed to be careful of our thoughts.  He said to the Lord in 

Psalm 39:1 and Psalm 141:3

"I will take heed to my ways, that I sin not with my tongue: I will keep my mouth with a bridle."

"Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips."

God can help us with this battle, if we keep His word in our hearts.  We learn through scripture that the tongue has the power to bring life or death both spiritually and physically.

Proverbs 16:24 " Pleasant words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the bones."

Proverbs 15:26 " The thoughts of the wicked are an abomination to the Lord."

Matthew 15:11 " It is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth; this defiles a person."

Matthew 12:36-37 "But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgement.  For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned."

In our obedience to Christ, we must learn to monitor our every thought.  A Christian's heart is made known by the words he/she speaks.  God gave everyone free will, so we must then choose what we say wisely.  There are some truths about the tongue we need to keep in mind:

• we will be held accountable for what we say
• we should know its power for good and evil
• we should know that it is an untameable source of evil for all humans
• we should know that what's in the heart will pour forth out of the mouth

Proverbs 4:23 " Watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flows the springs of life."

James 3:6 " And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell."

We must train our thoughts with the word of God.  It's going to take prayer and a lot practice to train the mind to be as Christ's.  This should be every Christian's aim in life, to bring the tongue into submission with Christ.  Jesus Christ never spoke an ill word of another.  We're told that a soft answer will turn away wrath.  Meaning we don't have to respond negatively when we are mistreated.  Instead season our words with kindness and watch the anger of another fade away.  Have you ever been at the drive-thru and the person taking your order is rude for no reason.  You, who are a Christian respond with a smile that can't be seen and politely place your order, then thank them and wish them a blessed day.  When you drive around to pay,

you notice a change in attitude.  That's what it means to season your speech with salt, instead of taking offense.

 

   

We must learn to constantly keep the tongue from being an evil tool in which we allow the devil to have a foothold to keep us from serving God.  I think that Satan uses what we say get us to stray further and further away from true worship.  He's more aware of the power of the tongue than we give him credit for.  We know that he's a cunning and sly devil, using our thoughts against us.  All the more reason to stay in the word of God to able to resist the ways he tries to hinder us in developing our relationship with our Lord and savior  Jesus Christ.  We will  never be free from the devil's attempts to keep us from God, it is his mission on this earth.  We know the he is the prince of the air, and woe to us living on earth, because Satan has come to destroy your relationship with the Father as he destroyed his.

We can not allow Satan to deter us from what is right and also the will of God.  Let's not forget that he is the author of lies and confusion.  He often distorts our view when it comes to us worshiping and praising God.  His goal is ultimately our "Spiritual Death", so that we don't get to enjoy the gift of eternal life.  Jesus gives life, but Satan gives death and a life in an eternal hell.  I know that I can't imagine living in a place where I'd be tormented forever.  However, I can imagine living in peace with my fellow man and praising and worshiping God without all of the troubles of this present world.

Paul told us, he'd rather be with Jesus than live on earth, for it is a better place.  But he knew that he had work to do before he would get the honor of being with our Lord.  He often said those who were sleeping were much better off than those who were yet alive.  We suffer temptation all the day long with Satan in our midst.  Fret not, the bible tells us that when we belong to God, he won't allow us to be tempted more than we will be able to bear.  When you belong to the Father above, there are many things you have access to.  He's given us a way to live through the power of His Holy Word!

Recognize that you will always at war with the powerful tongue, and need to subject it to captivity in the Lord Jesus Christ.  You can't do this by yourself, but you can with the help of the Lord.  We always have help from above when we need it.  All we have to do is call on the sweet name of Jesus Christ and see the power that can not be touched.

God Bless Us All! 

   

Pride: The First of the 7 Deadly Sins

            Pride: The First of the 7 Deadly 
                                    Sins

                                                                                   Definitions of Pride:

Merriam-Webster: a feeling that you respect yourself and deserve to be respected by other people; a feeling that you are more important than other people; inordinate self-esteem.

Wikipedia: (negative connotation) an inflated sense of ones's personal status or accomplishments, also a disagreement with the truth.

As we all know that pride is one of the seven deadly sins, and the first sin.  We saw it with Lucifer, who was cast out of heaven.  He started feeling himself, as the saying goes, and he took others with him.  We saw it in Adam & Eve with the forbidden tree.  The consequence was their shame, they were kicked out of the Garden of  Eden, and death.  God Hates Pride, period!  It is the center and root of sin.  It is consumed of the idea of self; me, myself and I. It lives in one's heart, it desires one to seek his/her own glory.  Pride is a liar, it's selfish, it's sneaky, it brings conflict, and it's a blatant disrespect for God. 

We're told in the scriptures that pride goeth before destruction.  Pride promotes prayerlessness.  Psalm 10:4: The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God: God is not in all of his thoughts.  Psalm 138:6: Though the Lord be high, yet hath he respect unto the lowly: but the proud he knoweth afar off.  A prideful person is always seeking glory from others.  Pride won't allow you to apologize even when you know you're wrong.

                                 

Pride has destroyed many relationships, it causes contentions amongst people.  It can be slanderous and is evil gossip.  It is egotistical, it also causes one to have a "Big Head," always putting airs to a person's so called status in life.  It is fair to say it brags, boasts, it puffs up one's idea of his/her self-sufficiency.  The Father says pride is an abomination to Him, and will not go unpunished.  Jesus told us to seek Him with humility.  Meaning, we are not to think too highly of ourselves.  Even Jesus had the mindset of servitude.  It is impossible to become greater than our creator and savior.

Pride is the cause of  'Spiritual Failure,' but failure is never final with Jesus.

               Jesus Christ is the Standard!

As you can see in the picture, selfishness is in the core of both sin and pride.  You can't let Jesus in with that attitude and mindset.  You are living in darkness, instead of the light.  Jesus is the way, the truth and the life.  It is sometimes hard to recognize that we are prideful.  Remember it is a deceiver, and will constantly tell you lies.  Satan wants to take as many as he can to hell with him.  So now, he's working harder than he ever has.  His time is running out.

Too many of us struggle with pride, straying further and further from having a humbled heart.  There are countless times when my pride got in my own way.  You never realize it until after-the-fact.  In school I used think I was smarter than others I knew, because I always made better grades than them.  Thinking back, I know I've hurt quite a few people.  Turning the tables, when I was made to feel lower than another, it didn't feel too good.

Simply put, humility is not thinking of yourself as "All That!"  I read that humility is a choice and a responsibility.  I choose to humble myself before God and Jesus.  Only Jesus can give us freedom from this grave digger of an emotion.  I know it seems as though being humble makes you a push over.  Humility doesn't mean you have to allow people to walk all over you.  It simply means you love a little harder and forgive a lot more.  Could you have done what Jesus did for us, being blameless and bearing mankind's sins with your blood?  The gift of eternal life and salvation deserves the type of gratitude that is beyond our capabilities.  God hasn't asked us for much in return for this gift.  It was freely given before we existed.

A few years ago one of our guest pastors posed these questions to the congregation:

Are you afar from Jesus?
Does something stand between you & God?
Are you identifying with Christ throughout your week? 

Ask the Lord to renew in you a pure & clean heart.  From your heart repent & seek forgiveness of sins.  We're going to have to learn to stay on our knees in prayer, everyday!  Let the Lord increase in your life, while you decrease in self more.  For as the Bible says "Every knee shall bow, and every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord."  

Remember that Jesus taught us how we ought to live and worship.  So again, I leave you with:

                     Jesus Christ is the Standard!

God Bless Us All.

             

                                                               

Jesus Freak or Devil Worshiper, Both Have Advantages! Who Will You Choose to Be?

Jesus Freak or Devil Worshiper, Both Have Advantages!  
                      Who Will You Choose to Be? 



Growing up I would hear people speak of the two positions like being one was a curse, while the other was considered to be living life to the fullest.  I never really gave too much thought to the term Jesus Freak, other than the fact I didn't want to be pegged one of them.  And I certainly didn't consider myself ever being a devil worshiper.  Thank God for being just who He is, a loving and merciful God. 

I'm older now, perhaps a little wiser, and really understand what the two terms really mean.  I have to say that I'd rather be a Jesus Freak, rather than be a devil worshiper.  Jesus Freak doesn't sound all that bad.  It's better than worshiping satan.  If you know like I know, going coo coo for Christ, is beneficial in the long run (pun intended).

Let's examine being a freak for Jesus.  To me, it means you can't get enough of Him!  You desire Him more and more everyday.  You walk with Christ daily.  Spending time reading the scriptures, praying, fasting, ministering to others, expressing love towards one another, and best of all, fellow-shipping with the one who redeemed us of our sins.  Having Jesus on the brain, certainly changes one's life for the better.

Being one or the other is a Choice, all of us have to make.  Which one you choose is really up to you.  David in the Bible constantly prayed to the Lord in heaven.  He said "Your praise shall continually be in my mouth!"  And just like so many of us, David too, was a sinner who loved God and Jesus Christ.  David knew what it meant to serve a Living God.   

God loved us before we ever loved Him.  He went to great lengths to redeem us back to Himself.  His Son, Jesus Christ was given as a sacrifice for the multitude of iniquities that befall us mere humans.  Our word is full of benefits that come with becoming a believer.  You can start with Psalm 103:1-6.  Salvation is a the top of my list.

Advantages of Being a Jesus Freak: 

• All of our transgressions are forgiven

Psalm 85:2: "Thou hast forgiven the iniquity of thy people, thou hast covered all their sin."

Psalm 86:12-13: "I will praise thee, O Lord my God, with all my heart: and I will glorify thy name for evermore.  For great is thy mercy: and thou hast delivered my soul from the lowest hell."

Isaiah 43:25: "I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins."

• Heals all our diseases
• Redeems our lives from destruction

Ezekiel 18:4: "Behold all souls are mine."

Acts 2:21: "And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved."

Romans 5:8: "But God commandeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners. Christ died for us."

Romans 10:13: "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved."

• We are ever welcomed to His tender mercies and loving kindness
• We are blessed with the true good things in life
• He'll renew our youth like the eagles 

Advantages/ Disadvantages of Following the devil:

• Depression
• Anxiety
• Fear
• Death
• Agony
• Pain
• Misery
• Sickness
• Suffering
• Total Darkness
• Eternal hell fire, no rest or reprieve
• No God!

What we need to do is, humble ourselves before the Father.  Sincerely repent of our sins from the heart.  Trust and believe that God raised Jesus from the grave, also that He was sent to in fact bear our sins.  We are admonished to seek God while He can be found.  This world is passing away.  Christ is coming back for His Church, you want to be on the winning team!  Everlasting Salvation, should be the goal of everyone.  God doesn't want to lose not one soul.

Become a Jesus Freak, seeking the kingdom of heaven.  Cause in the end you'll want to be above the 'Gulf of Hell', in heaven or on the new earth, where all things will become new. Remember, we've been purchased with the price of Jesus' precious blood.  Let not that sacrifice be in vain for your life.  Pray without ceasing!  Fight the good fight, endure through til the end, the rewards are absolutely fabulous.

Make your choice today who you'll serve.  Time is running out for this life and world.  Yet, with God there is always hope and everlasting life.  If you know better, you'll choose to become a Jesus Freak living for an eternity, just as it was planned from the very beginning.

God Bless Us All!

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