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16  Theology / General Theology / Are you a new creation? on: October 17, 2003, 09:02:36 AM


2 Corinthians 5:17.   Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.

Salvation - The New birth.  When you accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord, Savior and Redeemer , You were Born again.  You - Your inner man, your spirit - was reborn.  You literally (actually) became a new creation!

Sin causes spiritual death.
Until you were born again, accepted Jesus as your Savior, Redeemer - you were spiritually dead.

John 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.”

John 3:15-17:    “That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.  For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.”

When you believe in Jesus, you are born again, you are a new creature.

But  what does that mean- New Creature?

It means that Jesus died on the cross for you! He went to hell and defeated Satan for you!
And in 3 days, the power of God  raised Him from the dead  as the first born of God.  The first born again man, the first reborn man, the first new creation.
Jesus was called the only begotten of God in the Gospels. After the Gospels He is called the first begotten, except where it is referring back to Him.  If He's the first begotten and no longer the only begotten,  then there must be more. We don't use the Word begotten in today's English, it means born,  or born of,  the first born of God.   If Jesus was the first born, and the Word of God says He was,  then there was a second born and a third born and so on …

Acts 13: 29-34,37,38:   “And when they had fulfilled all that was written of him, they took him down from the tree, and laid him in a tomb.    But God raised him from the dead;  and for many days he appeared to those who came up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are now his witnesses to the people. And we  bring you the good news that what God promised to the fathers,  this he has fulfilled to us their children by raising Jesus; as also it is written in the second psalm, 'Thou art my Son, today I have begotten thee.'  And as for the fact that he  raised him from the dead, no more to return to corruption…but he whom God raised up saw no corruption…Let it be known to you therefore, brethren, that through this man forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you,”

The Life giving power of God, raised Jesus from the dead and changed Him from
corruptible to incorruptible.    The Bible says so!  The Word of God tells us Jesus became sin, This not saying He sinned, He became Your and my sin, who else's sin could He become?

That same power God used to raise Jesus from the dead,   is the Same Power God will use to restore your spirit!   He will give to you the right to be a Son of God.  He will make You literally   A NEW CREATION.

-- American Standard   Ephesians 2:1:    “And you did he make alive, when ye were dead through your trespasses and sins,”
 
We were already alive in the physical sense weren't we?  Of course we were. That sounds silly to say such a thing, we were spiritually dead, We had to be made alive, we had to be reborn.

Paul said in the book of Romans …

Romans 7:9  I was alive once without the law, but when the commandment came, sin revived and I died. 10.  And the commandment, which was to bring life, I found to bring death. 11.  For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it killed me. 12.  Therefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy and just and good.
13.  Has then what is good become death to me? Certainly not! But sin, that it might appear sin, was producing death in me through what is good, so that sin through the commandment might become exceedingly sinful.

Paul was not talking about His physical life, if He was dead physically, he could not have written this.  That may sound like an obvious point, but I want you to see that Paul is talking about his spirit.   The Word tells us that the wages of sin is death. He said here…
But sin, that it might appear sin, was producing death in me.  We know that he was not talking about his physical life at this point.  Sin causes spiritual death.

-- Webster's Bible   1 Corinthians 1:18:  “For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish, foolishness; but to us who are saved, it is the power of God.”

When you are born again--- you are born of incorruptible seed.
THAT INCORRUPTIBLE SEED IS THE VERY LIFE OF GOD!

-- Webster's Bible   1 Peter 1:23:  “Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.”

 -- Webster's Bible   John 5:26:  “For as the Father hath life in himself, so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself;”

The Father has Life.   He has granted life to His Son, Jesus!
This Life we are talking about is the ABSOLUTE LIFE OF GOD!
The Greek word is Zoë-  it means the absolute Life of God.  Life as God has it.
The Life of God in Jesus!
It  means  ALL THE LIFE GOD HAS TO GIVE!  

-- American Standard    1 John 1: 1-3:  “  That which was from the beginning, that which we have heard, that which we have seen with our eyes, that which we beheld, and our hands handled, concerning the Word of life  (and the life was manifested, and we have seen, and bear witness, and declare unto you the life, the eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us);   that which we have seen and heard declare we unto you also, that ye also may have fellowship with us: yea, and our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ:”

When you accepted Jesus Christ as your Savior that eternal life,  that Zoë Life, came to dwell in you!

YOU BECAME A NEW CREATION - WITH THE LIFE OF GOD IN YOU!
The Zoë  Life - all the Life God has to give - comes into you and changes you!
It remakes your spirit!  Your spirit, the real you, is born again!

Old things are passed away!   Your sinful nature is dead.
You are a literal New Creature!  A new spirit being - a God filled, Zoë Life, filled creature.

You have in you the absolute life of God.  You have in you all the Life God has to give.   This Zoë Life is the very life and nature of God!
All the Life God has to give abides in you, forever if you have received Jesus Christ as your Savior.!  
You are a New Creature!   You are new, the old has passed away!

If you want to know for sure that you are a child of God, and want to receive this life, then I would like to introduce you to my Lord, all you have to do is pray this prayer.

Dear Heavenly Father, I come to you in the name of Jesus. Your word says, “…and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out.”   (Jn.6:37),   So I know You won’t cast me out, but You take me in, And I thank you for it.  You said in your Word,   "whoever calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.''     (Ro. 10:13).
I am calling on Your name,  So I know You have saved me now, You also said, “…that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes to righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made to salvation.”     (Ro.10:9,10).
I believe in my heart that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. I believe He was raised from the dead for my justification. And I confess Him now as my Lord, Because Your Word says, “… with the heart one believes to righteousness…” and I do believe with my heart, I have now become the righteousness of God in Christ. (2 Cor. 5:21),
And I am saved!            Thank You, Lord!
I can now truthfully say,  I see myself as a born again child of God!

                                                             Glory to God!!!!          Amen.


NOW  YOU ARE A NEW CREATION!

Read and Meditate on the Following Confession:
Say it to yourself over and over until you get it into your spirit, (your inner man).


CONFESSION

I have  God’s Life in me!  I have God’s Nature in me!
I am a New Creation.
Old things are passed away.
My sinful nature is passed away.
I have God’s nature in me - God’s nature is Righteousness and Love.
I am the Righteousness of God in Christ Jesus.
There is therefore, no condemnation to me, because I am in Christ Jesus, A New Creation!
I have been created by The Life of God - in Righteousness, Holiness and Truth.
I am the Righteousness of God in Christ and I walk in His Righteousness and Love Every Day!
Glory to God   amen.

17  Theology / General Theology / How do we have confidence before God? on: October 06, 2003, 06:16:16 PM

-- New Revised Standard with Apocrypha
Hebrews 10:35  Do not, therefore, abandon that confidence of yours;  it brings a great reward.

The writer of Hebrews is telling us to hold on to our confidence because it brings a great reward.  One translation says,  Do not lose your fearlessness.  Another translation says,
Ye may not cast away, then, your boldness.    These are some different ways of saying
the same thing.

We should be able to go before our Father with great confidence and boldness.
My question is how can we get that kind of boldness or confidence before God, and is it something every believer automatically has?   I believe we can find the answer to these questions, as always, in God's Word.

The apostle John said --
My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth. And by this we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before Him.
For if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and knows all things. Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence toward God.  And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight.  And this is His commandment: that we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ  and  love one another,  as He gave us commandment.  Now he who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him. And by this we know that He abides in us,  by the Spirit whom He has given us.        (1 John 3:18-24)
 
John said, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence toward God.  John did not say if God does not condemn us we would have confidence before Him.  We might say it like this, -- if our spirit or inner most being does not condemn us, we would have a clear conscious.   Confidence comes from a clear conscious.  Our spirit being is our conscious.
God's Word tells us in  --  Proverbs 20:27  The spirit of a man is the lamp of the Lord, searching all the inner depths of his heart.

John also says if we love in deed and truth, we will know we are of the truth and shall
 assure our hearts before Him.  He is telling us to 1st  we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ,    and  2nd     We should love one another,  He commanded us to do this for as very good reason.  We will put ourselves into a place where we can receive from Him when we are obedient to His commandments, as  The Apostle John said -- And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments. We have to put ourselves into a place where we can receive.

We do this when we believe on Him, and walk in love toward one another.  Not just in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth. In other words we are not just giving lip service,  but we are truly walking in love toward one another.   Preferring one another over ourselves, and acknowledging one another. Not just with our words,  but with our actions as well.

You might wonder what this has to do with being bold or confident. That is a very good question.  Let's read on.

Now he who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him.  And by this we know that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us.
The Apostle John had great spiritual insight in this area.  I encourage you to get into His epistles and spend some time studying and meditating in them on your own.  

We are to firstly,  believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and secondly,  walk in love toward one another  --  then we know we are abiding in Him, and He is abiding in us.
We know this by the Spirit whom He has sent.  So we have an inner witness in our spirit  by the Holy Spirit that lets us know that we are in Him and He is in us.  Knowing that God Himself is in you, and you are in Him creates this confidence in us before Him.

When your  fellowship with God the Father is right, and your fellowship with other believers is right,  then your conscious is clear before God,  and your heart will not condemn you.  This does not mean the devil will not try and accuse you.  You have got to know and understand the difference.  Satan is the accuser of the brethren.       Rv:12:10.
However, we know of his devices, and won't be drawn in with his trickery,  will we?  
Many Christians have been brought down by the wiles of the enemy  --  thinking it was God, not knowing all along, it was Satan.

Paul said in the book of Romans  --  Romans 8:33-34.  Who shall bring a charge against God's elect?   It is God who justifies.  Who is he who condemns?   It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen,  who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us.

 God isn't the one who is condemning us.  Jesus is at the right hand of God making intercession for us. God is on our side,  He wants us to succeed.  After all He went to great lengths to bring  redemption to us, didn't He?   He's not up there with a spiritual baseball bat trying to knock us down all the time, don't misunderstand me, I'm not condoning sin.  I'm saying if we sin, God is showing us what we can do to make it right, we have an advocate with the Father.

1 John 2:1-5  My little children, these things I write to you, that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.
Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments.  He who says, "I know Him,'' and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoever keeps His word,  truly the love of God is perfected in him.   By this we know that we are in Him.

When we keep His commandments we are walking in His Word, and the Love of God becomes perfected in us.  Being perfected is an ongoing process. It doesn't happen all at once or overnight.  It takes time, so don't get discouraged if you mess up.  Make it right, get up and dust yourself off, and keep going.  There is a spiritual precept here we must come to understand and begin to walk in if we are going to have confidence and boldness before God.   It starts by believing on the Lord Jesus Christ, and walking in love toward our brothers and sisters in Christ.

I have  seen too many Christians who are so very critical of others who don't believe like they do, or don't go to the same kind of church, the list goes on and on, I'm sure you could name many of these things on your own.   Yet, we must come to understand we are not helping anybody when we criticize them,  I'm not talking about a constructive, encouraging type of criticism,  I'm talking about a negative criticism that is not intended to help, but tears down and helps NO ONE.   We back bite and gossip and talk about others behind their backs, and we wonder why there is no power in our lives.  You can not have confidence before God when you are in strife with your brothers and sisters in Christ, it will never happen.  NEVER!

You might say how does walking in love with my brothers and sisters in Christ effect my confidence before God?   We will never have all the answers in this life, but we have to follow God's commandments,  getting out of love with a fellow Christian is breaking God’s  commandment, and breaking God’s commandments breaks our fellowship with God.

Jn:15:12: "This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.
Jn:15:17: "These things I command you, that you love one another.

If we don’t love one another we don’t love God.  Jesus said in John’s gospel;
Jn.14:15.  "If you love Me, keep My commandments.

And what is God’s commandment?

John 15:9.  "As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love.
10.  "If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love.
11.  "These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy
may be full.
12.  "This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.

Jesus said this is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.
He said this is my commandment!  One dictionary says a commandment is a law, an edict, or statue.  He made it a commandment so that we would know the seriousness of this, if we break His commandment, then we know there are consequences along with it.  

This is very important to the Father,  it is a command.  If it wasn’t a commandment we wouldn’t pay as much attention to it.  You see, it is in our best interest if we obey,  when we obey, we are walking in love, when we are walking in love, we are walking in Him, and can have true fellowship with Him only when that happens.   When our  fellowship with God the Father is right, and our fellowship with our brethren is right,  then our conscious is clear before God, and our hearts will not condemn us.  Then we can boldly go before the throne of grace, in full confidence before our God.  

Jesus said in  -- Matthew 5:23-24.  "Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way.  First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.

Why did He say this,  just because He wants harmony among the brethren?   Yes He does, but it is always in our best interest when we follow God's rules and do things the way His Word tells us to do them.  He was thinking of our betterment when He said this,  and will be for our brothers and sisters in Christ's betterment as well.  When we do these things, our hearts become assured before God, and we can come before Him with confidence.     Amen
18  Theology / General Theology / Re:Don't Be Afraid Only Believe on: September 30, 2003, 06:06:27 PM
- King James
Job 3:25  For the thing which I greatly feared is come upon me, and that which I was afraid of is come unto me.
26.  I was not in safety, neither had I rest, neither was I quiet; yet trouble came.

According to the King James translation, Job was afraid and the thing he greatly feared came upon him. He could not even rest because of his fear. Nearly every translation says about the same thing. fear was dominating Job, not his trust in God.  He was sacrificing because he was afraid his chidren would sin against God, and curse God in their hearts .  If he was sacrificing out of his trust in God, and his fear was only toward God, The Bible would not have said, For the thing which I greatly feared is come upon me, and that which I was afraid of is come unto me.  this is a different type of fear, meaning to have terror,  not reverential respect,  as in the fear of the Lord,  implies.

The word tells us to trust in the Lord with all our hearts and lean not unto our own understanding.   If Job was doing this, then why did it say the thing I greatly feared has come upon me?  The thing he greatly feared was not God, but the down fall of his children.  The lack of trust in God is what brought the hedge of protection down from around him, and allowed Satan to come in and destroy.  Up untill that point there was a hedge of protection up around Job, if you go back and read it you will see it.

In Christ's love,  Mark
19  Theology / General Theology / Spiritual Hearing on: September 26, 2003, 06:18:27 PM
I would like to talk about what hearing really means in the Bible. The Word declares that faith comes from hearing.

Romans 10:17.   So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

The Word is telling us we have to hear before we believe. We often ask God for faith, but that is not what the Bible says. It comes from hearing and hearing the Word of God. Often times we have to hear something over and over before we get the revelation of it. If you can hear the Word of God,  you have the opportunity to believe.  This is the first step in receiving God's promises.

Romans 10:13-14.    For "whoever calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.'' How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard?  And how shall they hear without a preacher?

The question being asked is;  how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard?  The answer to that question is they can't. You did not get born again without hearing the Gospel message did you? God gives us the ability to believe Him when we hear His Word.  The promise comes when we act on what we have heard and believed. You see, we all have the right to choice. We all have the right to act on what we have heard and believed.

Deuteronomy 30:19.  "I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live;

It is our choice to choose life or death. God even tells us the right choice, He tells us to choose life.  He can lead us to the truth but he can't make us partake of it!  He can only prompt us by the Word and His Holy Spirit.  We have to act on the faith that is produced when we hear.  

The Word tells us Jesus went about teaching and healing.  Jesus was producing faith in them by teaching them the Word.  Faith has to come before you can receive healing, just like faith has to come before you receive Jesus as your Savior. You have to hear what the Word has to say before you receive either one of them.  Faith for healing comes the same way.  Jesus taught every where He went, and he healed every where He went, right?  Let's look and see what the Word has to say.

Mark 6:1-6.  Then He went out from there and came to His own country, and His disciples followed Him. And when the Sabbath had come, He began to teach in the synagogue. And many hearing Him were astonished, saying, "Where did this Man get these things? And what wisdom is this which is given to Him, that such mighty works are performed by His hands! "Is this not the carpenter, the Son of Mary, and brother of James, Joses, Judas, and Simon? And are not His sisters here with us?'' And they were offended at Him.  But Jesus said to them, "A prophet is not without honor except in his own country, among his own relatives, and in his own house.'' Now He could do no mighty work there, except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them. And He marveled because of their unbelief.

Jesus taught as He always did,   yet He could not do any miracles or mighty works there.
The Bible does not say He would not,  it says He could not do mighty works there,  except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them.

Some one said Jesus was the Son of God,  He could anything He wanted.  It’s true, Jesus is the son of God, yet according to the Word we just read, He couldn’t over ride their unbelief. They did not receive Him or the message He gave. The Word goes on to say that He marveled because of their unbelief.  They would not receive His teaching.  If we are rejecting His words we are rejecting Him.  There is great importance put on God's words, we should take heed to hear them.  If we will not hear His words, we are not going to receive from Him.  There is no way to get around it.  Faith comes by hearing and hearing the Word of God.

Proverbs 2:1.  My son, if you receive my words, and treasure my commands within you,
2.  so that you incline your ear to wisdom, and apply your heart to understanding;
3.  yes, if you cry out for discernment, and lift up your voice for understanding,
4.  If you seek her as silver, and search for her as for hidden treasures;
5.  then you will understand the fear of the Lord,  and find the knowledge of God.

We have a part to play in this, God is giving us instructions on how to receive his promises and be successful.  Many people believe that blessings will just fall on us as God sees fit. Yet, He is telling us we must receive, we have our part to play in receiving.   We know that salvation is God's will,  for the Word says that He is not willing that any should perish, but all should come to the knowledge of repentance. We know even though this is God's will, not all are  going to get saved. If we won't receive the message, we will not receive the new birth. God does not over ride our free will. We have to receive all the blessings of God in this same way. I believe hearing, is an integral part of receiving any of God's promises. I would like to look at a few scriptures in the Gospels and see this principal at work.  Everywhere Jesus went,  it seems, there were a few who stood out,  these were people who did something above and beyond what others were doing, these people were written into the Gospel message as an example to us. There were times Jesus would tell people,  your faith hath made you whole!   Lets look at a few of these. (There are many more, I encourage you to do a study on this yourself.)

Mt.9:21: For she said within herself, If I may but touch his garment,  
I shall be whole.
22: But Jesus turned him about, and when he saw her, he said, Daughter, be of good comfort; thy faith hath made thee whole. And the woman was made whole from that hour.

Mt:9:29: Then touched he their eyes, saying,  According to your faith, be it unto you.

Mt:15:28: Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt.  And her daughter was made whole from that very hour.

Mk:2:5: When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy,  Son, thy sins be forgiven thee.

Mk:10:52: And Jesus said unto him, Go thy way; thy faith hath made thee whole.  And immediately he received his sight, and followed Jesus in the way.

Lk:5:20: And when he saw their faith,  he said unto him, Man, thy sins are forgiven thee.

Lk:7:50: And he said to the woman, Thy faith hath saved thee; go in peace.

Lk:17:19: And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole.

Lk:18:42:  And Jesus said unto him, Receive thy sight:  thy faith hath saved thee.

Healing all that came to him in faith.   As the scriptures we just read say.
Jesus came along and demonstrated the reality of the Word of God.  For the first time, these people saw the reality of their Covenant,  and responded in faith!  And received the blessing for it. You had to hear the salvation  message preached before you could get saved didn’t you?   Faith comes by hearing.  It works the same way for all of God's promises.  You have to hear the Word first, and then receive it.

Mk:5:25.  And a certain woman, which had an issue of blood twelve years,
 26.  And had suffered many things of many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse,
 27.  When she had heard of Jesus,  came in the press behind, and touched his garment.
 28.  For she said,  If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole.
 29.  And straightway the fountain of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of that plague.
 30.  And Jesus, immediately knowing in himself that virtue had gone out of him, turned him about in the press, and said, Who touched my clothes?
 31.  And his disciples said unto him, Thou seest the multitude thronging thee, and sayest thou, Who touched me?
 32.  And he looked round about to see her that had done this thing.
 33.  But the woman fearing and trembling, knowing what was done in her, came and fell down before him, and told him all the truth.
 34.  And he said unto her, (Daughter),  thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague.

Jesus called her daughter because, she was a daughter of Abraham, and she had a right to the blessings that God had Promised Abraham through the Covenant He made with him.
Let's break these verses down and see what this woman did that was different, and got her written into the Gospel message for all time. The first thing the Word of God says about this woman is that she heard of Jesus.  Hearing created faith.  Faith comes by hearing.  She spoke her faith. She lined her words up with what she believed.  She said if I may touch the hem of his garment,  I shall  be healed of the plague.   She acted on her faith.   She made her way through the crowd and touched His garment.   She received.   She felt in her body that she was healed of the plague. She proclaimed it.  She fell down before Him and told Him all.

Then Jesus said an amazing thing,  He said (Daughter),  thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague. He said her faith made her whole.  He did not say His own faith made her whole.  There aren’t any other recorded miracles in this portion of Scripture only hers.  We see that first of all she heard,  then she spoke, she acted,  she received, and she proclaimed,  and Jesus said her faith made her whole. There is a lesson in this for us all, if we will only receive it.  
20  Theology / General Theology / Fear Not on: September 26, 2003, 05:38:46 PM

--New English Bible
Heb:2:14:  the children of  a family share the same flesh and blood; and so He too shared ours, so that through death he might break the power of him who had death at his command, that is, the devil;
15:  and might liberate those who, through fear of death, had all their lifetime been in servitude.
16:  it is not angels, mark you, that He takes to Himself, but the sons of Abraham.
17:  And therefore He had to be made like these brothers of His in every way, so that He might be merciful and faithful as their high priest before God, to expiate the sins of the people.
18:  For since He himself has passed through the test of suffering, He is able to help those who are meeting their test now.


This is the greatest news any one could possibly ever hear.  
We have been liberated from the fear of death,  it says we had all our lifetime been in servitude. One translation says it like this,  were subject to slavery all their lives.
But thank God,  THANK GOD,
We have been liberated,  we have been set free.  This is not going to happen one day,   it has already happened.    Praise God !!!!!

Fear is a terrible thing,  it brings torment.  Where there is fear,  there is no peace, there is no joy,  there is no happiness.  It is the opposite of trusting in God.  You could say it is the same thing as trusting in the devil.   When you fear, you put more faith in the devil than in the Word of God.  You might say, I don’t  put my faith in the devil,  yet when you fear,  you are doing just that.

Fear never helped anyone become victorious.  It never helped anyone get over the top. It is always the beginning of defeat.  It always leads down the road of failure.  Praise God we have been liberated!   Praise God we have been set free!   We must acknowledge that God’s Word is true, and just plain start acting like what God says is so.

-- Revised Standard
Romans 8:37:  No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.  

It doesn’t say we will be more than conquerors some day when we get to heaven,  No,   it says,   We are more than conquerors.  Here on this world, NOW.  That’s when. Here is where we need it.  We won’t have to worry about it when we get to heaven.
-- Darby's Bible
1 John 4:18:  There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear; for fear has torment, and he that fears has not been made perfect in love.

We know that the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost,
Ro.5:5. Says this.    So if love the love of God has been shed abroad in our hearts,  and it has,  and perfect love casts out all fear, and it does,  then why are Christians  still in bondage to fear?   That’s a very good question!
   
One reason is a lack of trust in our Heavenly Father, and a lack of confidence in His Word.    How do you get that kind of confidence in Gods Word?  Well,  you have to go to the Word to get the answer.   I love the 91st psalm,

Psalm 91:14.  Because he loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him:
I will protect him,  for he acknowledges my name.

1st of all, you love God,  He’s given us the ability to love him, and walk in that love, this is something we have to do. He will never force us to do anything. We have a free will.  
We have a free choice,  it is our choice and ours alone to make.
Secondly, we have to acknowledge his name.  
Acknowledgement is more than just saying something,  although that is part of it,
true acknowledgement comes from the heart.

Ro.10:9.  because, if you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.  
10.  For man believes with his heart and so is justified,  and he confesses with his lips and so is saved.  

We must line up our faith and our words with what God says in His Word and then we will see the victory.  So what are you acknowledging?  Fear and death?, or faith in God and His provision.  
Let’s acknowledge Him as our Savior, our Lord, our Redeemer, our Sanctifier,
our Healer, our supplier of all our needs!  
Fear has a tendency to just vanish away when we start meditating on God’s love for us,  
and we start to truly acknowledge Him.

2Tm:1:7:  For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

If you have fear,  you must realize,  it is not from God.  Cast it down and refuse it!   Start to acknowledge what Gods Word says about you,  that He has given you a spirit of power,  and of love,  and a sound mind.  That’s the kind of acknowledgement that will get you over the top, that’s the kind of acknowledgement that will bring you peace and victory.  When you start to acknowledge what God’s Word has to say about a situation,  then, you have given Him permission to move on your behalf.

He.3:1.  Therefore, holy  brethren, who share in a heavenly call, consider Jesus,  the apostle and high priest of our confession.  

He can’t do much, if we are not lining up our confession with His Word,
We are in a sense tying His hands, and not giving Him the permission that He has to have in order to act.  You see,  he watches over His Word to perform it, and if you are speaking opposite of what His Word says, then there is nothing for Him to perform,  is there?

I’ll close with this Word from the book of Revelation.

Rv:1:17:    And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me,   Fear not;   I am the first and the last:
18.  I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold,  I am alive for evermore, Amen;
and have the keys of hell and of death.

If you want to know for sure that you are a child of God then pray this prayer.

Dear Heavenly Father, I come to you in the name of Jesus. Your word says, “…and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out.”   (Jn.6:37),   So I know You won’t cast me out, but You take me in, And I thank you for it.  You said in your Word,   "whoever calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.''     (Ro. 10:13).
I am calling on Your name,  So I know You have saved me now, You also said, “…that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes to righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made to salvation.”     (Ro.10:9,10).
I believe in my heart that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. I believe He was raised from the dead for my justification. And I confess Him now as my Lord, Because Your Word says, “… with the heart one believes to righteousness…” and I do believe with my heart, I have now become the righteousness of God in Christ. (2 Cor. 5:21),
And I am saved!            Thank You, Lord!
I can now truthfully say,  I see myself as a born again child of God!

                                                             Glory to God!!!!          Amen
21  Theology / General Theology / Don't Be Afraid Only Believe on: September 25, 2003, 08:22:07 PM


There are many times in your life when you might be afraid.  You might be afraid of loosing your job,  or of not having a job, or becoming sick. You might be afraid you won't be able to pay your bills. You might be afraid for your children, their health and well being.

You know Job, in the Bible was a lot like that also.
Job was a good man who loved the Lord with all his heart.

Living Bible
Job 1:1  There lived in the land of Uz a man named Job--a good man who feared God and stayed away from evil.
Job had a problem, he was afraid all the time, he worried and feared all the time. he worried about everything including his children. He was afraid they would sin and curse God, he offered sacrifices all the time because of his fear.

Revised Standard
Job 1:5  And when the days of the feast had run their course, Job would send and sanctify them, and he would rise early in the morning and offer burnt offerings according to the number of them all; for Job said, "It may be that my sons have sinned, and cursed God in their hearts." Thus Job did continually.

The result of Job's fear is that what he feared came upon him.

Job 3:25  For the thing I greatly feared has come upon me, and what I dreaded has happened to me.

When we fear and doubt God and his Word, this opens the door for things to happen to us. This gives the enemy permission to attack us, because we doubted God's promises and walked in unbelief.   God can not work in our doubt and unbelief.  God  only works through our faith.
In the Gospel of Mark,  the ruler of the synagogue, Jairus, asked Jesus to heal his daughter.
On the way they found out that she had already died.

Mark 5:35  While He was still speaking, some came from the ruler of the synagogue's house who said, Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the Teacher any further?

The opportunity to doubt arose in Jairus, but Jesus was already with him, he was right beside him!   Jesus said to him,  Do not be afraid; only believe.

Mark 5:36  As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, He said to the ruler of the synagogue, Do not be afraid; only believe.
 
If you know Jesus as your Lord and Savior, He is always with you!  You are an overcomer!
What ever is born of God overcomes the world, through his faith.

1 John 5:4  For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world our faith.

The definition of faith is found in Hebrews.
Living Bible
Hebrews 11:1  What is faith? It is the confident assurance that something we want is going to happen. It is the certainty that what we hope for is waiting for us, even though we cannot see it up ahead.

Without faith it is impossible to please God.
Living Bible
Hebrews 11:6  You can never please God without faith, without depending on him. Anyone who wants to come to God must believe that there is a God and that he rewards those who sincerely look for him.

When you accepted Jesus as your Savior, you took the biggest step of faith you have ever taken. Think about it you believed that Jesus was born of a virgin, lived and died on a cross, rose from the dead in three days.  You weren't there, you didn’t see it or hear about it from someone else. You simply accepted it by faith. You knew deeply within yourself what you believed and acted on it for your salvation.

1 Peter 1:8  whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory,
9. receiving the end of your faith the salvation of your souls.

This is the same kind of faith you need to walk in every day. It is not a different faith, or more faith, it is the same faith!
We all need to study God's Word to build up our faith and keep us strong.

Romans 10:17  So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
Remember:
Revised Standard
Romans 8:31  What then shall we say to this? If God is for us, who is against us?
-- Revised Standard
Luke 1:37  For with God nothing will be impossible.

Philippians 4:13  I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

Philippians 4:19  And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

Take what Jesus said to Jairus and hold it - stand on it.
Don’t be afraid - only believe.

The first step is coming to Him and making Him your Savior. This is the first step we all must take. It is so simple all you do is pray this prayer.

Dear Heavenly Father, I come to you in the name of Jesus. Your word says, “…and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out.”   (Jn.6:37),   So I know You won’t cast me out, but You take me in, And I thank you for it.  You said in your Word,   "whoever calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.''     (Ro. 10:13).
I am calling on Your name,  So I know You have saved me now, You also said, “…that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes to righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made to salvation.”     (Ro.10:9,10).
I believe in my heart that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. I believe He was raised from the dead for my justification. And I confess Him now as my Lord, Because Your Word says, “… with the heart one believes to righteousness…” and I do believe with my heart, I have now become the righteousness of God in Christ. (2 Cor. 5:21),
And I am saved!            Thank You, Lord!
I can now truthfully say,  I see myself as a born again child of God!

                                                             Glory to God!!!!          Amen.

Here are some helpful scriptures to look up in your Bible.

Romans 10:17  So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
Romans 8:31  What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can
be against us?
Philippians 4:13  I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
Philippians 4:19  And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.


These are just a few.  The Word of God is full of helpful promises that we can rely on. I encourage you to look these up and underline them in your Bible.  And start confessing them daily to help your faith grow.  Remember,  faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.
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