to be like jesus

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                                                               The Word of God

     All day we take in some form of information. We absorb information through our eye gate, our nose gate, our ear gate, and through our other senses of touch and taste.  These gates send us information that our brains consume.  As our brains consume it, this information helps to form us into whom we are.  If we are to be like Jesus, the source of information that our brain processes must be the Word of God.  We learned in the last lesson that the Word of God acts like a mirror.  The more we look into this mirror the more the Holy Spirit changes us to be like Jesus.

     In Proverbs 23:7 we read, “For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he.”  If we think on earthly things then we will be earthly.  If we think on sinful things then we will be sinful.  If we think on God’s Word then we will be more like Jesus.  Whatever we think on determines who we are.  By thinking on the Word of God, it directs our thoughts.  The apostle Paul tells us “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom.” Col. 3:16.  It is not only preferred that we dwell on the Word of God but it is commanded of us. Remember, Christ is declared in John to be the Word.  When we dwell on the Word of God, we dwell on the Lord Jesus Christ.

     Paul indicated in Ephesians 3:17-19 that he prayed for the Ephesians “that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth and length, and depth and height; and to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fullness of God.”  Here Paul makes it clear that if we dwell in the Word of God that we can be filled with all the fullness of God.  In other words, we will become more and more like Jesus.  We will have victory over sin, and have power for ministry.  This is our goal. Dwelling on the Word of God causes us to have faith in the completed work of Christ on the cross.  In order to reckon ourselves dead to sin and alive unto God we must dwell on the Word of God.

     In addition to helping us to become like Jesus, the Word of God has many other benefits.  Just a few of those benefits are: a delight and source of counsel, Psa. 119:24; understanding, Psa. 119:104; a light to illuminate the path we should walk, Psa. 119:105; light or understanding of its own content, Psa. 119:130; a source of peace, Psa. 119:165; and the source of life, Psa. 119:93.  Jeremiah in his testimony in Jer. 15:16 declares that the Word of God was “the joy and rejoicing of mine heart.”  The Word of God is always the place to go regardless of the circumstances.

     It is obvious that we need to spend time in the Word of God, but just how much time is needed?  God had Moses to tell the children of Israel, “And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: and thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.  And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes.  And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house and on thy gates.” Deut. 6:6-9.  The Israelites were to think on, meditate on, talk about, and write the commandments of the Lord all day long and every where they went.  The Word of God was to be a constant companion.  How much time do we need in the Word of God?  We need it ALL the time, as the psalmist declares in Psa. 119:20, “My soul breaketh (is crushed) for the longing that it hath unto Thy judgments at all times.”  In other words, the psalmist declares that his soul is crushed by his intense longing for the Word of God. The desire for God’s Word bore down on him constantly.  The apostle Paul gives us a clear example of this need by teaching the Word of God all day. Acts 28:23 reads, “And when they had appointed him a day, there came many unto him at his lodging; to whom he expounded and testified the kingdom of God, persuading them concerning Jesus, both out of the Law of Moses, and out of the prophets, from morning till evening.”  We simply need the Word of God ALL THE TIME!

     How do we accomplish this? We all have busy lives. It seems that to dwell in the Word of God all day long would be impossible, but it’s not.  In fact, it definitely can and must be done.  First we must start off with the Word of God in the morning. David asked God to, “Cause me to hear Thy lovingkindness in the morning.” Psa. 143:8.  If we are to spend the entire day in the Word then surely we must begin first thing in the morning.  As soon as we get up we must sit down and read from the Bible.  We must go to God and get fed from His Word first thing.  If we fail to start out the day with God, we certainly will fail to spend the entire day with Him in His Word.  Ok, so we set apart some time, first thing, in the morning to read God’s Word.  How do we continue this all day long?

     Obviously we are not going to walk around all day with a copy of the Bible in our hands, reading as we go.  What a comedy that would be.  When we read our Bible in the morning, we must take with us the portion that God speaks to us from.  That means that we need to spend enough time in God’s Word in the morning to come away with something to chew on.  We chew on God’s Word by meditating on what God has revealed to us. God tells us, “Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.  But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law doth he meditate day and night.” Psa. 1:1-2.  The way we consume the Word of God all day is to meditate on what God gives us in the morning. Psa. 119:97 also reads, “O how I love Thy law! It is my meditation all the day.”

     It is also good to review what God has given to us in the morning at lunch time. Some of us have very short lunch times.  Reading God’s Word at lunch would be wonderful, if we are able to do it.  For those who can’t, we can review what God gave us in the morning. Reviewing is an aid to learning.  Paul reminds us of the need to review in Rom. 12:2 saying, “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” To renew our minds is to bring them back into full alignment with the Word.  Reviewing what God has given to us that day will help us to renew ourselves, keeping our image more like Christ.  Review, review, review, and lunch time is a great time to do so.

When the day is about to come to an end, it is good to once again get alone with God and spend time in His Word.  It is well known that what we think on just before going to bed is what we generally dream on at night.  It is also what we think on first thing in the morning. Psa. 1:1-2 says, “Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scournful.  But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in His law doth he meditate day and night.”  We need to meditate on God’s Word all day and all NIGHT.  We won’t be dreaming about godly things if they are not on our mind when we go to bed.  So we need to read and think on God’s Word all day and all night.

     Practically though, what method gives the most consistent results. Many Christians read their Bible in the morning, but go away empty.  They have read the Word but have not heard from God. Just as we mentioned, we must hear from God and come away every time with something to chew on.  So how do we go about insuring a good morning time in the Word?  The psalmist in Psa. 119:18 asks God, “Open Thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of Thy law.”  We need to ask God to enable us to see or understand His Word.  Again the psalmist asks God in Psa. 119:33-34, “Teach me, O Lord, the way of Thy statutes; and I shall keep it unto the end. Give me understanding, and I shall keep Thy law; yea, I shall observe it with my whole heart.”   God will teach us His Word and help us to understand it with our heart, if we will ask Him to.  So, we must start out each session in the Word of God by asking God to help us to understand His Word.  Also we must stay until we get what He has for us that day.

     We must not be in a hurry. We must make sure we have set aside enough time. If we rush through our time in the Bible we will go away empty.  We need to be fed or we will not have the spiritual strength to endure the battles of the day.  We need to ask three questions.  What is this passage saying? How does this passage apply to me?  What has God revealed to me that I need to work on?  We need to take all the time we need to hear from God.  The meal is not over until we are full.  We wouldn’t go to the table for a meal and nibble at the edges of our food and then leave in a hurry.  If we did we would still be hungry. We must not do that to the Word of God either.  We must take the time to eat a full meal.

     Then, we could record on a piece of paper or a 3 X 5 card the verse God spoke to us in and a thought or two we got from it.  We can review it then periodically through the day as we have opportunity.  We should think about what God told us as we go about our day.  Reviewing it will help us to do just that, think about it all day.  Remember, Psa. 1:1-2 says we are to meditate on God’s Word all day and all night.

     Also, we should try to memorize the passage God spoke to us from.  Psa. 119:11 reads, “Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against Thee.”  Part of hiding God’s Word in our heart is to memorize it. Memorizing God’s Word helps us to meditate on it throughout the day.  It also gives the Holy Spirit and opportunity to bring the words to our mind when we need them.  Hiding God’s Word in our heart also means to make it a very real, deep, and a permanent part of us.  When God gives us some thoughts in the morning, we will probably need them at least once that day.  It’s good to be sure we have them handy to help us when we need it.

     Finally, it’s good to keep a diary of what we read and what thoughts God gives to us. Hebrews 2:1 tells us, “Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip.”  We need to review what God has told us in the past.  Then we won’t lose sight of it, forget it, and drift away from a rewarding walk with God.  Lets take time now to review this lesson and set up our schedule to get things going. 

                                                                       Like Jesus

     Now that we are saved what is it that God would have us reach for or achieve?  What is our purpose and goal on planet Earth?  The Apostle Paul provides the answer to this for us in Ephesians 4:13: “till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect (mature) man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.”  The key here is to become a mature person in Christ.   Paul explains that the target is to grow or change into the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.  The measure of the stature is to say the measure of the form, power, characteristics, and presence of Christ.  In other words, the target is to be as much like Jesus as possible.  The goal is to become an exact photocopy of the Savior.  We, who know the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior, are to be a photocopy of the fullness of Christ.  We are to be a copy of all of the Lord Jesus Christ’s purity, holiness, love, joy, peace, etc.  We are to copy Christ in all aspects of our life.  We are to be photocopies of all that Christ is with the exception of course of His Deity.  We are to be just as holy as Jesus is, just as kind as Jesus, just as caring as Jesus is, just as controlled by the Holy Spirit as Jesus, just as in love with God’s Word as Jesus is, and just as concerned for the souls of men as Jesus is.  That’s a major target for sure. 

     Paul brings up this same idea in Romans 8:29, which reads, “For whom he did foreknow, he also did PREDESTINATE TO BE CONFORMED TO THE IMAGE OF HIS SON, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.”   God determined before He ever created the world that those who would accept Jesus as their Savior would be conformed to the image of His Son.  Wow, what an awesome God to decide that we should become just like Jesus.  God knew that if we were just like Jesus, we would have victory over sin, have great joy in our hearts, and bear much fruit for His glory.  Obviously, change is in order.  We are not by nature anything like Jesus.  This target is a long way off and we must learn how to properly aim if we are going to even come close.

The process of aiming, adjusting, and changing is called sanctification.  In John 17:19 Jesus is praying to the Father for our sanctification.  He says, “And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth.”  To sanctify means to set apart.  Becoming like Jesus, or being changed into His image, also means to be set apart to Jesus.  If we are set apart to Jesus, then Jesus has total control over everything we do. Imagine a town in the old west.  The town is located in the desert and everywhere you look it’s dry.  In the very center of town is a well.  As expected there is water at the bottom of the well, but the well is very deep.  The water in the well is set apart from the town’s dryness and it’s also set apart to wetness.  Likewise, we are to be set apart from some things and set apart to other things.  We must be set apart from whatever Jesus is set apart from and we must be set apart to whatever Jesus is set apart to.

     There are several things we need to be set apart from.  The first is sin. Proverbs 15:9 says, “The way of the wicked is an abomination unto the LORD….”  Certainly, if we are to be like Christ we must be separated from anything that is an abomination to Him.  The way of the wicked or sin is an abomination to Jesus.  All sin is the result of rebellion against God.  We absolutely must be set apart from sin. In fact Paul further defines what our actions regarding sin should be.  “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God Forbid.” Rom. 6:1-2a  We may not sin even to cause grace to abound. Consider also Hebrews 12:1 which says, “Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us.”  We have a race to run and sin keeps us from running it well.  Sin has no part in being like the Lord Jesus.  So long as it has a hold on us we will never become like Him. This passage, also, talks about a sin that causes us to easily fall.  All of us have a sin that we are easily tripped up by.  We must avoided it at all costs.  Measures must be taken to keep us away from possible temptation in this area.  If we are easily tripped up by alcohol then we should stay away from places where it is easily obtained.  By the way, all men should stay away from sexually explicit media.  That means no movies that contain sexual material.  We need to stay away from all sources of sin that can easily trip us up.

There are also sins that hide themselves in things we like to do.  They are more difficult to realize.  The writer of Hebrews, in addition to besetting sins, talks about weights.  “Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us.” Heb.12:1  When it comes time for a race, runners remove all weights that could interfere with their performance.  We also develop weights in our life.  Weights are usually things that by themselves are not sinful.  Things that are normally alright to do are the things the writer is referring to, although sin by its very nature is also a weight.  One example of a weight is too much debt, which can also be the result of the sin of greed. If God wants us to go to the mission field or go to college to train for some ministry, then a lot of debt can really slow us down.  The best rule of thumb is; if you don’t have enough cash to buy it, don’t.  If you really need it, God will provide for it at the right time.

     Consider Golf.  It is sometimes used as a means of sharing the Gospel which is great.   If it gets in the way of our service for God it becomes a weight.  Likewise, video games also can be a weight.  If we spend a lot of hours playing video games it could reduce the time we have to read and study God’s Word.  That is a definite weight.  A weight is simply anything that keeps us from doing the full will of God for that day.  Anything that keeps us from doing what God wants us to do is sin.   All of these weights and others like them are things we need to be separated from.

     We also need to be set apart from the world.  That is, our lifestyle should not emulate the world.  “Know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God?” James 4:4  Certainly, anything that God hates is also hated by all the persons of the Trinity, including God the Son, Jesus.  If we are to become like Jesus we must learn to hate the world system.  We must avoid the way the world thinks and acts.   God and the world system are at war.  The influence of the world can draw us away from Christ.  The Apostle John also warns, “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world.  If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.  For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.” I John 2:15-16  John defines three areas here as being IN the world: “the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life.”  We need to be set apart from all three of these.  The world and sin are very closely associated and sin is not anything like Jesus.  The world, in fact, hated Jesus.  Plus, these three things John outlines for us are actually areas of temptation to sin.  All sin will come from one of these three areas.  We need not only to be set apart from sin but we need to be set apart from areas in which we might be tempted to sin.  Christ said in Matthew 26:41, “Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”  We need to watch or be careful to avoid being like the world.

     As we become like Jesus, the world will hate us.  Jesus warned of this in John 15:18-19, “If the world hate you, ye know that it hated Me before it hated you. If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.”  The world will hate us because we are no longer a part of the world.  We are now a part of the heavenly kingdom and are pilgrims here.  We walk in the world but we are not of the world for God has bought us.

     Finally, we need to be set apart from self. After Job saw the holiness of God he said of himself, “I have heard of Thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth thee. Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes.” Job 42:5-6   Upon realizing how terribly short of God’s holiness he was, Job abhorred himself.  So also, we must hate self.  If we love self, we cannot be like Christ.  Jesus lived for others, not Himself.  In fact His death on the cross was the epitome of self sacrifice.  “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: but made Himself of no reputation, and took upon Him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: and being found in fashion as a man, He humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.” Phil. 2:5-8  Consider what it meant for God the Son to take on the form of His creation.  The Creator became a part of His creation so that He might redeem those who had rebelled against Him.  Even His people Israel turned their back on Him and worshipped idols of wood, stone, silver, and gold.  Jesus even knew that those who would accept Him as their Savior would in part turn away from serving Him and serve themselves.  In spite of all this, Jesus still went to Calvary to pay for our sins.  What an incredible example of selflessness.

     Truly no greater example of sacrificing self for others can be found.  Not only did Christ give us the example of self sacrifice to follow but He demanded it of His followers (disciples).  “Then said Jesus unto His disciples, ‘If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose His life for My sake shall find it.” Matt. 16:24-25  Jesus not only demands that we deny self, but that we take it to the point of nailing self to a cross.  Nailed to a cross, self cannot regain control.  We need to be so serious about leaving self behind and following Jesus that we mortify (kill) self.   Time to listen only to the desires and wishes God brings before us.  So then, we must be set apart from sin, the world, and self that we might be free to become more like Jesus.  To retain any of these in our life is to bar the doors to becoming like our Savior. 

     Just as there are those things we need to be set apart from, there are those we need to be set apart to.  Likewise, let’s group the things we need to be set apart to into three groups.  First, we need to be set apart to holiness.  This requirement is spread throughout the Word of God.  God told Moses, “Speak unto all the congregation of the children of Israel, and say unto them, ‘Ye shall be holy: for I the Lord your God am holy.” Leviticus 19:2  Again in Leviticus 20:7 God tells Moses, “Sanctify yourselves therefore, and be ye holy: for I am the Lord your God.”  Just as Israel was the people of God so is the church today.  Just as Israel needed to be holy, so also we as members of the body of Christ must be holy.  Paul, writing in Ephesians 1:4 to the church at Ephesus, said, “According as He hath chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love.”  Paul clearly tells us that God chose us to be holy just like He is before He ever created the world.  It is God’s intent that we be like Him so that our fellowship with Him is 100% complete and fully intimate.  Only when we are as holy as God can we be that close to Him in fellowship.  Peter also in I Peter 1:15-16 addresses this subject with, “But as He which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation (conduct); because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.”  Peter here does two things for us.  First he ties the New Testament statements to the Old Testament statements validating the content of the Old Testament for us today.  So, just as God required the Israelites to set themselves apart to holiness, so also, He requires us to be set apart to holiness.  Secondly, Peter makes it clear that we are to be holy in all areas of our conduct and life.  No corner can be left unturned, but all must be made to conform to the holiness of the Lord Jesus Christ.  This is our target. We simply must be set apart to holiness.

     Next, we need to be set apart to the kingdom of God.  Paul addressed the church at Colossi with, “If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.” Col. 3:1-2  We are to seek, or be set apart to, those things above where Jesus is or the kingdom of God. Gone are the days of being concerned with earthly things.  Now we must be concerned with building up our treasure chest in heaven not our bank account on the earth.  We must be concerned with adding to our list of friends in heaven, in taking care of their welfare, and to insure that they also can bring more into the family of God.  Our earthly needs are no longer our concern. In talking about our earthly needs Jesus said, “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added to you.” Matt. 6:33  Setting ourselves apart to things above allows God to take care of our earthly needs.  As we build up treasure in heaven we will by nature become more set apart from the world, for our heart’s desire will be in heaven.  “Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” Matt. 6:19-21  Let us be set apart to things above that are of the kingdom of God.  All that is not pointed in that direction will be destroyed.  Only that which we reserve in heaven will last for eternity.  We must be set apart to the kingdom of God; otherwise we will be empty handed in heaven.

     Finally, we need to be set apart to servant hood and others. Jesus, teaching His disciples in Matt. 20:25-28, “called them unto Him, and said, ‘Ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them.  But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister; and whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant: even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give His life a ransom for many.”  Not only does Jesus tell us we are to be each others servant, but clearly shows that to be like Him we must serve others above ourselves.  Jesus came to serve us, the creation.  What an example Jesus sets for us.  God the Son becomes the servant of His creation, man.  The example is clear and what we must do is also clear.  We must be the servant of others putting ourselves at the bottom of the list.  Paul illustrates this for us in Romans 1:1 with, “Paul, a servant (bond slave) of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God.”  Paul called himself a bond slave.  In Old Testament times, when a servant was about to be set free he could choose to stay with his master.  He could choose to remain serving his master for life.  His ear would then be pierced with an awl.  This marked him as being a permanent slave for life to his master.  This is what a bond slave is, a slave by choice due to love for the master.  This is how Paul addresses himself, as a bond slave of Jesus.  This is also our calling, to serve the Lord Jesus Christ with all our being for life.  We should do this out of a heart of deep devotion and love for the Master.  When we become Christ’s bond slave we automatically become a servant to the whole world.  Jesus loves the world and came to serve in obedience unto the very death of the cross that the world might have life.  We are to become just like Him.

     In the final analysis then, we must be set apart from sin and weights, the world, and self.  We are to be set apart to holiness, the kingdom of God, and to be the bond slave of Christ and servants of others.  This is the target God has for us that we might glorify God by becoming like Jesus.  Only when we become like Jesus will we heap mounds of treasure in heaven.  Then when we stand before Him we will have those gifts to give Him, placing them at His feet in love.  When we see Jesus face to face we will love Him with a pure love.  What a sad event to stand before the Savior with nothing to give Him.  Let’s set our target upon being like Jesus, separating ourselves from sin, the world, and self and separating ourselves to holiness, the kingdom of God, and to be a bond slave of Jesus and a servant of others. 

                                                               The Defeated Enemy

     We have learned that it is important to keep an open line of communication with God.  Battles are fought between our flesh and the Spirit for pre-eminence in our life.  This is but one part of a much larger picture.  The very moment that we accept Christ as our Savior, we enter a war. Paul instructs his son in the faith, Timothy, with, “This charge I commit unto thee, son Timothy, according to the prophecies which went before on thee, that thou by them mightest war a good warfare.” I Tim. 1:18.  Paul indicates that Timothy is at war and encourages him to wage a good warfare, to be a good soldier.  If Timothy and all Christians are indeed at war, who is the enemy?  Paul in writing to the Ephesians provides a briefing for us with, “Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.” Eph. 6:11.  The devil, Satan, or Lucifer is our primary enemy.  He is the head, the chief, or the five star general of his army.  Let’s look briefly at this enemy.

     Jesus describes the efforts of the devil in two parables.  In the parable of the tares Jesus says, “He that soweth the good seed is the Son of Man; the field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one; the enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels.” Matt. 13:37-39.  Here the devil is pictured as sowing tares among the “children of the kingdom,” or the church.  The devil’s primary purpose is to weaken the church; choking the children of the kingdom (Christians) with worldly and fleshly influences; and limiting the productivity of the body of Christ.

     In the parable of the soils, Luke 8:11-12, Jesus explains, “Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God.  Those by the way side are they that hear; then cometh the devil, and taketh away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved.”  The devil here is fighting the propagation of the Gospel to the unsaved.  The devil wants to do all he can to stop the church from reaching the lost for Christ.  Satan interferes with the sowing of the Word of God to the lost.  Also as mentioned, he does all he can to destroy the efforts of the church to serve God.  It is clear that the devil is a very real enemy of all Christians.  In warfare it is essential to know the enemy, both the enemy’s strategy and tactics.

     The devil’s methods have always been the same and has not changed since he first tempted Eve.  In Genesis 3:1-6 the devil, known also as the serpent, makes his strategy plain for us which reads, “Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made.  And he said unto the woman, ‘Yea, hath God said, ‘Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?’’  And the woman said unto the serpent, ‘We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, ‘Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.’’  And the serpent said unto the woman, ‘Ye shall not surely die: for God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.’  And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat.”  Notice the order of events here.  First the devil tries to cast doubt on what God has said by asking, Yea, hath God said?  By creating doubt, the devil gets the door open.  Now Eve is uncertain of exactly what God has said.  She adds to the Word of God by including touching the fruit as wrong.  The door is now open.

     The devil has not yet won the victory; he has merely opened the door.  Next the devil must change the direction of the source of information.  The devil here gets Eve to think that God is hiding information.  The devil tells Eve that the fruit is a source of wisdom.  God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.  Now Eve looks at the fruit and considers what he told her.  First Eve notices that the fruit is good for food – the lust of the flesh.  Then she sees that it was pleasant to the eyes – the lust of the eyes.  Finally she believes that it is good for obtaining wisdom – the pride of life.  It’s all over but the crying now.  The devil has the hooks in, the bait has been taken, and Eve takes a bite of the fruit and sins.  James 1:15 tells us that, “Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth (gives birth to) sin.”  Once lust or desire has formed, sin is sure to follow.  It’s too late at this point.  The point to stop from sinning is at the beginning.  Keep the source of information what God has said.  God never lies.

     The strategy of the devil never changes.  It is always to first get our attention through our flesh.  Our flesh is sin and is the wrong source for information.  It is clear what God would have us to do here.  Galatians 5:16-17 tells us, “This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall NOTfulfill the lust of the flesh.  For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye can not do the things ye would.”  Walking in the Spirit is to stay in communication with the Holy Spirit.  We are at war and winning is the only option.  Our flesh and our spirit are at war with each other.  The key to keeping the Spirit in control is to constantly feed on the Word of God.

     There are three areas that the enemy uses for attacks.  These areas are: the direct attacks by the devil or one of his minions, the attack by the world, and the attacks by our flesh.  Direct attacks by the devil and his minions do not occur very often but they do occur.  Remember the story of Job? Job was attacked directly by Satan.  Paul also was attacked by a messenger of Satan.  Paul in regards to this attack in II Cor. 12:7 tells us, “And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me.”  Notice that even though it’s a direct attack on Paul by a messenger of Satan that the strategy is to approach Paul through his flesh, “thorn in the flesh.”  Direct attacks do occur and often at major crossroads in our life.

     Just as the devil and his minions are an external influence so also is the world.  We are constantly being bombarded with its influence.  We live in a real physical body that is strongly attached to this present world.  Things would be fine if the world was a righteous place, but it’s not.  I John 5:19 says, “And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness.”  Television is constantly hitting us with sexually oriented material, commercials for food (most of which is not good for us), pressure to buy the most current products (cars, TVs, tools, clothing, etc.), and philosophies that are counter to the Bible.  If that wasn’t bad enough, the advertisement world has seen to it we get hit while on the road.  Then there is always the pressure of those we work with.  Even our loved ones can be a source of difficulty.  Even though the world is an external source, it must also work strategically through the flesh.  Remember I John 2:16 tell us, “For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.”  The devil used these on Eve to get to her through her flesh.  We simply must do all we can to minimize the attacks of the world.  It is good to avoid as many negative sources as possible.

     Finally, the most devastating of all is the internal attack of the flesh.  Because it is internal, a part of us, it is the most difficult of all to defend against.  When we accept Christ as our Savior, God the Holy Spirit gives us new life in Christ.  II Cor. 5:17 tells us, “Therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature (or creation): old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”  We become a new creation.  This is incredible and fantastically wonderful.  Yet Paul in Romans 7 tells us that as a child of God he had a terrible conflict with his flesh.  Why didn’t God just change our flesh too and give us our new bodies when we got saved?  If He did, who would win the lost to Christ, for God couldn’t leave our new bodies in this world as they will be like Christ’s body?  We would be taken up to heaven immediately for our new bodies will never be in the presence of sin.  Even though the seed for being transformed into the likeness of Jesus is within us, the physical bodies we have are very sinful.  In Romans 7 Paul describes our bodies as being sin personified.  This then is our greatest enemy.  Defeating it requires that we simply put it to death.  We must mortify the deeds of the body and keep our minds (souls) focused on the Word of God.  Paul tells us in Col. 3:5, “Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth.”  Remember, we have victory already in Jesus.  Let’s claim it!  Focus on the Word of God!  We must simply defeat the enemy so the cause of Christ will be victorious.  Victory means reaching those around us with the Gospel. Christ has already won the victory for us and the devil’s methods never change.  Learn the devil’s methods and lean upon the Word of God.  Jesus IS the victory! 

                                                               Being Filled With the Holy Spirit

     Let’s review what we learned in the last lesson and discover how to be filled with the Holy Spirit.  This lesson is a huge banquet and will take time to fully digest.  Take time right now to ask God to help you learn this material.  He will help you.  It would also be good if this lesson was read several times.

     1 Cor.12:13 reads, “For by one Spirit are we all baptized (immersed) into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.”  We also find in John 6:63a, “It is the Spirit that quickeneth.”  At the very moment that we accept Jesus as our Savior, the Holy Spirit immerses us into the body of Jesus.  He quickens us, gives us eternal life.  When the Holy Spirit gives us eternal life He also moves inside of us.  When the Holy Spirit comes inside of us He does two things for us.  The Holy Spirit seals us and becomes our earnest. 2 Cor.1:22 says, “Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts.”  Also in 2 Cor.5:5 we find, “Now He that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing is God, who also hath given us the earnest of the Spirit.”  This earnest is the down payment we receive for our future immortal bodies that we will receive when Jesus raptures the church.  Receiving this earnest is a guarantee of heaven so also is the sealing we receive from the Holy Spirit.  Eph.1:13 tells us, “In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise.”  This seal is the seal of the King, the Lord Jesus Christ. No one may remove that seal.  It is permanent, declaring that Jesus Christ, the Lord Almighty is our owner.  So the Holy Spirit takes up residence in our bodies, becomes our earnest, and seals us all which serve as a guarantee of heaven.  There is more though.  There is also a filling of the Holy Spirit that is available.

     Let’s follow the disciples as they receive the Holy Spirit and then later receive the filling of the Holy Spirit.  Jesus after He had risen from the dead meets up with the disciples and gives them the Holy Spirit.  “And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost (Spirit) .”  The disciples have now received the Holy Spirit.  Then later Jesus has them wait in Jerusalem for power to witness.  In Acts 2:4a we find, “And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost.”  Also later in Acts 4:31 it says, And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness.”  The disciples receive the filling of the Holy Spirit twice.  The filling of the Holy Spirit will need to be repeated, not because God cannot keep us filled but because our flesh will get in the way.  The filling they received enabled them to boldly proclaim the truth of the gospel and bring others to the Savior.  The first benefit that we notice is that the filling of the Holy Spirit enables the believer to share the Word of God with boldness and power to help others get saved.  There are more benefits of being filled with the Holy Spirit.

     Let’s look at several passages of Scripture and see what other benefits are available with the filling of the Holy Spirit.  Eph.3:16 reads, “That He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might by His Spirit in the inner man.”  The filling of the Holy Spirit gives us strength to fight and win the battles that we face everyday.  The moment that we are saved we enter into a war, a war between evil and righteousness.  Yes, a war, as related in Eph.6:12, “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.”  For us to win in this war we need the help of the Holy Spirit.  The Holy Spirit is our source of power against the enemy and this is also called grace.  The Holy Spirit is He that applies God’s grace to us.  Also in John 16:13 Jesus gives us another benefit, “Howbeit when He, the Spirit of truth, is come, He will guide you into all truth: for He shall not speak of Himself; but whatsoever He shall hear, that shall He speak: and He will shew you things to come.”  The Holy Spirit is our guide and teacher for learning what the Word of God has to say.  We need the Holy Spirit’s aid to fully understand all that God has for us in the Word of God. Other benefits can be found in Rom.15:13 which says, “Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.”  The Holy Spirit is our source of joy, peace, and hope.  Acts 13:52 also emphasizes the Holy Spirit as being our source of joy, “And the disciples were filled with joy, and with the Holy Ghost.”  Our joy and happiness as well as peace and hope (the strength of our faith) come from being filled with the Holy Spirit.  When we ask for more faith, it is the Holy Spirit that gives it to us.  Living the Christian life without the filling of the Holy Spirit is a major mistake.  So how do we get the filling of the Holy Spirit?

     The Holy Spirit is holy just as God the Father and God the Son are holy.  Sin in our lives will keep us from being filled with the Holy Spirit.  Sin in our lives will first quench the Holy Spirit.  He simply cannot bless our lives with His power when sin is blocking up the channels.  1Thess.5:19 commands, “Quench not the Spirit.”  This means we are not to quench the Holy Spirit by having sins in our life.  Fortunately God gives a cure for this problem.  1 John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”  When we come to God and ask for forgiveness, repenting of our sins, He also cleanses us from all unknown sin.  The first thing we need to do to get the filling of the Holy Spirit is to ask God what sins are in the way that need to be forgiven and repented of.  We should do this first thing in the morning, clearing the way.  We need to wait until the Lord shows us what needs to be repented of and forgiven.  When we know of a sin that needs forgiven we need to ask for forgiveness immediately.  Failing to do so immediately can lead to grieving the Holy Spirit which is more serious.  Eph.4:30 warns us, “And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.”  Confess and forsake any sin that you are aware of immediately.  Sins that have not been forgiven and forsaken will block all communication with God until they are taken care of.  Continuing to have sins in our life that are not forgiven and forsaken will grieve the Holy Spirit.  When this happens we are in danger of drifting away from God and losing all of His blessings.  We will not lose our salvation but we will become unfruitful, unhappy, and life will become a constant frustration.  We simply must keep the channels of communication with God wide open by keeping our known sins forgiven and forsaken.

     With our sins taken care of, we need to take the next step. That step is to surrender all of our will to God’s will.  Paul in Romans 12:1-2 tells us what our reasonable responsibility is, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.  And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”  Yes, that is a mouth full. It is necessary though. We must yield all of our will to the will of God who is our Lord, King, Commander, General, loving Father, and Provisioner.  The filling of the Holy Spirit cannot be had until this is done.  The filling of the Holy Spirit is often referred to as giving the Holy Spirit all of ourselves.  All of our wills need to be yielded to God’s will.  When the Holy Spirit has all of us then and only then can we receive the filling of the Holy Spirit.  Only one step is left to do to be filled with the Holy Spirit.  We must ask for it. Jesus says in Luke 11:13, “If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask Him?”  If our lives have been cleansed of all known sins, we have yielded our wills to His will, and we ask God the Father to fill us with the Holy Spirit or be controlled by the Holy Spirit then God will indeed give us the filling of the Holy Spirit.  We must believe that when we ask for the filling of the Holy Spirit that we have indeed received it.  The filling of the Holy Spirit is NOT an emotional experience. No special feelings are needed.  We simply must believe that we have received it and do what God wants us to do knowing that He has empowered us to complete it.  However, every time we sin we need to do this all over again.  It’s simple and easy to do, so there is no reason not to.  The filling of the Holy Spirit will bring us joy, peace, hope, and power to spread the Gospel to all that are around us that need the Savior.  To add to the blessing, when we bring someone to the Savior we make Jesus happy with us.  The number one thing Jesus wants to do is save those who are lost without Him.  Jesus said, “For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.” Luke 19:10  We are also commanded to take the good news (Gospel) of salvation to others.  In Matt.28:19-20 Jesus commands us, “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the earth.”  Seek the filling of the Holy Spirit everyday and renew it every time you need to.  God intends for you to live being fully surrendered to Him being filled with the Holy Spirit.  Win the lost to Jesus.  Make Jesus happy and bring Him glory and honor and bring yourself many rewards.  God bless! 

                                                  Knowing Spiritual Growth is Occurring

     One thing yet remains that needs to be looked at to make this study complete and that is how do we measure our spirituality?  Surely, the more we are like Jesus, the more spiritual we are.  Certainly, this is the only true measure, but it’s a measure that is very difficult to evaluate as every time we take measure we will come to the same conclusion of having a long way to go.  To be like Jesus is so infinitely greater than anything we can achieve, even after a lifetime of consistent growth.  So how do we measure our level of spirituality?  It seems that we are constantly attempting to do just that.  It is recommended that we take stock in ourselves and see where we are in the faith.  Have we grown any in our Christian walk this week, month, or year?  It is true that if we are not currently growing in our relationship with the Savior, then we are moving backward.  Let’s look first at what is not a measure of our spirituality that we might better understand what is.

     Some might propose that we examine our Christian standards and the activities we have done for the Lord.  However, can outward measures provide a reasonable assessment of what has gone on inside?  In Matt. 23:23-28 we read, “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.  Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel.  Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess (self-indulgence).  Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also.  Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you are like unto whited (whitewashed) sepulchres (tombs) which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness.  Even so you also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.”  This passage clearly shows that outward appearances or standards are not a valid measure of our spirituality and that the works that are done for Jesus are also invalid measures as they fail to measure our inward relationship with the Lord Jesus.  Anyone with a strong will can discipline themselves to achieve these outward appearances, but yet lack a real and vital relationship with the Lord Jesus and NOTHING for Jesus can be done without Jesus.  How then do we measure our spirituality?

      Jesus gave us the answer to this in Matt. 7:20 where He says, “Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.”  So then our fruits are the proper measure of our spirituality.  Some preachers have told us that fruits are “souls.”  It is true that souls are fruit, and that fruit cannot be attained without the help of Jesus.  However, someone who has won over a thousand souls to Christ may not be any more spiritual than someone who has only won a few.  I Cor. 3:7 tells us, “So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase.”  Souls are God’s fruit, not ours, though they show a willingness to let Jesus do the work.  Counting souls won is NOT a way to measure our spiritual progress.  However, if you have never led a soul to the Savior it’s time to ask God for forgiveness and yield to God’s control of your life.

      There are fruits, however, that can be used to measure our spirituality.  We become more like Jesus the more we yield to the Holy Spirit on a moment by moment basis.  We have learned that it is the Holy Spirit that takes the Word of God and executes change in our lives to make us more like Jesus.  What then are the fruits that relate to a life of yieldedness to the Holy Spirit?  The answer is found in Galatians 5:22-23 which reads, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness (kindness), goodness, faith, meekness, temperance (self-control): against such there is no law.”  We can score ourselves on each of these and see how we are doing.

     The first mentioned and the most important one in the list is love.  To satisfactorily score high in this area our love needs to be so great that we would be willing to die to save the life of the worst criminal in history.  We need to love our neighbor as our self, love our family as our self, love the telemarketers as our self, love the terrorist as our self, love all races as our self, love the handicapped as our self, love the auditor from IRS as our self, and simply prefer everyone over ourselves.  As our love for God and our relationship with Him grow, so also our love for others grows.

     A very marking characteristic of someone whose spiritual life is on fire is their joy.  We find strength in our joy.  A chorus that we often sing says, “The joy of the Lord is my strength.”  Paul says in I Thess. 5:16, “Rejoice evermore.” Peter also in I Peter 1:8 says, “…ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory.”  A clear mark of spiritual growth is joy all day long, everyday, and no matter what the circumstances are.

     Ah, peace, the very quintessence of an open and loving relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.  Psalm 119:165 puts it this way, “Great peace have they which love Thy law: and nothing shall offend them.”  To have great peace is to have such glowing faith in the Lord Jesus that absolutely nothing can cause you to err in your walk with Him.  Phil. 4:6-7 says, “Be careful (anxious) for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God, and the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep (guard) your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”  Wow, to have great peace is to have our hearts and minds guarded, protected from evil.

     Longsuffering is the same as patience, endurance, steadfastness, and perseverance.  To score well here we need to be patient when it seems to take forever for God to answer and meet our needs. It means to endure all hardships as well as successes.  We must also be “steadfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.” I Cor. 15:58  It also means to persevere or stick to the stuff so that we like Paul might say, “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith.” II Tim. 4:7  The labor must be “in the Lord” or simply put Jesus must be in control for we can do NOTHING without Him.  That’s how Paul did it and how we must also do it.

     The Greek word translated gentleness or kindness also means moral goodness and integrity.  Eph. 4:32 tells us, “And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.”  The true essence of kindness comes in being tenderhearted towards those who are hurting or are weaker in the faith and to forgive those who wrong you.  To have integrity means to keep your word regardless of how much it costs you, to pay your bills when they are due, and to be fair in all your dealings not taking huge profits or cheating someone out of the true value of what you’re buying off of them.  Romans 13:8 puts it this way, “Owe no man any thing.”

     The Greek word translated goodness means uprightness of heart and life.  Kindness covers the outward expressions of our moral uprightness in relation to others.  Goodness refers to the inward measure of our moral correctness in relationship with others.  Perhaps we have done a great job upholding our testimony in the community, expressing kindness to others, and telling others we forgive them, but what does our heart really wish to express? Are our expressions of kindness the result of the love of God in our hearts or an outward show to seem spiritual to others?  In I Sam. 16:7 God says, “For man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart.”

     Faith means just what it seems to mean.  How much do we believe God and His Word?  Do we believe Him enough to be immediately obedient to his commands?  If God asks you to give $100 to the missionary, do we give $50 thinking it was just an errant thought on our part?  By the same token, to decide on our own to give a large sum to God’s work without consulting Him first is a good way to be poor stewards.  Make sure God wants you to give that amount.  You must also take care of your family.  I Tim.5:8 tells us, “But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.”  This passage is mainly referring to widows but is applicable to the entire family.  We have faith when we respond to God in full obedience knowing that He is the One who cares for us.  It is not a light belief that something is right but we’re not sure we can trust it.  Faith means we believe God enough to lean back in His arms and let Him have full control of the driver’s seat.  How much faith we have can be measured by what it takes for us to disobey God.  If we believe there is a hell waiting for sinners, we would be out begging them to accept Jesus.  One might say, “You believe in hell, prove it.”  If we believe that we will stand before the Judgment Seat of Christ then we will earnestly contend for the faith yielding completely to the will of God for our daily lives.  Hebrews 11:1 tells us, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”  In other words, if we believe God wants to conform us to the image of His Son we will let go of our worldly life and allow the Holy Spirit complete control.

 Meekness is a measure of how we treat others.  If we are meek or gentle we won’t slap our children in the face with our hands, or yell at our wife, or throw the wrench across the room.  To be gentle is to not slam the door and squeal the tires on the way out of the driveway.  If we are gentle we won’t get rough with the cashier because the price didn’t come up in the register to the value we thought was posted over the product.  Gentleness doesn’t imply weakness either.  It doesn’t mean we melt away and hide when God wants us to witness to someone.  Being gentle or meek is very difficult. It is not a human characteristic.  Jesus was meek and gentle and He didn’t run from spiritual battles. Gentleness requires us to put self on the shelf and allow the Holy Spirit to express Jesus in our lives.

     Finally, temperance or self-control is perhaps the crux of all the above.  Self is our worst enemy.  Remember Paul said of self in Romans 7:18, “For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing.”  Self or your flesh contains nothing good.  It is pure evil.  To maintain self-control is to keep the flesh out of the way all the time.  Self-control, sometimes referred to as discipline, requires great diligence to make sure that every time self wants to rear its ugly head we treat it as dead and yield instead to the Holy Spirit.  To be like Jesus is to be totally rid of self and that requires having Jesus run everything for us.  Self-control, though sounding like fleshly discipline, is the essence of ignoring its existence, and is the act of letting the Holy Spirit have the control.  This also necessitates that enough of the Word of God is in us for the Holy Spirit to be able to take control.  All fleshly effort will fail.  A good measure of Holy Spirit managed self-control is how we react when the circumstances of life get out of control.  When the tire goes flat on the way to work and we are a few minutes late already and the tire iron slips off the nut bashing the knuckles what do we say?  How mad do we get?  Is this anything like Jesus?  If the Holy Spirit is controlling your life, when the tire iron slips and you bust your knuckles you'll smile and praise God you didn't break your hand.

     All of these are good measures of our spirituality.  Together they give us a very good picture of what kind of life we are living for Jesus.  Eph. 5:9 refers to these fruits of the Spirit saying, “For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth.”  The fruits mentioned in this lesson dwell in goodness, righteousness, and truth.  They are not a part of the flesh; neither can they ever result from efforts generated by the flesh.  We must depend totally and completely on the Lord Jesus each and every moment of our life to constantly bear the fruits of the Sprit.  Only what Jesus does through us is worth anything.  Everything we do of our selves is totally worthless.  This is the only way to properly measure our spiritual progress.  We must examine ourselves in each of these areas and see how we measure up.  Don’t get discouraged when failure shows up.  Simply ask for forgiveness from God and turn all back over to Him.  Hopefully, we will measure up better each week, month, and year that we serve Jesus.  Remember, we can do nothing without Jesus and through Him we can achieve anything He wants us to do.  Amen! 

                                                             Trials to Teach and Bless

     Of a certainty, the life of everyone is full of trouble. In Job 5:7 it says, “Yet man is born unto trouble, as the sparks fly upward.”  In other words, life is full of trouble and the life of a believer is no different.  There is one difference between that of someone unsaved and a believer.  In Jer. 29:11 God says, “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.”  All of the difficulties in a believer's life are allowed by God to bring about the believer's better end.  Rom. 8:28 reads, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”  Our life is not a bed of roses where all things that happen are good things. However, all the trouble that occurs in our life works together for good to either help us grow spiritually or to correct the path we are on.  God loves His children and all believers are His children.  Heb. 12:6 says, “For whom the Lord loveth He chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom He receiveth.” When we come to know Jesus as our Savior we will be chastened by God the Father to correct us for sinful living and put us on the path of righteousness, which is to our great benefit.  God never corrects us to harm but to lovenly correct for our good.  Isaiah says in Isa. 38:17, “Behold, for peace I had great bitterness: but Thou hast in love to my soul delivered it from the pit of corruption: for thou has cast all my sins behind Thy back.”  Isaiah has expressed gratefulness for God's correction, which was unpleasant, in that it set his feet off the path of corruption and onto the path of righteousness.  Also in Psa. 94:12 the psalmist says, “Blessed is the man whom Thou chasteneth, O Lord, and teachest him out of thy law.”  God, indeed, blesses the believer through chastening.

     Not all trouble spots in life are chastening from God.  It is important when going through trouble to first seek God's face to see if the trouble we are going through is the result of some sin that we need to ask forgiveness for and remove from our life.  If it is not chastening then it is a trial designed and allowed by God to grow us in our faith.  Peter tells the believer in 1 Pet. 1:7, “That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:”  Trials are more precious to us than any amount of the precious things of earth.  These trials when completed faithfully are deserving of praise, honor, and glory from the Lord.  This is so true that as awful as some trials can be God guarantees they are for our good.  There is, after all, nothing that can separate us from the love of God.  Paul covers this well in Rom. 8:35-38 which reads, “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?  As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.  Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us.  For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”  God's bond of love for us is not separable by anything. God the Father loves us and loves Jesus Christ His Son, who also loves us.  This is a double guarantee that the trials we go through are for our best interest, even though we may not understand all the reasons for them.

     We need to make sure of our victory through all trials by asking for the help of God.  Psa. 50:15 declares, “And call upon Me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify Me.”  That's right, asking God for help in the day of trouble glorifies God.  Failure to ask for God's help and attempting to get through the trial on our own is a sure guarantee of failure.  Not asking for help from God is also a sign of sinful pride in our heart that we would think that we could get through that trial without God's assistance.  Ask God for help and guarantee victory and the glorification of God in the process.  That's true worship! 

     God intends to grow us all the way to being just like Jesus.  Paul wrote in Phil. 1:6, “Being confident of this very thing, that He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:”  God is going to grow us all the way which means the process will not stop until we pass on to glory or are raptured into glory.  Trials are a part of our life from the time of birth in Christ until heaven's portals are reached.  Hallelujah!

 One last thought, when the we are weak:  it is then that we are strong!  We are the strongest and can do more for Christ when we are totally dependent upon Him for it all.  Trials helps us learn this lesson.  If we love the Savior, then we want to see many unsaved get saved and then grow into mature believers.  This is the core of God's work and trials are a main part of getting this accomplished in our life.  May God richly bless!

                                                         Following Hard after Jesus

     All that is in this book serves merely to open the heart of the Christian to its true longing, to know God.  Jesus prayed to God the Father in John 17:3 saying, “And this is life eternal, that they might know Thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom Thou hast sent.”  As we spend time in the Word of God; attend church faithfully; pray for others; and get involved in the ministry of our church, we begin to grow in our love of the Savior.  It is a natural thing to want to be near and spend time with those that we love.

 David said in Psa. 63:8, “My soul followeth hard after Thee: Thy right hand upholdeth me.”  David was declared by God to be a man after His own heart.  David here expresses his desire to know God very intimately.  Moses also expressed his desire to know God in Exodus 33:13,18 declaring, “Now, therefore, I pray Thee, if I have found grace in Thy sight, show me now Thy way, that I may know Thee, that I may find grace in Thy sight.”  “I beseech Thee, show me Thy glory.”  Did God ignore this request by Moses?  Of course not! God allowed Moses to see His glory from His back side.  God hid His face from Moses as God told Moses that no man may look at His face and live.  These two instances in the Old Testament are joined by the testimony of Paul in the New Testament.

      In Phil. 3:10 Paul says, “That I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings.”  And again in Phil. 3:8 he says, “Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord.”  For Paul, the main thing that mattered to him was to get to know his Savior, for which he was willing to exchange everything he possessed, counting them but loss.  His attitude declared that to him nothing was more important than to get to know Jesus intimately.

 Mankind was created by God to have close fellowship with Him.  It is natural then for the heart of the Christian to long deeply to look in the face of our Savior and become just like Him.  In Psa. 42:1 we read, “As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after Thee, O God.”  Yes, all mankind greatly longs for this knowledge.  Yet very few realize what their great longing is.  Yes, in this area also, God must draw us and help us.  We are totally dependent upon God, not only to gain victory over the sin in our life, but also to get to know God intimately.

     Some Christians will declare that they love God, when in reality they love things much more than God.  God refers to things and money as mammon.  Luke 16:13 says, “No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other.  Ye cannot serve God and mammon.”  In this day and age, the number one master of Christians is not God it is materialism.  They care greatly about things like: getting a new car, buying a new gaming system, getting new furniture for the living room, or some other item that they believe they need.  Then when their pastor speaks around New Years about giving, they listen but don’t change their ways.  The master of materialism has choked off their ability to serve God.

     Things are a great enemy of trying to get to know God in an intimate way.  Why do we get heavily in debt for things?  If we had a real need for the item that we didn’t have the cash for, God would supply it for us some other way.  We end up missing out on a blessing from God, who loves us more than we know.  Don’t let things get in the way of our relationship with God, or interfere in our push to get to know God more.

     In pursuit of the knowledge of God, it is important to be obedient to every small thing God asks of us.  Also, we need to be obedient in those things that seem so enormous or way beyond our ability to achieve them.  If God is requesting the enormous task, then God can and will supply the ability to complete that task.  We must remain surrendered to the leading of the Holy Spirit to achieve it.  A.W. Tozer has said, “With the goodness of God to desire our highest welfare, the wisdom of God to plan it, and the power of God to achieve it, what do we lack?”

     God does indeed desire our very highest welfare.  Zech. 9:17 says of God, “how great is His goodness.”  In Psa. 31:19 the David declares, “Oh how great is Thy goodness, which Thou hast laid up for them that fear Thee.”  Paul speaking about those who choose to judge others as though they were self-righteous in Rom. 2:4, “Or despiseth thou the riches of His goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?”  Over and over the Word of God reminds us of God’s great goodness.  God, who sent His only begotten Son to pay the awful price of the our sin, not only wants us to be saved but to enjoy the very closest possible fellowship with Him for all eternity.  No higher welfare can be had than that!

     A.W.Tozer goes on to say that we have the unlimited wisdom of God planning our highest welfare.  God, the source of wisdom, so loves each Christian so as to carefully, accurately, and thoroughly set forth the plan for each one of us to achieve this incredible welfare.  James admonishes in James 1:5, “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.”  This wisdom of God is ours if we will but ask for it.  That incredibly huge task God has given you to do, He has already laid out the plans for achieving it.  We simply need to ask for it.  What a great God!

     God not only desires our highest welfare, will implant in us His wisdom for achieving what He has asked of us, but also provides the power to get it done.  God is all powerful.  There is nothing too hard for God.  God speaking to Abraham in Gen. 18:14 said, “Is any thing too hard for the Lord?”   Sarah had laughed thinking how impossible it was for her to have a child in old age and Abraham also being very old.  Yet she did bear a son, just as God had said.  When God tells us to do something, He provides all the power needed to complete it.  Following hard after God, to get to know God intimately, to look into the very face of God Almighty, and to feel the surge of His heart beating with infinite love is a very doable pursuit.  Paul said in Phil. 4:13, “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.”  With God’s Holy Spirit working through us, there is no task for which He won’t supply all the strength we need to accomplish it.

     We have the goodness of God to earnestly desire close unlimited fellowship with us; the wisdom of God to provide the complete plan for getting us there; and the power of God’s absolute holiness presented in the Lord Jesus Christ to be able to commune with God intimately.  There is therefore every reason to pursue it with all the goodness of God, the wisdom of God, and the power of God afforded to us to get there.