In deciding upon any course we should not ask merely whether we can see harm to result from it, but whether it is contrary to the will of God. We must learn to distrust self and to rely wholly upon God for guidance and support, for a knowledge of His will, and for strength to perform it. We must be much in communion with God. Prayer in secret, prayer while the hands are engaged in labor, prayer while walking by the way, prayer in the night season, the heart's desires ever ascending to God--this is our only safety. In this manner Enoch walked with God. In this manner our Exemplar obtained strength to tread the thorny path from Nazareth to Calvary.  -That I May Know Him Pg 252-

How deep the Father's love for us,
How vast beyond all measure
That He should give His only Son
To make a wretch His treasure

How great the pain of searing loss,
The Father turns His face away
As wounds which mar the chosen One,
Bring many sons to glory

Behold the Man upon a cross,
My sin upon His shoulders
Ashamed I hear my mocking voice,
Call out among the scoffers

It was my sin that helf Him there
Until it was accomplished
His dying breath has brought me life
I know that it is finished

I will not boast in anything
No gifts, no power, no wisdom
But I will boast in Jesus Christ
His death and resurrection

Why should I gain from His reward?
I cannot give an answer
But this I know with all my heart
His wounds have paid my ransom

Why are we so weak in faith? ... We are so faithless, so unbelieving, that the Lord cannot do for us those things which He longs to do. There are doubts in our minds that are very saddening and very difficult to dispel.

These doubts that bow down the soul we should each one bravely face, and tell the soul that we must conquer them at once. Make no delay, for there can be no peace where faith is lost. We need not express these doubts, for they may cause some poor soul to stumble. But examine them in the light of God’s Word, then talk them over with Jesus with His Word of promise in your hand, and pray for their removal. Tell the Lord, “Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief” (Mark 9:24). Let not doubt be placed in a comfortable, easy chair. It is a dangerous guest when it is left to rankle in the mind and counteract faith....

That I May Know Him - Pg 227

What has impacted my life today?  The truth in the last paragraph of my notes probably says it all, but take the journey with me and let your life be impacted too!

The Power to Change

Matthew 28:18 Jesus said that all power had been giving to Him in Heaven and on earth.  This is the creative power that spoke the worlds into existence. The next verse tells us that we are to go and make disciples of all and teach them to observe all things that He has taught us and that He is with us to the end of the world.

If all power is given to Christ and if through Christ we have access to His power, then why don’t we see more victory in the Christian life?

Many are trying false ways of altering how they feel.   Addictions range from drugs, smoking, alcohol and self mutilation to internet, shopping or even simply food addictions just to mention a few.  There are many figures out there in public eye whose lives attest to this reality, and there are many ordinary people like you and me, that in some way or another live with the reality of something in their lives that they struggle for victory over.

The thing with addictions is that you can never get enough of what you don’t need, and what you don’t need will never satisfy you, and for many this is the path to deep depression.

There are four stages of change.

Stage 1:  You don’t realize that what you do is harming you because you are ignorant and don’t have the knowledge or know the truth about what you are doing.

Stage 2:  You know that what you are doing is bad for you but you have no changed yet. 

How do you move from stage one to stage two?   You have to learn the truth about what you are doing.

John 16:8 says that the Holy Spirit will convict you.  What is a convict?  Someone that has been declared guilty – so the Holy Spirit will declare you guilty and move you from stage one to stage two and show you that you need to change.   Allowing the Holy Spirit to work in your life is essential to change.

Romans 1:16 says that the gospel is the power (and that word power comes from the greek word from which we derive the word dynamite, today) of God.  In the natural world, when the power of dynamite works, it effects a permanent change.  So the power of God is able to work a dramatic change in our lives and is the power of God to salvation to everyone who believes – a belief that is so powerful that it changes you.

Think about this – if you are not living according to your stated belief then do you really believe – or do you have a competing belief that is keeping you from what you really know to be true?

Romans 1:17 says that the just shall live by faith.  This changed life is offered to all who will believe.

Romans 1:3 tells us that Christ’s human nature came from David.  Was David perfect?  No!  He had a fallen sinful nature.  Is this good news?  Yes, because we have the same nature and we can learn to overcome as Christ overcame.

Stage 3:  You make a choice to change and overcome your habits and addictions.  You have found the true way of altering how you feel and so therefore no longer need to use the false way.

Hebrews 2:14-18 reveals to us that Jesus had the same nature as us – He took the fallen nature of the descendants of Abraham in order to set us free.

John 6:38 clearly says that He did not do His own will, but the will of His Father. 

Will we follow our own desires or will we put our trust and confidence in God who knows what is best for us, even if this means that we might have to suffer?

Hebrews 2:17&18 says that Christ suffered being tempted. His human will was not necessarily always in harmony with God, and therefore He was able to be tempted, but He chose to surrender His will to the will of His Father.

If you don’t have a willingness to go against your desires, or a willingness to suffer when you are tempted, it will be very hard for God to help you.  However with His power we are able to do this, even if it seems to cause significant suffering for us at the time.

Romans 8:3-6 indicates that we are not to walk after the flesh, in other words after our own desires, but rather, we are to walk in what the Spirits desires are for us and then the results will be life and peace.  We cannot experience an abundant life unless we are willing to first tread the path of suffering by denying our own will.

1 Peter 4:1-2 says that we are to arm yourself with the same mind as Christ – be willing, in other words, choose to suffer in the flesh, by denying your own will,  in order to do the will of God and then, in the end, you will experience freedom like you have never had before – amazing freedom!

Stage 4:  You no longer need to struggle anymore over the things that previously enslaved you.  Your will is now in tune with God’s will – His desires for you have become your own desires and you don’t have any desire to go back.

Psalms 16:11 reveals that God will show us the path of life and in His presence is fullness of joy and at His right hand are pleasures forevermore.

Romans 13:14  encourages us not to make any provision for the flesh – for our own will and ungodly desires.  How many don’t do this and then wonder why they don’t overcome!

You can enjoy a life without addictions, without sins that enslave you if you will open yourself up to the abundant way of living.

Psalm 40:8 says that there is delight in doing the will of God.

John 10:10 reveals that Jesus came to give us an abundant life.

To live this abundant life you will have willing to choose to go against your own desires and to trust His desires for you.  Christ calls us each one to change – to change into His image.  Will you accept the challenge to change?  The consequences of taking the easy and broad way in the end is suffering, but the more difficult narrow way will in the end bring an abundant life.

Are you willing to follow God’s way?  You can experience His power to change you as you recognize the true way of altering how you feel is found in being willing to surrender to the truth and to His will, even if it means suffering the denial of your own desires for the moment. This is the path to true change and an abundant life!

(My notes from a sermon by Dr Neal Nedley, July 23, 2010)

One of the greatest themes in the Holy Scriptures is the theme of faith. It is the ‘recurring decimal’ and ‘common denominator’ in the Christian life. It reduces mountains to molehills and produces success and victory whenever or wherever it is exercised. Faith and prayer go hand in hand and are inseparable. These two privileges are the most essential for our Christian growth and character development.

Faith is trusting God, believing that He loves us and knows what is for our best good, no matter what happens to us.

Prayer is the opening of the heart to God as to a friend. It is the answer to every problem in life. It puts us in tune with divine wisdom which knows how to adjust everything perfectly. So often we do not pray in certain situations, because from our standpoint the outlook is hopeless. But with faith in God and prayer nothing is impossible. Prayer is the key which, when used by the hand of faith, unlocks the storehouse of heaven so that the abundant resources can be made available to the soul.

Every human being has some measure of faith which has been imparted to him by God. Without this faith, there can be no knowledge. Faith is the way to knowledge. Allow me to explain. For example, a knowledge of the alphabet is one of the most common things in the world. It lies at the very foundation of all learning. A child accepts and knows that A is A and yet he knows that only by faith. If the child had refused to believe that fact till he could prove it true, he would never have learned to read. He had to accept that fact by faith and then it would prove itself true under every circumstance. So we see that faith gives knowledge — there can be no real knowledge that does not spring from faith. Whoever will believe may know.

As in the twenty-six letters of the English alphabet there are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge that there are in the world of the English language, so in Jesus Christ, (“the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and last” Rev. 22:13) the Alphabet of God, there are “hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge (Col. 2:3) that there are in the universe of the language of God.”

This Alphabet of God is learned in precisely the same way as the English alphabet, that is, by faith. It is only by believing this Alphabet, Jesus Christ, that any person can ever know Him. If anyone refuses to believe, he cannot and will never know. It is only as a child that we learn, it is only as a little child can
anyone learn, the alphabet of the English language. If a 100 year-old man does not yet know his A B C’s, he would have to become as a little child in order to learn them. He would have to simply believe it, as does the little child, and by believing he would know. Therefore, the true way to knowledge is to learn, not as a philosopher, but as a little child.

Jesus has said “Except ye become as a little child, ye shall in no wise enter into the kingdom of Heaven.’ Matt 18: 3, 4. You become a child of God by faith in Christ Jesus. Gal 3:26. As you read, may God truly bless

you, as you surrender and give all your attention to the Master Teacher as He imparts to you these precious Lessons on Faith.

Lessons On Faith page vi