Think carefully about the answer to this question. Are you 100% certain of your answer? Does Jesus, or do any of His teachings, embarrass you? When was the last time you introduced someone that you are not close to, to Jesus and His teachings?
I get dozens of emails from partners, friends and relatives everyday regarding everything from politics to: bad jokes, bad news, sports news, support of our troops (which we should do) stupid stunts, photos, even pictures and poems about God. But few if any are in praise of Jesus. Less than 1% of the emails that I get are in quotation of Gospel scripture.
I know people who can talk for hours without catching a breath about Brad Pitt and his wife and their children. They can talk incessantly about movies, sports, news, rappers, current events and politics but can’t quote five defining moments in the ministry of Jesus. Most of these people are Christians.
There are Christians that can tell you everything that has happened on the NYSE in the last week but can’t repeat five promises of Jesus that relate to finance.
There are many Christians who can withstand a grueling work out session for an hour or even two, who can’t spend 15 minutes in prayer, much less, reading the Word or reading about the word. I have had people that can sit through an entire baseball game without twitching, tell me that my teachings are too long.
In Today’s world of challenging finances and business conditions, I know many Christians who spend more time blaming Jesus than praising Him. Many Christians now spend more time describing the problem to God, than directing specific promises of Jesus to the problem.
No matter what the circumstances that we face in America, we live in the greatest nation on earth. We have been made free at the cost of the lives of our brave soldiers. We have been born into a country of unimaginable opportunities. We have been taught the answer to the greatest mystery of all times, the will of God through Jesus. We have no concept of what poverty is. Only when we travel outside the United States of America in any direction can we truly grasp how much God has shed His grace on us.
This is a time for us to praise God! This is a time to thank God for Jesus! This is a time to honor the Holy Spirit! This is a time for us to love and trust the triune God more than ever before. This is a time to give more, love more, believe more, walk in faith more, help more, be more grateful and learn more about the Gospel; than ever before.
In these days it is critical that we forgive and forget. We must release bitterness, hatred, resentment, unsettled scores and score keeping to Jesus. We must if we desire to have joy and happiness, fight our way out of being led by our emotions, especially fear and negativity, and trust our God.
In order to find and enjoy the love, peace and happiness that we hunger for: we must seek the answer in God above all. The answer is not in diversions. Movies, sports, politics, back biting, nay saying, misery, sex, shopping, drinking, drugs will bring only momentary numbness. The answer is and always will be; trust in Jesus and an unquenchable thirst for His Words. The only lasting happiness and peace come from the investment we make in our personal relationship with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Let us consider the words of Jesus, as He taught the original disciples and us, about, Whom He is, where He is, and how to join Him where He is:
“Let not your hearts be troubled: you believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there you may be also. And where I go, you know and the way you know.”
Thomas (of course) said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where you go, and how can we know the way?” Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth and the life: no man comes to the Father but by me. If you had known my Father, you would have known me. From now forward, you know Him and have seen Him.”
(John 14:1-7)
There is NO way for a human being to enter the presence of God, except through Jesus. God is a sinless God. Sin of any kind is intolerable to God. Anyone with any sin, in mind or in deed: is found completely guilty before God. The only hope is through accepting the atoning reconciling blood of the only sinless man, Jesus.
Jesus was in fact God come to the earth in the flesh to explain to us how to access Him. Having done that, inexplicably, there are those who are ashamed of Him. How can this be? Again let us read the Words of God in the person of Jesus:
“Whoever will follow me, let him deny himself: (understand that there is no way, through personal performance that a person can by themselves, access God.) Take up his cross: (accept the sacrificial atonement and reconciliation of the blood of Jesus: understand that Jesus is the only way to access God.) And follow me.”
“For, whosoever will save his life shall lose it: (in order to obtain eternal life we must depend on Jesus’ performance and not ours.) But whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel’s the same shall save it: (Jesus instructs us to be willing to give up anything and everything for the gospel. Especially the fear of what other people will think of us) for, what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his soul? (If we reject Jesus, we may gain everything in this world, but we will spend eternity in hell.) Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?”
“Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my Words in this adulterous generation; of him also shall the Son of Man be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.”
(Mark 8:34-38)
Jesus did not mince words. If we are ashamed of Him, He will be ashamed of us. But instead of us being ashamed of Him in the presence of humans who have short and finite lives. He will be ashamed of us in the presence of the infinite God and the holy angels and those who have inherited the promises.
Paul, our teacher wrote this Holy Spirit directed truth:
“But without faith, (living in this present moment, with joyful expectation of the things that we can’t see: Hebrews 11:1) it is impossible to please him: for he that comes to God must believe that He is, and that he rewards those who diligently seek Him.”
(Hebrews 11:6)
The closer we draw to God, the more we acknowledge Him publicly, the more we praise Him publicly, the more we glorify Him through our testimony’s and confessions (what we say about Him) publicly, the closer God will draw to us.
This is not a time to run from God; but to run to Him, through our Lord and Savior Jesus. The more we seek Him the more we will find Him. The sooner we knock, the sooner the door shall be opened to us. The sooner we ask in faith nothing wavering, the sooner we will receive. Consider these words from James the brother of Jesus:
“If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that gives to all men liberally, and does not upbraid (beat us down for asking) us; and it shall be given to him. But let him ask in faith nothing wavering. For he that wavers is like a wave of the sea driven by the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.”
(James 1:5-8)
In these challenging times in the flesh, if we will be resolute in our faith and positive confessions: if we will avoid negative people thought and speech, if we will praise God in word and in song, if we will remind Him of His promises, we will see His glory and we will know peace and joy. Try holding fast to the following scriptures:
“The thief comes not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come so that they may have life and have it more abundantly.”
(John 10:10)
“Said I not to you, if you would believe, you should see the glory of God?”
(John 11:40)
“If you live in me, and my words live in you, you shall ask what you wish, and it shall be done unto you.” (John 15:7)
“Until now, you have asked nothing in my name: ask that you may receive that your joy may be full”.
(John 16:24)
“Verily, verily, I say to you, He that believes on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go to my Father. And whatsoever things you shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you shall ask anything in my name I shall do it.”
(John14: 12-14)
“Have faith in God. For verily I say to you, That whosoever shall say to this mountain, Be you removed and be you cast into the sea; and does not doubt in his heart but believes that those things which he says shall come to pass, he shall have whatever he says. Therefore I say to you, What ever things you desire, when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you shall have them.”
(Mark 11:22-24)
“Verily, I say to you, whatsoever you shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever you shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”
“Again, I say to you, that if two or more of you shall agree on earth as touching anything that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father who is in heaven.”
“For (because) where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.”
(Matthew 18:18-20)
And He said to them, I beheld (saw) satan fall from heaven like lightning (Timeout: just get that picture. Jesus watched as satan was thrown to earth at the speed of light. There is a dust layer that covers the earth that is about ¼ to ½ inch deep. Some theologians and even some scientists believe it came from the impact.) Behold I give you power to tread on serpents and scorpions: (the power to overcome all the power of the evil one. The evil one and his servants are always referred to biblically as snakes or scorpions.) And, to overcome all of the powers of the enemy: and nothing shall in anywise hurt you.”
(Luke 10:18)
“Therefore being justified by faith: (not performance thank God!!!) We have peace with God through our lord Jesus Christ; by whom also we have access by faith into this grace (God’s willingness ability and power to do those things for us that we can not or will not do for ourselves.) in which we now stand.”
(Romans 5:1&2)
“For by grace (see above definition) are you saved through faith, and that is not of yourself it is a gift from God.”
Many people mistakenly believe that it is possible to somehow increase their faith. This is impossible because God has given us the full measure of faith according to Romans 12:1, and faith is not of ourselves, it is a gift from God.
“Not, of works, lest any man should boast.”
(Ephesians 2:8&9)
“For you have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear: but you have received the Spirit of adoption whereby, we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit itself bears witness with our spirit that we are the children of God: And if children, then heirs, and if heirs, then heirs of God, and joint heirs with Jesus.”
(Romans 8:16-17)
” And I will give you the treasures of darkness, and hidden riches of secret places, that you may know that I who calls you by your name, am the God of Israel”.
(Isaiah 45:3)
“Surely, He has born our grief’s and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem Him stricken of God and afflicted. But, He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities, the chastisement of our peace was upon Him and with His stripes we are healed.”
(Isaiah 53:4&5)
“For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor that you through His poverty would become rich.”
(2 Corinthians 9:8)
” Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: According as He has chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love: Having predestined us to the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will. To the praise of the glory of His grace, wherein He has made us accepted in the beloved, (Jesus), in whom we have redemption through His blood the forgiveness of sins. According to the riches of His grace; Wherein He has abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence; having made know to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He has purposed in Himself.”
(Ephesians 1:3-9)
“According as his divine power has given us all things that pertain to life and Godliness, through the knowledge of Him that has called us to glory and virtue.”
(2 Peter 1:3)
” Who His own self bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes you were healed.”
(1 Peter 2:24)
As the pressure to fall into doubt and unbelief increases, lean on the Word of God. Copy these scriptures and speak them into every area of your life and your family’s life. Do not allow the evil one and those who subscribe to his program take your goods. Fight and fight hard. Deny the negative. Proclaim the Word of God. Agree with Jesus without doubt. Trust and believe with all your heart, God will not let you down.
“For the scriptures say, whosoever believes on Him shall not be ashamed”.
I pray that this teaching has blessed you. Please pass it to another who will be blessed.
Write to at: www.throneofgraceministries.com Or at Throne of Grace Ministries: P.O.BOX 669153 Marietta Georgia 30066
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Receive Your Inheritance,
Pastor Allen
