What have you been sowing?

(Gal. 6:8) “ For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. Sowing and reaping is one of those principles in life that doesn’t change. Life is full of choices, and if we choose to obey God’s Word, we will reap the promised blessing of God, but if we choose not to obey His Word, we will reap the promised judgment of God. No man will ever stand before God and be excused from the above principle. The question is, what have we been sowing? The deception in this life is to follow the idea that somehow we can get around God’s principles rather than just simply obey them. The wise decision would be to sow the Word into your life, rather than the lies of the flesh, that will only reap corruption !

“So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”

(Rom. 10:7) “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” In Romans chapters 9+10, God teaches us that it’s very possible to lose faith. Take Israel for example, they lost their faith when they began to think more highly of their religion then they did their obedience to the Law. They loved more the idea of being God’s chosen people then they did obeying God’s Holy Word, and so they stumbled at the coming of Christ. The Bible is clear when it says that righteousness can only be attained by believing and trusting in God’s promises. That’s faith, and that’s why we need to be more in love with the idea of being obedient than being saved. God didn’t call us to worship a book, but rather to read it, believe it, and obey it! Be very careful, for faith does not ask for proof, nor does it question why, but it just simply hears and obeys what God commands!

Oh that we would catch the spirit of revival while we still can.

The great Evangelist RA Torrey of the late 1800’s and early 1900’s, once said that he had a prescription that would bring revival to any church or community in any city on earth. 1) “Let a few Christians (they need not be many) get thoroughly right with God themselves. This is the prime essential. If this is done, the rest that I am to say will come to nothing. 2) Let them bind themselves together in a prayer group to pray for a revival until God opens the heavens and comes down. 3) Let them put themselves at the disposal of God for Him to use as He sees fit in winning others to Christ. That is all! “This is sure to bring revival to any church or community. I have given this prescription around the world. It has been taken by many churches, and many communities, and in no instance has it ever failed; and it cannot fail.” When you think about what Mr. Torrey said, why wouldn’t this work today? Oh that we would catch the spirit of revival while we still can.

Revival

In most churches revival week comes about twice a year, so it is very important that you prepare yourself for them before they come. 1) Prepare. Prepare your heart and mind by humbling yourself before God, confessing all known sin, forgiving others, and be willing to repent and change as God directs. 2) Pray. Not just for yourselfs but for others, for the souls of men, for visitors, for one another, and for God to powerfully work in and through the evangelist. 3) Prioritize. Unless you put revival week first, you will skip the meetings, you will not invite people to them, you will not pray as you ought, and as a result you will not experience the blessing of God. For you have not been serious about revival. “Revival” means, to come back to usefulness, and to be restored to vigor. Most Christians don't even realize that they need revival until they come out to a revival meeting. What you put into a revival meeting, is what you will get out of them!

Romans 8

As we continue looking at walking in after the Holy Spirit of God in (Rom. 8), we see that God gives the believer much encouragement along the way. 1) We have the encouragement of heir-ship. In (v.14-17), we see that, at the moment of salvation we became “sons of God,” and also “heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ.” Now in Christ we have been given a new family (the Church) to encourage us, but also a future glory to look forward to as well. Praise the Lord that now in Christ, all that God has given Jesus will one day be shared with all in his family. 2) We have the encouragement of helpers. The first helper is the church. It's amazing how many people try to walk the Christian walk alone, rather than join a church and reap the benefits of having new brothers and sisters to help them and encourage them along the way. Now in Christ, we not only have a new family but secondly a new Dad, so that when we are in need or in distress, all we have to do is cry “Abba Father”(or dad help), and He promises to help. Thirdly, We also have The Holy Spirit’ help. The Bible tells us in (chp. 8) that as we travel our journey, the Holy Spirit is in constant communication with the Father, revealing to Him God’s will for our lives. So that when we know not the way, or when we can’t pray as we ought, the Spirit of God is constantly praying for us. Thank God, that God promises in His Word, that “He will never leave us or forsake us.”

Now in Christ

As we continue looking at walking in after the Holy Spirit of God in (Rom. 8), we see also that God gives us much encouragement along the way. 1) We have the encouragement of heir-ship. In (v.14-17), we see that, at the moment of salvation we became “sons of God,” and also “heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ.” Now in Christ we have been given not just a new family (Church) to encourage us, but also a future glory to look forward to as well. Praise the Lord that now in Christ, what God has given Jesus he will one day share with us. 2) We have the encouragement of helpers. Now when in need or in distress, all we have to do is cry “Abba Father,” and He promises to help. We also have The Holy Spirit’ help. The Bible tells us in (chp. 8) that as we travel our journey, the Holy Spirit is in constant communication with the Father, revealing to Him God’s will for our lives. So that when we know not the way, or when we can’t or don’t pray as we ought, the Spirit of God is constantly praying for us, so He can guide us. For God promises in His Word, that “He will never leave us or forsake us.”

O wretched man that I am!

Rom. 7:24) “ O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?” This was the Apostle Paul’s question in chapter 7 after realizing that sin was still controlling him after salvation, but thank God he also concluded, ‘”so then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.”After salvation, it becomes quite apparent to us that we can still sin. Why? Because even though we have been freed from the condemnation of sin in salvation, our flesh or sin nature is still very much alive within us. Therefore, we must learn to control the old nature of sin. That’s why God at the moment of salvation places within us his new nature, and his Holy Spirit to help us control the old flesh. So, the problem that we face is not that we still have the old nature, but rather that the old nature has tricked us into believing he's still in control. Baptism is our first step of obedience to Christ, but we also must choose to yield our mind and body to Jesus as well. You see the old nature within us wants us to believe that we can't stop sinning. In Christ we are now free from his power, just as death frees a wife from the power of her first husband (Rom. 7:1-6). “So then (Paul asks) who (then) shall deliver us?” Well, the answer is clear, our new husband, Jesus Christ (Ro.7:4). Once we learn to yield ourselves now unto his word and walk in and after his Holy Spirit, we will have power over the old nature! You see the problem is not that we can't, but rather that we just won't. (Phil 4:13) "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me."