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Righteousness is not earned or maintained Through The Law

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Righteousness is not earned or maintained Through The Law

If you read the Old Testament, especially the Old Covenant Laws, and feel condemned GOOD JOB! You’re taking it seriously. That’s what the Law is supposed to do, condemn you and highlight your sin. Even some of the teachings of Jesus were delivered through the lens of the Law. He did so to point out your inability to keep the Law.

For clarification, there is a difference between the Old Testament and the Old Covenant. All the books of the Old Testament are the inspired Word of God. But the Old Covenant, the agreement between God and the nation of Israel, along with its 600+ rules and laws, have been fulfilled by Jesus, thus rendering the set of laws obsolete.

Hebrews 8:13 In speaking of a new covenant, he makes the first one obsolete. And what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.

We’re not throwing out a huge part of God’s Word, we’re simply putting the Law in its proper perspective as affected by the finished work of Jesus. Jesus is the end of the Law for the believer. The Law was made obsolete regarding righteousness for you. Jesus didn’t throw out the Law, he just fulfilled it for you.

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Fear God, But Don't be Afraid of Him.

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Fear God, But Don't be Afraid of Him.

If you’re worried about what God might do to you if you make a mistake, it reveals that you aren’t truly convinced of his love for you. God’s correction and training in your life are not through harsh judgment and pain, it’s through wisdom and guidance.

God is a loving father who will train you in the way you should go. If you fail, simply remember that Jesus was your substitution. Jesus bore the penalty of your sin. Not so you can now get away with it, but so that he could remove God’s wrath from you and relate to you as a child rather than a sinner. God is not mocked, you will reap what you sow, but God is no longer keeping a record of your sin to punish you.

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Your Mindset Determines If You Will Believe The Gospel

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Your Mindset Determines If You Will Believe The Gospel

From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

— Matthew 4:17

When he stepped into his public ministry, he encouraged people to repent and believe the Gospel. We instantly think of sin when we hear the word “repent,” meaning we think repenting is always about confessing our sin. Repenting from sin is important, but that’s not what Jesus was talking about.

Definition of Repent

Repent is the Greek word metanoeō, which is a combination of two words; meta and noeō. Meta means; with, after, behind. It’s a preposition that modifies the verb noeō. Noeō means; to perceive with the mind, to understand, to have understanding, to think upon, heed, ponder, consider.

Metanoeō or Repent means; to change one's mind, to turn one’s mind for the better, heartily to amend with abhorrence of one's past sins.

So repentance does have to do with turning away from sin but more specifically it is about changing our minds about the beliefs that drive sin. Repentance is when you do a deeper work than just apologizing for a sinful action. It’s when you go into your heart beliefs and make adjustments.

What you believe generates your thoughts. Your thoughts then lead to feelings and emotions. Those feelings and emotions then give way to action. So whether it be anger or adultery, sin is the fruit of your beliefs and what you think on. To repent is to turn away from the thinking that leads to sin. In this passage, Jesus teaches us to change the way we think about God’s kingdom because he’s bringing us good news.

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How to yield to the river of life in your heart to bear one another’s burdens

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How to yield to the river of life in your heart to bear one another’s burdens

What a year! COVID, the US election, and all the personal challenges people are experiencing. By now, I’m sure you know that depression cases are skyrocketing, alcoholism and substance abuse are at record highs, domestic abuse has increased, many people have lost their lives due to COVID, businesses are failing, and more.

If you’re not careful, you can allow all of the bad news to skew your entire perspective of life. In the world, he said we would have trouble, but to be of good cheer because he overcame the world. He also said that there would be wheat and weeds growing together in His kingdom until He returns.

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The Precious, Cleansing, Redeeming, Sanctifying, Life Giving Blood of Jesus

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The Precious, Cleansing, Redeeming, Sanctifying, Life Giving Blood of Jesus

Have you ever wondered why Jesus had to be sacrificed or why blood had to be shed for atonement and remission of sin?

For the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for yourselves on the altar; it is the blood that makes atonement for one’s life. ~ Leviticus 17:11

The sacrifice of Christ was necessary to exchange human life for eternal spiritual life. Jesus exchanged his perfect, spiritual, eternal life (blood) for human life (blood) so he could, in turn give us his life.

He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption. ~ Hebrews 9:12

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Don’t Freak Out, It’s Going To Be OK

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Don’t Freak Out, It’s Going To Be OK

We must remember that Jesus said His kingdom is at hand, it is in our midst (Matthew 4:17, Luke 17:21). He initiated His kingdom when He came to earth as a human, and it has continued to increase since then (Isaiah 9:1-7, Matthew 4:12-17). His kingdom's ultimate goal is to destroy all of God’s enemies, the last one being death (1 Corinthians 15:26), and bring about the restoration of all things (Acts 3:21).

It’s easy to see the darkness, but it takes faith to see the kingdom. You must look at the kingdom with the eyes of your heart. The evil is real, and the kingdom is real. Which one is more real to you? Which one are you allowing to influence your life?

“Evil and things that cause sin” are in the earthly side of His kingdom because mankind has dominion over the earth for a season, we allow it. One day that will come to an end, and there will be no difference between His eternal spiritual kingdom and the physical kingdom of creation. Until then, He is busy destroying His enemies through His church.

Are you allowing Him to reign in your life and destroy the plans of the enemy in your life?

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The Parable of the Wheat and Tares

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The Parable of the Wheat and Tares

We tend to attack evil once we see it. We are quick to condemn sin. We are quick to cast out devils. We are quick to identify people as sinners. We are quick to dismiss teachers that we perceive as dangerous. And the list goes on.

I am not suggesting that we permit sin, entertain false teaching, and let demons continue to harass people, I’m saying that we sometimes need to take a different approach.

Nourishing the wheat is a better strategy. Yes, teach people to repent and turn from sin. Yes, cast our demons when appropriate. But the people who are choosing sin and are allowing demons to harass them need to know who they are in Christ as to walk in freedom from such things.

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A Kingdom Parable: A Little Leaven Leavens the Whole Lump

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“He told them another parable. “The kingdom of heaven is like leaven that a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, till it was all leavened.””
— Matthew 13:33

You only need a little bit of the Kingdom of God in your heart for it to have a good chance to work its way into your whole life.

Mark 4:10 When he was alone, the Twelve and the others around him asked him about the parables. 11 He told them, “The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you. But to those on the outside everything is said in parables

Jesus told His disciples that he’d give them the secret to the Kingdom of Heaven in the parable of the seed and sower found in Matthew 13 and Mark 4. He famously teaches about the four conditions of the heart and concludes that the receptivity of your heart to His word determines the yield of that Word in your life. In other words, the receptivity of your heart to His word will determine the degree of the kingdom you’ll experience in this life.

He makes other points but wraps up the parable by explaining to them how seeds work. The farmer casts seed in the ground, goes to sleep, wakes up, and knows not how but the seed produces after its own kind.

Rest and Trust

This is your job, go to sleep, wake up, and tend to the Word of God in your heart daily because this process determines how much of the kingdom of God you’ll experience in this life. Sometimes it’s 30 fold, sometimes 60 fold, and sometimes 100 fold. There is no magic formula to get the 100 fold, contrary to what you may hear on TV.

What makes the difference is the degree to which you take heed to what you have heard. Pay attention to the Word of God as you read and ponder, that meditative process will determine the degree to which it bears fruit in your life.

The measure you meet will be measured back to you. Those who understand and apply their heart to the process will receive more and more. Those who neglect this process will lose even what they have. It’s not God giving more or taking away, it’s the process of the seed in the soil or the Word of God in your heart.

If you want more of the kingdom of God in your life, give good measure to the Word in your heart. If you want less, continue to neglect the intentional cultivation of God’s Word in your heart.

It only takes a little bit of the Word to work its way through your heart, but the measure you meet makes the difference. The kingdom of God is increasing. The Word of God works, but only in receptive ground. Most of the world is closed off or hard of heart to God’s living Word. Those who know the mystery are the ones who experience God’s provision and promises no matter what comes our way.

You don’t have to convince God to give you His kingdom, it’s His good pleasure. You can’t make the Word work, it works on its own. You can’t force the kingdom to work for you through effort in any capacity. The ONLY thing you can do is put in the work of faith to be persuaded of God’s character and the agent of His living Word in your heart and life.

“He told them still another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into about sixty pounds of flour until it worked all through the dough.””
— Matthew 13:33

The yeast is His Word, the flour is your heart and the dough is the manifested kingdom in your life that brings nutrition. You work the Word like yeast into flour in your heart. You don’t make the yeast spread and expand, it does that on its own. You don’t make the dough become bread, it responds on its own to the yeast. But you do need to fold the yeast into the flour, smoothly and evenly into every corner of your heart and mind. This is the mystery of the Kingdom of God. It works on its own, but you must be receptive and hide it in your heart.

Check out this series for more on this topic

 
Living from the Heart: The Secret to Experiencing God’s Transformative Power mp3
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Browse my Tools for Transformation for resources to help your heart be more receptive to God's Word

 
 
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Reigning In Life with Jesus

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Reigning In Life with Jesus

I have an optimistic and hopeful expectation of the future because I have a hopeful and optimistic expectation of God’s kingdom. His kingdom will overcome all the kingdoms of the earth without fail. God, and everyone in Him through Christ, wins. There’s no hope for any other nation or kingdom. They will all succumb to His rulership and authority. God’s Kingdom is unrivaled.

He began establishing His kingdom in the earth when He sent Jesus, and to the increase of His kingdom there shall be no end. The kingdom is on His shoulders and what capable shoulders they are.

Jesus defeated all the enemies of His kingdom through His death, burial, and resurrection. He forever has all authority and power. He is the preeminent one, there is none greater!! Can I get an AMEN!!

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Is there hope for our world?

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Is there hope for our world?

Do you have hope for a better future for our world? Or do you expect things to get worse? Do you think we can make a difference in this day and age? Or will the world just get darker and darker in your view? Our eschatology matters. What we believe about the future matters.

I want to encourage you to fight. We can still engage the culture and influence the world. We carry the presence and power of God. As we live out our Christian values, we can still be a voice in this world and turn the tide back toward God.

Don’t lose heart! Don’t give up! The soul of our nation and the nations of the world are worth fighting for. The good news is, we fight from victory. Jesus has already won. Jesus is the King of Kings, and there is none greater.

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