As I was reviewing the most read articles of all time on this website I found that more people read the article entitled " Finding Real Contentment." All people are looking for that which will give them the real peace and contentment. Most people have tried all the things that the world has to offer and found those things to be insufficient to bring real peace and contentment. That is because anything found in this world is temporary no matter what it might be. Temporary or material things can not bring real contentment because it comes from an outward source. Real contentment must come from within. The bible says where to find real peace and contentment. Isaiah 26:3 (NLT)
3 You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you!
The key is found in this verse of scripture. Look at what it says. The way to real peace and contentment is trusting in the God of the Holy Bible. Your thoughts must be fixed on God. This means that we will not think about problems, worries, doubt, and fears of this and that but we will use the plan of action that God calls for in His word. The bible tells us what we can do when we face all those things. It is found in:
Philippians 4:6-7(NLT)
6 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. 7 Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. There it is. A plan of action that will bring real peace and contentment. Let's break it apart piece by piece.
1. Don't worry about anything. [v:6] Anything means just what it says. Instead of worry which changes nothing, God's plan is for us His people to pray about everything. Everything means everything, nothing excluded.
2. Prayer is simply talking to God and casting our cares on Him because He cares for us.[1Peter 5:7] Be sure to thank God for all He has done and for what He is going to do. God loves thankful hearts!
3. In verse 7 the result of praying, which is telling God what you need and then being thankful for all He has done and is going to do, is that you will experience God's peace which exceeds anything we can understand. The experience of God's peace supersedes all human comprehension. Why? His ways are higher than ours and His thoughts are also higher than ours.
Isaiah 55:8-9 (NLT) 8 “My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord. “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine.
9 For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.
4. This peace that comes from God will guard your heart and mind. But notice the condition! As you live in Jesus. Living your life in Jesus means first of all that you know Him as your personal Lord and Savior. This means that you must acknowledge that you are a sinner and that you need salvation. Repent [change your mind about the way you are going and turn to God] and then ask Jesus Christ to forgive you and invite Him into to your life to take charge of you. Just say something like this. Dear Lord Jesus, I realize that I am a sinner. I am sorry for my sins againt God and other people. I ask you to forgive me. Come into my heart and save me from Hell. I invite you to take charge of my life. Thank Him for His salvation of your soul. Go to a bible believing and preaching church. Tell the pastor that you have received Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord and you want to be baptized. He will take it from there.
After you are saved you must conduct your daily life according to the way Jesus wants you to. To do this you must read the word of God daily praying before you begin to read. The Holy Spirit of God will then begin to reveal the truth of God's word to your heart and understanding.
5. Then finally verse 7 says that God's peace will guard which means-to give protection; keep watch; be watchful. God's peace will give your mind and heart protection from the things of the world which attack your mind and heart to steal your peace and contentment. God's peace will keep watch over your heart and mind. God's peace will be watchful over your heart and mind. What a promise from God. How could anyone refuse a promise like that.
If you want real peace and contentment you know where to find it.
To repeat what I wrote earlier you will not find real peace and contentment through anything you can find or experience on this earth. It only comes from God. Take it from me and many others who have found out the hard way.
May God speak to your heart whether you are a Christian or not and may God help you to heed this message so He can richly bless your life. God loves you and wants to bring you real peace and contentment. But you must do what these scriptures say and then God will keep His promise to bring you peace and contentment and guard your heart and mind. You have nothing to lose but your worries, doubts, and fears and confusion. The choice is yours! What will it be? Real peace and contentment or more of the same?
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Friday, July 22, 2011
The Great Reviving
I have been praying for a revival in this country and in my own personal life. We need a revival now more than ever before. In the book of Isaiah we are told how a revival comes. Isaiah 57:15 (NKJV)
15 For thus says the High and Lofty One Who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: "I dwell in the high and holy place, With him who has a contrite and humble spirit, To revive the spirit of the humble, And to revive the heart of the contrite ones.
I. THE REVIVING COMES FROM THE HIGH AND LOFTY GOD.
15 For thus says the High and Lofty One Who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: "I dwell in the high and holy place, With him who has a contrite and humble spirit, To revive the spirit of the humble, And to revive the heart of the contrite ones.
I. THE REVIVING COMES FROM THE HIGH AND LOFTY GOD.
A. God is the only One who can bring revival to us. He is the High One. There is no one higher than God because He is the who has created all that we see, feel, taste, and touch. He has made the angelic beings that we can not see. He has all power and authority over all.
B. God is the Holy One. Holy means having a spiritually pure quality. It also means entitled to worship or adoration. If we ever have revival it will only come from the High and Lofty One, God Himself.
C. We should never look to man or our own efforts. 2 Chronicles 7:14 (NKJV)
14 if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.
This verse tells us to seek God alone for forgiveness and revival. It tells us the conditions to revival. Humility, prayer, repentance or turning from the way we are going and then turning fully toward God. He also in this verse tells us what He will do for those who truly meet His conditions for revival. He will heal our land.
C. We should never look to man or our own efforts. 2 Chronicles 7:14 (NKJV)
14 if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.
This verse tells us to seek God alone for forgiveness and revival. It tells us the conditions to revival. Humility, prayer, repentance or turning from the way we are going and then turning fully toward God. He also in this verse tells us what He will do for those who truly meet His conditions for revival. He will heal our land.
II. Revival comes from high and holy place.
A. True revival comes from God's throne on high. Hebrews 8:1 (NKJV)
1 Now this is the main point of the things we are saying: We have such a High Priest, who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens.Hebrews 4:14-16 (NKJV)
14 Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.
15 For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.
16 Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
Let us always remember there will be no move of God except we His people come before His throne in heaven where we will find mercy and grace to help us in this time of trouble.
14 Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.
15 For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.
16 Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
Let us always remember there will be no move of God except we His people come before His throne in heaven where we will find mercy and grace to help us in this time of trouble.
III. Revival comes for a High and Lofty purpose.
A. Revival according to Isaiah 57:15b is To revive the spirit of the humble, And to revive the heart of the contrite ones.
A. Revival according to Isaiah 57:15b is To revive the spirit of the humble, And to revive the heart of the contrite ones.
A. Revival is for just what the name implies. It is to revive our spiritually dead condition. It is for the humble. Those who realize we have drifted away from God and His word. We have allowed the things of this earth to take precedence over God and His purpose for our lives. Revival is for those of a contrite spirit or repentant spirit. Those truly sorry for the way we have treated God and His Son Jesus Christ and want God to once again to have the preeminent place in our nation and our own personal lives.
B. Revival is for the purpose of allowing God's blessings and favor to flow to us. God waits to bless us but we must position ourselves for those things to happen. Revival is a spiritual position from which God can bless us as a nation and as families and individuals. Revival is for the purpose of worshiping, praising, and serving God as we never have before. No one can ever get to much of God. Revival is also for the purpose of bringing others to Jesus Christ for salvation. The only way to change this nation is to bring people to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. When someone comes to Jesus he suddenly becomes a "new creation."
2 Corinthians 5:17 (NKJV)
17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. When someone becomes a "new creation" he begins to think and act differently. His old sinful ways are replaced with new Godly ways. This is made possible by the Holy Spirit of God that comes to reside in us at our conversion or "rebirth. The Holy Spirit seals us for God.
17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. When someone becomes a "new creation" he begins to think and act differently. His old sinful ways are replaced with new Godly ways. This is made possible by the Holy Spirit of God that comes to reside in us at our conversion or "rebirth. The Holy Spirit seals us for God.
Ephesians 1 13 In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, 14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.
The Holy Spirit is our guarantee of eternal life.If you are reading this and you have never been saved or "born again" now is a perfect time. Jesus said you must be born again. John 3:3 (NKJV)
3 Jesus answered and said to him, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." The way to be "born again" is to confess your sins to Jesus and ask Him to forgive you of your sins against God. Then invite Him to come and live in you and take charge of your life. Then you will experience real revival. Jesus came that you might have life and have it more abundantly. [John 10:10b] Christian, have you slipped away from God and His word? Have you begin to do your own thing? Are you facing overwhelming problems that you can't handle? Do you feel God is far away? Turn back to Jesus Christ and ask Him to forgive you and revive you to the rightful place you should have as a child of God.
Remember all this comes from the High and Lofty One and from His High and Holy place for the High and Lofty purpose of restoring us to the place where God can pour out His blessings from above.
Friday, July 8, 2011
Revisiting Old Places
All of us at times in our lives have gone back to places we have known in our past that have special meanings to us. We somehow get strength from revisiting those old places. Our memories of a happy joyous time in our lives are revived.
The same is true of our spiritual lives. We need to revisit some of those old places where God has touched our souls in a very special way. For example, got back to the time right before you were saved and remember all the feelings you had at that time. How miserable, wretched and lost you were. You knew something was missing and you at first didn't know what that missing thing was. And then by God's grace He touched your heart by His Holy Spirit and then you knew it was a personal relationship with God that was missing. Then by God's grace you were led to ask Jesus Christ to save you and when you asked Jesus to save you, a miracle happened and you were born again. Revisit that old place where you were saved. Remember what God did for you at that time. You will be reminded of God's love for you. You will be strengthened by the fact that in spite of your sinful condition God sent Jesus to save you anyway.
Romans 5:8 (NLT)
8 But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.
Revisit those places of old in your life where there was a special move of God in your life. In other words count your many blessings, name them one by one and it will surprise you what the Lord has done.
We have a tendency to get stuck in a rut. That is because we have let the things of the world or some problem to turn us from our focus on God. We have become complacent-[pleased, especially with oneself or one's merits]. We didn't mean to become pleased with ourselves but we have.
We no longer are excited about the things of God as we were at one time. Revisiting old places helps us to remember where we were without God in our lives and then begin to appreciate what God has and is trying to do in our lives right now if we will but only turn back to Him with the passion we had when we first come to know Him.
By revisiting old places we can begin to regain those spiritual losses we have experienced lately.
Genesis 35:3 (NLT)
3 We are now going to Bethel, where I will build an altar to the God who answered my prayers when I was in distress. Jacob revisited old places that were special to him. A place where God moved on his life in a very special way that he could never get away from. His life took a dramatic turn there at Bethel. Even though many things had happened since that experience with God, he still remembered it.
Genesis 35:9-11 (NLT)
9 Now that Jacob had returned from Paddan-aram, God appeared to him again at Bethel. God blessed him,
10 saying, “Your name is Jacob, but you will not be called Jacob any longer. From now on your name will be Israel.” So God renamed him Israel.
11 Then God said, “I am El-Shaddai—‘God Almighty.’ Be fruitful and multiply. You will become a great nation, even many nations. Kings will be among your descendants!
After Jacob revisited the old altar he had built to God, he was revisited by God again and there God blessed him again. That's what we are looking for, another blessing from God like the one we had back in our past. So take time to revisit old places in your spiritual life where special moves of God took place and see if you are not blessed again maybe even greater than you were before.
If you have never been born again you can not experience a move of God in your life. You can change that right now by admitting that you are a sinner before God and then ask His Son Jesus Christ to forgive your sins against God and then invite Jesus into your heart to live in you and take charge of your life. I promise you that if you are sincere Jesus will not turn you away.
John 6:37 (NLT)
37 However, those the Father has given me will come to me, and I will never reject them. Give your life to Jesus now and you to will have a very special experience in your life that will forever change you and you will have a home in heaven when you leave this earth. You will also begin to experience God in a way you never have before. You will continue to grow in Him until you life here on this earth is over.
You will forever praise and thank God for saving your soul from Hell.
The same is true of our spiritual lives. We need to revisit some of those old places where God has touched our souls in a very special way. For example, got back to the time right before you were saved and remember all the feelings you had at that time. How miserable, wretched and lost you were. You knew something was missing and you at first didn't know what that missing thing was. And then by God's grace He touched your heart by His Holy Spirit and then you knew it was a personal relationship with God that was missing. Then by God's grace you were led to ask Jesus Christ to save you and when you asked Jesus to save you, a miracle happened and you were born again. Revisit that old place where you were saved. Remember what God did for you at that time. You will be reminded of God's love for you. You will be strengthened by the fact that in spite of your sinful condition God sent Jesus to save you anyway.
Romans 5:8 (NLT)
8 But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.
Revisit those places of old in your life where there was a special move of God in your life. In other words count your many blessings, name them one by one and it will surprise you what the Lord has done.
We have a tendency to get stuck in a rut. That is because we have let the things of the world or some problem to turn us from our focus on God. We have become complacent-[pleased, especially with oneself or one's merits]. We didn't mean to become pleased with ourselves but we have.
We no longer are excited about the things of God as we were at one time. Revisiting old places helps us to remember where we were without God in our lives and then begin to appreciate what God has and is trying to do in our lives right now if we will but only turn back to Him with the passion we had when we first come to know Him.
By revisiting old places we can begin to regain those spiritual losses we have experienced lately.
Genesis 35:3 (NLT)
3 We are now going to Bethel, where I will build an altar to the God who answered my prayers when I was in distress. Jacob revisited old places that were special to him. A place where God moved on his life in a very special way that he could never get away from. His life took a dramatic turn there at Bethel. Even though many things had happened since that experience with God, he still remembered it.
Genesis 35:9-11 (NLT)
9 Now that Jacob had returned from Paddan-aram, God appeared to him again at Bethel. God blessed him,
10 saying, “Your name is Jacob, but you will not be called Jacob any longer. From now on your name will be Israel.” So God renamed him Israel.
11 Then God said, “I am El-Shaddai—‘God Almighty.’ Be fruitful and multiply. You will become a great nation, even many nations. Kings will be among your descendants!
After Jacob revisited the old altar he had built to God, he was revisited by God again and there God blessed him again. That's what we are looking for, another blessing from God like the one we had back in our past. So take time to revisit old places in your spiritual life where special moves of God took place and see if you are not blessed again maybe even greater than you were before.
If you have never been born again you can not experience a move of God in your life. You can change that right now by admitting that you are a sinner before God and then ask His Son Jesus Christ to forgive your sins against God and then invite Jesus into your heart to live in you and take charge of your life. I promise you that if you are sincere Jesus will not turn you away.
John 6:37 (NLT)
37 However, those the Father has given me will come to me, and I will never reject them. Give your life to Jesus now and you to will have a very special experience in your life that will forever change you and you will have a home in heaven when you leave this earth. You will also begin to experience God in a way you never have before. You will continue to grow in Him until you life here on this earth is over.
You will forever praise and thank God for saving your soul from Hell.
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