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The changes in this present day seem to be coming at us like water through a fire hose. Day to day needs are shouting at us for our undivided attention. The believer has to be vigilant in keeping his focus on what is really important; that is, the advancement of the kingdom of God in the earth. In Matthew 6:33 Jesus said, "But seek first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." This phrase "seek first the kingdom of God" from our Savior and Lord was not a suggestion, but a command. If we have allowed anything else to steal our focus, then let us make those adjustments by looking into the Word of God for clarity.
Focus is defined in the Webster's dictionary as 'a center of interest or activity.' Where we place our attention is where we direct our focus. Jesus tells us where to place our focus - 'to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness.' This is the core or bedrock of our christian life. Here are some questions that will help locate our center of focus. Am I doing everything I can to help spread the gospel over all the world? What is my part in God's master plan? Am I renewing my mind to think God's thoughts? The answers to these focus questions can bring peace and direction to our lives. When our lives become too busy then our focus gets distorted. James 1:8 [amp.] says, '[For being as he is] a man of two minds (hesitating, dubious, irresolute), [he is] unstable and unreliable and uncertain about everything [he thinks, feels, decides].' You may have so many irons in the fire, that you find yourself asking if you will ever have enough time to seek God and obey Him. This is a place of instability and unanswered prayers. James 1:6-7 says, '..... for he that wavers is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he will shall receive anything of the Lord.' Talk about being caught between a rock and a hard place. Focusing on what God's Word says is priority for answers in life. Just being busy, creates a cloud of uncertainty. One the ways of spreading the gospel is by giving finances to the gospel. The kingdom of God operates by sowing and reaping. We give to God not when we can, not when its convenient, not when we win the lottery; but as the Holy Spirit directs. Follow the leading of God, and do not let needs or pressures change your giving to God. Philippians 4:19 says, 'But my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.' If the Holy Spirit tells you to give a certain amount to a ministry, then obey and allow God to bless you. God can handle the rent and the light bill. In Luke 6:38 Jesus said, "Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that you mete withal it shall be measured to you again." If you focus on the kingdom of God, stepping out in faith to obey God; then He becomes your care-taker. First Peter 5:7 says, 'Casting all your care upon Him; for He careth for you.' The kingdom of God is all about people coming to a saving knowledge of God. In Matthew 9:37,38 Jesus said, "...the harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; Pray therefore the Lord of the harvest, that He will send forth labourers into His harvest." Focus on your witness for Christ, in word and deed. Whether you are near or far, whether you send or go; it is all for one purpose, for others to know Christ! Is your focus in this life a little hazy and is it hard to see clearly? Hebrews 12:1,2 can clear things up, 'Therefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin that so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.' Heaven is full of those who did not lose their focus on the kingdom of God. They made it, so can we. Let your focus be a Heavenly focus.
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I want to bring something up into the forefront of one's mind and heart: the blood of Jesus. The power of the blood of Jesus can easily be taken for granted. For the power of the blood is not often preached or taught. Yet the blood of Jesus is the only thing that could purchase our redemption and restore us to fellowship with God, after Adam's fall. In 1 Corinthians 11:25 Jesus says, '....."This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me." The new covenant is made available to us all through the blood of Jesus. Ephesians 2:13 says, 'But now in Christ Jesus you who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.' Let us give the blood of Christ our daily honor and reverence.
Sin can separate us from God. Therefore we need something greater to remove sin and restore fellowship with God. Hebrews 9:22 says, '....without shedding of blood is no remission [of sin].' The blood of Jesus removes all guilty stain, past, present and future; when it is received by faith. Colossians 2:14 says, 'Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to His cross.' Glory to God! Now the accuser (the devil) has no evidence to condemn us with. Romans 5:9 [amp.] says, 'Therefore, since we are now justified (acquitted, made righteous, and brought into right relationship with God) by Christ's blood, how much more [certain is it that] we shall be saved by Him from the indignation and wrath of God.' The blood of Jesus testifies two things for us in the high court of heaven: "Innocent and Reconciled to Son ship!" My favorite verse about the power of the blood is in Hebrews 9:14 where it says, 'How much more shall the blood of Christ, Who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?' The blood of Jesus purges the seared conscience from selfishness that once aimed to harm others, just to gain the advantage. The blood of Jesus not only removes sin, but also cleanses and purifies our conscience. A blood-washed conscience now desires to bless others and glorify God. So we can serve God unashamed with great zeal and boldness. In Hebrews 8:6 it says, we have '....a better covenant, which was established upon better promises.' The blood has made us worthy of God's very best in this life here on earth. Galatians 3:13,14 says, 'Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is everyone that hangs on a tree: That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.' The curse is spelled out in Deuteronomy 28:15-68. The blood has redeemed us from all of the curse of the law and the blessing of Abraham has come upon us in Christ. The blessing is described in Deuteronomy 28:1-14, and it is ours now through faith in the blood. Protection, deliverance, healing and prosperity is activated by faith in the blood of Jesus and flows upon our lives as we obey the Word of God. You can, by faith, put the blood of Jesus over yourself, family, home and anything else that you have authority over; in the name of Jesus. For example, you can pray: "I plead the blood of Jesus over my family today, and no harm shall come near them." According to Isaiah 54:17 that says, 'No weapon that is formed against [my family] shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against [my family] in judgment [we] shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is of Me, says the Lord.' Divine protection is now yours, for the blood will never lose its power! So believe it, say it and walk in it. Psalm 107:2 says, 'Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom He has redeemed from the hand of the enemy.' How do you keep the past from limiting your future? This is one of those "easier said than done" things. We all have a past and there are things said and done, that we would rather not think about. Yet there are days when those past images or actions, greatly effect the present and the future. The Word of God imparts to us a supernatural forgetting ability, that overrides past facts with bible truths. As we look into the Word of God today, receive God's empowerment to forget the past, and remove all limitations out of your life.
One of the definitions of the word "forget" in the Webster's dictionary is, 'To be unable to remember'. Isaiah 43:25 [amp] says, 'I, even I, am He who blots out and cancels your transgressions, for My own sake, and I will not remember your sins.' Wow! Father God who knows everything about everything, decided to forget our past sins, shortcomings and mistakes. God chooses to remember only good things about us. Jeremiah 29:11 says, 'For I know the thoughts that I think towards you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.' This sounds like a loving parent talking about their children. God thinks and plans His best for us; not according to what we have done, but according to His love for us. Amen! In Philippians 3:13,14 it says, 'Brethern, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things that are behind, and reaching forth unto those things that are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.' This is the Apostle Paul writing to the Philippian's church, telling them what he does about his past. We know that Paul was once a murderer and zealous persecutor of Christians. He tried to stomp out the preaching of Jesus. After he was born again on the Damascus road, he had to forget all that he had done, and others opinions of him, in order to obey God. Past failures can cause one to live within the boundaries of inferiority and condemnation. Thus making what the Word of God says about them; hard to believe, act upon and experience its reality. One cannot find God's will and direction, just by hearing the Word only, and not doing the Word. James 1:25 says, 'But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continues therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the wor[d], this man shall be blessed in his deed.' Nobody drives their car forward looking in the rear view mirror, right? When we set our focus on who God says we are, not what the past mistakes say we are; then we are doing the Word. Colossians 3:2 [amp] says, 'And set your minds and keep them set on what is above (the higher things), not on the things that are on the earth.' Consistently believing, saying and doing what the Word says, will wash away all of the limitations of your past for good. This action of forgetting our past allows 'the Love of God that is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost' (Romans 5:5) to manifest in our relationships with others. First Corinthians 13:5 [amp] says, '...Love (God's love in us) does not insist on its own way, for it is not self-seeking; it is not touchy or fretful or resentful; it takes no account of the evil done to it [it pays no attention to a suffered wrong].' When we forget our past, then we also can forget how others have wronged us in the past. Allowing negative past experiences to linger in our memories, causes unforgiveness, bitterness and envying to harden our hearts against others. An antidote is found in Romans12:2 that says, 'And be not conformed to this world: but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.' Renewing our minds with the Word of God will cause that forgetting power to manifest. Now, thoughts of unforgiveness if not dealt with by forgiving and forgetting, will ultimately separate us from God. The bible definition for forgiveness is to forget. In Mark 11:26 Jesus says, 'But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your tresspasses.' This is no light matter! A great verse to meditate on is 2 Corinthians 5:17 which says, 'Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are past away; behold, all things are become new.' Let this Truth set you free! Glory to God! Being born again puts your life in a special place in God, where you never were before. Colossians 1:3 [amp.] says, '[The Father] has delivered and drawn us to Himself out of the control and the dominion of darkness and has transferred us into the Kingdom of the Son of His love.' Being born again puts you in the kingdom of God, and no longer under the authority of darkness. You have switched completely from one side to the other. We all start from the same position in the Kingdom of God. Oh! and what a high and glorious position it is.
When you are born again you now occupy a new spiritual position in Christ. Colossians 3:3 [amp.] says, 'For [as far as this world is concerned] you have died, and your [new, real] life is hidden with Christ in God.' Let's compare this verse with the sport of baseball. Imagine a baseball, a glove and a fielder. The baseball is flying through the air and is caught by a fielder with a glove. The baseball is us flying through the air of life. The fielder represents God reaching up with His glove. The glove represents Jesus Christ catching us as a fielder catches the baseball. You cannot see the baseball after it goes into the glove. The fielder pulls the glove to Himself, and wraps His arms around the glove. Your life is now hidden in Christ in God, just like that baseball in the glove. Your position has changed. You now dwell in Christ in God. Praise the Lord! Having your life hidden in Christ, makes the Lord your caretaker. Now you have access to His strength, His ability and His wisdom. An image of your life being hidden in Christ in God, is seen in Ephesians 2:4-6 where it says, 'But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, has quickened us together with Christ, (by grace you are saved;) And has raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.' This is a truth that we need revelation knowledge to begin to see and live. Revelation knowledge comes by meditating in the Word of God daily. Did you see that three letter word in verse 6.... 'made us SIT in HEAVENLY PLACES'? Not only are we in heavenly places by faith, but we are also sitting down. We are no longer strangers, but now we are of the family of God. Everything Father God gave Jesus to have, we have in the name of Jesus. This is not a passive position, sitting on a cloud up there somewhere. This is an active position of authority which covers all areas of our lives. Exercising this authority produces a victorious, overcoming, prosperous life. And how high is this position in Christ, compared to everything else? Ephesians 1:21 says, 'Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come.' This is a place of authority and rulership in Christ Jesus where we are seated in heavenly places. In Christ in God you can handle anything. In Christ in God you are far above it all. This is your born again position now and forever. Do not let anyone talk you down. Being seated in Christ in heavenly places does not mean you can coast through life challenge free. No, the tests and trials of life come to everyone. In Matthew 7:24-27 Jesus said, "Therefore whosoever hears these sayings of mine, and does them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and if fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. And every one that hears these sayings of mine, and does them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, that built his house upon the sand; And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it." The rock is the Word of God, and the Word is Jesus. (John 1:14.) This is why it is so vital that you conform your life to the Word of God. This is done by daily bible reading, praying, meditating scripture; as well as getting quiet to listen to God and doing all that He tells you to do. When the rain is coming down, the wind is blowing and the floods are arising in life; you can have a dry and secure place to stand. Psalm 34:19 says, 'Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the Lord delivers him out of them all.' This is a good time to shout! Hear, believe and obey the Word of God today. Deuteronomy 28:13 says, 'And the Lord will make you the head, and not the tail; and you shall be above only, and shall not be beneath; if you hearken unto the commandments of the Lord your God, which I command to you this day, to observe and to do them.' Amen. Until next time, meditate and speak Deuteronomy 28:1-14 over your life, again and again. Praise The Lord! Mighty Men of God. This is not some esoteric, theological, uninterpretable question with some ulterior meaning.
Are you born again? Yes or no, that is all that needs to be said. If the answer is yes, then a confident smile should be seen on your face. If the answer is full of explanations such as, 'I go to this church', or 'My family history has been in a certain denomination', or 'I believe there is a God', or 'I have a bible' ..... and so on; then the need to get this eternal question answered is of high priority. 2 Corinthians 6:2 says, '...behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.' Praise the Lord! There is good news in the third chapter of the book of John for you today. In the gospel of John 3:1-21, Jesus is having a conversation with a Pharisee leader named Nicodemus. In John 3:3 Jesus says, 'Verily, verily, I say unto you, except a man be born again, he cannot see the Kingdom of God.' The Kingdom of God does not make sense to our five natural senses or to our mind. Being born again is what happens to our spirit on the inside. In the miracle of the new birth, the Holy Spirit recreates your spirit (the real you) into a new creation. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, 'Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creation: old things are past away; behold, all things are become new.' That is not just made over, but made totally brand new. You are not just a old sinner saved by grace. You are saved by grace through faith, and now you are more than a over-comer in Christ. Now you have the very life and nature of God in you. Nicodemus could not understand this truth with his highly trained religious mind. Nicodemus's spirit was not reborn, or made new. If it had been, then the reality of the kingdom of God would not have been a mystery to him. We could say that he did not have his radio (or spirit) tuned to the God station. In John 3:6 Jesus says, 'That which is born of the flesh is flesh: and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.' You cannot contact God in fellowship using your mind only. God is a spirit, not a state of mind or a feeling. In John 4:24 Jesus says, 'God is a spirit; and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth.' Remember that we are created in the image and likeness of God (Genesis 1:26). God is spirit, and so are we. We are either spiritually dead or spiritually alive in Christ. You may be asking, how do I become born again? Romans 10:9-10 says, 'That if you shall confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and shall believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved. For with the heart, man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.' Think of your relationship with God like a partnership. We do the natural and God does the supernatural. In the new birth, we believe with our heart, and confess with our mouth Jesus is Lord and then we receive righteousness and salvation from God. Second Corinthians 5:21 says, 'For he has made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him.' You have to believe the Word of God in your heart by faith, and believe that it is the truth. Then you confess with our mouth: "Father God, I come to You in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ. I repent and ask You to forgive me of my sin and to cleanse me from all unrighteousness. Come into my heart and be my Savior and Lord. And by the power of the Holy Spirit, I will live my life for you, forever! Amen and Amen! Now you immediately inherit eternal life and your spirit is reborn. 1 Peter 2:9 says, '{He}...who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.' Now Jesus shows Nicodemus the heart of God. In John 3:16 Jesus says, 'For God so loved the world, that He gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.' This everlasting life does not just mean some day, way up in heaven, but it's for you today. That means zoe life - the God kind of life, right here and right now for you. What a new birth! What an amazing love! What a new life! Stay saturated with the Word of God daily. Keep as much of this world's words, thoughts and beliefs far from you. In John 6:63 Jesus says, '...the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit and they are life.' Can I get a witness? Hallelujah! |
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