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Be A Lively Stone

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John 3:3

[3] Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

The new birth is necessary. Why? When we consider the substance within us that is without Christ it is totally susceptible to the temptations of the enemy. Without salvation our soul is not prepared for what is to come when this vapor of life is over.

John 8:44

[44] Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.

We had to be born again from sin and brought into a new life everlasting. We are made into a new creature through Christ, leaving the nature and failures/mistakes of the old creature behind. We no longer have to look at the past with regret and fear; for we have been forgiven and have overcome with the blood of Christ and the spirit of God!

John 1:12

[12] But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:

If there is no spiritual birth through Jesus Christ there can be no spiritual life through the Holy Ghost.

1 John 4:9

[9] In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.

Life is only come through God’s manifest of the Holy Spirit! Without it our natural lifesource within our bodies will fail and will come short.

1 Peter 2:2

[2] As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:

If there is no life there can be no growth.

Ephesians 4:13

[13] Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:

Without growth there can be no perfection (maturity) through our trials.

Romans 8:21

[21] Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.

If there is no maturity there can be no liberty in the anointing of the spirit!

Romans 8:15-17

[15] For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.
[16] The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:
[17] And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.

With no liberty we are not able to hold the inheritance of maturity through sanctification of the spirit on a consistent basis.

In other words…same old trial ups and downs, etc.

Without using the opportunities in our lives to grow by surrendering to God in the hard times we will find defeat in repetition.

Some Days I Feel Like Hiding Like Jesus Did (John 8:59)

There are some days when I feel like hiding away from persecution as Jesus literally hid and stole away from the confused and angry around Him. More often then not, especially in times of lowliness, I wish I could hide completely. The reality behind why I choose not to is that I will miss the glory of God moments and blessings that is purposed for me to have (that in turn give me strength to go on). When you read this part in the eighth chapter of John it is a direct confrontation between Jesus and the Jews. Throughout this passage you can read as the tension begins to build over their unbelief as they listened to Christs words of believing in the son of God.

John 8:59 “Therefore they picked up stones to throw at Him, but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple.”

Reading this passage should bring out one very strong point: Jesus’s appointed time had not come yet.

If it were meant for Christ to have fulfilled His divine purpose than all of the prophetic word before Him would have been fulfilled. Yet there were still things to come to pass that gave beyond any doubt the reason to know He came to fulfill the word spoken before His existence. There was a moment that had to be greater than this to even come close to how many of our transgressions were to be forgiven by His ultimate sacrifice. Sometimes we have to remind ourselves that the small moments we suffer are not for us to dwell in for always; for through these opportunities to overcome we gain faith over a few things so we can begin to have dominion over the real challenges in life. If you can manage to keep your true hurts and problems in the hands of God you will be able to overcome!

Learning To Live

Deuteronomy 8:2-3

[2] And thou shalt remember all the way which the LORD thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandments, or no.
[3] And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the LORD doth man live.

One of the hardest things that there is to do in life when you are in a tough time is to recall a prior one that was better. When God has provided time and time again it is for the building up of our faith! I thank God today for the fresh manna that He provides each time I get down and call forth for more strength, peace and joy! Remember that we are sustained by the word of God, spoken in and lived out! To me when this principle of building faith through your testimonies is put into application it will bring you into life beyond what you would ever expect.

John 5:24-26

[24] Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.
[25] Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live.
[26] For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself;

Life is secured through faith and when we hear and believe! Life through the practice and demonstration! When you hear the voice of God communicate to you, regardless of how to which it does, let it be life to you! Even when things are to change or mold us, it is to bring us to a better life and living! This is how we learn to live greater and more improved!

2 Corinthians 4:10-14

[10] Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body.
[11] For we which live are alway delivered unto death for Jesus’ sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh.
[12] So then death worketh in us, but life in you.
[13] We having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, I believed, and therefore have I spoken; we also believe, and therefore speak;
[14] Knowing that he which raised up the Lord Jesus shall raise up us also by Jesus, and shall present us with you.

Life brings death to the parts that want to bring you down or destroy you! Life working out the infirmities through the work of the spirit! If we already know that death worketh against our physical, mental and spiritual self than we need to use the life that is made manifest by believing and speaking it! I am not as though I was, and you are not either! Through Jesus Christ we are made new creatures.

1 Peter 1:18-22

[18] Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers;
[19] But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:
[20] Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you,
[21] Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God.
[22] Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently:

A strong spiritual life will promote the love and fellowship of the brethren (your church, class, ministry, missionary group). Life shared in love with others is the best life to live. For that is how God walked with Adam in the beginning: in love and fellowship, right?  God still walks with us today! We must learn to be in perfect agreement with the Heavenly Father and receive His perfect love to remove every fear that would prevent us from enjoying life to the fullest.

Phillipians 4:8

[8] Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

Always remember to keep your life full of things that will spiritually promote you! Life increasing through you by spiritual fulfillment!

Faith Is Your Lifeline

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Galatians 2:20

[20] I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

By Faith, we live. We should always take advantage of the wonderful spirit that lives within us and apply our faith to it to grow each and every day. It can sometimes make or break how well that you will endure through a trial.

John 3:18

[18] He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

And as we were condemned, faith removes the sentence. By the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, we have the ability to ask forgiveness of sins and not have to live with the condemnation of sins from any timeline. And through the gift of salvation, we have eternal life beyond this vapor of life we live here on earth!

2 Corinthians 2:14

[14] Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of his knowledge by us in every place.

By faith we stand. We must learn to not only “get through” a trial, but to come out in triumph. We accomplish this by letting our faith be strong and overpower the doubt and present weakness in our life. As we become more humble before God (and faithful), it allows the ability to recognize who our source of strength is as well as who it is that we submit and trust to.

Acts 10:43

[43] To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins.

And as we were guilty, faith procures our pardon. That makes me rejoice to know that I do not have to live in the midst of my history of guilt; for faith has pardoned us to be new creatures and to become the loving followers of Christ that God has called each and every one of us to be.

2 Corinthians 5:7

[7] (For we walk by faith, not by sight:)

By faith we walk. As we go through the motions of each day our faith must be based beyond what we can focus on with our senses. By Jesus passing from earth and back to Heaven we walk now striving for a better place that is beyond our vision to see, touch to feel, sound of hearing, aromas to smell, and flavors to taste!

Acts 13:39

[39] And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses.

And as we are evil, faith brings justification. No matter how present an evil we are able to fend off every instance of darkness by the power of Jesus Christ. As it reads in the word of God, no weapon formed against me (us) shall prosper!

1 John 5:4-5

[4] For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.

[5] Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?

By faith we overcome the world. By the faith that we stand for we overcome the influence that would try and hinder your belief or stray you to unbelief every time something goes wrong. By standing in faith you become a witness for it and people see you as a witness of it.

Romans 4:5

[5] But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.

And as we are unholy, our faith is counted for righteousness. Our faith leads us to a higher standard and allows us not to count ourselves as worthless or to have the attitude thereof. It’s easy to just fall into the general consensus of complaint, but faith and complaint cannot be within the same spirit, for complaint shows a sign of doubt or unbelief which in turn proves a form of ungodliness (or not God like).

Ephesians 6:16

[16] Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.

By faith we overcome the devil. We are able to say no to every temptation that would try to steer you away from your walk with God by staying continual in your trust in God.

John 3:36

[36] He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.

As we were dead in sin, faith begins to lay hold on life. As we live in this life on earth for a season, faith brings life as the spirit lives within you!

Hebrews 4:3

[3] For we which have believed do enter into rest, as he said, As I have sworn in my wrath, if they shall enter into my rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world.

By faith we enter into rest. One of my favorites! I must believe that God will catch me when I fall for the full effect of the rest of God to be useful; for otherwise I simply fall to mine own unbelief. Keeping an established trust that is renewed daily (as Paul had written) is one of the only methods to not only be a stable Christian but a stable assembly.

Romans 10:9

[9] That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

As we were lost, the confession and faith bring salvation! It makes me rejoice to know the simplicity of believing and taking action on an act of faith to call out on God for a brand new life!

Godly Love And Fellowship

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Some key purposes when you read in 1 John:

  • Increase their joy (1 John 1:4)
  • To guard them against sin (1 John 2:1)
  • To warn people against false teachers (1 John 2:26)
  • To strengthen their faith in Christ and assure them of eternal life! (1 John 5:13)

1 John 3:1-2

[1] Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.
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2] Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.

We cannot be as we were when we become and are a son of God! We are changed! His love is manifested through the exaltation of the believer into a sonship of the Son, Christ!

God has no respect of person, so we should remember when we come to him that we ALL can come to God regardless of race, gender, status, or doctrines that have been placed before you. It was written that whosoever will could come! And until we receive that sonship, we cannot begin to realize who He is, and the world will still know you as you are. When you are changed in Christ, you will know it.

1 John 3:3-10

[3] And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.
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4] Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.
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5] And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin.
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6] Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither known him.
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7] Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous.
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8] He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.
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9] Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.
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10] In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother.

When we walk of God, we walk a new walk and talk a new talk. What we have placed within us is born of God! It cannot fail you! When we start to ABIDE in Him, we can begin to build a resistance to the old sin that we once had trouble with, and are now prepared to face all the new trials of life that are now ahead of us in the future!

The test of your walk with God is ultimately how you live your life for Him. God remains in you, so you are able to continually walk each day without giving up. It might seem hard to do, but by faith and the experiences of your life (testimony) you are able to draw strength. Prayer and fasting and reading help too!

1 John 3:11-15

[11] For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.
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12] Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother’s righteous.
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13] Marvel not, my brethren, if the world hate you.
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14] We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death.
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15] Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.

When we live in evil works it begins to show on us, and our lives begin to come to a standstill. When our minds continually inherit sin on a daily basis, people cannot draw or be drawn from neither the light of our witness nor the fruitfulness of God in our lives.

As we read above, brotherly love is going to be the distinguishing mark of your spiritual life. The way that we are able to reach out to people in love regardless of what they have done puts into practice and demonstration the mind and heart of Christ!

1 John 3:16-18

[16] Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.
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17] But whoso hath this world’s good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?
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18] My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.

Let us do it in deed and truth! It is shown by the word of God and your obedience! Demonstrate what is living inside of you by letting the overflow show through your acts of love (of God) towards others. Always remember that love begins to manifest itself in sacrifice and not just in words.

1 John 3:19-22

[19] And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him.
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20] For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things.
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21] Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God.
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22] And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight.

If we begin to walk in His statutes and through His will, you will begin to walk a victorious life that is pleasing to God. The outcome of love will always be assurance through faith and answered prayer!

1 John 3:23-24

[23] And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment.
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24] And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us.

The faith that we have in each other and love that we carry will stand through anything that we must endure together as a body! Faith and brotherly love is a must to fellowship with God! They are connected!

Spiritual Quickening

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John 5:18-25

[18] Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he not only had broken the sabbath, but said also that God was his Father, making himself equal with God.
[19] Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise.
[20] For the Father loveth the Son, and sheweth him all things that himself doeth: and he will shew him greater works than these, that ye may marvel.
[21] For as the Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth them; even so the Son quickeneth whom he will.
[22] For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son:
[23] That all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father. He that honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father which hath sent him.
[24] Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.
[25] Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live.

The Jews were coming to slay Christ because he had moved to heal the lame man of 38 years at the pool of Bethesda. It was simply because the work was performed on the day of the Sabbath!

There will come a time in your life when you will be quickened by God to do something as bold as this, even in the midst of those who would reject it. The question we have to ask ourselves is: are we willing to be quickened?

If you read verse 43 (John 5:43), you’ll see that we’ll try to come our own way, which won’t work!

[43] I am come in my Father’s name, and ye receive me not: if another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive.

Romans 8:8-17

[8] So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.
[9] But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.
[10] And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.
[11] But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.
[12] Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh.
[13] For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.
[14] For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.
[15] For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.
[16] The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:
[17] And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.

We always begin in the flesh, for that is where we allow the enemy to win in our lives, our hearts, our homes, our services, etc.! We never get off the ground because we never get past our feelings that pull us down.

But how are we quickened? The spirit of Him that rose up Jesus from the dead dwells in you!

Therefore! We do not live to the flesh or to our will. We will never be stirred any other way lest we live in the deeds in the body of the spirit!

Isaiah 40:28-31

[28] Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding.
[29] He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.
[30] Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall:
[31] But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

God faints not, nor is weary, but so often our faith and consistency is. We wait through our endurance and obedience to God in the midst of our trials!

I wait by believing and trusting the Lord and being who that God has called me to be!

How can a ministry perform outreach if we work upon stopping or waiting? We must be fluent and continual, always seeking God for those that stand in need beyond what we could comprehend.

God will renew your strength so that you can run! Fly! God will not let you be weary when you are working and waiting on Him!

Romans 12:1-2

[1] I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
[2] And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

We are quickened not for ourselves, but by the spirit for the service of the lost!

If you read verses 3-12 (Romans 12:3-12), you might find yourself somewhere as I do every time I read over it.

[3] For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.
[4] For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office:
[5] So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.
[6] Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith;
[7] Or ministry, let us wait on our ministering: or he that teacheth, on teaching;
[8] Or he that exhorteth, on exhortation: he that giveth, let him do it with simplicity; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that sheweth mercy, with cheerfulness.
[9] Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good.
[10] Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another;
[11] Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord;
[12] Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer;

Ephesians 2:1-8

[1] And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;
[2] Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:
[3] Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.
[4] But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,
[5] Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)
[6] And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:
[7] That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.
[8] For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

Even when we were dead in sin, he loved us! He raised us up to sit in Heavenly places!

By God’s grace we have the ability to be saved through faith and that not of ourselves. That is the gift of God towards us!

Come Without Cost

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Matthew 26:56

[56] But all this was done, that the scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled. Then all the disciples forsook him, and fled.

John 7:5

[5] For neither did his brethren believe in him.

John 1:10-11

[10] He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not.
[11] He came unto his own, and his own received him not.

One of the worst emotions and experiences that anyone can face is rejection. Rejecting is simply defined as someone “refusing to accept”. We all face is in our everyday lives. And to me, it’s one of the worst things that we will ever deal with. Why is it that way? I think it is because each and every one of us want to win the approval of everyone around us. We want everyone to be pleased with us. The sad fact though is that we will never win that battle, and yet spend our lives trying to win it.

As we go through some verses as shown above, there were different instances in the scriptures where Christ was rejected by his friends, kindred, nation, and even the world. And as it was indicated in the last moments in his life, Rejection was one of the main factors that led to Christ’s death. People did not want to accept him as he was being the son of God. People were content then with what they thought was acceptable, therefore rejecting the concept of Christ bringing new life to the world. Despite rejection, Christ still promised us: the holy spirit, to answer our prayer, to draw all men unto him, to receive all who come, to give rest, to confess us before the father, and MOST importantly, to come again! All of this within itself should be enough for me to be able to face a little rejection from others in my life.

You might be reading this and saying to yourself, “I am constantly rejected. No one will accept me for who I am”. I was in that very position. Let me remind you of a scripture.

John 6:37

[37] All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.

Reading this was SUCH a blessing to me. I then realized a lot of things at that point. Regardless of mistakes, success, popularity, possessions, how much you hate how bad things are, hopelessness, desperation, YOU ARE NOT REJECTED!!!

We all have a place with God. God is the only presence in this world that you can come to without facing rejection. I’m reminded of a verse:

Isaiah 55:1

[1] Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.

To me there are two things that stand out:

Without money = without possessions

Without price = without cost

I know this seems way out there, but stay with me. How can you buy anything without money or price. If it has no price, there is no need for money. You see Jesus paid this cost so that we could come without it. If you are living life with a broken heart from all the rejection, you are not alone! You can come without cost and find peace in your life once and for all. I felt really led to go ahead and write this today for anyone facing rejection like I did in my childhood years and sometimes even now.

Go Against The Tide

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It has been very interesting lately for me to observe conversations of people that I am around to really understand the point of view from someone who walks with unbelief. Most of the time I will pray for all of the people that I am concerned for, the ones that are lost, as we all do. But as I continue to try and draw closer to God every day and learn more about what I need to do to improve, I am stirred by the thoughts that I have been given.

When we go with the tide of the world, we are as the world, and take of its appearance. When we go against the tide of the world, even though the waves crash hard on us, we become separated, and have the ability to finally stand out and be a people that can draw others to God. We often forget that we are with the Master of the sea, the very one who created the waters of the world. Let me try and break this down a little bit more.

You can go and attend all the church services, sing songs, preach messages, teach lessons, blog your ideals, and broadcast your beliefs to the world; but ultimately there is only one true representation of what people will really be drawn by. When it comes right down to it, how you live your life every single day with how you act and what you do is the complete definition of your Christian life.

In other words, there are going to be moments every single day where you will make or break someone’s decision to make Christ their Savior in their life. There are going to also be moments where someone that hasn’t been where they should be with God continues to stay that way simply because of the behavior they observe from you.

They might see you going through all of the motions of being a “Christian”, but where is the virtue that is talked about in the scriptures:

John 4:15-21

[15] Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God.
[16] And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.
[17] Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world.
[18] There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.
[19] We love him, because he first loved us.
[20] If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?
[21] And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also.

The most important thing to remember in your everyday life is to carry that virtue, to remember that while going and doing all of the things that God has called you to do, while also walking an upright life before him and setting a good example in front of others, that every bit of this must be done with LOVE.

People need to see the virtue of love in our lives, that spirit of charity. For when that love is in our hearts, it will be able to handle all of the situations where anger or impatience would normally try to come in and ruin the example that we try to show. When we go against the tide and fight things with love and patience, with the faith that we are going to make it through, they will be drawn to our belief that we serve a God that will bring us through. That is what draws people, not the fact that we attend church every single time, or that we are efficient or great in all the talents that God has given us. Everyone is good at something; it’s how people handle situations that make people be drawn to it.

Go against the tide, be a believer in God, and know that the example you show is being watched every single day, and that we are held accountable! It’s so important to remember this last scripture:

Luke 6:22

[22] Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from their company, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man’s sake.