I was born
and raised in a Christian family. I remember how I loved going to the children
services on Sundays. I loved the Bible stories that they taught. I became a
Jesus-mania when I was a teenager. I loved all the decorations on Jesus: pins,
stickers, cards, pictures. I bought everything that I could afford. I joined the
youth vocal group, and even once a church play. However, I never understood a
word of what I read from the Bible. Though I sincerely followed all the
religious activities and very well dedicated….I also sincerely missed God the
whole time. You see, I was not born again at the time: I was spiritually dead
– separated, disconnected from God.
After I got born again, I notice
that I can understand the Word of God when I read it. I am hungry for more of
God. I suddenly know that He is so close to me that I can call on Him any time.
My relationship with God was developed in a way that brought me to notice the
facts that many who call themselves servants of God live a life that is below
average. To put it bluntly: they live in lack. Then I realize that it’s not
only the lives of those who call themselves servants of God, but it’s the kind
of life that most Christians settle for. They let the devil rob their family,
their marriage, their finance, their health, and even their ministry – to name
just a few.
I’m not being critical or cynical
to those who live in lack. Also I’m not saying that you are not acceptable in
the sight of the Lord if you live in lack. No, not at all! I’m just saying
that we, Christians, have been robbed of what Jesus has made available for us.
The devil has deceived us for a long time and it’s time to rise up against the
devil and tell him: “Enough is enough! I’m taking back what you have stolen
from me and I refuse to live in lack from today forward.” You can choose to
live in lack if you want to. But the good news is: you don’t have to!
Questions may arise now. How do you do live in abundance when shortage seems to be in all areas of life? How do you keep your marriage together when your spouse is having an extra-marital affair? How do you protect your children from falling to drugs and free sex? How do you have a success in the business world without bribes and corruption? Is it possible to afford a house without borrowing money from the bank? The questions may go on and on.
When you ponder on the questions
that you may have concerning your life: do you ever notice that you never
have answers that last long enough to provide you with a good and secured life?
Every time we try to solve our own problems without the Word of God, we always
end up having more problems than before. Our mind was never created to be a
problem-solver for us. Our mind was never created to be the source of way-outs.
Our mind was created to exercise its will power to follow Jesus and agree with
His Word. That’s why you are bound to fail sometime when you rely on your mind
or intellect.
I know that what I just said shocks
your psychological knowledge. I certainly can relate to that. I have a
university degree in Psychology and I am confident to tell you that a science on
soul (i.e. Psychology) will never solve your problems. The root cause of our
problems lies in the spirit realm, and Psychology or Psychiatry cannot handle it
as it only deals with the soul. Our problems occur because we fail to understand
that God is the Source of life and joy, not the circumstances or any significant
individual.
How many of you, married people, try
to win back your unfaithful spouse by doing all that the world suggests to do
and succeed? How many of you, parents, follow what the world says ideal parents
must do and still have your children fall into drugs and sex-before-marriage?
How many of you, business people, comply to the world’s business system and
fall flat on your back when economy fails? How many of you, professionals, work
long hours and still not have enough to go on a long vacation?
The world never gives you the right
answer to your life. They will offer you more money at the cost of your personal
life. They will offer you a higher position at the cost of your marriage. They
will offer you fame at the cost of your morality. Whatever that the world gives
you, it will eventually takes more of you than what you’re willing to give.
Just look at the world’s rich and famous people – how they live and how
their lives end.
Make comparison between your
life and theirs. If they’re exactly the same or if your life is going in the
same direction as theirs, then it’s time for you to make a quality decision
before the Lord to make Him the Lord over your life. It’s never too late with
God. NOW is the perfect time for you to turn your life to Him and follow Him
wholeheartedly. Enough with playing church. Enough with the religious
decorations. Enough with being traditionally active in the church organization.
It’s time to produce some proof. It’s time for you [and I] to mean business
with God.
Jesus says, “They (the
disciples) are not of the world, even as I am not of the world” (John
17:16). We, born-again Christians, are not of the world but we are of God (1
Peter 5:1). If we are born of God, though we live in the world, we are not
subject to what the world has to say.
The world tells the business people to bribe their way to success, but the Word says that bribery is sin (Amos 5:12). The world suggests that it’s acceptable for single people to live together before marriage, but the Word says to sanctify the bed of marriage (Hebrews 13:4). The world tells you to expect on the mercy of your boss for job promotion, but the Word says that promotion comes from the Lord (Psalm 75:6-7). The world suggests that poverty is holy, but the Word says that God takes pleasure in the prosperity of His servants (Psalm 35:27). If we continue, we can spend the rest of our lives talking about how contradictory is the world comparing to the Word of God.
We need to settle this truth in our heart that we are not of the world but we are of God. Therefore we are also not to conform with the world (Romans 12:2). As Christians, we don’t live our lives like the rest of world does. In fact, the world cannot tell us what to have, do and say. As born again children of God, we must not settle for what the world offers us. We must be determined to go all out for what God says we can say, do and have.
When you have made your quality decision to mean business with God, I must warn you that the devil will not jump in joy and make your life easy. I must also warn you that your Christian friends may also not support your decision to move forward with God. In fact, you must expect tribulations and persecutions come your way when you follow Jesus radically (Mark 10:30, Luke 6:46-49). God never said that the tribulations and persecutions ARE joy. He says to COUNT IT all joy when you fall into divers temptations so that His joy may manifest in your life to see you through them all (James 1:2, Nehemiah 8:10, Psalm 34:19)!
One thing we must be assured of – we are not created to fail and to be defeated but instead to have dominion over every living thing in the sea, in the air, and upon the earth (Genesis 1:28). So wake up and smell the roses, brethren! It’s time to quit being dominated by the world and it’s time to exercise our “birth right” to dominate the world [including our soul and body].
Our God is Spirit and that makes us spirit beings [who have soul and dwell in fleshly bodies]. Worldly people are controlled by their five physical senses. Worldly people talk and act on what their senses tell them. However, Romans 8:6 reminds us that “to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.” Question remains: How do we live a life that leads to life and peace instead of to death and destruction?
God never leaves us nor forsakes us.
Jesus said that He will be with us till the end of the world (Matthew 28:20).
Jesus also said that the Holy Spirit was sent to be our Comforter (John 14:16).
His angels were sent to minister for us (Hebrews 1:14). He also sent His Word to
heal [prosper, deliver, protect, promote, restore, save] us (Psalm 107:20).
If faith comes by hearing the Word
of God (Romans 10:17), then we can say that God sent faith to produce healing
[prosperity, deliverance, protection, promotion, restoration, salvation] for us.
God says that the just shall live by faith (Romans 1:17). It means that if we
appropriate faith properly, it will bring provision to our lives. Faith will
clothe, feed, protect, deliver, save, promote, restore, and prosper us. Wow!
We’d better grasp this truth tightly so that the devil cannot steal it from
us.
God sent faith to serve us – when
we release our faith by saying the Word of God, faith is immediately put to work
to serve us to produce what we say (Mark 11:23-24). When we hear the Word of God
about Jesus Christ, faith comes and gives birth to our recreated spirit which
then makes us born again. Then Holy Spirit enters our spirit, dwells within us
and bears witness with our spirit that we are sons of God. Isn’t that an
awesome system that God set up for our advantage?
Look carefully at this simple, yet
divinely powerful mechanism:
hear
the Word of God – for example: about salvation,
faith
comes by our hearing – we believe that Jesus is Savior,
faith
is released by speaking what we hear – mouth confesses that Jesus is
Savior,
faith
produces what we say – we are saved.
This mechanism is so powerful that
it can also produce negative results for us if we hear the lies of the devil.
Faith opens door for God to work in our lives. Fear opens door for devil to work
in our lives. That’s why God sternly reminds us, again and again throughout
the Bible, not to fear. Let’s see how it works if we hear the lies of the
devil:
hear
lies of the devil – for example: about epidemic flu,
fear
comes by our hearing – we believe that we’re going to catch flu because
everybody has it,
fear
is released by speaking what we hear – mouth confesses that we’re
catching flu,
fear
produces what we say – bingo! we caught flu.
You see, God sent us His Word so
that we can hear His Word instead of devil’s lies. The choice is ours, not
God’s nor the devil’s. God certainly would love to see us choose His Word
for it brings faith which will give Him room to do what He pleases in our life.
But when we give our ears more to the news and gossips, fear will come and give
the devil room to do what he pleases in our life. Jesus says in John 10:10 (The
Amplified Bible), “The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and
destroy. I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to
the full, till it overflows).“
Listen attentively to what you’re
saying! This is one way to check whether you’ve been hearing God’s Word or
the devil’s lies. When you’re listening to yourself for the first time, you
may be shock of some of the things you’re saying. You may find out that your
vocabulary is not yet built on the Word of God. If you find yourself talking
against the Word of God about your situations, be determined to give your ears
more to God’s Word so that your heart will abound with the Word of God and
overflow out of your mouth releasing faith into your life.
Don’t give me that lame excuse of
“I can’t help what I hear.” Of course you can! In Mark 4:24 God tells us
“to take heed of what we hear…”
This says that we have power to choose what to hear. And how we hear will determine what we have (Luke 8:18). Our physical
sense and mind are trained to respond immediately to negative inputs (i.e.
devil’s lies) all the time we were not born again. Even after we get born
again, if we don’t renew our mind with the Word of God, we will still accept
devil’s lies easier than God’s Word.
Brethren, we have our mind trained by the devil for years over years and of course it will take some time to renew it with God’s Word. This is the reason why we have to separate ourselves from the world so that the mind renewal process can be accelerated. I’m not saying that you ought to seclude yourself in a cave somewhere in the deep forest. But cutting down your time with, for instance, TV, soap operas, worldly magazines, and traditionally religious activities will help you to meditate on the Word which will add more to your spiritual growth.
We’ve had our senses and mind
trained by the world for 10, 20, or 30 years. At this point of time we don’t
have 10, 20, or 30 years to renew our mind according to the Word of God. Right
now we need to make a quality decision to renew our mind with God’s Word, ask
the Lord to help renewing your mind, separate yourself from the carnal and
religious world, read-hear-speak-do the Word all the time. You need to learn to
establish your life around your fellowship with the Lord through His Word and
not the other way around.
When you start being radical with
the Word, you may find yourself feeling lonely because no one in your social or
religious circle shares with you the same desire to move forward with God. But
it’s worth the pain! God will give you new friends who have made the same
quality decision. Lonesome feeling is just a sign that we need more of God, not
more people to surround us. We can easily feel lonely in a middle of a great
crowd, even in a middle of our family gathering. The voids that we feel in our
hearts can only be satisfied by God, no one else.
Continually give your ears to His
Word. Let faith come in abundance in your heart that it overflows out of your
mouth and produces what it is sent for. God says that the sower sows the word
and the seed is the Word of God (Mark 4:14, Luke 8:11). Jesus likens God’s
kingdom “as if a man should cast seed into the ground” (Mark 4:26). So,
Jesus teaches us to consider the Word as a seed. A seed, to produce after its
own kind, will have to be planted into a good ground. If we sow the Word into
our lives, it will spring up and bring forth a harvest (Luke 8:15).
God says that His word always
succeed in doing what it is sent for (Isaiah 55:11). And since our faith comes
by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God (Romans 10:17), therefore our faith,
when released [sowed] into our life through our words, will never fail to
produce what it is sent to do. How much seed of faith that you have in your
hands? Is it enough to change your life circumstances? If not, be determined to
diligently give your ears to God’s Word. Then sow the Word by speaking it into
your life. Keep confessing your faith. Refuse to change your faith confession
though natural circumstances scream otherwise.
The answer to our question “how do you live a life that leads to life and peace instead of to death and destruction?” is SOW THE WORD INTO YOUR LIFE AS IT SURELY PRODUCE A HARVEST FOR YOU WITH PATIENCE (Luke 8:15) for God’s Word is life and spirit. Stop saying what you see or feel or think about the circumstances in your life as it doesn’t come from the Word of God. Start saying what the Word says regarding your circumstances. As you confess His Word, if you don’t doubt in your heart, you shall have what you say (Mark 11:23-24). Take full advantage of this divine help!