Are You In the Fight for Your Better Life?

Imagine a soldier out on a torrential battlefield. He’s exhausted from fighting, charging, running and shooting. When he finally gets to a place where he can sleep for the night, he takes out his pencil and paper to write a letter to his family. Literally the stench of battle is still rising from his body. He writes in vivid paragraphs of description. Then suddenly a bomb goes off nearby and dirt from the explosion falls into the folds of his finished prose. When he mother opens the letter several weeks later, she sucks in air. It’s air from the his night, air from his fight. The end of the letter says, “I was able to stop the war and get the information we need to a new place for peace. Please know I love you all.” You can imagine the tears that flow as she reads and the joy!

I imagine that the Philippians felt this way when they opened Paul’s letter. He was captured, laying in a filthy prison and being accused and slandered not unlike guerrilla warfare was used by in Vietnam or how the Germans accused the Jews of being traitors. But they knew it was going to be okay because he had fought a good fight.

Even in those moments God hadn’t stopped working in him. Here are his words. (I’m backing up so we can read the whole sentence as one thought.)

“Always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy, for your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now; 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: even as it is meet (right) for me to think this of you all, because I have you in my heart; inasmuch as both in my bonds, and in the defence and confirmation of the gospel, ye all are partakers of my grace.” Philippians 1:7

When I look at this wonderful sentence, I see heartfelt love and tenderness towards his family. They were fellow laborers along with him and members of the household of God. Paul yearned to encourage them in their work. He didn’t want them to stop just because he wasn’t there, and of course they didn’t.

You and I have to honor this work as well. It’s a work that was started in you the moment you were born again and will continue until the day of Jesus Christ. We don’t have to stay in the dirt, fear, worry or bondage of this life. God gave us a way out. He rescued us that day and he will continue His work in you until the day He sends His son back to gather us up. What will that day be like?

Every single person from the day of Pentecost forward, who believed Romans 10:9-10, will be raised from the dead with a new spiritual body. Those who are alive at that time will be changed instantly and meet us in the air. We don’t have to sit and wonder if this will occur, we know it will occur. God promises it will. He promises to continue working in this gift of Holy Spirit in us completing and perfecting it. Wow! What would I rather focus on? I’d rather focus on my better life and the great things that are coming in the future.

God Bless You Today!

God Sure Hands Out A Lot of Character These Days

Have you ever heard that? I told a friend of mine about some of the life lessons I’ve experienced and she smartly told me that God was just giving me more character. In other words He allowed those things to happen so I’d learn…right? Why does something feel so not right about that statement. Here’s our verse today.

“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:” Philippians 1:6

Does this verse make me feel better or worse? Worse! If I think God is going to hand out more character anyway. Doesn’t it make me dread the future and fear new situations. Wouldn’t it make me wonder when I’ll ever be worthy of the “CHARACTER” badge. I would know, down in the depth of my heart, I didn’t have enough character so every time something terrible happens, I’d jump in line just so I could grow in my character.  I’d want to let people know what I had just gone through too so they could repeat the mantra that God is just giving me character. I’d go home feeling better for a few minutes until I looked again at the sickness, disease, financial ruin, or general lack of happiness in my life. As I sat down and pulled out my Bible, I’d glare at it. Resentment would build and maybe even bitterness. This bitterness would callous until unbelief would sneak in. God isn’t going to change my circumstances, or make me an overcomer if He’s busy dishing out character.

Unbelief is the believers biggest enemy. If a believer isn’t believing, will they see miracles, signs and wonders? What has this “character” statement now done to me?

First, I won’t see these verses happening in my life.

“And these signs shall follow them that believe;” Mark 16:17a

“And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.” Matthew 21:22

How can I believe for a miracle if I think it’s God’s will that I lose my pants financially, or physically, or mentally?

Okay, so where is this statement coming from if it makes a person a martyr for God. God only asked one man to die for us, Jesus Christ. How many of us are willing to live for God? If God is not done with “building our character” then we stay in our victumhood, oppression and depression.

Does the “character” statement hold any water with God?

First we need to expose the lie. Then we expose the liar. The devil wants to steal from you. He’s the Father of Lies. That alone should explain where this statement came from, but I think I should just take you to the Word of God.

“We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.” 1 John 4:6

There is a spirit of error out there and it’s our job to uncover it and know the truth. God helps because we are of Him. The biggest lie here is that you shouldn’t believe for miracles, signs and wonders in your life. The devil wants to talk you out of your abundance, protection, blessing and power. Christians who don’t stand up for themselves are powerless to stop the adversary from ruining their life. Better yet if they think they deserve to be stolen from, it makes the devil’s job that much easier. Why believe the devil? Why not believe your father, the God of Peace and Prosperity!?

“The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I (Jesus Christ) am come that they might have life, and that they might have [it] more abundantly.” John 10:10

We have three promises in this verse. We are promised life, abundant life and a MORE abundant life. Wow! Jesus Christ won our life back for us. We’ll never have to do that again! We’ll never have to suffer until we bleed for our salvation. Jesus Christ did that already. Then we receive it as a gift of grace.

What else does God promise us for our life here?

“Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.” 3 John 2

WOW! “I wish above ALL things!” Wow! It pretty much knocks out the character building trauma doesn’t it. But wait Terri, doesn’t it say in the Word that I need to persevere and be tested?

That is two things.

“Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore,” Ephesians 6:13-14a

What do we stand on? The truth. The truth that God made us free, abundant and strong. We’ll believe we don’t deserve to be stolen from, killed or destroyed. We have the right to a more abundant life. We need to gird ourselves with the whole armor of God just to believe and keep standing on that truth because the devil’s sly lies will constantly try to talk you out of it. How do we keep standing? Let’s go back to our series in Philippians. I’m going to skip ahead.

“Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things [are] honest, whatsoever things [are] just, whatsoever things [are] pure, whatsoever things [are] lovely, whatsoever things [are] of good report; if [there be] any virtue, and if [there be] any praise, think on these things.” Philippians 4:8

We think on the truth. What’s the truth?

“I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” Phil. 4:13

And…

“But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” vs 19

These are the verses we believe. And the biggest thing is, of everything that God did for us when we got born again, the most important is He made us righteous in His eyes. Righteousness is our sonship right and a gift out of God’s grace. We can’t do more good deeds or survive more hard times to earn it. We just have it. I’d say righteousness tops character any day of the week.

God Bless You Today!