May God bless you richly in 2022.
“Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, as it goes well with your soul.”—Apostle John, 3 John 1:2
Thanks for reading the past year and your encouragement.
Much love.
Dawn and Buddy
Thank you for following this short series on what Jesus came to do for us besides dying for our sins. This is the fourth of the planned posts. Certainly others writers could come up with more, but I’ll leave my final thoughts with tonight’s post.
In the prior three posts, I discussed that Jesus came to: give us abundant life, defeat the power of Satan and to bring us peace with God.
But Jesus also bought with His blood sacrifice at the Cross something very special and precious for us: hope.
Buddy turned 14 last August 21st. I don’t know his actual birthday date but I think his adoption day is close as he’s probably a summer puppy. I rejoice that I’ve enjoyed eleven years with my furry pal, but also am aware that my future with him on planet earth grows shorter with each birthday. Fortunately, although he sleeps more than he used to, he still displays a lot of pep and spunk for an older dog, and I expect him to be with me at least another two to three years.
My future separation from Buddy will be temporary as I have hope in God that we’ll be reunited again in heaven—unless we’re raptured together. Jesus said we cannot predict the exact date (Matthew 24:36).
Because Jesus died for our sins, so that we don’t have to, born again Christians have the great hope of being reunited with beloved friends and family for eternity. Death is a temporary situation. We may grieve at the loss of a loved one, but not as unbelievers:
“But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, so that you do not grieve as do the rest who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus.”—Apostle Paul, 1 Thessalonians 4:13-14
I tell my Christian friends that we’re “eternal friends.” I wonder if it makes them shudder at times!
Secondly, because we have peace with God through our faith in Jesus (Romans 5:1) and are united with Christ in our spirit, we also have the assurance that ALL of our prayers are heard by the Father. What greater hope is there, in times of need or sorrow, that our omnipotent God hears our cries for help?
Before Jesus called Lazarus forth out of the grave (John 11:43), He prayed publicly to the Father, making a very important proclamation:
“Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. I knew that You always hear Me; but because of the people standing around I said it, so that they may believe that You sent Me (John 11:41-42).”
Jesus could’ve prayed: “Father, please resurrect Lazarus from the dead when I call Him forth.” But He didn’t. He had something He wanted everyone to know.
I believe that Jesus wanted His followers to know, that if they believed in Him, then their prayers will be answered. Because the Father ALWAYS hears His prayers, so our are ALWAYS heard and answered. Often, maybe not the way we think or hope. After all, Lazarus’ sister Mary thought that her brother would be resurrected “on the last day (vs. 24)” at Christ’s Second Coming, not that same day.
Often Jesus would refresh Himself by leaving his disciples to pray alone in private. But before He was arrested, He prayed the following as the Apostles listened in. He had something very important He wanted them to know—and all future believers—before He was crucified. The following excerpt, John 17:20-23, is part of what has been coined the “High Priestly Prayer”:
“I do not ask on behalf of these alone (the Apostles), but for those also who believe in Me through their word; that they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be IN US, that the world may believe that You sent Me. The glory which You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one, just as We are one; I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You sent Me, and loved them, even as You have loved Me.”
Christian born again believers are united supernaturally with the Godhead and with fellow believers as one body throughout the world and the ages. This is one of the great mysteries of Christianity: being united together in one fellowship as the body of Christ (Ephesians 4:12).
Yes, we can delay the answer to our prayers by “quenching the Spirit (1 Thessalonians 5:19)” through willful disobedience or other reasons, but God hears us because He hears Christ.
For brevity, I will not list every benefit of prayer in this particular post. But will leave with this final summary of the blessing of hoping in God:
“I sought the Lord, and He answered me.”—King David of ancient Israel, Psalm 34:4
God bless you.
Much love from Dawn and Buddy
***
God is always aware of everything and everyone in His created universe (Psalm 103:19). He knows “every careless word that people speak (Matthew 12:36).” And, also, He “works things after the counsel of His will (Ephesians 1:11),” so He is working in the lives of all people.
But He only promises to answer the prayers of His children who are united in faith with Him and His Son through the Holy Spirit. I’m not a theologian, so this may not be the precise way to state this mysterious union with God that Christians have. But only born again Christians are part of the body of Christ.
Do you want eternal life? The assurance that God will answer your prayers—on His timing, His will, His way?
Please note the emphasis on God’s will, timing and way. You see, Adam and Eve rejected God’s authority, wanting to define right and wrong for themselves. When you give your life to Christ, you’re submitting your will to His will. Most people don’t want to humble themselves to do that.
(I want you to really understand what you’re doing if you take the following action.)
If you’re ready to stop being your own false god and to declare belief that Jesus is God, Who came in the flesh (Matthew 1:23), to die for your sins and was resurrected bodily to give you life, please pray the following:
Dear Heavenly Father, There is so much that I don’t understand right now. But I call on Jesus to be my Lord and Savior. Please forgive all my sins. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit. I give my life to You. Thank you for hearing my prayer. In the mighty name of Jesus Christ, amen.
If you prayed with sincerity, congratulations, you are now born again and part of the everlasting body of Christ (Who is the head—Ephesians 5:22). Please start reading the Bible daily, as it is your soul food. Also, attend a Bible-believing church or Bible study so that you can grow and be strengthened in your faith. If that’s not possible right now, the following are three (but not the only) great ministries, which also have apps if that’s your preference: http://www.InTouch.org, http://www.LTW.org and http://www.AndrewFarley.org (The Grace Message).
God bless you.
Sorry am a day late! Hope you all had a great celebration. Regardless of life’s circumstances, Christmas is ultimately about Jesus, God In The Flesh (Mathew 1:23), coming to live with us. Always have hope. God bless you.
Buddy was traumatized by abuse before I adopted him. It took him about 2.5 years to recognize me as his protector and provide and not another abuser taking advantage of my power over him.
Many false Messiahs appeared during Jesus’ lifetime. I was raised in a religion hostile to Christianity which did not recognize Jesus as “Emmanuel…God with us (Matthew 1:23.”
It takes the power of the Holy Spirit to reveal Who Jesus is. We are incapable of recognizing Who He is without God’s help (1 Corinthians 2:14).
The Holy Spirit revealed to several people during the infancy of Jesus that He was the promised Messiah. (Jesus fulfilled over 191-456 Old Testament predictions during His lifetime. The number is dependent upon the scholar.)
It is popularly believed that the physician friend of Apostle Paul, who wrote the book of Luke, had interviewed the mother of Jesus to provide more details about the early years of Christ. After Mary was told by the Angel Gabriel that she would become pregnant by the Holy Spirit and give birth to the Messiah (as detailed in Isaiah 9:6), she visited her relative Elizabeth. Elizabeth was six months pregnant with John the Baptist, who would prepare people’s hearts to receive the Messiah, God incarnate.
“Mary got up and hurried to a city in the Judean highlands. She entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leapt in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. With a loud voice she blurted out, ‘God has blessed you above all women, and He has blessed the child you carry. Why do I have this honor, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? (Luke 1:39-43)’”
The Holy Spirit revealed to Elizabeth that Mary was pregnant with the Messiah.
After Jesus was born, his parents obeyed the religious requirements in Leviticus for ritual cleansing by offering up a sacrifice in the Temple in Jerusalem and presenting their first born son before the Lord (Luke 2:21). The Holy Spirit, once again, pointed out that Jesus was the Messiah. His parents were greeted by Simeon, who had:
“The Holy Spirit rested on him. The Holy Spirit revealed to him that he wouldn’t die before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. Led by the Spirit, he went into the temple area. Meanwhile, Jesus’ parents brought the Child to the temple so that they could do what was customary under the Law. Simeon took Jesus in his arms and praised God. He said, ‘Now, Master, let your servant go in peace according to Your word, because my eyes have seen your salvation (Luke 2:25-30).’”
A prophetess named Anna, a widow who lived in the Temple, who was in frequent communication with God through prayer, also publicly declared that Jesus was the Messiah.
Although I grew up knowing that Jesus lived and performed miracles, I had difficulty believing that God could appear to us, and live amongst His creation, as a human being. (I struggled with atheism during college but that’s a story for later.) The universe is vast and the earth immensely complex. How could such power be contained in one individual?
However, not only in the three examples above did people recognize Jesus as the promised Messiah, but throughout Jesus’ life and ministry, people bowed down and worshipped Jesus, acknowledging Him as their Lord. Jesus accepted their worship and did not rebuke them.
I knew that there were numerous passages condemning bowing down and worshipping anyone but God. These two passages helped me to understand who Jesus truly is.
In Revelation 22:8-9, an angel rebukes the Apostle John for bowing down to him in worship, admonishing John to only “Worship God.” Yet, when Thomas worships the resurrected Jesus, Jesus does not rebuke the apostle but accepts his worship.
“Thomas answered and said to Him (Jesus), ‘My Lord and my God! (John 20:28)’”
Finally the Lord opened my heart to understand that Jesus was indeed Emmanuel, God in the flesh. It was only after that recognition of Christ’s deity that I received the Holy Spirit into my life. I’d been physically baptized a few years earlier but was not yet born again.
Once again Christians have the great privilege of acknowledging the incarnation of God at Christmas. I hope that you, too, are acknowledging the real reason for the season, the birth of Emmanuel.
God bless you.
Much love and Merry Christmas, from Dawn and Buddy.
***
You might claim to be a Christian, but are unaware of Jesus’ warning: “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God. (John 3:3).”
Please ask God to reveal to your heart who Jesus truly is: not an angel, nor merely a good man, or a deceiver, but Emmanuel, God in the flesh. If you ask with a sincere heart that desires to know the truth, He will delight to reveal Jesus to you.
If you’re ready to admit Jesus is God incarnate and your moral authority as Lord, please pray the following:
Dear Heavenly Father, I ask Jesus to be my Lord and Savior. Please forgive my sins. And fill me with Your Holy Spirit. I give my life to You. Thank you that Jesus came into the world in the flesh to die for my sins. Lead and guide me. In Jesus’ holy name, amen.
If you prayed with sincerity, congratulations, you are born again. You are just beginning your journey. Please find a Bible based church or Bible study to grow in your faith and to fellowship with other believers.
If that’s not possible right right now, I recommend these three ministries: http://www.InTouch.org, http://www.LTW.org (Leading The Way) and http://www.BasicGospel.net. All three also have apps if that’s your preference.
The Christian faith is simple but there’s a lot to learn. A blog can be helpful but cannot substitute for fellowship with other believers.
God bless you.
One of the joys of having a furever friend is that dogs are so congenial. I was so proud of Buddy when he recently accompanied me to an outdoor restaurant. He permitted a young girl to pet him several times then give him a goodbye kiss on top of his head. He is truly a sweet and gentle pal. I’m so thankful that God placed Buddy into my life.
Jesus came as a gentle lamb in His incarnation as a baby born in Bethlehem, the city of his royal ancestor, King David, son of Jesse. The prophet Isaiah announced Jesus’ birth over 600 years earlier in the well known Messianic passage, Isaiah 9:6:
“For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; and the government will rest on His shoulders; and His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.”
Jesus came not only to die for our sins, but as explained in the prior two blog posts, to give His followers “abundant life (John 10:10)” through the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit and “to destroy the works of the devil (1 John 3:8).”
As our Prince of Peace, Jesus also came so that, having our sins forgiven, we could “have peace with God (Romans 5:1)”. But Jesus made it clear that did not mean we would have peace on earth, because He declared in Matthew 10:34: “Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword.”
Although Jesus defeated the world, sin and death for us by His perfect life, death and resurrection from the grave, believers should expect trials and tribulation for their Christian faith. Jesus further explained in verse 35:
“For I came to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and a man’s enemies will be the members of his household.”
Per the Vatican news (https://www.vaticannews.va/en/church/news/2021-01/report-open-doors-christians-persecuted.html) and other sites on the internet, an average of 13 Christians a day were murdered worldwide in 2021, just for their belief in Jesus.
But it is nothing new for nonbelievers to shed the blood of the righteous. King David complained over 3000 years ago about the ungodly’s murderous behavior:
“His mouth is full of curses and deceit and oppression; under his tongue is mischief and wickedness. He sits in the lurking places of villages; in the hiding places he kills the innocent…He says to himself, ‘God has forgotten; He has hidden His face; He will never see it.’ (Psalm 10:7-8, 11).”
Jesus did not leave His followers without hope. “In the world you have tribulation, but take courage, I have overcome the world. (John 16:33)”
One organization that helps the worldwide church is The Voice Of The Martyrs (https://www.persecution.com/). They print a yearly calendar that suggests daily prayers for persecuted believers. Prayer, requesting the release of God’s power, is our greatest weapon against the demonic forces motivating people to harm believers.
If you suffer for being a Christian, whether it’s mockery or shunning, maybe even physical harm, please remember that Jesus promises a “great reward (Hebrews 10:35)” in heaven if you persevere (Matthew 5:11). Our lives may be tough now, but like a fairy tale, after battling the bad guys, there is a wonderful blessing awaiting a believer at the end of their life story.
God bless you this Advent Season as we celebrate the incarnation of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Much love from Dawn and Buddy
***
Jesus never promised His followers an easy life. But He promised an eternal reward of great joy, wiping away every tear (Revelation 21:4). But the truth is, the way to heaven is “a narrow gate” and the “gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction (Matthew 7:11).” Many people will tell you that there are many ways to heaven, that the gate is wide that leads to eternal happiness, but Jesus claimed that the truth is, He is the only gate to heaven and eternal happiness (John 14:6, 4:22).
You can choose to believe or not. But if you want to believe but are struggling, ask Jesus to help you. Faith is a gift from God (Ephesians 2:8) and He wants to give it because He loves you.
If you’re ready to give your life to God and accept Jesus as your Lord, ie. has the right to rule your life, please repeat the following prayer:
Dear Heavenly Father, I call on Jesus to be my Lord and Savior. Please forgive my sins. I want to step off the broad path of self destruction and step onto the narrow path that leads to eternal life with You. Forgive my sins. I give my life to You. I don’t understand much right now, but I trust You to teach me. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit. Thank you for loving me. In the name of Jesus, amen.
If you prayed with sincerity, congratulations, you’re born again. Like your body needs daily food to be strong and healthy, you need soul food to grow spiritually strong and healthy—the Word of God. Please find a Bible-based church or Bible study to attend. If that’s not possible right now, these are my three favorite ministries: http://www.BasicGospel.net, http://www.LTW.org and http://www.InTouch.org. There are others but these will build a sound foundation in your life till you become more discerning.
And, also, it’s important to obey God and get baptized, publicly declaring your faith. Church views differ on baptism, but all agree, to my knowledge, it’s an important step of obedience.
God bless you. Stay the course. It’s worth it in the end.
Buddy was abused for three years by the husband of his prior owner. She was dying of cancer and could scarcely care for herself, let alone care for Buddy, whom she’d kept as a pet. Fortunately, a breeder friend of hers rescued Buddy and fostered him out till he became my “furever” friend.
Jesus came to die for our sins (Hebrews 10:10) and to give us new life through the power of the Holy Spirit Who indwells born again Christian believers.
But the Apostle John clearly states that He also came to the earth to defeat the power of Satan in our lives in 1 John 3:8:
“The Son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil.”
What three things gives Satan power over us?
1. Sin: “The one who practices sin is of the devil (1 John 3:8.”
2. The fear of death: “Since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and might free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives (Hebrews 2:14-15).”
3. The Law (given through the prophet Moses): “Now we know that whatever the Law says, it speaks to those who are under the Law, so that every mouth may be closed and all the world may become accountable to God; because by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight; for through the Law comes the knowledge of sin…for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:19-20, 23).”
Even the first generation born on planet earth could not resist sinning. God warned Cain to resist his feelings of anger toward his brother Abel, whose sacrifice God accepted but rejected Cain’s.
“Then the Lord said to Cain, ‘Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? If you do well, will not your countenance be lifted up? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door; and its desire is for you, but you must master it.’ (Genesis 4:6-7)”
Cain could not resist the pull of his anger and murdered his brother.
The Law gives Satan power over us because the Law can only condemn us and prove that we are sinners, but cannot save us: “because by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight; for through the Law comes the knowledge of sin. (Romans 3:20)…I would not have come to know sin except through the Law; for I would not have known about coveting if the Law had not said, ‘You shall not covet.’ But sin, taking every opportunity through the commandment, produced in me coveting of every kind; for apart from the Law, sin is dead (Romans 7:7-8).”
Jesus defeated Satan by defeating the power of sin, the fear of death, and fulfilled the righteous requirements of the Law for us. He lived a totally sinless life under the Law so that the Law could no longer have the power to condemn us.
So how did Jesus address these three powers of the devil over us?
1. Defeated the power of sin: “He (Jesus) appeared in order to take away sins, and in Him there is no sin….No one who is born of God practices sin, because His seed abides in him;…By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him. (1 John 3:5-6, 9, 1 John 4:9).
What the apostle was explaining in his first epistle is that born again believers are indwelt by the Holy Spirit and now have the power of God to love and obey Him, and the power to love others. We are no longer under sin’s rule.
A lawyer and teacher of the Law, asked Jesus, “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?”
Jesus replied, that to love God and others is the summary of the Law: “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all of your heart, and with all of your soul, and with all of your mind.’ This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets (Matthew 22:35-40).”
2. Defeated the fear of death: “As God lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up; so that whoever believes in Him may have eternal life (Jesus, John 3:14).”
We no longer fear death because we have an everlasting inheritance with Jesus in heaven where Satan no longer dwells (Revelation 12:9) nor evil.
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you (Apostle Peter, 1 Peter 1:3-4).”
In heaven we will find hope and comfort after living in this broken world of heartache and pain: “God will wipe every year from their eyes (Apostle John, Revelation 7:17).”
“And they overcame him (Satan) because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life, even when faced with death (Revelation 12:11).”
3. The curse of the Law is broken so that we no longer want to sin nor are condemned by God as sinners, because Jesus fulfilled the requirements of the Law for us. As the Apostle Paul explains:
We no longer need to “go for the gusto” or harm others to obtain everything that this world offers or our corrupt nature desires. As adopted children of God, our Heavenly Father knows what we need and promises supply it (Matthew 6:25-34) if we ask. Therefore, we can love others as we know our own needs are being met.
The Holy Spirit transforms our heart so that we are a new creature (2 Corinthians 5:17): “Circumcision is that which is of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter (Romans 2:29).”
“For He (Jesus) rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in Whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins (Colossians 1:13-14).”
“For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from the works of the Law….But to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness…Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 3:28, 4:5, 5:1).”
“For the Law made nothing perfect (Hebrews 7:19),” Jesus makes us perfect before God through our faith: “to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy (Jude 1:24, brother of Jesus).”
Much more could be said, but the above is a summary of how Jesus came to “destroy the works of the devil”.
There are two other things Christ gave us through His incarnation, to be explained in the next two blogs celebrating His first coming.
God bless you this Advent Season as the church celebrates the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, Immanuel, God in the flesh (Matthew 1:23).”
Thank you for reading this rather lengthy post.
Much love from Dawn and Buddy
***
God is loving. He protects and provides for everyone in many ways as humans are made in His image (Genesis 1:27). However, when a person gives their life to Jesus, the Holy Spirit destroys the devil’s power over a person’s life by enabling them to stop engaging in self-destructive (sinful) behavior.
This process of sanctification works differently in every Christian’s life, but after giving your life to God, the Holy Spirit will come to indwell you and begin that process of helping you.
I have fallen flat on my face many times since becoming a Christian, but I can truly say that, although I have a long way to go, I’m a better person than I was before I got saved. But like a good Father, God promises never to leave nor forsake His children (Hebrews 13:5). He keeps guiding us along “the path of righteousness for His name’s sake (Psalm 23:3).”
If you’d like to become a child of God, please say the following prayer:
Dear Heavenly Father, Thank you for loving me so much that You sent Jesus to earth to die for my sins. I call on Jesus to be my Lord and Savior. Please forgive my sins. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit. I give my life to You. Thank you for the gift of Christ, which we celebrate at Christmas. In the mighty name of Jesus, amen.
If you prayed with sincerity, congratulations, you are born again. Please find a Bible-based church or Bible study to grow in your faith and relationship with God. If that’s not possible right now, I recommend these three ministries: http://www.InTouch.org, http://www.LTW.org and http://www.BasicGospel.net. These will get your new life in Christ started off on the right foot.
God bless you. Best of Wishes.
Buddy will listen to me speak to him, but doesn’t understand most of what I’m saying. Experts claim, however, that the average dog has a vocabulary of 75 to 165 words, but there is a border collie named Chaser who can actually understand 1022 words (https://dogsservices.com/words-can-a-dog-understand/).
I’m pretty sure, based upon observation, that Buddy does not understand the word: No!
Most Christians understand that Jesus came down from heaven and became God in the flesh (Matthew 1:23) to die for our sins, “at the right time, Christ died for the ungodly (Romans 5:6)”. The first verse most of us memorize is John 3:16: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.”
Jesus died for our sins because only a perfect person does not have to suffer the penalty of eternal punishment for being a sinner. Having never sinned, Christ could therefore pay the penalty for sinners.
But as the Basic Gospel ministry emphasizes, that’s just half the gospel.
Our sin had to be paid for so that we could enter into fellowship with a holy God.
But Jesus also came that we “may have life and have it abundantly (John 10:10)”.
The reason every person sins is that we are born “dead in our trespasses and sins (Ephesians 2:1)”. Every single person (Romans 3:10-12).
We are all born spiritually dead, devoid of God’s spirit. We have souls and bodies but because of our lack of spiritual life, we cannot fellowship with God or expect to spend eternity with Him.
But Christ was resurrected “from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in the newness of life (Romans 6:4).”
Jesus died for our sins and was resurrected to give us spiritual life. Which is why He told Nicodemus, a religious leader of the Jewish people that “unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God (John 3:3).”
This seems to have been an issue, also, in the early church.
“Now when the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent them Peter and John, who came down and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit. For He had not fallen upon any of them; they had simply been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus (Acts 8:14-16).”
“Paul passed through the upper country and came to Ephesus, and found some disciples. He said to them, ‘Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?’ And they said to him, ‘No, we have not even heard whether there is a Holy Spirit (Acts 19:1-2).’”
Perhaps the problem with the modern church is that many believers are not walking in the power of the Holy Spirit. They may either be “quenching the Spirit (1 Thessalonians 5:19)” through willful disobedience or don’t realize that they were given spiritual life upon confessing Christ and are now “alive from the dead (Romans 12:13)” and “dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus (Romans 6:11).”
Let’s not take the supernatural out of Christianity.
God bless you.
Let’s also remember that: “We have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that Christ was raised from the dead…we too may walk in newness of life (Romans 6:4)” in the power of the Holy Spirit Who gives “life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit Who dwells in you (Romans 8:11).”
Your sins have not only been forgiven by the death of Christ on your behalf, but you are spiritually alive through the power of the Holy Spirit because Jesus was resurrected from the dead.
Buried with Christ in His death and resurrected with Christ into eternal life.
“The word of faith that we are preaching, that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved… (Romans 10:8-9).”
Much love from Dawn and Buddy
***
All of us were born dead spiritually. It is why you feel incomplete. We were created to be triune beings like God: body, soul and Holy Spirit. But when Adam and Eve rejected God’s authority over their lives, the Holy Spirit left the human race. Therefore, everyone is born incomplete because the Holy Spirit does not dwell in their spirit.
Nothing can fill this empty space. Only God can. People try. They become addicted to material objects, entertainment, gambling, food, drugs, celebrity worship, etc, but since nothing earthly can fill this void, there is never enough of anything to feel satisfied or complete.
If you’re ready to let Jesus fill this void in your life and accept that He is God, the authority in your life, please repeat the below:
Dear Heavenly Father, I call on Jesus to be my Lord and Savior. Please forgive all my sins. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit. I give my life to You. I want new life and to be whole. Shower Your love and grace upon me. In Jesus name, I thank You for answering my prayer, amen.
If you prayed with sincerity, congratulations, you are born again. Ask God to make Himself real to you, to sense His presence. Also, as your body needs regular meals to be healthy, your soul requires soul food to be healthy—the Bible. Jesus is called the “Word of God”. To know Him, please read the Bible daily. I recommend starting with the book if Luke which details the Christmas story and Christ’s incarnation.
And please join a Bible-based church or study group. If that’s not possible right now, I recommend these three ministries, to help you grow in a knowledge of God and grow in His grace: http://www.InTouch.org, http://www.LTW.org and http://www.BasicGospel.net.
God bless you.
Meditations About God and Buddy 