Blog Archives

NO ONE IS ABLE STEAL US FROM GOD'S HAND

12/15/2016

Jesus says about His sheep:

John 10:28-30
“28 And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.29 My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand. 30 I and My Father are one.”

We love finding comfort in the above verses, but what did He say in the preceding verse? ”My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.”(John 10:27)

The original term for “hear” is “akouó” (“ἀκούω” in the Greek alphabet), which according to “Thayer's Greek Lexicon, STRONGS NT” 191, means: to yield obedience to the voice: (οἱἀκούσαντες namely, τῆς φωνῆς); and is used like that in John 5:25, John 10:16, 27, John 18:37, Revelation 3:20.

The verse is translated in other versions as: “My sheep listen to My voice; I know them, and they follow Me.” (NIV and NLT)

It is not enough to believe that Jesus is the Son of God and He sacrificed Himself, for us to become “sheep of the Lord." After we receive the seed of God's Word in our hearts, our spirits become born again. We have to have such a real relationship with Jesus, that we hear and recognize His voice... and not just hear, but obey. Only after we quit making decisions lead by our flesh and soul (mind, will and emotions) and we start seeking the Lord for counsel and applying His wisdom and guidance then we live more obedient lives and become more Christ like. God knows everything about us, but He never forces us to share it all with Him. It is up to us to do it so that we can have a deeper and better relationship with Him.

John 6: 37-40
”All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out. 38 For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. 39 This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day. 40 And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day.”

Jesus is actually saying that no one, not even the enemy, can steal us out of His or Father's God hand; but He doesn't say anything about "our will" here. In other words, as long as we want to stay close to God, no one and nothing can convince Him to give up on us. What a marvelous truth!

Jesus also says that God's will for us is to be His for eternity! God created man for this purpose. Our time on earth, prepares us for eternal life. Our whole existence is a series of tests and trials, so we prove our love and faithfulness for God. We grow as we pass the tests by trusting God and obeying His will.

I have heard some say they don't care for Heaven, that it is a boring place and not for them. God would not force anyone to do something against their will. Why would He force someone who doesn't love Him or care to be around Him, to spend eternity in Heaven, in His presence?

So what am I saying here? We can't be sure if we are saved? Oh yes, we are saved, as long as we love God and live in obedience to Him.

Sincerity, obedience, genuine love, fear of the almighty God, passion for the word, prayer and worship are all essential keys in keeping our salvation to the end.

The point is, that if when we die, we are not standing right with God, it doesn't matter if we served Him most of our life. It is not how we start that counts but it is how we finish that matters.

Our Lord God is certainly worthy of our love, dedication, adoration and obedience! He loves us so much that "He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." (John 3:16)

Thank You Lord God!

Carmen Pușcaș

0 Comments

LIVING TO PLEASE GOD!

12/7/2016

0 Comments

Colossians 1:9b
"...ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding"

Our behavior reflects how much we know God. It takes Holy Spirit revelation to understand and get the deeper meaning that God has for us in the Word. Without the Holy Spirit, no one, can get what God really wants us to find in the Bible.

To be filled with the knowledge of God's will and of the spiritual understanding is huge! How can we please God if we have no idea what He likes or dislikes? What is right or wrong to Him? What brings joy or pain to His heart? We learn God's will and more about who He really is, by studying His Word and spending time with Him. The more we know Him, the more we become like Him and the happier we get! We have the tendency to become like those who we spend time with.

1 Corinthians 15:33 “Do not be deceived: “Evil company corrupts good habits.”'

The opposite is also true. The more we spend time with our Lord (praying, worshiping, studying the Bible, soaking in His presence), the more we become like Him! While in God's presence, we can't sin, on the contrary, makes us want to repent of every sin we ever committed.

Repentance is the key to receiving Jesus' righteousness. How can we be pure without sin, unless we repent first? Repenting means to sincerely and deeply regret the sin, to ask God to forgive us and to help us stay away from it in the future. When we truly repent, we no longer want to do the very thing we repented of.

We have to love God more than sin, to please Him. We are tested all the time and we have to make right decisions, in the course of a day, everyday. The more we know God's will and what pleases Him, the better decisions we will make! In so doing we find the abundant life that Jesus came to bring us.

Colossians 1:10 ”that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God"

The true purpose of the Christian life is to live to please God. Why? It's simple. Pleasing God means living right which brings all God's promises into fruition for us. This means living full, blessed, satisfied and protected lives. God's hedge of protection surrounds those who love and obey Him. God's commands are for the benefit of those who keep them; we do ourselves a favor and stay out of trouble.

Deuteronomy 7:10 "Therefore know that the Lord your God, He is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and mercy for a thousand generations with those who love Him and keep His commandments; and He repays those who hate Him to their face, to destroy them. He will not be slack with him who hates Him; He will repay him to his face. Therefore you shall keep the commandment, the statutes, and the judgments which I command you today, to observe them.”

Colossians 1:11-12
“strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy; giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light.”

By reading our Bible more and growing in our relationship with the Holy Spirit, we will have more access to God's power, we'll become more patient, we'll be more fruitful in good works, happier and more thankful for everything. What an awesome reward we have in Jesus, because of His sacrifice for us, to be heirs, considered holy in Christ's light!

The more we realize these truths, the more we become aware of the fact that there is no good reason to remain sad, depressed, fearful or unsatisfied! Praise God!

Carmen Pușcaș

0 Comments

NO ONE IS ABLE STEAL US FROM GOD'S HAND

LIVING TO PLEASE GOD!

Archives

Categories