Archive for the ‘Free-will Salvation’ Category
From Where Comes Believing Faith?
In Chapter 11 of Hebrews, we find a very interesting verse. It is verse 6 of this chapter that we read the following:
Heb 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
Look at this verse again, read it and really give It some thought. After a few moments, ask yourself this. How can someone who is spiritually dead to God generate the faith needed to come to Him and to believe in Him?
This answer is that no one can. So, then, where does the faith come from that is needed in which to believe in Jesus? I know, enough questions already. Just give us the answer. Okay, I will.
In Ephesians we read this:
Eph 2:5 Even when we were dead in sins, He hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)
Eph 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
Eph 2:9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
God first must quicken us, make us spiritually alive, in order for Him to give us the gift of faith so that, with this faith, we can believe and receive Jesus into our lives as our Lord and Savior. The proof of this we find in two verses from John 1.
The first verse that you will read is one that many of us already know, but it is rare that the reader or teacher will follow up that verse with the next one; as it describes how what is done in the first verse is accomplished.
Here are the two verses about which I speak:
Joh 1:12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:
Joh 1:13 Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
The first verse speaks of receiving Jesus and in the second verse it tells us what is needed to be done first before one can believe and receive. That is, one must first be regenerated or made alive. Not because they were born into a believing family, which gave them the right to believe, not because they did good works that gave them the ability to believe, nor was it because they, of their own will, choose to believe. It was because of God that they were first born again, made alive in the spirit, so that they could receive the gift of faith and, with that faith, they could believe on Jesus and receive Him into their life as Lord and Savior.
Basically, it is because of God, and only of God, that anyone is born again and given the gift of faith with which to believe on Jesus, and chose to come to Him and bow down to Him in humble submission of His Lordship over us because of what He has done for us as Savior. No one can claim this for himself.
We are not saved because of anything we have done. We are saved because it was God’s will to save us, even when we were dead in our sins. In fact, because we were dead in our sins, if God had not chosen any of us to be saved, none of us would be saved.
In our spiritual death we are as dead as Lazarus was physically dead and in the grave so that when Jesus called out to him to “come forth”, Lazarus first had to be made alive so that he could hear Jesus and to have the ability to respond to His command and to come forth as Jesus said.
In our spiritual death, we are the same. Only when God calls us by name, and makes us alive – “born again” – are we able to hear Jesus and be able to respond and to “come forth” as He calls us. In John 6: 37 Jesus said that, “all that the Father gives me will come to me”…
Now you know the answer. The reason, and only reason, that one, who is spiritually dead in sin, is able to believe on Jesus, and by faith receive Jesus into their lives as Lord and Savior, is because of the work of God in choosing us to be saved on behalf of Jesus Who made it possible for us to be saved.
Being born into a believing family will not do it. Doing good works will not do it. Choosing of our own free will, while spiritually dead in our sins, will not do it. Only by God choosing to make us alive and giving us the gift of faith will we be able to do it.
That is, only by the faith given to us by God will we be able to confess with our mouth that Jesus is Lord, and to believe in our heart that God has raised Him from the dead, will we be saved from the wrath to come.
Faith is a gift. A gift given to us by God and only by being “born again” will we receive this gift of faith. Without the new birth there is no faith given.
Good People Do Not Go To Heaven…
If God were to ask, “Why should I allow you into Heaven?” I would imagine that each one of you would give many and varied answers. In the end, however, you would all be saying that it is because you have been a good person.
In saying that, how good is good enough? At what level of being good do you think God would allow you into heaven? What if God were to reply by saying that no one is good, what reason would you then give?
Mar_10:18 (KJV) And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? There is none good but one, that is, God.
Rom_3:12 (KJV) there is none that doeth good, no not one.
So, God says that no one is good. How then does He perceive all of the good things that we have done?
Isa_64:6 (KJV) But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags.
How can that be? What makes God see our good works as “filthy rags”?
Rom_3:23 (KJV) For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
Isa 59:2 But your iniquities(sin) have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.
Psa 5:4 For thou art not a God that hath pleasure in wickedness: neither shall evil dwell with thee.
Psa 5:5 The foolish shall not stand in thy sight: thou hatest all workers of iniquity(sin).
When you know how God views you and your sins then you will be able to understand why God hates what you do in committing those sins. I know that is harsh to say and it is not what you hear in Christian circles these days even though God says so in His Word. All you will hear is that God loves you. However, there is a little catch.
1Co_2:14 (KJV) But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
In your sinful state no matter what anyone says, even in reading this, if God does not give you understanding into His Word so that you can receive and believe them, you will never act upon them. Worse you will not enter into the Kingdom of God. In other words, you will not go to Heaven no matter how good you think you are.
There is only one way, and through one person, that anyone will enter into Heaven.
Joh 3:3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
Joh 3:5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
Joh 3:7 Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.
You see, in your sinful state you are dead to God. You do not want God nor do you feel that you need Him. Like Jesus said in this quote:
Luk_19:14 (KJV) But his citizens hated him, and sent a message after him, saying, We will not have this man to reign over us.
That is exactly how you feel about Jesus in your dead sinful state. You say it in words and in ways that you do not understand. That is why Jesus tells us that we must be born again. Being born again is God making us alive in the spirit so that we can see Him, hear Him and respond to Him in the way that not only is as He wants but also in a way that we will desire to come to Him as He wills.
When we come to God the Father, it is only by one person through which that can be done.
Joh_14:6 (KJV) Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
I hope that now you can see, or soon will be able to see, and understand why good people do not go to Heaven; because in your sinfulness you can never be good enough. The only way to Heaven is by being born again by the Spirit of God and in believing Jesus to be the only true Lord and Savior; the One to whom you must submit your whole being – mind, body and soul(self will).
Act_4:12 (KJV) Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.
Good people do not go to Heaven. Only they who have been “born again” will God allow into His Kingdom. In His Word God has given you a simple and straightforward explanation of the only way, and through whom, you will be allowed into Heaven. The question you now face is this. Have you been “born again”?
Being Truly Set Free
On July 4, 1776, a country, consisting of thirteen states, began the task of becoming a free and sovereign Nation after declaring its independence. It happened because men wanted to be free and were willing to fight for that freedom. They did and the United States was born.
Ever since time began, man has wanted freedom and to get that freedom he was willing to do whatever it took to secure that freedom. Was there a time when man did not know there was a freedom that he needed; one to which his own self-righteousness made him blind? The answer is yes.
Since man sinned in the Garden of Eden, and fell from grace with God, he has needed to be set free from being a slave to his own sin and self-righteousness. In Romans, we read the following:
Rom 6:20 For when you were the slaves of sin, you were free from righteousness.
Therein is the problem. As slaves to sin, we know it not, and since we do not know we need to be set free from this enslavement, we do not seek this freedom. We trust in our own self-righteousness not knowing that we have none of our own. That is where Jesus comes in.
In the Gospel of John Jesus tells us this:
Joh 8:34 Jesus answered them, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever commits sin is the slave of sin.”
Not only does He tell us our problem but He also gives us the answer as to how we are set free from being slaves to sin. Especially since we do not know, we are such slaves. Only Jesus can set us free.
Joh 8:36 Jesus says, “ If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.”
Freedom from sin comes not from our own will to be free. No, it comes from the desire and will of Jesus to set us free, and all those whom the Father draws to Him will be set free and saved from our own self-righteousness (sin’s slavery).
Only until Jesus sets us free we will ever know the truth of our sins enslavement.
Man loves his freedom, but this is one freedom, being a slave to sin, about which man knows nothing. Thank God, that Jesus knows and that in Him only, will we be set free.
The question that you now face is this. Have you been set free from being a slave to sin, from your own self-righteousness?
Whoever will confess that Jesus is Lord and believe in their heart that God has raised Him from the dead will have been set free by the Son of God, and they will know that they are free indeed.
Do You Have The Right To Call God “Father”?
I do believe that most people would acknowledge that God, specifically Jesus who is God in human form, is the Creator of us all.
Joh_1:3 (KJV) All things were made by him (Jesus); and without him was not any thing made that was made.
Now there came a time in a certain place when Jesus was heard praying by his disciples. They must have marveled at His praying because when he was finished one of them asked Him, “Lord, teach us to pray”.
Jesus said to them, “When you pray say, Our Father.” By this Jesus told them that the first thing you should do when praying is to acknowledge to whom it is that you are praying. Not only is that person God but He also is your Father. However, who has the right to call God “Father” and why?
Throughout the New Testament, whether talking to groups of Christians or to individual Christian, the Apostle Paul would address them in this manor:
Eph_1:2 (KJV) Grace be to you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.
Paul specifically states that God is “our Father”, and he says that only when he was communicating with Christians. So, how do we become a child of God?
Now everyone knows about John 1:12 that says:
John 1:12 But as many as received him (Jesus), to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:
It is by receiving Jesus, who is God, that people are given the right to become sons (children) of God.
However, very few people, even Christians themselves know about the next verse that speaks of the “sons of God” and reads:
John 1:13 Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
People are not born into the family of God because they might belong to a religious family, nor are they born into God’s family because they earn their way into His family, or even will themselves to be born into God’s family.
In John 3: 3 Jesus says the following:
Joh 3:3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
One must be “born again” before they not only can see the kingdom of God but also be able to enter into the kingdom of God, and it takes God to decide who will be “born again” and become His children.
In short, when a person is born of God (born again), as God chooses, does one receive the right to call God “our Father”. That is why Paul told the Christians, as he wrote to them, that God is our Father because they have been born into the family of God.
Therefore, only they who are true disciples of Jesus, who have been born again by the power of God, are the only ones who are given the right to call God “Father”. No one else has that right. God has no obligation to listen, or even to respond, to anyone who is not a member of His family. They have no assurance that their prayer will be answered.
How about you? Have you been born again? If so, then you have the right to do as Jesus says to do. When you pray, you can start by saying to God, “Our Father”.
Simple Doctrine of Election
There are two different views of salvation in Christian theology. In both of them, there is the cause and effect doctrine for how one is saved from facing the wrath of God and spending eternity in Hell.
On one hand, there is the doctrine of “free-will”. It says that man has the ability to choose of his own free will, when faced with the gospel of Jesus, whether or not to accept Jesus as Savior and so be saved or choose to reject Him and go on his merry way. In this, man can save himself, as his salvation is based upon what he does first and then God responds accordingly.
However, in the doctrine of election, as Jesus says in the Gospel of John chapter six and verses 44 & 65, “no one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws (or enables) him.” In response some will say that God draws “all” men. If that were the case then everyone would be saved for in the same chapter Jesus also says, “All that the Father gives me will come.”
Now we know that not everyone will be saved. Therefore, we see then, that God will only draw certain ones to Jesus and they, and only they who are drawn, will come to Jesus and be saved. It is they who will be told about Jesus and will hear the gospel, as we are told in John 6: 45, “And they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that has heard, and has learned of the Father, comes to me.” In this, we see that God is the cause of man’s salvation and man responds by willing coming to Jesus.
So, in free will salvation man acts first and then God responds, but in the doctrine of election, God acts first and man responds. Who ever acts first is the cause and the effect is salvation.
As we have seen, of his own free will, man cannot choose to come to Jesus, as the Father must first draw him, and they who are drawn, and who are taught about Jesus, will come willing and so be saved.
Man’s will cannot save him as it takes God’s will to save man (see John 1:13).
In the first chapter of Ephesians 1 – 14 Paul, in writing to believers only, writes so beautifully about how and why God chose to save whom He wills…
Eph 1:1 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, to the saints which are at Ephesus, and to the faithful in Christ Jesus:
Eph 1:2 Grace be to you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.
Eph 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:
Eph 1:4 According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:
Eph 1:5 Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,
Eph 1:6 To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.
Eph 1:7 In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;
Eph 1:8 Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence;
Eph 1:9 Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself:
Eph 1:10 That in the dispensation of the fullness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him:
Eph 1:11 In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:
Eph 1:12 That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.
Eph 1:13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,
Eph 1:14 Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.
Man cannot save himself. It takes God to save man and God will save whom He has chosen. If it were not so, He would not have written about it to tells us so. Whoever calls upon the name of Jesus, and confesses that He is Lord, is one who has been saved. To do so in submission to Jesus is proof that one has been chosen by God for salvation.
How about you? Do you think that you have been saved by your own free will? Alternatively, are you saved because you were chosen by the will of God to be saved? Remember, all who call upon Jesus and submit to Him as Lord will have been saved already.
Simplistic Christianity
What does it mean to become a Christian? Simply put, it means to become a disciple of Jesus. So, how does one become a Christian?
That is a good question. Let us see what the Bible says about becoming a Christian in a very simplistic way.
In the Gospel of Mark 1: 14, 15 we read the following quote by Jesus:
Mar 1:14 Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God,
Mar 1:15 And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.
Here Jesus simply says, “You repent and believe the gospel.” The word repent means “to think differently, that is, reconsider morally to feel compunction.” We are to admit our sinfulness, have a desire to change morally, and to ask for forgiveness for having lived our lives as we want instead of what God wants; to want to live for God and not for ourselves.
The second thing that Jesus said was to believe the gospel. What is the gospel? In First Corinthians chapter one and beginning with the first verse, the Apostle Paul states very clearly what is the gospel:
1Co 15:1 Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand;
1Co 15:2 By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.
1Co 15:3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;
1Co 15:4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:
Now we have the simple basics of how to become a Christian; repent and believe the gospel. You have seen what it means to repent and you now know what the gospel is in a very simplistic way. So, how does this all work together?
When God draws someone to Jesus, in doing so, He also gives them the power to repent and to believe the gospel, giving them the ability to do the following as we read in Romans 10: 8 – 10:
8. The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach;
9. That if thou you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
10. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
So now, you know what it means to “repent and believe the gospel”. In doing so you will receive forgiveness for your sins, have everlasting life with Jesus in Heaven, and you will know what it is truly like to feel the love of God.
The alternative? Read this from the Gospel of John 3: 36:
Joh 3:36 He that believeth on the Son has everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abides on him.
When you compare the two choices, and you have “only two” from which to choose, Simplistic Christianity does not seem like a bad choice after all.
The Secret of Christmas
When you hear the word “Christmas”, what is it about Christmas that you think? Maybe it is about a lighted Christmas tree or it could be about a little baby lying quietly in a manger somewhere.
Of course, one could think of Santa, angels on high, wise men from the East, or even shepherds on a hillside with their sheep. And you know, in today’s world none of these would be a wrong answer. However, none of them tells about the real “Secret” of Christmas.
See, if you can see the secret in the following verses taken from the Gospel of John chapter 1:
1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
1:2 The same was in the beginning with God.
1:3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
1:4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men.
1:5 And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.
1:10 He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not.
1:11 He came unto his own, and his own received him not.
1:12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:
1:13 Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
1:14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
Do you see it? The secret of Christmas is that God lowered Himself to become a man, to be among us to show Himself that He is who He says He is. That by Him we can be forgiven for our sins and be given eternal life all because He has done for us what we cannot do for ourselves.
God became flesh and dwelt among us and to they who would receive Him (Jesus), to believe on Him and to submit to His will, they would find that God first had to give them the power to become one of His children in order to respond. This happened, not because we were born into a Christian family, not because we did something worthy of salvation, nor because we of our own will chose to receive Him. No, none of these can be true. Only because God has willed it is anyone born again into the family of God.
That is the Secret of Christmas; God coming down to earth, and as the God/man Christ Jesus, provided salvation for all who would be forgiven of their sins because of the atoning power of his birth, life, death, burial and resurrection all because we could not provide for ourselves what is needed for salvation.
If you can truthfully say that you have been born again by the Spirit of God, because it was God’s will to do so, then Christmas can be a most wondrous and Merry Christmas. For you truly know the “Secret of Christmas.”
Born Again By God’s Will – Not Man’s
In the Gospel of John chapter three, Jesus tells a Jewish religious leader that unless one is born again by the Spirit of God not only will he “not” see the Kingdom of God but he will also “not” enter into the Kingdom of God.
The Religious leader is surprised and asks how this can happen? Jesus responds by saying that as the wind blows where it wishes – from where it comes and where it goes – so is everyone born of the Spirit of God – The Holy Spirit chooses whom He wills and we know not why.
So many people believe that man has the power to choose whether or not to be “born again”, and that he can do so whenever he wants. Not so says the Bible.
In the first chapter of the Gospel of John many people will use verse 12 to back up their claim of man’s ability to choose to be saved or not but, they never follow up with verse 13 which explains how this – being born again – happens. Here are the two verses as they read:
Joh 1:12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:
Joh 1:13 Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
You see, verse 12 without verse 13 is meaningless. Yes, verse 12 says that man can receive Jesus and to believe on Him, but verse 13 tells us that He must first be born again in order to be able to so do. And this act of being born again is “not” done by man’s own choosing (by man’s will) but that it is done by the will of God.
As the wind blows in the freedom it has, to come and go as it pleases, so is everyone born of the Spirit of God.
When Jesus came to the tomb of Lazarus and yelled, “Lazarus, come forth!” Was he able to say, “Yes, I will come forth.” No, God first had to put life into him, in a sense – make him born again, before he could respond. Life always comes before response in a dead person; even in one who is spiritually dead.
In our sin nature that we all have, we are all spiritually dead to God. That is why Jesus told the religious leader that we must be born again or we will not be able to enter Heaven when our life here on earth is finished.
How about you? Have you really been born again and, if you are, was it by your will that you chose to do so, or was it by God’s will who chose you to be born again?
As for me, it was by God’s will that I am born again. He chose me, I did not choose Him .
A Simple Example Of Election Salvation
I was looking out of my office window one afternoon and I became fascinated by this man who was standing in the middle of the sidewalk trying to hand out a drink of water to any and everyone who went by him.
No one was interested and they all kept walking by him as if he really was not there. However, every so often someone would look up at and walk slowly over to him. I could see them talking and then the person would take the water, break out in a big grin and drink the rest of it. They would hug and the person went on their way with a grin as big as the Cheshire Cat ever had.
What in the world was going on? Why would everyone walk by except for an occasional seemingly interested person? Ummm, I wondered.
Then I was shaken back to reality when the boss walked in and gave me some more work to do. I finished the afternoon, forgetting about that man with the water.
At quitting time I walked outside and boy was it hot. I then remembered about the man with the water. Was he still there handing out his water, and should I, would I dare, stop and try some. I looked and, yes, he was still there.
As I started down the street I began to feel a little uneasy just thinking about taking something that looked like water from someone I didn’t know. I then decided that no matter how hot it was I was not going to take the water. In fact, I was not even going to look over at him; just walk on by.
The sidewalk was crowded and I stayed to the outside, next to the street, so that I would not even walk close to him.
I was looking down and trying to think about anything except water when I heard, “Glenn!”
That was my name. Who was it that was calling my name? I looked around and suddenly saw this man with the water looking my way with an interesting grin on his face. “Yes,” he said. “That was me, Glenn. I was calling your name. I was calling you.”
I slowly walked over to him and he said, “Would you not like to have a cool and refreshing drink of water on such a day as this?”
At this point a drink of water sounded great. “I sure do,” I said. “How much is it?” His answer was quite a surprise. “This water costs nothing. It is a gift just for you and for those to whom my father has chosen for me with which to share.” “You are one of those who are on his list.”
I took the glass and drank some of the water. Man, it tasted better than any water I ever had. I quickly found myself drinking the rest from the glass, and just like that, my thirst was gone. Not only that, but I found myself wanting to spend time with this man.
I have never been separated from Jesus since I took that drink. That is some water.
Of course this is just a story, a simple example of how “Election Salvation” works. What I do want to get across to you, the reason for this story, is that unless Jesus calls you by name to come drink of the water that He has to offer, like everyone else who walked by, you too will walk by.
You will always refuse, of your own free (but enslaved) will not to accept the offer of salvation from Jesus.
Only those who are on God’s list, that He created before the foundation of the world, will Jesus call. In fact, in John 6:44, Jesus basically said that “no one can come to me except that the Father who sent me draws them to me, and all whom He gives me will come to me.”
So, let me challenge you. Would you like a drink of the water that Jesus offers? Keep listening for you just might hear your name being called.
Election Salvation is simple. You only need to be called and so be saved. Is that “your” name I hear Jesus calling?
Prayer – Training For Trust
Do you believe in the sovereignty of God? If you do not believe that God sits on His throne in heaven and does what ever He wills among the inhabitants of the earth you will never have a successful prayer life.
In 1st Thessalonians 5 Paul writes:
Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
Prayer is not giving long winded prayers like you may hear in church, nor is it reciting something from a book, pamphlet or a sheet of paper. Prayer actually is just talking with God.
You see, God already knows what we are going to say. He knows our needs, desires and wants. He knows what problems we are going to have and what blessings we will be given.
What God wants of us is for us to trust in Him no matter what our situation may be. We know that God works all things for our good because we love Him, and when we trust Him we can be as Paul writes in Philippians 4:
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your request be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
You see, from the time we wake up until we go to bed at night, we should constantly be acknowledging, and talking with, God; asking for guidance, for wisdom, patience and understanding; and more importantly asking for the faith needed to trust in God no matter what are our circumstances or the situation in which we find ourselves.
When we can learn to trust in God in all things we can have the peace that He promises, and we can learn to be content, because of our trust in Him and, as long as we are constantly talking with God in prayer, our faith will be at the level needed to hold onto that trust.
God is sovereign and He is in control of all things. Our prayers, our talking with Him and acknowledging our dependency on Him no matter what are our circumstances, will keep us strong in our faith in Him and with strong faith comes deep trust in our Lord and Savior.
Only through constantly talking with God, praying without ceasing, will we ever gain the deep trust that our Father wants for us to have in Him.
Prayer truly is the training ground for gaining the deep trust in God that we need to face any situation that life can throw our way, and be able to have the peace that God has promised to all who love and obey Him.
How about you, how deep is your trust? Maybe you should look at your own prayer life and just start talking with God yourself. I know He would love to hear from you.
Riff's Christian Journal 