We are not ignorant of Satan's devices

2Co 2:11  Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices.

Are we ignorant of Satan's devices? If we are whose fault is it?  We shouldn't be ignorant of his devices.  He LIES. He's the Father of lies. He's the source of ALL EVIL.  He is the one who uses every thing he can to get us to be as He is.  Satan would have us all SELF ABSORBED in as many ways as possible. Truly the WORLD, we believe, should revolve around us. And when the world does NOT revolve around us we feel cheated, we feel abused by others, we feel taken advantage of and the resentment that rises within us is evil. We don't want to call it evil because we have convinced ourselves the things which are evil are good, and good things are evil.  We say it is evil to tell someone they are self-absorbed when they are really being taken advantage of. We say it is evil to not want pity from others for the way they use and abuse us, we deserve the pity.  The truth is, we do NOT. The world doesn't resolve around us, ever. It revolves around our Savior, it revolves around our God, it revolves around the Holy Spirit, they are who created us and all the things we see.  They are the all in all, They are from everlasting to everlasting. They are EVERYTHING and we live for them, not for ourselves. And in living for them we live for every other person first, before ourselves.  If only we could truly comprehend this truth. If we could understand this truth we would live as we should live - for God and for others, and NOT for ourselves, not ever.

Please Lord, we know that Satan's devices are to get us to focus on ourselves above all and that most of all our problems come from this awful device of his to get us to keep our minds selfish, our lives lived mainly for us and not others, or for others but only as they live to help us live for ourselves.

Forgive us, Father! Forgive us for our selfishness! Please, Lord, we need You! Let the Holy Spirit live in us transforming us, renewing our minds to focus for YOU, not for ourselves. Help us, love us, keep us forever in You.

Amen.

Faith- believing without tangible proof

Heb 11:6  But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

We must believe!

It's easy for us to believe in what we can see, touch, taste, isn't it?

I can believe in my mother because I can touch her, I can see her, I can hear her,  she's real to me.

I can believe in the air because I know what it is like to not get air, but I can't see.

I can believe in love because I have been shown love by the sacrifice of my Savior, He is love. His sacrifice has occurred, it's what is called a done deal.

Yet there are those who will tell us we have no way to prove the reality of a God taking on flesh.

There are skeptics that will tear apart what you believe by telling you that you have to be able to see it, touch it, hear it, taste it, smell it for it to be real.

Yet, those same skeptics cannot ever truly believe in love- no matter what they say or do, because God is love, and they can't believe in God. They'll make up something and call it love, but it won't ever be true love.

We can only know true love through God. People can say whatever they want.  Those who do not believe in God cannot love.  I know many people will rail against this. They'll tell me their atheist friend is the most loving person in the world, so I'm dead wrong.  They'll tell me those who believe in other gods will tell me the same. Those who believe in pagan lore,      etc.  will have the same thing to say and they'll mean it with all their hearts. I have people who I call friends who do not believe in God, they are good people, but the truth is GOD IS LOVE, what they have is not real LOVE it's a love of their own devising and that love of their own devising can mimic what people want to believe love is, and not what it really is. However having said ALL that, I truly believe that our Savior draws people to Him and a lot of those who say they do Not believe in Him are having their hearts drawn to Him and one day they will recognize God's love.  NONE of those who don't believe are going to be judged by me that is for God and God alone to decide their hearts truth. I will LOVE with God's love by HIS grace, His power not mine!  I will love as He enables me to love. All in HIM ALWAYS!

Let us believe!

Jesus prays for us if we believe on Him!

Rom_10:10  For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

With the heart men believe unto righteousness.

Can you obtain Christ's righteousness without belief? No.

Heb_11:6  But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

We must believe.

Do you believe?

Mar_9:23  Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.

Believing! We must believe!

Joh_1:12  But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name

We must believe on His Name!

Joh 9:35  Jesus heard that they had cast him out; and when he had found him, he said unto him, Dost thou believe on the Son of God?

Joh 9:36  He answered and said, Who is he, Lord, that I might believe on him?

Joh 9:37  And Jesus said unto him, Thou hast both seen him, and it is he that talketh with thee.

Joh 9:38  And he said, Lord, I believe. And he worshipped him.

Joh 9:39  And Jesus said, For judgment I am come into this world, that they which see not might see; and that they which see might be made blind.

Truth! We must believe and WORSHIP HIM.

We must believe!

Joh_17:20  Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word

JESUS PRAYS FOR US IF WE BELIEVE ON HIM!

All glory to GOD, all glory to GOD in the HIGHEST!

Help us believe, help us to believe in You fully and forever!

All in YOUR LOVE, all in YOUR NAME, WE BELIEVE!

Amen!

By His grace may we love Him

2Co_5:21  For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him

Our Creator, the One made Flesh, the God made Flesh was MADE SIN for us. Do we comprehend this?  When He took on our Flesh He took on our fallen flesh, the flesh that CAN be tempted to sin, the flesh that can sin.  He was TEMPTED, but He never consented to sin, sin was NEVER conceived in Him.

Jas 1:14  But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.

Jas 1:15  Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.

Jesus never sinned.  He was MADE sin for us when He took on OUR sins. He knew NO sin, but He HAD to take OUR sins so we would be free of them! He had to suffer the penalty of sin which is DEATH.

Only the ONE who would not sin, who could sin, but did not sin could save those who do sin. 

He became sin for US.

And He did that so we could be MADE the righteousness of God IN Him!

Jesus was made forever flesh. Jesus was God - and God is a spirit- Jesus God took on Flesh and would no longer be a spirit. I know we talked about that yesterday but  it's just so incredibly amazing that I have to say it again. 

Our Savior gave up SO MUCH! 

As He was called forth from the grave it was in His flesh. No spirit form lifted out of his flesh body because that NEVER HAPPENS TO ANYONE, EVER! He rose from the tomb, His Father raising Him up from the second death, a death that separated Him completely from   His Father, a separation that was final and complete until three days later the Father brought Him back to life.  Jesus did NOT bring Himself back to life.  God the Father raised Him from death to life because He was worthy, He sinned not, He did NOTHING to warrant sin's penalty - separation from the Father.  He suffered in OUR place, all so we could have HIS righteousness- HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS.

By His grace may we LOVE Him, may we believe in HIM, may we be HIS.

Please, Lord, let us be YOURS now and forever! Not because we are worthy because we are not, but because YOU died so we could LIVE, Your love for us is sooooo overwhelming, so unfathomable to us who love so little, who love so wrongly, who love so incompetently. Please, Lord, please we would be YOURS!

Amen.

Forever Flesh

2Co_5:21  For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him

TRUTH!

Christ was made sin and knew no sin all so WE could be given HIS righteousness, the righteousness we wait for through faith.

Sin- the transgressing of the law of God.  Jesus was made a transgressor without transgressing. 

Sin separates us from God. Jesus was separated from the Father God without cause. 

Just imagine the oneness in agreement that Jesus- the begotten Son had with God the Father.  They are both everlasting, both the Beginning and the End, both existing always and ever existing, God with God.  Such closeness! Then One became the declared Son, and the Other the declared Father. There was never a time ever that they were not two agreeing as one.  Then… the Son divested Himself of His Spirit form and took on flesh- and there was now forever a distinct difference in the Father and the begotten Son.  One God remain fully Spirit, the other God put His Spirit form into a body of Flesh- a very DISTINCT difference from a Spirit form taking on the guise of flesh. 

Remember this-

Gen 18:1  And the LORD appeared unto him in the plains of Mamre: and he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day;

Gen 18:2  And he lift up his eyes and looked, and, lo, three men stood by him: and when he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed himself toward the ground,

Gen 18:8  And he took butter, and milk, and the calf which he had dressed, and set it before them; and he stood by them under the tree, and they did eat.

Gen 18:9  And they said unto him, Where is Sarah thy wife? And he said, Behold, in the tent.

Gen 18:10  And he said, I will certainly return unto thee according to the time of life; and, lo, Sarah thy wife shall have a son. And Sarah heard it in the tent door, which was behind him.

Gen 18:16  And the men rose up from thence, and looked toward Sodom: and Abraham went with them to bring them on the way.

Gen 18:20  And the LORD said, Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous;

Gen 18:21  I will go down now, and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it, which is come unto me; and if not, I will know.

Gen 18:22  And the men turned their faces from thence, and went toward Sodom: but Abraham stood yet before the LORD.

Abraham stood in the presence of the Lord .  The Lord in the guise of a man who took part in a meal.  Yet, He was NOT flesh, nor were the other two with Him, they were angels.

Gen 19:1  And there came two angels to Sodom at even; and Lot sat in the gate of Sodom: and Lot seeing them rose up to meet them; and he bowed himself with his face toward the ground;

Gen 19:2  And he said, Behold now, my lords, turn in, I pray you, into your servant's house, and tarry all night, and wash your feet, and ye shall rise up early, and go on your ways. And they said, Nay; but we will abide in the street all night.

Two angels, the same two that had continued towards Sodom.  Angels that Lot offered a place to stay, and to wash their feet.  Angels in the guise of men, yet they were NOT flesh.

When Jesus became flesh, when He took on our flesh it wasn't in a guise of flesh but He EMPTIED Himself of that ability to put on a guise of human flesh and entered into real flesh as a babe formed within a womb.  The mysteries of how this happened are for God, but we know the Holy Spirit made it possible.

Forever flesh. Jesus divested Himself of so much! Instead of being able to use His Godhood as a God of Spirit He limited Himself by putting on our flesh. He became dependent upon God the Father, able to do nothing without God the Father. He who created the world and all that is in it, was now fully dependent upon God the Father. When He healed He healed using the power of God.

Joh_5:19  Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise.

The Son can do NOTHING of himself.

More on this tomorrow by the grace and mercy of our LORD and SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST!

Through the Spirit We WAIT for the Hope of Righteousness

Gal_5:5  For we through the Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness by faith.

TRUTH!

We WAIT for the hope of righteousness by faith.

We don't attain righteousness of our own, we WAIT for the HOPE of righteousness by faith, and we do this through the Holy Spirit.

We do this...

Eph_4:24  And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.

We put on the NEW MAN, the new man after God is created in RIGHTEOUSNESS and true HOLINESS. And this righteousness, this true holiness is only through the Holy Spirit, not something we create, not something we manufacture, not something we produce. We are made new through CHRIST, we do NOT make ourselves new.

Col 3:9  Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds;

Col 3:10  And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him

Col 3:11  Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all.

Col 3:12  Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering;

Col 3:13  Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.

Col 3:14  And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.

Col 3:15  And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.

Col 3:16  Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.

Col 3:17  And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.

All by the Lord Jesus!

We must believe, truly believe.

Gal_3:6  Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.

Through belief we wait, we hope, and that through the Holy Spirit.

All by HIS grace and mercy! All by HIS righteousness the righteousness we wait for!

In Christ's love!

Amen.

We cannot ever earn salvation

Php_3:9  And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith

When we keep the law, when we do right we are being righteous, of this there can be no doubt. However, that righteousness is NOT the righteousness of God.  Our actions are not God's actions. Our righteous actions cannot save us. What saves us is our FAITH in our Savior.  You CANNOT have faith in our Savior and continue WILLFULLY, UNREPENTANTLY in sin- which is the breaking of the law.  You may continue on in sin, your flesh nature warring with your spirit. You may have weaknesses you are striving to overcome and gain victory over. If your heart is NOT breaking over these sins, if you are NOT struggling to overcome these sins through our Lord, then are you truly repentant of them? 

We read of Esau who sought  repentance..

Heb_12:17  For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears.

Was Esau pained by what he'd done? Only the results of what he'd done, he was pained by the results, not by his own causing of those results. He didn't see His own sin fully, he allowed himself to be blind to his own sins.  We desire blindness because we want to continue in our sins. We can seek repentance all we want but unless we desire TRUTH, unvarnished truth, then the repentance we are seeking is really us asking God to overlook our sins, to excuse them, NOT forgive them. 

Jesus had to spill His life's blood to PAY the penalty for our sins.  God cannot overlook our sins!  By accepting our Savior and HIS righteousness, we are placing ourselves in His hands, and HE is using HIS righteousness, His blood to cover our sins. 

We cannot be found with our own righteousness and believe that our ACTIONS whatever they may be will gain us salvation. We must have our SAVIOR'S righteousness and count HIS righteousness as OURS.

We are saved through HIM, not through ourselves!

Please Father God, please bless us, help us, keep us in YOU AND YOUR righteousness. We have NO righteousness! 

We will do right things, but that will not earn us salvation.  We will live as our Savior would have us live, but that will not earn us salvation.  We can NEVER earn salvation. We must accept Christ's righteousness, Christ's salvation!

Please, Lord, save us! We know there is nothing we can do but believe in You. We know that we would do as You taught us to do, all through YOU and the HOLY SPIRIT.  You've given us YOUR laws, you have given us YOUR WORDS and we would know them, and do them through YOU!

Bless us, Lord, bless us!

Forgive us!

Keep us forever in YOU.

Amen.