Religious Studies

Walking in the perfect will of God

The Temptation of Christ, 1854

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And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth (John 1:14).

Jesus Christ, the second person of the Trinity, comes in the flesh, bringing the character and nature of God into every aspect of life. Jesus came in a human body and with human needs. He walked in the perfect will of God, even when times were difficult.

When facing persecutions and suffering, Jesus endured them; when facing the temptations of life, Jesus resisted them; when facing the attacks of the devil, Jesus overcame them; when it came to the sins of others, Jesus forgave them.

Jesus is our example. He took on the human nature so that He could teach us how to live the Christian life. He lived a perfect life, despite the trials and tribulation the enemy put Him through.

There is not one thing we Christians face today that Jesus did not face. The enemy tested His morals, His knowledge of the law, His commitment to God, and the devil even tried to entice Him with things but He never yielded to temptation. Instead, He used the Word of God as a weapon.

Jesus used the Word of God to defeat the devil (Matthew 4:1-10)

1Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.

2And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungered.

3And when the tempter came to him, he said if thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.

4But he answered and said, it is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeded out of the mouth of God.

5Then the devil takes him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple,

6And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.

7Jesus said unto him,  it is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.

8Again, the devil takes him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them;

9And saith unto him, all these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.

10Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.

Some people will argue that today’s world is vastly different than that of Jesus’ time, and that Christ never faced the kinds of distraction and temptation today’s Christians faced. But while that argument is true; His nature and characteristics were adamic and the same as ours are today. Hence, there is no excuse for us not to walk in the perfect will of God as Jesus did.

Doing good — regardless of your situation

English: Saint paul arrested

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“For it is better, if it is the will of God, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil” (1 Peter 3:17).

Doing the will of God is not always the easiest thing to do, but it is always the right thing to do–the highest thing to do, and the best thing to do. Doing God’s will may bring discomfort, difficulty, persecution, rejection, suffering, or hardship. But God doesn’t want us to stop doing His will. He expects us to hold on to His unchanging hand, even in great sorrow, rejection and persecution. He wants us to forge ahead and do good –regardless of our situation.

Jesus told us that we would suffer because of Him, but be of good courage,  He has overcome the world (John 16:33). Even though there were those who despised and rejected Him, He never stopped doing the will of His father. He never stopped helping the helpless, loving the unlovely, and doing good to all. He wants us to follow in His footsteps and Love our enemies, bless them that curse us, do good to them that hate us, and pray for them which spitefully use us, and persecute us;

The apostle Paul is a perfect example of one who has suffered severely for Christ. Yet, he never wavered–he held on to God’s unchanging hand right to the end. In 2 Corinthians 11:24-28 he testifies about his many sufferings: “. . . I have been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again. 24 Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was pelted with stones, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, 26 I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my fellow Jews, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false believers. 27 I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. 28 Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches.

Believers let us keep our eyes on the prize, like the apostle,  and do good regardless of our circumstances. God bless you.

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The Blood of Jesus Cleanses

Smith's later theology described Jesus and God...

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“For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s (1 Corinthians 6:20)

The blood of Jesus Christ is powerful. It is His blood that makes it possible for you to be forgiven and cleanse from every sin. His shed blood is also the purchase price that has been paid for our redemption. What the blood of Jesus cleanses, it also claims. There are great benefits for believers when we recognize the claim that the blood of Jesus Christ has upon our lives.

I am sure you have heard the saying, “God is ready to take full responsibility for the life that is totally yielded to Him.” What a blessing that truth is! It means that you are not only completely the Lord’s but that He is completely yours. His righteousness is your righteousness, His strength is your strength, His peace is your peace, and His life is your life.

Heavenly father, I have acknowledge that I am yours, and because I am yours, I have a right to all the blessings you have reserved for those who have totally yielded themselves to you. I yield to you Lord, totally and completely.

Lord, you have esteemed me, and you have raised my status. The Scripture tells me that I am Royal and I believe. You are the King of kings and I am your child—I am special. ” 1 Peter 2:9 assures me, “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.” Lord you have made me a joint heir with your son Jesus and I appreciate that.

Father, I know all these blessings that you have bestowed upon me come with a price—a price I did not pay personally. A long time ago you looked beyond my faults, and saw my needs. And you sent your only Son, Jesus Christ to shed His blood on Calvary’s cross. That’s a big price to pay for a stranger but you did anyway.

Heavenly father, I thank you for the blood of Jesus, and I thank you for all the blessings. I know I have a duty to worship you in spirit and in truth and I will Lord! I also know if I fail to do my duty, I cannot continue claim your many blessings….Thank you Lord.

My prayer to walk in God’s ways in 2012

Lord, take control of my heart, that my heart may control my feet; my thoughts, my will and my ways. May my feet bring the word of good news, and the message of comfort to those who are broken and confused. And also to those who have lost hope in our political system, and our society as a whole–and to those who have lost their jobs and are going through tough times.

May my feet walk upon the imprint of your footsteps, May they move at the pace and in the direction that you are moving, Lord, I pray that my eyes will focus upon the things that your eyes are fixed upon. Heavenly father, lift me when I fall, cleanse me when I am soiled, and heal my every wound.

Lord, be the wings that cover me, the hiding place I need for shelter, the shield I need for defense, the sword I need for battle, and the banner I need for victory.

Let me be a light to those who are in darkness. Use me as a billow to those whose fire is cooling, and as a flint to those who need your fire.

Thank you Lord for granting my request.

Seeking What God Purposes Me To Be

English: The Last Supper of Jesus Christ

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“Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold for me” (Philippians 3:12).

It is clear from the Scriptures that God wants us to seek after Him. Sometimes we think that the word seeker applies only to people who do not know the Lord and are seeking the answers to life. A believer in Jesus Christ should never come to a place where he or she stops being a seeker.

Being a seeker means that you know God as a reality in your life, yet you are always hungering after a deeper intimacy with Him; being a seeker means that you know His love in your heart, yet you seek to know the fullness of its depth, its height, its width, and its length; being a seeker means that you have set your heart to lay hold of all the things that He purposes you to be.

How do I know God’s purpose for my life?

You were created by God, in His image, for a purpose. The Bible tells us that Isaiah (Isaiah 49:1), Jeremiah (Jeremiah 1:5) and Paul (Galatians 1:15) were set apart from birth for a specific purpose–and you are no different. He has a specific plan for your life.

“For I know the plans I have for you,’ declared the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future” (Jeremiah 29:11).
The Bible says that God’s will is “good, pleasing and perfect” (Romans 12:2).

God’s will, first, is that we have a relationship with Him through His Son, Jesus Christ.

“This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:3-4).

God wants us to be Christ’s disciples.
This means Christians must themselves commit to following God’s will daily, whatever the cost.
“If anyone would come to me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me” (Luke 9:23).

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