"I have heard a report from the Lord…"
(Jeremiah 49:14, AMP)
Every day we get "reports" from the news, our experiences, our friends and family, and many other sources. We also get reports from the Word of God, which oftentimes, contradicts what others are saying. That ' s when we have a choice: do we believe what we hear in the natural, or do we believe the report of the Lord?
Friend, we serve a supernatural God! Just because we don ' t see a way doesn ' t mean that He doesn ' t have a way. God can bring one opportunity across your path that will thrust you to a new level. He has explosive blessings that can blast you out of debt and into abundance. "Well, I don ' t think I ' ll ever get well. You should see what the medical report says about me." No, that may be true according to medical science, but we have another report and it says, "You will live and not die. God is restoring health unto you." With men it may be impossible, but with God all things are possible.
Choose today to believe the report of the Lord. Stand strong no matter what is going on around you knowing that He is leading you into victory in every area of your life!
"Father in heaven, I choose to believe Your Word above all else. I know that You are working behind the scenes on my behalf, and You will cause me to triumph. Help me to tune out the negative voices of the world so that I can focus on Your goodness all the days of my life. In Jesus ' Name. Amen."
I. The Scriptures
The Holy Bible was written by men divinely inspired and is God's revelation of Himself to man. It is a perfect treasure of divine instruction. It has God for its author, salvation for its end, and truth, without any mixture of error, for its matter. Therefore, all Scripture is totally true and trustworthy. It reveals the principles by which God judges us, and therefore is, and will remain to the end of the world, the true center of Christian union, and the supreme standard by which all human conduct, creeds, and religious opinions should be tried. All Scripture is a testimony to Christ, who is Himself the focus of divine revelation.
II. God
There is one and only one living and true God. He is an intelligent, spiritual, and personal Being, the Creator, Redeemer, Preserver, and Ruler of the universe. God is infinite in holiness and all other perfections. God is all powerful and all knowing; and His perfect knowledge extends to all things, past, present, and future, including the future decisions of His free creatures. To Him we owe the highest love, reverence, and obedience. The eternal triune God reveals Himself to us as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, with distinct personal attributes, but without division of nature, essence, or being.
A. God the Father
God as Father reigns with providential care over His universe, His creatures, and the flow of the stream of human history according to the purposes of His grace. He is all powerful, all knowing, all loving, and all wise. God is Father in truth to those who become children of God through faith in Jesus Christ. He is fatherly in His attitude toward all men.
B. God the Son
Christ is the eternal Son of God. In His incarnation as Jesus Christ He was conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. Jesus perfectly revealed and did the will of God, taking upon Himself human nature with its demands and necessities and identifying Himself completely with mankind yet without sin. He honored the divine law by His personal obedience, and in His substitutionary death on the cross He made provision for the redemption of men from sin. He was raised from the dead with a glorified body and appeared to His disciples as the person who was with them before His crucifixion. He ascended into heaven and is now exalted at the right hand of God where He is the One Mediator, fully God, fully man, in whose Person is effected the reconciliation between God and man. He will return in power and glory to judge the world and to consummate His redemptive mission. He now dwells in all believers as the living and ever present Lord.
C. God the Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God, fully divine. He inspired holy men of old to write the Scriptures. Through illumination He enables men to understand truth. He exalts Christ. He convicts men of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment. He calls men to the Saviour, and effects regeneration. At the moment of regeneration He baptizes every believer into the Body of Christ. He cultivates Christian character, comforts believers, and bestows the spiritual gifts by which they serve God through His church. He seals the believer unto the day of final redemption. His presence in the Christian is the guarantee that God will bring the believer into the fullness of the stature of Christ. He enlightens and empowers the believer and the church in worship, evangelism, and service.
III. Man
Man is the special creation of God, made in His own image. He created them male and female as the crowning work of His creation. The gift of gender is thus part of the goodness of God's creation. In the beginning man was innocent of sin and was endowed by his Creator with freedom of choice. By his free choice man sinned against God and brought sin into the human race. Through the temptation of Satan man transgressed the command of God, and fell from his original innocence whereby his posterity inherit a nature and an environment inclined toward sin. Therefore, as soon as they are capable of moral action, they become transgressors and are under condemnation. Only the grace of God can bring man into His holy fellowship and enable man to fulfill the creative purpose of God. The sacredness of human personality is evident in that God created man in His own image, and in that Christ died for man; therefore, every person of every race possesses full dignity and is worthy of respect and Christian love.
IV. Salvation
Salvation involves the redemption of the whole man, and is offered freely to all who accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour, who by His own blood obtained eternal redemption for the believer. In its broadest sense salvation includes regeneration, justification, sanctification, and glorification. There is no salvation apart from personal faith in Jesus Christ as Lord.
A. Regeneration, or the new birth, is a work of God's grace whereby believers become new creatures in Christ Jesus. It is a change of heart wrought by the Holy Spirit through conviction of sin, to which the sinner responds in repentance toward God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Repentance and faith are inseparable experiences of grace.
B. Repentance is a genuine turning from sin toward God. Faith is the acceptance of Jesus Christ and commitment of the entire personality to Him as Lord and Saviour.
C. Justification is God's gracious and full acquittal upon principles of His righteousness of all sinners who repent and believe in Christ. Justification brings the believer unto a relationship of peace and favor with God.
D. Sanctification is the experience, beginning in regeneration, by which the believer is set apart to God's purposes, and is enabled to progress toward moral and spiritual maturity through the presence and power of the Holy Spirit dwelling in him. Growth in grace should continue throughout the regenerate person's life.
E. Glorification is the culmination of salvation and is the final blessed and abiding state of the redeemed.
I woke up this morning and knew that today,
The sun would not be shining
and the clouds would be Gray..
As I stepped outside,
Rain fell upon my head.
My car wouldn't start
so I walked to school instead.
I forgot all of my assignments
I failed all of my tests.
I dropped my head in disgust
and asked the Lord for one request.
'Lord, why is it that
things won't go my way?'
He gently replied,
'Dear child it is because
you didn't thank me yesterday.
I woke you up and enabled
you to see the sun again.
I gave you shelter,
protected your family, and even let
you make a new friend.
I blessed you far
greater than I ever had before.
But you were too busy
to thank me once more.
You didn't feel sick
because I maintained your health.
You had money in your pocket
because I maintained your wealth.
You had shoes on you feet
and clothes to wear, too.
You had plenty of food to eat,
and what did you do?
You ignored me and went
about your tasks.
But when you wanted something
you never hesitated to ask.
I was there when you needed me
and that wasn't too long ago.
But when things started going your way,
it was me you did not know.
As if that wasn't enough,
I provided our favourite luxuries.
This was something I didn't have
to do - they weren't even necessities.
And when it was time to get on your
knees and show your gratitude,
You decided that after such a
fulfilling day, you weren't in the mood.
So I decided to
give you just a little test.
To show you how it would feel
to stop being blessed.'
I began to realize what
the Lord was saying.
And when I got home, I fell
to my knees and started praying.
He said, 'My child, you have
learned and you know I do forgive..
But remember to remember this day
as long as you shall live.
I love filling your life with joy,
and I'll alleviate your pain.
But just a simple thank you
would show how much you
appreciate it.'
