Weekly Wisdom

The Word of God is truth, and the truth you know will make you free. In John 15:5 Jesus said,

“I am the vine, ye are the branches: he that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.”

The church must be connected to Jesus to see God’s life manifested in the earth. Anytime the church becomes religious, it has lost its true identity. The devil wants to separate us from Jesus. When we do not walk by faith, we become disconnected. Colossians 2:6-10 says,

“As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in Him: rooted and built up in Him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving. Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. For in Him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. And ye are complete in Him, which is the head of all principality and power.”

We can see clearly that we must depend on the Lord completely. My relationship with God is only complete by Jesus. I’m connected to God through faith in Jesus Christ.

The Bible is a legal document signed by God in the blood of Jesus. If we could have as much faith in the Word of God as we do in the deed to our home or the title to our car, we would experience God and His best. God is not holding out on us. We simply have not approached Him in the proper way. God is legal. He cannot break His own laws. God says in Mark 9:23,

“...All things are possible to Him that believeth.”

This is a law! We must come to God in faith. James 1:6-7 reads this way,

“But let him ask in faith nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive anything of the Lord.”

We should not even think we will receive from God, if we do not come in faith. Faith is the key element that keeps us connected to God.

Why do so many Christians come out of faith, when they can see plainly through the Bible that faith is basically the way to have a God-filled life? I believe that satan became so connected to man through Adam’s sin, that he is still hanging onto our flesh, even after we are saved.

Satan is a liar. God is the truth. We were connected to the liar and his ways, and he filled our hearts and minds with lies about God. It’s like a person who holds a grudge against another person. If you get around them, and they talk their trash about the other person, you begin to get drawn into the same trap. Suddenly, you start having the same problem with that person. Their words produce in you doubt concerning that individual's character. But what if you started talking to this other person that you have been told lies about, and they begin to tell you their side of the story? More than likely you will begin to change your opinion of them.

As we get into the Bible and find out about our God, the lies the devil has told us will be washed out of our hearts and minds. Then faith will rise up and connect us to God. God has awesome things for you to experience.

Believe and receive!

When a person receives Jesus as their Lord and Savior, they receive enough power to live holy for the rest of their life in the flesh. They have the power to never lie again. They have the power to resist every work of the devil in their life. So why does a Christian struggle with sin after he or she is born again? Let’s break it down. II Corinthians 5:17 declares that we become a new creation when we accept Christ. Notice the word 'new'. He did not say we become renewed Christians when we get saved. He said we are new. Romans 12:2 says we become transformed by the renewing of the mind. That is it! Our mind must go through a process of renewing.

This process takes a long time. Many people do not want to pay the price, especially in America. America has become a nation that operates in the instant mode. We must make some long term goals, if we are going to really be transformed and be able to receive God’s wonderful blessings in our life.

I worked 8 years for the Public Service Company. During those years, I learned a little about electricity. For example, the power that comes into our homes is reduced a great deal from when it comes out of the power plant. The way it is reduced is by transformers. If there are no transformers, we could not enjoy the appliances we have in our homes. The power would be so great that it would damage our homes instead of blessing them.

When God’s power comes to us, it is a great power. It could hurt us instead of bless us, if it is received by a mind that has not been transformed. Notice, I did not say that the power is transformed; the power of God is the same. Instead, our mind must be transformed to receive it. The Word of God, or the revealed knowledge of God, is what transforms our lives. When the Holy Spirit starts revealing to you God’s knowledge, then your mind is being transformed. God has been transforming my mind in such an awesome way, it goes beyond explanation. I know this, I can not think like did before. My mind simply will not receive much of the information it used to receive.

The power to live holy happens in your life when you decide to go through the process. Here is a formula that can help you. Your time must be governed; time management is imperative if you expect your mind to be transformed in any reasonable amount of time.

We must stop the time thief. You only have 24 hours a day, and there is no time to waste. Our flesh does not really like a schedule, but if we want results we must put ourselves on one. When I went to boot camp, they made the most of my time. They wanted me to be transformed from a civilian to a soldier quickly. Those two months of boot camp seemed like hell, but I was changed because of it. Today is a good time to start planning.

I am praying for you.