It Is Good To Give Thanks To God

"Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children of men!"
Psalm 107:8, 15, 21, 31 (NKJV)

If we hear something once it might or might not be important.  If we hear something repeated two or three times we usually take notice.  But, when we see something repeated four times it is obviously something we need to pay attention to.  In Psalm 107 this one statement about being thankful is repeated word for word four times, that is significant!  This Psalm is filled with reminders of good things that God has done and it repeats the idea that it would be right for people who have experienced God's goodness to give thanks to God for all of the wonderful things He has done.

A good example of this is seen in the story of Israel coming out of Egypt and traveling through the wilderness to the Promised Land.  When you read the story of this journey, instead of seeing Israel giving thanks to God as they should, you see them complaining about how bad the wilderness is and how wonderful it was back in Egypt (where they were slaves), how they wished they had better food to eat (even though God's provision literally came out of nowhere to feed them), and how every difficulty brought crying and complaining (even though time after time God delivered them).

It is easy for us to say, "Well, if I was in that situation I would be thankful".  But in reality we are often just like the people of Israel, instead of being thankful for what we do have we wish we had something even better.  Certainly there are times when things could be better than they are but we have the choice about what we will focus on.  We can be thankful for what we do have or we can complain about what we don't have.  If we take some time to really consider the good things that God has done in our life it will help us to be thankful.  Make the choice today to be thankful and focused on the good things you have received and not be a complainer about what you don't have.  It is good to give thanks to God!

Following The Direction Of The Holy Spirit

"Whenever the cloud was taken up from above the tabernacle, the children of Israel would go onward in all their journeys. But if the cloud was not taken up, then they did not journey till the day that it was taken up. For the cloud of the Lord was above the tabernacle by day, and fire was over it by night, in sight of all the house of Israel, throughout all their journeys."
Exodus 40:36-38 (NKJV)

In the Old Testament we find many great stories about God dealing with and helping His people.  There are many examples of spiritual truth in these stories.  One great example is how God led His people through the wilderness.  God brought them out of their bondage in Egypt to lead them into the place He had planned for them.  God did not just deliver them and then tell them to figure out how to get where they needed to go.  God gave Israel a means of continual guidance throughout their journeys, the pillar of cloud by day and fire by night.

The story of how Israel was led by the pillar of cloud and fire shows how God directed His people to know when to move and when not to move.  This is a problem for many Christians.  We sometimes think we need to constantly be in motion and moving forward by doing, doing, doing.  But there will be times that God leads us to a certain place spiritually or even geographically and we need to stay in this place for some time.  We may feel like the scenery, spiritually or geographically, is too boring but unless God is leading us on we should not go further.

Another good example of this is found in the life of Jesus, He only did what His Father directed Him to do (John 5:19).  Jesus was not just doing something to keep busy, Jesus was divinely directed by God in everything that He did and even didn't do; this is a good pattern for us to emulate.  Sometimes it is better for us to stay where we are, doing what we are doing, for a time.  If we are always in a rush to move on to the next thing to do we might miss something that God has for us right where we are!  We need to follow the direction that the Holy Spirit gives us for every area of our lives; when He wants us to move, we follow; when He wants us to stay where we, are we stay.

Your Real Life Is In Christ

"If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God.  Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.  For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God."
Colossians 3:1-3 (NKJV)

There are a lot of things that we can use to identify ourselves.  Many people have a passport, a driver's license, an identity card, or something else that they can use to show who they are.  The same thing is true for us as Christians, we have something we can use to show who we are and to identify ourselves.  We are not just who we were born as naturally with the identity of a man or woman from some country with some ethnic background.  When we become born again we get a whole new identity and our new identity is found in Christ.

Some people base their identity on the family they come from, the color of their skin, their educational or economic standing, or some other external factor.  But, for those who have accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior we now have a new identity.  The Bible tells us in Colossians 3 that we need to have our attention focused on heavenly, spiritual realities because our life, who we really are, is hidden in Christ.  What is even better than this is that our new identity is described to us throughout the New Testament so we have an easy way to learn all about who we really are.

The Bible tells us that we are new creations in Christ, the old is gone and the new has come (2 Corinthians 5:17).  No matter what you have done in the past, good or bad, you have a new start with God in Christ. We read in 2 Corinthians 5:21 that we are now the righteousness of God in Christ, we have the same right standing with God that Jesus does!  These are just a few of the things about who we really are in Christ.  We need to learn about our true identity from God's Word and know who we are in Christ.  Once we know who we really are it will change how we live and help us to change the world!

Prayer, It's Not Just For Emergencies

"Pray without ceasing"
1 Thessalonians 5:17 (NKJV)

Prayer is a topic that is often misunderstood.  Some people think prayer is some mystical experience that can only be done by super spiritual people.  Others think that prayer is going to God and begging and pleading with Him to convince Him to do something.  Still other people think that prayer is nothing more than a desperate, last resort that is only used in great times of crisis.  But, none of these views are based on what the Bible says about prayer.  Prayer is simply communication with God and it can be done by anyone, anytime, anywhere.

In 1 Thessalonians 5:17 Paul encouraged believers to pray without ceasing.  Did Paul mean that all Christians should be talking to God nonstop?  This is obviously not correct.  So what did Paul mean when he talked about praying without ceasing?  What else does the Bible say about this?  In Luke 18:1 Jesus talked about people always praying and not giving up or fainting.  In Romans 12:12 Paul told the believers to continue to persevere in prayer.  All three of these verses show us that prayer is something we need to do on a regular, persistent basis and we need to be ready to pray at all times.

Prayer should not be a difficult and strenuous activity that wears us down.  Prayer is communicating with God and it should be done on a regular basis and not just in an emergency.  Our foundation for prayer is what God has already said in His Word and as we pray we take our place as a child of our loving Heavenly Father to fellowship with Him and do business with Him, to bring our requests to Him and to receive His wisdom. We all need to have a lifestyle of prayer where we bring our problems to God but where we also come to worship God and to spend time with Him and to allow Him to speak to us.

Reminding Yourself To Remember

"Beloved, I now write to you in this second epistle (in both of which I stir up your pure minds by way of reminder), that you may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us, the apostles of the Lord and Savior,"
2 Peter 3:1, 2 (NKJV)

Most people today lead very busy lives and because of that it can be easy to lose track of and forget things.  There are many ways you can remind yourself about appointments, birthdays, anniversaries, and other important dates and events.  There are apps for smart phones that can remind you, reminders in your calendar, and other things you can do to remember what is really important.  What is true for our "natural" side of life is also true for our "spiritual" side of life, we need to be sure that we remember what is important and to do that we have to remind ourselves about those things.

The apostle Peter wrote two letters to believers and in chapter three of his second letter Peter mentions something very significant.  Peter said in both letters that he wanted to remind the people he wrote to about something that was very important.  Peter wanted to remind them to remember the things written in God's Word.  Peter said he wanted to stir up the minds of the believers to be sure that they would not forget what is really important, God's Word.  We too need to keep ourselves stirred up and remember what God's Word has to say about us and our lives.

In Hebrews 2:1 we are told to pay attention to what we have heard so that we don't just let it slip away from us.  It is easy to get so caught up in the busyness of life that we fail to keep our attention on what is really important and where our real source of strength and help comes from.  God has given us His Word to show us who He is and how He looks at us.  God's Word shows us what Jesus has provided for us and who we are in Christ.  We all need to be sure to have a regular time with God and His Word to keep ourselves reminded about all that God has done for us and revealed to us.

The Best Bible Teacher Of All

"But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you."
John 14:26 (NKJV)

Most Christians have a favorite Bible teacher.  It may be their pastor, a home group leader, a teacher in a Bible school, or some minister they have heard somewhere in person or on television.  But no matter who it is, it seems we all have a teacher that we always enjoy listening to and we always seem to learn something great from them.  We read in Ephesians 4:11 that the teacher is one of the gifts that Jesus gave to the Church, so teachers must be important.  In churches and Bible schools there are many great teachers today but we must realize that the best Bible teacher of all is the Holy Spirit.

While we may enjoy the speaking style some person has or the way they relate their topic to an everyday life situation, if we are learning something about the Bible while listening to our favorite teacher we need to understand that it is really the greatest teacher of all, the Holy Spirit, who is revealing the truth to us.  If we look to the Holy Spirit, the best Bible teacher of all, and not just to the person we may be listening to, we will receive the truth we need when we need it.  If we just get focused on the person that is speaking and we don't realize that the person is only a channel and a vessel that the Holy Spirit works through we may miss something.

Jesus said that He would send the Holy Spirit to us and that the Holy Spirit would help us by teaching us all things.  This is so wonderful because the Holy Spirit lives in us and He knows exactly how to teach us and reveal God's Word to us to answer the questions that we have and to help us deal with the situations we face in life.  We must learn to listen to the Holy Spirit speaking to us through the Word of God and expect Him to speak to us through the man or woman of God we are hearing in our church, home group, or wherever.  The Holy Spirit is the best Bible teacher of all and He will teach us what we need to know when we need to know it, and He can use a variety of people to do it.

Our Greatest Source Of Problems

"Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap."
Galatians 6:7 (NKJV)

Everyone will have some problems sometime in their life.  Some people seem to have more problems than others and some people have problems that they never seem to be able to fix.  While there can be many reasons that there are problems in our life, one of the biggest reasons we have problems is often overlooked.  Many times the greatest source of the problems in our life is us; if we want to know who to blame for our troubles we often just need to look in the mirror!  There are times we are in difficult situations simply because we are reaping the results of the things we have sown.

When we have problems we want to point a finger at other people, our circumstances, or even the devil; we want to blame someone for what is happening but we don't realize that sometimes we just need to be honest and blame ourselves for our problems.  We make a poor choice that results in something bad happening, or we get involved with a person who is not so right with God and trouble develops.  It can be true that other people, our circumstances, and even the devil can be a source of trouble but sometimes we will just have to admit that we may be the greatest source of our own problems.

While we can be the greatest source of problems in our own life we can also do something about our problems.  We need to use wisdom and follow the leading of the Holy Spirit in every area of our life, everyday.  We must make it a habit to spend regular time with God in His Word and in prayer to know His plan and direction for our life and then follow it.  But even if we have caused our own problems, when we go to God He will be there to help us and guide out of the mess we have created and bring us back to the place He wants us to be.  There will always be problems and difficulties in life but by doing the right things we can chart a course that will avoid some of major problems that many people face in life. 

The Company You Keep Is Important

"After they were permitted to go, the apostles returned to their own company and told all that the chief priests and elders had said to them. And when they heard it, lifted their voices together with one united mind to God and said, O Sovereign Lord, You are He Who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and everything that is in them,"
Acts 4:23, 24 (Amplified)

There is a story in Acts 4 that tells about the apostles getting into trouble with the religious leaders in Jerusalem for preaching the Gospel message.  The religious leaders told them not to preach in the Name of Jesus anymore and they even threatened the apostles before they let them go.  What is interesting is what happened next, the apostles went back to the group of believers that they were already a part of; the apostles had their own group of people that they could go to for help in their time of trouble.

Who do we turn to for support when we face a difficult situation?  Who is it that we can rely on for help and wise counsel when there is a problem in our life?  The answer to these questions will go a long way to determining what the outcome of our situation will be.  If we have built good relationships with the right kind of people then we too will have our own godly group of people to support us and help us in our time of trouble.  If we do not have good relationships with people who can help us, the people we do turn to may only be contributing to our downfall.

Everyone has relationships with people like their neighbors, co-workers, or even family members who may not always be as helpful and supportive as they could or should be.  But, it is who we choose to build relationships with that is important.  We need relationships with people who will build us up and not tear us down when problems come, people like the apostles own group who turned to God for the answer and did not just focus on the problem.  If we look around and see that we don't have these kinds of friends then it is time to build some new relationships; we need to seek out good, godly people and build relationships with them.  The apostles in the Book of Acts had these kinds of friends, what about us?

Stay In The Word And You Will Know The Word

"Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, "If you abide in My Word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."
John 8:31, 32 (NKJV)

Our society today is all about everything happening quickly.  There are fast food restaurants that even have drive through windows, we have microwave ovens that heat and reheat food in minutes, and there are shortcuts and tips and tricks for computers and computer programs.  So much of what we have in life is designed to get things done as fast as possible to minimize the amount of time we have to wait to move on to something else.  This is all well and good but when we carry this same mentality over to God, His Word, and spiritual things we can get into trouble.

We often want to run to God's Word in a hurry and find just the right verse we need to apply to our situation and find a quick solution to the problem at hand and then go off to the next task.  But, in John 8 we see a different mentality.  Jesus said that if we truly want to be disciple, to be a follower of Jesus, we have to stay in the Word and this will allow us to know the Word.  Jesus did not say to take a quick glance at the Word or just to give attention to God's Word once and a while; the idea Jesus gave was that we would spend a significant amount of time with His Word.

Jesus said in John 8 that we need to "abide" in His Word, Colossians 3:16 says that we need to let God's Word dwell in us richly, James 1:25 tells us to keep looking into the perfect law of liberty, God's Word, and to then be a doer of it.  Many people have not taken the time necessary to really know God's Word and as a result it is not a reality in their life and the Word produces no fruit in their life.  We need to spend time reading and studying God's Word on a regular and continual basis and then apply it to our life.  By doing this we will know the Word and experience its powerful working in our life.

Walking In Love - The Golden Rule

"Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets."
Matthew 7:12 (NKJV)

When I was growing up I remember hearing people talk about what they called "The Golden Rule".  The Golden Rule is something some people take from what Jesus said in Matthew 7:12 with the idea being that you should treat people the way that you want to be treated.  This is generally a very good concept and Matthew 7:12 also says that this "Golden Rule" is what the Law and the Prophets is all about.  Much of what is known as the 10 Commandments refers to our relationships with others and this is how treating people the right way relates to the Law and the Prophets.

In the New Testament we are told that love, walking in love, fulfills the Law (Romans 13:10) and that the Law is fulfilled in loving your neighbor as yourself (Galatians 5:14).  If we are walking in love then we will treat others exactly the way that we would wish to be treated.  Think about what it would be like if people, and especially Christians who have the love of God within them (Romans 5:5), would treat others the way they wanted to be treated.  Often we want other people to treat us like kings and queens while we treat those same people as servants.

If we looked at situations from the standpoint of what is best for the other person and we then acted accordingly it would be a shocking experience for many people.  If we did everything we possibly could to help someone, considering how much help we would want to have if we were the other person in the situation, we would not only be a great help to those around us but we would be making use of the love of God that is in us.  We need to look for opportunities to put the love of God in us into action and treat others the same way that we would like them to treat us.

Don't Let An Offense Become A Barrier

"Then He said to the disciples, It is impossible that no offenses should come, but woe to him through whom they do come."
Luke 17:1 (NKJV)

There is one thing you need to get settled right now, some time, in some place, in some way, someone will do something that will offend you.  The thing is not if an offense will come or not but it is just a matter of when and how it will come.  Jesus said it is impossible that no offenses would come so being offended is something we can be sure will happen to us sooner or later.  The important thing is what we do after we are offended.  One key to living a successful life is not found in avoiding problems, and even offenses, but what we do after we have a problem or get offended.

Like everyone else in the world I have had the experience of being offended.  I can recall times when a person did or said something that was uncalled for and even rude.  My initial reaction was to be upset and offended by it but I also realized that I can either move on in my life and get over the difficulty that just came my way or I could allow this offense to become a landmark in my life.  Unfortunately, that is how some people react. I have met people who were offended and that offense became a hindrance in their life that they focused on and never moved forward from and the offense became a barrier that they never seemed to cross over.

So, what can we do if we are offended?  The first thing I would say, and what I have done myself, is to realize that these kinds of things happen; offenses are not a rare occurrence so we should not be shocked and surprised when they come.  Secondly, we must choose to not hold any bitterness towards the person that was involved in the offense.  Holding a grudge, being bitter and unforgiving, will only hurt us and have no impact on the other person or the situation anyway.  We need to learn to let things go and move on in life so that the offenses we experience do not become a barrier in our life that prevents us from moving forward into what God wants us to do.

Following The Witness Of The Holy Spirit

"The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,"
Romans 8:16 (NKJV)

Being led by the Holy Spirit is a topic that every Christian needs to understand, this is one of the most important things the Holy Spirit will do for us.  Too often we allow what we know in our mind and what we feel and experience to be the guiding forces in our life but God has given us His Spirit to live inside of us and give us direction.  We can always start out by doing what we do know about God's will, this is what we find in the Bible, and we can then look to the witness of the Holy Spirit to go on to further specific steps in the will of God.

Many Christians know that we need to be led by the Holy Spirit, as it says in Romans 8:14, but they do not understand the witness of the Spirit that Paul was talking about in Romans 8:16.  When it says that the Holy Spirit bears witness with our spirit it simply means that there is an agreement between the Holy Spirit and our spirit.  The words "bears witness with" here literally mean "to testify jointly".  It would be like two people testifying in a courtroom about something they saw, if both people tell the same thing then they are bearing witness with one another, this is the same thing as the witness of the Holy Spirit.

A very simple way to explain it is that when we have the witness of the Holy Spirit we will have peace in our spirit, in our heart; when there is no witness of the Spirit in our heart then there is no peace.  If we were to go into some store and steal something, then in our own spirit we would not have peace because the Holy Spirit would not agree with us stealing something.  If we learn to pay attention to and develop a sensitivity to the witness of the Holy Spirit, which is the main way the Holy Spirit will lead us, we will know what steps to take in the will of God and how to take them.  We need to learn to recognize the witness of the Spirit in our spirit.

Living In Perfect Peace

"You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You."
Isaiah 26:3 (NKJV)

Peace is something that pretty much everyone wants.  No one really desires to live in a constant state of being distressed and unhappy, but sometimes that is the way people live.  Some people think that getting everyone and everything else around them in order is what they need, but what they really need is personal peace.  Many people deal with depression, anxiety, fear, worry, and other similar issues and they have no peace, let alone perfect peace.  All these issues stem from the things we think about; what we think about determines whether or not we will live in peace.

Many people have problems in their thought life, they are often thinking about the wrong kinds of things and this leads to turmoil in their mind and in their life.  When we face a difficult situation we usually start thinking about what we need to do to solve the problem.  What we should do first is to think about what the Bible has to say and see what God's solution to the problem is.  While I am certainly not saying we can't use some good plans and ideas that come from the things we already know and understand, we cannot live a successful life just by figuring everything out on our own.

What can we do to live in peace?  Isaiah 26:3 tells us how to do this; we need to keep our mind focused on God.  We also see that it says in Isaiah that a person is kept in perfect peace because that person trusts in God.  Many times we are getting stressed and worried about some situation because we are not trusting God and focusing on His Word.  We must fill our mind with God's Word; when our thoughts line up with God's thoughts we will live in peace.  When our thoughts are not in agreement with what the Bible has to say we will not have peace.  Put God's Word in first place in your life and focus your thoughts on Him, that is how you can live in perfect peace.

Christians Are Led By The Holy Spirit

"For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God."
Romans 8:14 (NKJV)

One thing that should be a distinguishing mark in the life of a Christian is being led by the Spirit of God.  As New Testament, New Covenant believers we have the Holy Spirit living in us.  One of the things that the Holy Spirit will do for us is that He will lead us and guide us in life.  What does it mean to be led by the Holy Spirit?  Saying we are led by the Holy Spirit simply means that we follow the direction that the Holy Spirit gives us.  As children of God we have the Holy Spirit inside of us but it is our choice whether or not we will follow His direction or if we will follow something else.

There are a lot of things that people use for guidance in life.  Some people live by their emotions, when they are feeling good then everything is great and they are ready to conquer the world.  But, when they are sad and feeling discouraged then they just want to hide away and quit.  Some people are led by their circumstances, they think that good circumstances mean they are doing the right things and bad circumstances and situations in life mean that they are doing something wrong.  Some Christians are led by other people and the advice that they get from their trusted friends.  Other people are led by experiences, their own and others, or they are led by logical reasoning and their thinking.

The Holy Spirit is always there to lead us and guide us, no matter how we feel, no matter what circumstances we face, and no matter what other people say or do.  So often we are dominated by all of the things going on around us that we are not looking for the guidance that God will give us by the Holy Spirit.  We need to learn to listen to the Holy Spirit and become acquainted with Him and how He will lead us.  Make the choice today that you will follow the leading of the Holy Spirit in every area of your life and allow Him to give you the direction that you need.

Our Words: Building Blocks Or A Wrecking Ball

"Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and they who indulge in it shall eat the fruit of it [for death or life]."
Proverbs 18:21 (Amplified)

Did you ever go by a construction site and watch as workmen built a building?  First a foundation is laid, then the floor, the walls, and the roof are all put in place; it can take some time to do it right but with diligent work it will happen.  Sometimes it is just laying one brick after another in a lengthy process that ultimately results in a fine structure.  Just like a building is built brick by brick we can build up the lives of others with our words; our words can be building blocks of life, strength, health, and encouragement.

Have you ever seen a building being torn down?  A building that took a long time to be built can be destroyed in a very short time with a wrecking ball.  The building may have had a good design and dedicated workers who took the time to carefully put together each part, but once the wrecking ball starts to swing it all comes crashing down.  When we use our words in the wrong way, when we speak negative, critical words, then we are using our words like a wrecking ball and we can tear other people down with the words we speak.

Sometimes the only words people have heard were the negative kind about how they are no good and they will never amount to anything, those are the kinds of words that are like the wrecking ball.  We need to choose our words carefully and build things into other people.  We can share words of hope and strength saying that no matter what is happening that we serve a God who will help us; we can use our words to encourage others and tell them that they can achieve great things.  We have the choice about the kind of words we will speak, let's choose the right words that will build people up and not the kind of words that will tear them down.