Abiding Faith: Faith is a spiritual gift of God. It is not positive thinking, it is a positive positioning of the heart created through the Spiritual Conversion by the Holy Spirit. It is not sincere or good intentions, it is the response of surrender and submission to the compelling holiness of God. Faith that does not provoke the heart to godly obedience is not faith, it’s just FAKE.
Category Archives: Simple Thoughts
Practice Purity.
Abiding Faith: We are called to the purity of speech and behavior because we are commissioned to live for and speak about a pure and Holy God. Our speech is to be seasoned with Grace so we can know how to answer every man and give an account of the hope that lies within us. Evil communications corrupt good manners. Either the fountain flows with bitter water or with sweet water. We should desire to let what is sweet and praiseworthy of God continually be in our mouths.
Discipleship and Steward are Linked Together for the Believer.
Abiding Faith: Jesus Christ said in order to be one of His disciples a man must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Him. Once a man becomes a follower, Christ makes him a disciple. A disciple of Christ is one who is saved by and in submission to Christ’s Lordship and is a learner of His teaching. After Christ makes one a disciple He gives them a small amount of responsibility or stewardship. A steward is one who has been assigned a level of responsibility for the Master’s property – while being held accountable by the Master. Once a disciple has been proven to be a faithful and obedient steward over small things, Christ makes him a steward over more things. It is a great blessing for God to assign one of His disciples greater responsibility. It is blinding ignorance and biblical blasphemy to think that a person can be a steward of The Lord’s house, people, or ministry who is not and/or refuses to be a disciple of Christ. The bottom line – To be a good leader you must first be a good follower. To be a steward you must first be a disciple. YOU CAN’T BE A STEWARD IF YOU WON’T BE A DISCIPLE. YOU CAN’T LEAD IF YOU WON’T FOLLOW.
The Genuine Church Has a Genuine Purpose Assigned by Christ.
Abiding Faith: So many churches have lost their way by abandoning the genuine purpose of the church on earth. The Lord created the church for himself, but he created it for us too. I pray you find (if you haven’t already), a Bible-believing, Holy Spirit filled, brother/sister loving church to attend. If you haven’t, there’s Abiding Faith.
Unity Through Humility
Abiding Faith: The key to unity is not based on equality, it is based on submission. When we recognize and submit to a common authority then true unity can be attained. With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible. Jesus told us that the greatest among his disciples would be the servant to all. The Beatitudes shows the examples of service and submission as the driving force of Kingdom-minded saints. It may not be popular, but, we are to have the same mind as Christ. His mind was and is to serve. Even in his authority he came to speak and do only those things that pleased his father. If you want unity in the body of Christ, the local church, and your home, remember that the servant is not above his master. He served and so should we.
DON’T BE FOOLED BY THE COMPROMISING CROWD!
Believers: lately some popular people have made some announcements to pressure society-at-large to accept what Lord Bible identifies as soon. Don’t be fooled into believing you have to compromise biblical standards of righteousness and support wrong causes in order to have compassion for people. Remember compassion is not about identifying with someone’s issues with a worldly perspective (including sinful ones), it’s about identifying with their need from the biblical perspective.
Don’t Wait for the Seasons to Change to do Spring Cleaning.
Are You A Closet Sinner? Do you secretly applaud sin and sinners? Do you secretly harbor ill will against others? Are you aware of personal sin that you’ve not confessed to God and repented of?
It’s easy to be guilty when we fail to keep short accounts with God by confessing our sin and seeking God’s righteousness. Remember that a clean heart promotes a clean life, but a heart can only be cleaned when we ask God to wash our heart, while we bath our lives in the word of God and in prayer.
Ecc. 12:14, “For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether [it be] good, or whether [it be] evil.”
2 Cor 5:10, “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.”
Romans 14:10, “Why, then, do you criticize your brother? Or why do you despise your brother? For all of us will stand before the judgment seat of God.”
Only Love that Transcends Objects is Love.
Abiding Faith: Knowing love is not realized by the tangible gifts I receive or the constant feelings I experience. Being loved is not a matter of being self-centered or obsessed with how others feel about me. Knowing love happens when I realize Christ has laid down his life for me who abided in death in order to give me everlasting life. Knowing loves happens when I am content to show love for God regardless of how others fail or refuse to show love for me. Knowing love means that I must decrease and God must increase in my life.
I Love You Lord
Why Abiding Faith?
Abiding Faith: Seeks to become and behave like Christ – Not because of a sense of superiority or entitlement, but because of a supreme sense of gratitude and devotion to the Savior who sacrificed himself for those with nothing in order to give them everything.
How God Makes Disciples
God’s recipe for a successful Christian and a successful Church. Take one Sinner, cleanse with the blood of the Savior. Now fill with the Holy Spirit. Let marinade in the Word day and night. Be sure to bath with prayer frequently. Place in a congregation with others, put in the oven of persecution, remove all sin, pride, and selfishness. Take out of the oven when humility and the sweet-smelling aroma of faith and obedience are detected. Now offer to the Heavenly Father with thanksgiving. Tomorrow – start all over again.