Q: I CAN'T IS NOT IN YOUR VOCABULARY"!...YOU CAN DO ALL THINGS "THROUGH" CHRIST WHO STRENGTHENS YOU...CHECK OUT THIS VIDEO (Will Smith in Pursuit of Happyness) IT WILL ENCOURAGE YOU..."DECLARE TODAY, I CAN DO ALL THINGS "THROUGH" CHRIST"!
A: Encouraging scene. However, let us not mistake a desire to achieve something in life, and the unwillingness to take no for an answer, as God's promise He will make your dreams come true. Philippians 4:13 is not God's promise that anything we set our mind to He will make happen. That passage is Paul's conclusion that whatever life had thrown his way up to that point had taught him to be content with all he had in Christ. He "learned to be content whatever the circumstances (v11)." He knew "what it is to be in need, and..what it is to have plenty (v12)." He experienced being "well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want (v12)." In fact, Paul had written Philippians while he was in prison. Saints, if you want something in life, by all means, go for it. If you achieve it, thank God. If you don't achieve it, thank God. We are not promised a successful or comfortable life. Nor are we promised a miserable life either. God wants you to understand that He is there for you in the midst of whatever situation you are in. He wants you to realize what Paul discovered. That is that the strength we have in Christ is the knowledge that nothing can separate us from Him and His love and He wherever we go, He is right there with us. Saints, this truth will set you free and allow you to live above your circumstances. Be blessed.
Q: Don't be so "heavenly" minded your no "earthly" good..What does that mean?
A: There are plenty examples of this. Christians who "hide" on Halloween for fear it is the devil's night rather than use it as an opportunity to witness to those who come to their door. Christians who pass judgement on people who only attend church on Easter and Christmas as though going t church makes you a Christian. Christians who won't support a political candidate because he or she isn't perfect in every aspect of their lives as if they are themselves. The list is endless. When the Corinthian church was dealing with the immoral brother Paul warned about this "heavenly minded" attitude. "I have written you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people— not at all meaning the people of this world who are immoral, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. In that case you would have to leave this world (1 Cor 5:9-10)." You become of no "earthly" good when you "think of yourself more highly than you ought (Rom. 12:3)." That is the byproduct of a religious attitude that deceives you into thinking you are pleasing to God because of your perceived "obedience" to God. We must remember that we aren't better than others just better off. And be mindful of what we once were before we got saved. Somebody wasn't heavenly minded and took the time to share with us that which led us to Christ. Do the same for others. Amen!
Q: What is the difference between "Conviction" of sin and "Condemnation"?
A: Conviction of sin is when you have been found guilty of, or made aware of, a wrong doing. Condemnation is when the penalty for your conviction has been handed down to you. The Holy Spirit convicts the world of their unbelief in Jesus Christ (John 16:9). The Holy Spirit does not convict a believer of sin. God already judged mankind in regard to our sins. The verdict was guilty. The penalty was death. Jesus Christ took that penalty on our behalf. There is no penalty left for us to take because Jesus' sacrifice was once for all and for eternity. Because of that truth, there is also no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus (Rom. 8:1). Instead of convicting us of sin, the Holy Spirit leads a believer back into the truth of who we are in Christ; forgiven, blameless and free from accusation. That knowledge leads us into living a life of thankfulness to God for what He has done for us. In turn, we now know that there is no sin that separates us from God and we are able to approach Him in confidence in our time of need (Heb. 4:16). Conviction and condemnation are not a part of the believers vocabulary. Mercy and forgiveness are ours because of Jesus Christ. Amen!
Q: What does righteousness mean?...And what makes us Righteous?
A: Righteousness means that we are holy and blameless before God. "For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight (Eph. 1:4)." We are righteous because of the righteousness of Christ that has been imputed to us through faith. "However, to the man who does not work but trusts God who justifies the wicked, his faith is credited as righteousness (Rom. 4:5)." The moment we accepted Christ we were perfectly righteous, holy, justified and sanctified in God's eyes. This should tell us that all our attempts to maintain or sustain our righteousness through a life dedicated to repentance and obedience is not going to add one ounce of righteousness to us in God's eyes. If anything it will alienate us from God in our minds as we keep focusing on what we are trying to do for God and miss what He has already done for us in Christ. Without this knowledge we will live an impossible life that will only result in fear, depression and frustration. We may outwardly act as though we are experiencing the joy of our salvation, but inwardly we suffer in silence constantly wondering if God will ever accept us when, in fact, he already has accepted us.
Q: What does the enemy(devil) want Christians to do?
A: "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy... (Jn 10:10a). The devil wants nothing more than to steal the joy of your salvation, kill the hope you have in Christ and destroy your life in anyway possible. The devil doesn't care what you are focused on as long as it is not on Jesus. One of the ways he does this is by getting us to fall for the same lie Eve fell for in the Garden; to be like God through the knowledge of good and evil. Countless Christians dedicate their entire lives to trying to be "better Christians" or more "Christlike" in their behavior through trying to live a life in accordance to what is good and evil. The only way to do that is to dedicate yourself to a life you cannot live. A life of constant repentance and obedience to rules, laws and tenants designed to modify your behavior. It is an endless trap of frustration, fear and depression as you realize you will never be like God and thus never experience His unconditional love and acceptance or have meaning and purpose to your life. Our eyes should be on discovering who we are in Christ, not on what the devil deceives us into trying to be ourselves. The life we have is Christ's life in us. After, all "I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full (Jn 10:10b).
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