“But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” -Romans 5:8
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Verse of the day – Christ died for us
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Monthly Archives: November 2011
Verse of the day – Watch and Pray
“Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak.” -Matthew 26:41
Addiction-Proofing Your Soul Audio Sermon by: Mark Minnick
“But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.” -Galatians 5:16
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Quote of the day – The power of the Gospel
“There is only one force that can change evil governments. It is the same force that enabled Christian states to take the place of the heathen Roman Empire, the force that made Christians of savage Teutons and Vikings, the force that over-threw the bloody Inquisition. This force is the power of the gospel, represented by the Underground Church that works in all captive nations.” -Richard Wurmbrand (Tortured for Christ)
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Verse of the day
“I long for your salvation, O LORD, and Your law is my delight. Let my soul live and praise You, and let Your rules help me. I have gone astray like lost sheep; seek Your servant, for I do not forget Your commandments.” -Psalm 119:174-176
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Thanksgiving – Be always grateful for what your Savior has done for you
“Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever!” -Psalm 107:1
Be always grateful for what your Savior has done for you.
Happy Thanksgiving and God Bless!
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Quote of the day – God is holy
“On the contrary, as God is holy, all holy, only holy, altogether holy, and always holy, so sin is sinful, all sinful, only sinful, altogether sinful, and always sinful.” -Puritan Ralph Venning in The Sinfulness of Sin
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Loving God and Seeing Sin as Sinful Part: 3 – By: Mafe Rodriguez
Loving God and Seeing Sin as Sinful – Part 3
My flesh wants to sin all the time! How can I, by God’s grace, cultivate a hatred for sin and a love for God and godliness?
6. Remember that God always provides a way out of the temptation, and He alone can forgive.
1 Corinthians 10:13 rejoices that “No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.”
7. Realize that Fellowship with God is far greater, more precious, and more satisfying than ANYTHING ELSE, including sin.
Psalm 16:11 declares, “You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is
FULLNESS OF JOY; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” Later David reflects, “Whom have I in heaven but You? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides You. (Psalm 73:25)
The Christian life shouldn’t be a burden. It’s not just a set of rules, or avoiding bad things, or a bunch of “You can’t do this.” Rather, it is saying ‘YES’ to God, and being satisfied in Him and loving Him. It’s seeing His promises as far better than anything else on earth! When we see our God as a good god, we should be motivated to willingly follow Him!
The Christian life shouldn’t be a burden. It’s not just a set of rules, or avoiding bad things, or a bunch of “You can’t do this.” Rather, it is saying ‘YES’ to God, and being satisfied in Him and loving Him. It’s seeing His promises as far better than anything else on earth! When we see our God as a good god, we should be motivated to willingly follow Him!
God is not pleased with good works than don’t come from a heart that loves Him and wants to please Him always. Yes, we can talk about avoiding and hating sin, but we can’t accomplish anything without God’s help. Pastor Chris Anderson once said, “Our goal in sanctification is far more than just avoiding sin, our goal is to pursue God.”
Hebrews 12:11 challenges, “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely,
and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.”
A friend of mine has written, “Don’t let sin dominate you. Rather, let God take control and dominate your life.” (B. Anderson) Let’s pray together, “Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!” (Psalm 139:23-24)
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Loving God and Seeing Sin as Sinful Part: 2 – By: Mafe Rodriguez
Loving God and Seeing Sin as Sinful – Part 2
“Therefore, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation—but it is not to the flesh, to live according to it. For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live.” (Romans 8:12-13)
Let’s go back to our primary question, how can I cultivate a heart that hates sin and wants to pursue God?
3. We must meditate on Christ’s work and the high price He paid. He shed His blood to pay for your sin. Remember, He gave you the victory over sin.
John 1:29 says, “The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, ‘Look, the Lamb of God, WHO TAKES AWAY THE SIN OF THE WORLD!’” Later John continues, “For everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world? Only the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.” (1 John 5:4-5)
”But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Corinthians 15:57)
4. We must know that God hates sin and pray that God will help you SEE SIN THE WAY HE DOES.
Proverbs 15:9 The way of the wicked is an abomination to the LORD, but he loves
him who pursues righteousness. Likewise, Deuteronomy 25:16 warns, “For all who do such things, all who act dishonestly, are an abomination to the LORD your God.”
5. We must remember that in the Bible we are commanded to HATE sin and fear God.
In Proverbs 16:6, Solomon instructs, “By steadfast love and faithfulness iniquity is atoned for, and by the fear of the LORD one turns away from evil.” And again: “Let love be genuine.ABHOR WHAT IS EVIL; HOLD FAST TO WHAT IS GOOD. (Romans 12:9)
By God’s grace, may we be able to live for Him and not for sin.
More to come!
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Loving God and Seeing Sin as Sinful Part: 1 – By: Mafe Rodriguez
Loving God and Seeing Sin as Sinful – Part: 1
“They profess to know God, but they deny him by their works. They are detestable, disobedient, unfit for any good work.” (Titus 1:16)
“For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery…. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do.” (Galatians 5:11, 17)
”But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.” (Romans 13:14)
How can we keep cultivating a heart that hates sin and wants to pursue God?
1. We have to understand our identity: we are children of God, not slaves to sin!
1 John 3:1-10 says, “See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called CHILDREN OF GOD; and so WE ARE. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Beloved, WE ARE GOD’S CHILDREN now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears WE SHALL BE LIKE HIM, because we shall see him as he is. AND EVERYONE WHO THUS HOPES IN HIM PURIFIES HIMSELF AS HE IS PURE.”
2. We have to understand what the Bible has to say about sin. If God is not tolerant towards sin we shouldn’t be either!
“Sin is lawlessness” (1 John 3:4).
Sin blasphemes God’s name. (Psalm 74:18) “Remember this, O LORD, how the enemy scoffs, and a foolish people reviles your name.”
Sin is a disgrace. Solomon said, “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people.” (Proverbs 14:34)
Sin is death, and it always has consequences. We all know Romans 6:23: “FOR THE WAGES OF SIN IS DEATH, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Later Paul said, “THE STING OF DEATH IS SIN, and the power of sin is the law.” (1 Corinthians 15:56)
James 1:13-15 warns, “When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; AND SIN, WHEN IT IS FULL-GROWN, GIVES BIRTH TO DEATH.”
Sin goes against your conscience. “So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.” (James 4:17)
Sin defiles a person. Matthew preached, “And he said, “Are you also still without understanding? Do you not see that whatever goes into the mouth passes into the stomach and is expelled? But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. These are what defile a person. But to eat with unwashed hands does not defile anyone.” (Matthew 15:16-20)
We have a sinful nature. Romans 7:14-20 We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, IN MY SINFUL NATURE. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do— this I keep on doing. Now if I do what, I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is SIN LIVING IN ME that does it.
Although we are children of Christ, we have a deadly, sinful nature. So what can we do about it?
More to come!
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Verse of the day – Be Watchful
“Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love.” -1 Corinthians 16:13-14
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