Bold Faith

                "The wicked run away when no one is chasing them, but the godly are as bold as a lion." (Proverbs 28:1) We have God on our side, the almighty creator of everything, El Shaddai. We have nothing to fear. We, as Christians, no longer need to fear life, "for God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline." (2 Timothy 1:7)

                This means that we no longer need to fear the opinion of others. If there is an opportunity to share the Gospel, pray and take it! I know that there are days when God is showing you something and you are unsure if you should do it. "What will they think of me?" "My friends may not like it." "They don't want to hear it." "God, now isn't the right time."

                These are all useless excuses. There is no need to fear when you have God on your side, "so be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid and do not panic before them. For the Lord your God will personally go ahead of you. He will never fail you nor abandon you." (Deuteronomy 3:16) What do you have to fear if the almighty God of all creation is on your side?

                We must not just be bold in front of others, but we must be bold for others. We must not fear failure. If we know that we serve a mighty God, what is there to fear? Why would we defend Him? That's like defending a lion. Just let Him work, He knows what He is doing. He does know better than us after all.

                Yesterday, when I was praying with a friends, I told him, "do not make vague prayers. Make specific prayers. We serve a God who is able, so let Him work. Tell Him the desires of your heart and let Him work." Not being specific in your prayers out of fear of failure is like saying that God might not be able to do what you are asking. If you are truly in the spirit, you will be praying prayers that God not only can and will answer, but prayers that God wants to answer.

                This boldness that God has given us gives us access directly to His throne in prayer. "And so, dear brothers and sisters, we can boldly enter Heaven's Most Holy Place because of the blood of Jesus." (Hebrews 10:19) "Because of Christ and our faith in Him, we can now come boldly and confidently into God's presence." (Ephesians 3:12)

                Prayer is a vital part of every Christian's life. It is our direct communication to the Father who gives us all things. Prayer is our life line, so let us pray boldly, just as Jesus did. Let us not only pray specific prayers, but let us pray with boldness, knowing that God will answer them. If we are not praying with the intention to be heard, why are we praying? Whether it be praise, supplication, thanksgiving, or repentance, we pray to be heard, so let us be bold. "So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive His mercy and we will find grace to help us when we need it most." (Hebrews 4:16)

                Let us be bold in everything that we do for Christ, and let our boldness never be put aside for anyone. Our God has saved us, so let us not respect the opinion of anyone else more than His. Let us, instead, present the gospel with boldness and pray bold prayers so that God may be glorified to the highest. Let us not worry about the opinions of man, and worry about what God thinks of us. He is looking for someone bold enough to say, "use me however you will, Lord." Is that you?


                                                                                                                                         -D

Boldly Proclaiming

                "And He said to them, 'go into all the world and proclaim the Gospel to the whole creation.'" (Mark 16:15) Jesus has told us to go out into the whole world and proclaim the Gospel; and "God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but a spirit of power, love, and discipline." (2 Timothy 1:7) We are called to boldly proclaim the faith and the good news to everyone.

                Many people find this to be an annoying factor about Christians, as if we are pushing our religion on others and trying to make them follow our God. This is partially true, I will admit. We are called to push the Gospel, but never to push the Gospel onto someone. We are to promote the Gospel, not force it down people's throats. To try to force someone to follow God is highly disrespectful to God. In this, you are saying that God cannot save a person on His own and you must step in and help.

                If you are forcing the faith down someone's throat, you are hurting them far more than helping them. Yes, I know the feeling of fear when you know someone that you love deeply and want them to be saved. The feeling of love and fear makes you want to save them at any cost; but you must remember who the author of salvation is. It is God, not us. We must preach the Gospel and step back, allowing God to work. Pray over them and let God be God. We do not know what God will do in their life and we do not know what will happen of them. I know people of people who have wild testimonies that pulled them out of situations that seemed hopeless. If we claim to be Christians, let us trust in Christ to do as He desires.

                1 John 2:4 says, "whoever says 'I know Him' but does not keep His commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him." If we say that we know Christ, we must keep his commandments. Acts 4:12 says, "and there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under Heaven given among men by which we must be saved." To force Christianity down someone's throat is to say that you have salvation that Christ does not; and to say that is to not know Christ; and to not know Christ is to not have the truth; and who can be saved without the truth?

                So, how do we boldly proclaim without shoving the Gospel down someone's throat? We pray. We pray people into the faith and into God's arms. We share the message with those who are willing to hear it and we respect the wishes of those who are running away. We cannot force someone into God's arms. We must pray to God for the words to say and when to say them; and in the mean time, pray your loved ones and even strangers into salvation. We must trust in God so that He may save people. We cannot rely on our own strength.

                It will get rough sometimes. Sometimes you may think that person will never get to know God's love. Sometimes you may think that person is hopeless and will never want God's love. Sometimes you will think that person will never turn to Christ. When things get hard, remember Galatians 6:9. "And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up." Never give up on anyone, just like Christ never gave up on you.


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Correction

                My friend, Juan, and I both love to argue. We could go for days on end getting into any sort of debate and neither of us will back down. It is our way of communicating. We find happiness from debating with one another and proving our intelligence to each other. There is nothing wrong with this relationship in itself, but when we take our argumentative spirit and apply it to the Gospel, this can be detrimental. If we get into a conversation about the Bible; we cannot come in a spirit of debating to prove who is right, but a spirit of love and correction to keep each other on the right path.

                I must say, I love to debate. I also must say that I love Christ, and I would happily put aside my debater's spirit for the Holy Spirit to step in. I have learned that "all scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work." (2 Timothy 3:16-17) Every scripture that I read should either challenge me, teach me, or cause me to grow. I must be willing to accept correction. When it comes to the scripture, Jesus corrected many people, even elders of the church and people who were of high ranking positions and spiritual roles. It does not matter about our age, our titles, or anything about us. If we are wrong, we are wrong and must be corrected; and if we are right, we must not waver but instead be humble with the truth.

                I love my disciples, and I love teaching them. It is a passion of mine. As much as I love seeing them grow in Christ, it takes correction to do so. I must put aside my pride to be corrected when the need comes as well. No matter who I look over, I must be willing to be humble and confess my wrongs. Proverbs 29:15 says, "the rod and reproof give wisdom, but a child left to himself brings shame to his mother." If we want to be wise, we must be willing to be corrected; and in order to be corrected, we must recognize and admit when we are wrong.

                When it comes to correction, do not believe anything that comes against you. 1 John 4:1 says, "beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world." We are to be corrected by the word, and not people. Yes, the Holy Spirit can use people to deliver the message, but check it for yourself. Do not be so willing to give up your ways, but do not be so hard headed as to never change. Read the word and ask God for correction. Allow Him to change your heart and improve you.

                We must always be ready to correct our brothers and sisters in Christ, and be equally as ready to be corrected. I know that we I would get corrected, many times I would get angry in the moment. I would soon get over it, but I had to accept the truth about the Gospel and who God truly is. By allowing the Holy Spirit to correct me, I now have a better relationship with God that is only growing. We must not fear being corrected, but embrace it when it happens.


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Prayer for Strengthening

                Last night I taught on Ephesians 3:14-21, which was Paul's prayer for spiritual strengthening and growth. The interesting thing about the prayer was that it was not about him being tired or worn out, but of him wanting a deeper understanding of God and of love. It was strength in a way that the world does not usually first view it.

                "For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom every family in Heaven and on Earth derives its name. I pray that out of His glorious riches He may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord's holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge - that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen." - Ephesians 3:14-21

                The difference between human strength and God's strength is as deep and as many as the differences between land creatures and sea creatures. Our strength is measured physically and is constantly changing and growing. It is never enough. God's strength is perfect and is always more than enough for anything and everything. When we seek out strength and receive it ourselves, we are seeking our own strength about our own needs. When God gives us strength, He gives it to us in accordance with His glorious riches, which means He gives us what we need according to the glory that He is about to reveal in the world.

                When people think of strength, what most people usually think of is muscle or body building. The image of physical strength usually comes to mind. There is nothing wrong with that! We think of images to fit our words. That is natural and human. We must remember that God's strength is versatile and comes in many forms. In this verse, we see His strength coming in glory, in love, in understanding, and in fullness. His strength deals with the inner man, also known as our spirit man. His strength in inside and comes out. Our strength is strictly carnal.

                We must not be afraid to pray for strength; not just for ourselves but for others as well. We are to be strengthened in Christ. It is a part of the glory and love that God wants to share with us. When we feel weak or as if we are just too imperfect to serve God, we must remember that God is here for us. If we feel afraid, He gives us strength to overcome our fears. When we feel tired, He gives us the strength to get up. When we get mad, He gives us the strength to control ourselves. When we feel confused and crazy, He gives us the strength to say "let go and let God." He gives us strength in times of trouble!

                So, I agree with Paul when he says, "for this reason I kneel before the Father," because this is something worth worship and reverence that should be shared "throughout all generations, for ever and ever." This gift that God gives us can bring us through any storm, can put a smile on our faces, and can overcome anything that we have ever done in the past or even the present. I know that we all come against struggles of many kinds, but let us not be discouraged. Instead, let us pray to a God who is loving and just to be there with us through it all. He is our rock and our strength through all things.


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Why the Cross

                I was scanning the internet, looking for pictures to use for future blogs, when I came across a question that someone had asked. This person asked, "why do Christians use the cross as their symbol for Christianity? If I was Christ and went through all of that, I would want to stay as far away from a cross as possible."

                At first, I thought, "well Christ isn't like us. What does He have to fear? Dying again? He will just come back to life if He wanted to." And then it hit me. Christ choose this cross for many reasons. The first reason that I realized was overcoming fear. The cross was a frightening image at the time, but Christ not only took on the death system, but also won. He used the cross as a victory symbol, just as a hunter would wear the pelt of their kills. Christians use the cross to show how we have overcome death through Christ.

                We also use the cross to remind ourselves of what Christ did. Him taking on the cross was one of the most important moments in History, the next being the resurrection. You see, by Him taking on the cross, He took on all of our sins making us clean. The cross is our way of showing the debt that we owed being paid for. It is like wearing a broken shackle, showing our freedom. We are proud to be free and have no intention of hiding our freedom.

                We also use the cross as a remind of Christ's words. "Then He said to them all: 'Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me." I wear my cross to remind myself that I am taking up my cross and following Christ over myself. I am wearing my cross to follow in the example of Christ. We use the cross to remind ourselves to follow Christ.

                I wear my cross every day and am proud of it. I do not wear it for fashion, for looks, or for the satisfaction of everyone else knowing that I am a Christian. I wear it for myself so that I remember who I am in Christ Jesus. It is a powerful symbol and a blessing, and I consider it an honor to be able to wear my cross for Christ.


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Praying for One Another

                As Christians, we are in need of prayer constantly. We need prayer to build relationship with God, to confess our sins, to thank God, and to ask Him for help. We need prayer. As brothers and sisters in Christ, we also must pray for one another. 1 Timothy 2:1 says, "first of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgiving be made for all people." Ephesians 6:18 says, "praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints." We are called to pray for one another!

                Prayer is a critical part of the Christian life style, so why would Christians not want to pray together? Prayer is so important to the Christian life that 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 says, "rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." It is God's will for you to pray! As Christians, let us pray together then! 2 Thessalonians 3:1 says, "Finally, brothers, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may speed ahead and be honored, as happened among you." Praying alone is our duty, and praying together makes us better.

                We can see the importance of prayer all throughout the Bible. There is no denying that prayer is not important; but why should we pray together when we could just pray for ourselves? James 5:16 says, "therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray to one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working." It is good to pray with one another to grow. If someone is struggling with a deep sin and you can pray with them, you help them confess and, as a righteous person, your prayers have power to help strengthen that person. We pray with one another to overcome what we could not overcome alone and what we could not see and admit alone.

                Matthew 18:19 says, "again I say to you, if two of you agree on Earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in Heaven." That is Jesus Christ telling us this! Imagine, if you and one Christian friend pray in agreement on something, the power that is to be unleashed from it. We pray together for this reason. But, also remember James 4:3, "you ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions." and John 14:13, "whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son."

                Finally, there is strength in numbers. We pray together for unified power. "A thousand will flee at the threat of one; at the threat of five you will all flee away, til you are left like a flagstaff on a mountain top, like a banner on a hill." (Isaiah 30:17) "Five of you will chase a hundred, and a hundred of you will chase ten thousand, and your enemies will fall by the sword before you." (Leviticus 26:8) We have strength in numbers.

                Do not be afraid to pray for one another, and do not be afraid to ask for prayer. We are called to pray for one another and to help one another, so let us put Christ first and pray.


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Deuteronomy 6:5

                "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength." Deuteronomy 6:5.

                This is a powerful command given by God because it is the top priority of a Christian. Now, some would say, "don't forget the golden rule! Love your neighbor as yourself!" Yes, this is our golden rule when we go out into society and represent Christ; but how can we love others if we do not first properly love God? How can we show God's love if we cannot reciprocate it, or at least to the best of our ability. It is critical that we, as Christians, love God.

                We see that love is critical to God. Not only do all of His commandments create a loving human, but it is so important that we know this commandment, that when Moses was giving it, he said, "these commands that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your forehead. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates." (Deuteronomy 6:6-9)

                This commandment was so important that God wants us to have it everywhere. He wants it in our homes, in our streets, in our beds, in our conversations, in our children, and in our hearts. He wants us to know this one. He put the ten commandments on stone tablets for everyone to see, but He wants us to implant this one in the whole world. This is a critical command!

                What does it even mean though? To love God with all of your heart means to give Him everything. It does not just mean make Him first priority, but make Him the paramount priority. Put Him high above all else; and give Him such importance that you think of Him and consider Him in everything you do. He would not just have a position in your life, but the supreme position in your life. It simply means to love Him more than anything else.

                To love God with all of your soul, which also means your mind, means to consider Him in your integrity. In your secret thought life where no one can hear or see, put God first even there. Let your love for Him not just be outward, but inward as well. It means to let your thoughts not be contradictory of Him.

                To love God with all of your strength means to devote everything that you do to His glory. When you put your hand to something, do not use any of your strength to blaspheme or dishonor the name of God. Basically, make sure that everything you do honors God. This also means fighting temptations and growing into a God loving and fearing Christian.

                Over all, this means to put God first and honor Him. Are we following this command now? Are we putting this command in our homes? In our streets? In our businesses? In our work? In our families? In our friends? How about in ourselves? Where is God first in your life; and where He is not first, what is above Him and why?


                                                                                                                                         -D