THAT WE MAY LEARN THE WORD OF GOD, AND PRAY IN THE SPIRIT OF HIS WORD, THAT WE MAY OBEY HIS WORD.
Here are twelve passages from the Word of God that I want to begin with.
(* words spoke by Jesus)
*Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God..(JOHN 3: 5)
Not by works of righteousness..., but according to His mercy He saved us, by washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost;..(TITUS 3: 5)
That He (Jesus) might sanctify and cleanse it (the church, and the individual) with the washing of water by the word..(EPHESIANS 5: 26)
*Sanctify them through thy truth: Thy word is Truth.....(JOHN 17: 17)
*If you continue in my word, then are you my disciples...and you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free..(JOHN 8: 31-32)
...but you are washed, sanctified, justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God. .......(1 COR 6: 11)
*Now you are clean through the word which I (Jesus) have spoken unto you. (JOHN 15: 3)
With what and how shall a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed and obeying God's word. .......(PSALM 119: 9)
Being born again ... by the word of God, which lives and abides forever. (1 PETER 1: 23)
...be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind. ..........(ROM 12: 2)
...be renewed in the spirit of your mind ..........(EPH 4: 23)
And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him ........(COL 3: 10)
What is my point in showing these 12 passages of God's Word? Simply this; Only if we "Let the Word of Christ DWELL in you (us) richly in all wisdom..." (Col. 3: 16a), can we hope to know God. Notice in Rom. 12: 2 and Eph. 4: 23, our minds, and the spirit of our minds, are renewed.
The Word must dwell, that is, it must LIVE in you. You must know the Word of God. However, if you don’t pray, knowing won’t be good enough. The Devil knows God's Word. Studying God's Word helps us get our minds right. Prayer, is our direct link to God, for the "spirit of our minds", so HE can "renew" our spirits, and our minds.
Unlike the Devil, you have a choice. In 2 Chronicles 7: 14 we are told by God to first HUMBLE ourselves. Second we are told to PRAY. Third we are told to SEEK God's face (this means study His Word). Last we are told to REPENT (turn from our wicked ways). HUMBLE - PRAY - SEEK - REPENT. The order in which we are given these four precepts, is not an accident.
def: PRECEPT any commandment, instruction or order intended as a rule of action or conduct; esp., a practical rule guiding behavior, technique, etc.
Notice PRAYER comes before SEEK. Don't confuse seeking with prayer. Seeking is a matter of learning what God wants from us.
A lot of people today, not knowing what the Word says, will say, "I tried God, but he didn't do anything for me." So they reckon God isn't worth obeying or even trusting. They totally ignored the very first step in approaching Him. They do not humble themselves.
God is not someone to try. He is God. He is THE ONE to obey.
But that dosn't mean He is an angry, mean disciplinarian, watching to see if you are going to obey, so He can administer punishment if you don't. Instead, He is a God who administers love and mercy without end. Psalm 136 is 26 verses long, and everyone of them ends with, "for His mercy endures forever."
The first 9 verses praise God for His greatness, the next 17 are about God killing the enemies of Israel. "O wait," you say, that dosn't sound like mercy. That sounds like one of the many contridictions we hear people going on about. But if you truely seek God through His Word, you will understand that what sounds like a contridiction, is not contridictory at all.
God's mercies are toward those who put their trust in Him and obey Him (Ps.144: 8-20). He is willing to forebare with the non-believer for a while. But once they cross the line with those who trust and obey Him, then they make themselves His enemy, and He rises up to defend His people.
Today we live in the age of Grace. The Old Testament was a covenant of the blood of animals. Where the grace of God was only extended year after year for the temporary covering of our sins.
The New Testament is a covenant sealed with the Blood of Christ (Mt.26: 28; Mk.14: 24; Lk.22: 20; 1 Cor.11: 25). Now through the man, and Son of God, Jesus, who is the Christ (God in the flesh Jn.1: 1,10-11,14,17), we can recieve the mercies and grace of God the Father, permanently, once and for all.
Anyone who is already a believer is being constantly taught by God. Their ability to hear Him and learn, depends on how much they pray.
Anyone who is called by the Holy Ghost to be born again into the Kingdom of God, must begin with believing in their heart God raised Jesus from the dead (we know He died for our sins Rom.3: 25; 1 Jn.2: 2 and 4: 10).
Then a confession of faith in Jesus as Lord must be made (Rom.10: 9-10).
As many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name (Jn.1: 12).
But you have to Humble yourself, PRAY, Seek Him (study His Word), and after He reveals to you what He finds in you to be disobedience; Repent.
Our being perfected is something the Holy Spirit does over time (1 Cor. 6: 11; Jn.8: 31-32; Rom.12: 2; Eph.4: 23; Ps.119: 9).
But regardless of our progress, if we first obey Rom. 10: 9-10, then from that moment on, Jesus has made a way for us to enter into, and remain in the Kingdom of God.
All we have to do from the moment we first believed, until the day we leave this world, and live our eternal life with Him, is continue as best we can. Learning about Him, trusting in Him (to meet our needs), and sharing the praises (of how HE meets those needs Mat.6: 33).
Also, we must share the love and mercies of God, in the name of Jesus, with all whom He causes to cross our path. That is our duty toward Him (Eccl.12 :13; Mat.5: 44-45; Mk.12: 30-31), (HE forgives us, so we must forgive others Mat.6: 14-15).
JUDE 24-25
Now (I commend all who took the time to read this) unto Him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His Glory with exceeding joy, to the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.
Here are twelve passages from the Word of God that I want to begin with.
(* words spoke by Jesus)
*Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God..(JOHN 3: 5)
Not by works of righteousness..., but according to His mercy He saved us, by washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost;..(TITUS 3: 5)
That He (Jesus) might sanctify and cleanse it (the church, and the individual) with the washing of water by the word..(EPHESIANS 5: 26)
*Sanctify them through thy truth: Thy word is Truth.....(JOHN 17: 17)
*If you continue in my word, then are you my disciples...and you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free..(JOHN 8: 31-32)
...but you are washed, sanctified, justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God. .......(1 COR 6: 11)
*Now you are clean through the word which I (Jesus) have spoken unto you. (JOHN 15: 3)
With what and how shall a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed and obeying God's word. .......(PSALM 119: 9)
Being born again ... by the word of God, which lives and abides forever. (1 PETER 1: 23)
...be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind. ..........(ROM 12: 2)
...be renewed in the spirit of your mind ..........(EPH 4: 23)
And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him ........(COL 3: 10)
What is my point in showing these 12 passages of God's Word? Simply this; Only if we "Let the Word of Christ DWELL in you (us) richly in all wisdom..." (Col. 3: 16a), can we hope to know God. Notice in Rom. 12: 2 and Eph. 4: 23, our minds, and the spirit of our minds, are renewed.
The Word must dwell, that is, it must LIVE in you. You must know the Word of God. However, if you don’t pray, knowing won’t be good enough. The Devil knows God's Word. Studying God's Word helps us get our minds right. Prayer, is our direct link to God, for the "spirit of our minds", so HE can "renew" our spirits, and our minds.
Unlike the Devil, you have a choice. In 2 Chronicles 7: 14 we are told by God to first HUMBLE ourselves. Second we are told to PRAY. Third we are told to SEEK God's face (this means study His Word). Last we are told to REPENT (turn from our wicked ways). HUMBLE - PRAY - SEEK - REPENT. The order in which we are given these four precepts, is not an accident.
def: PRECEPT any commandment, instruction or order intended as a rule of action or conduct; esp., a practical rule guiding behavior, technique, etc.
Notice PRAYER comes before SEEK. Don't confuse seeking with prayer. Seeking is a matter of learning what God wants from us.
A lot of people today, not knowing what the Word says, will say, "I tried God, but he didn't do anything for me." So they reckon God isn't worth obeying or even trusting. They totally ignored the very first step in approaching Him. They do not humble themselves.
God is not someone to try. He is God. He is THE ONE to obey.
But that dosn't mean He is an angry, mean disciplinarian, watching to see if you are going to obey, so He can administer punishment if you don't. Instead, He is a God who administers love and mercy without end. Psalm 136 is 26 verses long, and everyone of them ends with, "for His mercy endures forever."
The first 9 verses praise God for His greatness, the next 17 are about God killing the enemies of Israel. "O wait," you say, that dosn't sound like mercy. That sounds like one of the many contridictions we hear people going on about. But if you truely seek God through His Word, you will understand that what sounds like a contridiction, is not contridictory at all.
God's mercies are toward those who put their trust in Him and obey Him (Ps.144: 8-20). He is willing to forebare with the non-believer for a while. But once they cross the line with those who trust and obey Him, then they make themselves His enemy, and He rises up to defend His people.
Today we live in the age of Grace. The Old Testament was a covenant of the blood of animals. Where the grace of God was only extended year after year for the temporary covering of our sins.
The New Testament is a covenant sealed with the Blood of Christ (Mt.26: 28; Mk.14: 24; Lk.22: 20; 1 Cor.11: 25). Now through the man, and Son of God, Jesus, who is the Christ (God in the flesh Jn.1: 1,10-11,14,17), we can recieve the mercies and grace of God the Father, permanently, once and for all.
Anyone who is already a believer is being constantly taught by God. Their ability to hear Him and learn, depends on how much they pray.
Anyone who is called by the Holy Ghost to be born again into the Kingdom of God, must begin with believing in their heart God raised Jesus from the dead (we know He died for our sins Rom.3: 25; 1 Jn.2: 2 and 4: 10).
Then a confession of faith in Jesus as Lord must be made (Rom.10: 9-10).
As many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name (Jn.1: 12).
But you have to Humble yourself, PRAY, Seek Him (study His Word), and after He reveals to you what He finds in you to be disobedience; Repent.
Our being perfected is something the Holy Spirit does over time (1 Cor. 6: 11; Jn.8: 31-32; Rom.12: 2; Eph.4: 23; Ps.119: 9).
But regardless of our progress, if we first obey Rom. 10: 9-10, then from that moment on, Jesus has made a way for us to enter into, and remain in the Kingdom of God.
All we have to do from the moment we first believed, until the day we leave this world, and live our eternal life with Him, is continue as best we can. Learning about Him, trusting in Him (to meet our needs), and sharing the praises (of how HE meets those needs Mat.6: 33).
Also, we must share the love and mercies of God, in the name of Jesus, with all whom He causes to cross our path. That is our duty toward Him (Eccl.12 :13; Mat.5: 44-45; Mk.12: 30-31), (HE forgives us, so we must forgive others Mat.6: 14-15).
JUDE 24-25
Now (I commend all who took the time to read this) unto Him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His Glory with exceeding joy, to the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.
