That Old Nature

The old nature – that sin nature – has been crucified and put to death if so be that we have been born again, filled with the Spirit of God, ourselves buried together in baptism with Christ and raised to walk in newness of life. Newness of life! Old things have passed away; we are new creatures with a new nature. That old nature is dead! Sin is therefore no longer operating with dominion over us. It is only able to operate through the lusts of the flesh—our bodily members, which we continually war against. This flesh is born of corruption, but we being born-again by the Word of God are now born of an incorruptible seed—a seed that cannot be corrupted.

Do not believe the lie that there is a nature inside of you that must sin because it’s how we were born. We are BORN AGAIN – anew, brand new, by the blood of the Lamb, set free from sin and all the wages thereof! We should not be fooled that we are under the authority of a sin nature. No! The enemy—the god of this world, the powers of darkness—will have you to believe that. They will lie to you and try to enforce a FALSE authority over you and your life, only to draw you away into temptation.

The Truth stands and will destroy every lie of the wicked one. We are new creatures, no longer slaves to sin. If we sin it is because we allow our flesh to be drawn away by the lusts thereof. We must daily mortify the deeds of this body and expose the lies of the enemy to walk in the reality of who we are in Christ Jesus. Sons of God, heirs and joint-heirs with Christ Jesus, kings and priests unto God, awaiting that blessed day when this body of corruption will be done away and we will forever be with our Lord.

“Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord, According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.” (2 Pet 1:2-4)

Self-Deception

With all the talk/worry about being deceived by what/who is around us (often for good reason), it’s most important to examine our own selves and ensure we are not first walking in self-deception. The Bible speaks, on more than one occasion, about deceiving our own selves/our own hearts. “Follow your heart” doesn’t work if your heart is deceived. “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” (Jer 17:9)

Since it’s mentioned in the scriptures, it seems we should take heed to those things that lead to self-deception.

WORLDLY WISDOM
Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, He taketh the wise in their own craftiness. And again, The Lord knoweth the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain. (1 Cor 3:18-20)

PRIDE
For if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself. (Gal 6:3) 

BEING HEARERS ONLY OF THE WORD
But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. (Jam 1:22) 

HAVING AN UNBRIDLED TONGUE
If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man's religion is vain. (Jam 1:26) 

THINKING WE HAVE NO NEED OF REPENTANCE
If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. (1 John 1:8)

So to all who seek to walk honestly and humbly in the perfect law of liberty: “Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves...” (2 Cor 13:5)

A Little Smile...

...goes a long way. Even if it's an unseen smile. I had a moment of escape from the everyday routine of life today. Who would've thought it could be such a blessing to take five minutes away from everything, grab the cam, and shoot a couple pics of the flowers sitting on our kitchen table? Well, it most certainly was. I love yellow flowers anyway and the chance to capture and share them made me smile. Not to mention the freedom you feel from even a brief escape from the same ole Wednesday routine.

So here are some flowers to help brighten up your day. Be blessed in Jesus today friends.

*Edited with Soft Autumn Glow from The Coffee Shop Blog

Rick Warren's Center for Peace

Regardless of what Rick Warren says or attempts to set forth as a "new truth" for Christians, Islam and Christianity are not religious partners. This has been driving me crazy all day. Did you know that Time Magazine named this man: "America's Most Powerful Religious Leader" in 2008? Where is that powerful leadership taking many Christians? Right into the palm of deception! A "Center for Peace" between Christians and Muslims can never truly be because the Word of God brings persecution to true believers/disciples of Jesus Christ. This is our calling and in it many will be saved by the truth, but there will always be those who deny Jesus Christ and hate us for it. "Love" founded upon lies is not really love at all and can, most certainly, never be a replacement for the Truth, for love "does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth." (1 Cor 13:6 NASB)

For those who may be confused, swayed, or falling into these lies, this is what the Quran says about Jesus as the Son of God:

"And they say, 'The Most Merciful has taken [for Himself] a son.' You have done an atrocious thing. The heavens almost rupture therefrom and the earth splits open and the mountains collapse in devastation That they attribute to the Most Merciful a son. And it is not appropriate for the Most Merciful that He should take a son." (Sura 19:88-92) 

Could it get any more clear than that? Remember what the Bible says, especially of those who deny the Son and, henceforth, also deny the Father:

"Who is the liar but the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, the one who denies the Father and the Son. Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father; the one who confesses the Son has the Father also." 1 John 2:22-23 NASB

Jesus is and always will be the Son of God, fully God and fully man, crucified to take away the sins of the world. Alive forevermore! Please do not be fooled.

Delight Thyself in the Lord...

“Delight thyself also in the LORD: and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.” Ps 37:4

I’ve heard this scripture presented a few ways, often referring to God fulfilling our fleshly desires. That seemed great as a new Christian, until God showed me the truth a couple years ago. Delight myself in Him and He will cause my desires to be of Him and His kingdom. That really brought a whole new perspective. As 2011 came to a close, this scripture was heavy on my mind. Mostly, because I could see all the changes God has made in me. The work of the Holy Ghost has been great in my life. I am so very thankful.

The onset of 2012 is exciting and I see all the hopes and resolutions going forth. I’ve seen a lot of “This is my year,” or “This is the year of my blessing, my abundance,” and even “the year of my victory,”—and victory is great. We are sons of God and we walk victoriously, but wow, there’s a lot of me, mine, and myself going on. Don’t get me wrong, victory is something to hope for and even to be confident in. That victory, however, might not come in the way you expect it. It might not be a great job, a new house, car or money in the bank. It might be in a way you never expected. It might be in a decline of materialism so your spirit may prosper. I encourage you to not shut out God’s will by holding too tightly to your own expectations or desires. Delight yourself in the Lord and trust that He has a perfect plan according to the Spirit not the flesh.

If your trials have been many—I know 2011 has been a doozy over here!—thank God He has brought you through and know this: There are only going to be more coming your way. Maybe not the New Year’s word most want to hear, but praise God for without the trying of your faith, you cannot come forth purified as gold in the fire!

Give up your own desires and delight yourself in Jesus so He can give you the desires of your heart.

On our long ride home from Columbus the other day, I was pondering the desires of my heart. Boy, how they have changed since only a couple years ago! The first time I realized how much God had changed me was when driving by a “coffee shop”—aka:  casino—and immediately I began to pray for those inside, for the bondages of sin and addiction to be broken. Kinda surprised myself…knowing full well it was only in Jesus that this prayer came forth! But more than what God has done in and through me in the past year, past month, or even yesterday, I desire more of Him and His kingdom for each new day. These are desires that are rooted deep in my heart for 2012:

--To speak more of God’s word out of the abundance of my heart and by the power of the Spirit.

--To see people REALLY come to know and experience Jesus, His love, and salvation.

--To prayer walk 7th street in downtown Parkersburg, to break every power of darkness over the strip clubs, bars and porn shops that wrench my spirit every time I drive by.

--To see people healed—I mean really healed by the power of God.

--To see deliverance from the bondages of sin and death.

--To see demons cast out.

--To be the vessel by which Jesus does these things and by which His true, pure love flows.

I am amazed at how much God has changed my heart. I can only believe these desires have been given to me by God because I could never even think too long about these things, let alone truly desire them.

So, I hope you’ll join me in more prayer today and every new day that God gives you, less self, more Jesus, and greater obedience to the will of the Father, forsaking your own desires and expectations of what's to come. Oh, and if your local and want to hook up to do some local Jesus work, let me know. It's a war and if we're not fighting, who will? :)

Delight thyself also in the LORD: and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.