Salvation is a process
For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. Romans 10:10"
Salvation is defined as the act of saving someone from sin or evil or the state of being saved from sin or evil. It is also defined as something that saves someone or something from danger or a difficult situation. The person who saved us from our sins is Jesus Christ. Even though Jesus Christ died for all mankind, it is not everyone who has accepted Him for this work He has done. Hence salvation can only be effectual personally by first of all believing in your heart that Jesus Christ truly died for your sins and that God raised Him from the dead. Secondly, you must confess Him with your mouth as Lord over your life. If you take these two very important steps of faith, then you will be saved. It does not end here however; you must continually work out your salvation by being a follower and imitator of God
Ephesians 5:1 Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children
2 and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
3 But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people.
4 Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving.
5 For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person —such a person is an idolater —has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.
6 Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God’s wrath comes on those who are disobedient.
As you follow God in the person of our Lord Jesus Christ, He will bless you with good health, prosperity, wealth, etc., which are all part of salvation.
Whom do we put our trust and hope on?
In thee, O LORD, do I put my trust: let me never be put to confusion. Psalm 71:1"
Trust is the assured reliance on the character, ability, strength, or truth of someone or something; it is also one in which confidence is placed. Trust is something that everyone cherishes and holds in high esteem. When trust is broken, many untoward things happen: There is loss of faith, sadness, disappointment, confusion, etc.
Psalms 71:5 For you have been my hope, Sovereign LORD, my confidence since my youth.
6 From birth I have relied on you; you brought me forth from my mother’s womb. I will ever praise you.
The psalmist, at one time maybe put his trust in people around him, and in the end he was disappointed and confused.
Psalms 33:17 A horse is a vain hope for deliverance; despite all its great strength it cannot save.
18 But the eyes of the LORD are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love,
This time he put his trust in the Lord and prayed that God would honor his trust. At the end, God honored him, and his confidence in the Lord grew stronger and stronger. Dear friends, never put your trust in people or anything other than the Lord. Let your whole trust and confidence be in God, and He will honor His Word concerning you. Sometimes challenges in our lives may make us lost trust in his words, this feeling at times bring delays in whatever we asked of him, but never lose your trust in Him, because He is the only dependable being in the whole universe.
Proverbs 11:7 Hopes placed in mortals die with them; all the promise of their power comes to nothing.
Hope's placed on human end up with much disappointment, God has never disappointed those who put their trust in him.
He turned curses to blessing
They hired Balaam(a wzard) to curse us, but our God turned the curse into a (blessing!(Neh13:2) "Christ has redeemed us from the curse.." (GAL3:13-14
This was because the people of Ammon and Moab did not give food and water to the Israelites on their way out of Egypt. Instead, they paid money to Balaam to curse Israel, but our God turned the curse into a blessing. " (Neh13:2.GNT)
But how can I curse those whom God has not cursed?How can I condemn those whom the Lord has not condemned?" (Num23:8.NLT)
Curses cannot hurt you unless you deserve them. They are like birds that fly by and never light." (Prov26:2,GNT)
Christ redeemed us from that self-defeating, cursed life by absorbing it completely into himself. Do you remember the Scripture that says, "Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree"? That is what happened when Jesus was nailed to the Cross: He became a curse, and at the same time dissolved the curse. And now, because of that, the air is cleared and we can see that Abraham's blessing is present and available for non-Jews, too. We are all able to receive God's life, his Spirit, in and with us by believing — just the way Abraham received it." (GAL3:13-14.MSG)
I'm convinced: You can do anything and everything.Nothing and no one can upset your plans." (Job42:2.MSG)
"Touch not these chosen ones of mine," he warned, "and do not hurt my prophets." (Psalms105:15.TLB)
Anyone who strikes you strikes what is most precious to me."So the Lord Almighty sent me with this message for the nations that had plundered his people:"(Zec2:8.GNT)
Behold! I have given you authority and power to trample upon serpents and scorpions, and [physical and mental strength and ability] over all the power that the enemy [possesses]; and nothing shall in any way harm you. " (Luke10:19.AMP)
Who is he who speaks and it comes to pass, if the Lord has not authorized and commanded it? "(Lam3:37AMP)
Ezek 18:3-4
3 "As I live," says the Lord God, "you shall no longer use this proverb in Israel.
"Behold, all souls are Mine;
The soul of the father
As well as the soul of the son is Mine;
The soul who sins shall die.
May we not be among those who will only sing Hallelujah here on earth; but will not join the saints to sing it in Heaven! "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven" (See:Mat7:21-23) "'These people honor me with their lips,but..." (Mat15:7-8)
Turned your anxiety to prayer
Images source unsplash
**Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. Philippians 4:6"**
As a child of God, God expects you to live in wisdom to make all of your time profitable to you and to His Kingdom. The energy and time you spend worrying over things you don't have control over is insane, you could use that energy for useful things instead. Simply turn all your worries and complaints to God in prayers, supplication, and thanksgiving.
Luke 11:9 "So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.
10 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.
11 "Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead?
Being anxious over the needs in your life will simply make your situation worse because it will steal your joy and happiness from you, it may lead you to come short of the Lord blessing. Learn to thank God in every situation because He is aware of what you are going through. Commit your worries to Him in prayers humbly pleading. After you have done that, live in an atmosphere of celebrating your answers before they even materialise.
Jeremiah 32:27 "I am the LORD, the God of all mankind. Is anything too hard for me?
Nothing is too hard for our God to do for us if we ask him in faith,
the continual joy of the Lord in your life will bring people around you who can supply the answers to your needs.
Matthew 6:24 "No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.
25 "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?
26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?
27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life ?
28 "And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin.
29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.
30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you —you of little faith?
31 So do not worry, saying, ’What shall we eat?’ or ’What shall we drink?’ or ’What shall we wear?’
32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.
33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
This scripture says it all, my brother and sister worried not for Lord God knows all what we want and need, but first seek you first the things of the kingdom every other things shall be added to you.
God bless us and give us the grace to seek him first.
He died to save mankind from sin
John 3:16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
The whole world talks about love, in all of our different faith and believes we speak about love yet we don't put it into practice or keep to our world, if there's love among us as we claim to be we wouldn't have any room for racist, killing of innocent people around the world
Deuteronomy 7:9 Know therefore that the LORD your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commandments.
It is said that action speaks louder than words, therefore, God needed to do something to show that He loved us. Even though mankind was a sinner God never stopped to loved us despite our sinful nature, he has to come down on earth to die for mankind sin. What love is greater than this? It is the greatest miracle on earth; for God to become flesh to save mankind. The work has already been done by God. What man needs to do is to believe in the finished work and partake in it. Anyone who does not believe condemns themselves to eternal damnation in the lake of fire. Which may not be funny at all, Believing in the work God has done for us is a sign that we love Him in return. He needs nothing from us than our obedience and worship to him.
John 3:17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.
3:18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.
Do we love the things of God? how strong is our love to our Lord Jesus Christ? Are we truly doing his works as he commanded us to do? This should be the question to ask ourselves.
Leviticus 19:18 "’Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone among your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD.
The last commandments Jesus gave was love your neighbors as yourself
Overcoming the devil's temptations
Satan does not tempt his children the unbelievers to commit sin, for they have already fallen and are wallowing inside his pit of sin. He only tempts true believers! "...you can trust God to keep the temptation from becoming so strong that you can't stand up against it
1 Corinthians 10:13 No temptation[c] has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.
It is hard to remain confident and faithful to God when things are not going well in our lives. Why would God want us to suffer so much if he loves us?
It is our perceptions that have changed, not God. He has given us more than we deserve. Remember this and everyday, all things, are a blessing from God.
James 4:7 Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
4:8 Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.
Our character and faith is tested when we are at our lowest point. These moments are a good reflection of the strength of our faith. When you were at your lowest, how did you respond with despair or trust?
1 Thessalonians 5:22 reject every kind of evil.
5:23 May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
When we let temptations over powered us it may lead us to serious sin, we should always remember the good things God has been doing for us before we got tempted. Temptations came in form of sickness, accusations, challenges in finance and job. Remember God is always with you according to his in 1 Corinthians 10:13
May God give us the grace to over come temptations and live above sin.
Image source; unsplash
God have faith in you
Good morning friends, I was thinking of a topic to share with us over here and this very scripture came to my mind
Job 1:8
Then the LORD said to Satan, "Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil."
I learnt something on the story about Job, here God didn't tell job to trust him rather God was the one having faith on job, because he knew job will never deny him or disappoint him, Jehovah God is always happy with us when we trust and faith on him wholeheartedly.
Another person God have faith on in a different ways from that of job was Joshua.
Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whither soever thou goest. Joshua 1:9"
There are times when we are so overwhelmed by our challenges that the voice of God does not mean anything to us. Joshua case was very different from job, Joshua found himself in just such a situation when Moses died and passed on the baton of leadership was on him. He mourned for Moses bitterly and felt the absence of Moses strongly. He even forgot that God was with him. Even though in verse eight God encouraged him, he still could not move forward until God came to him again and gave him all the encouragement and support that he needed. This time he was able to rely on the Word of God to lead the people of Israel to the promised land. Dear beloved, God still has faith in you he has never changed. He knows you can do it, so don't look down on yourself; rely on His Word, and remember that He is with you. Therefore, be strong and courageous, do not be afraid or dismayed, and move forward to accomplish what God has called you to do. One thing I want to let you know now is that God have faith on you, don't disappoint him, your comments are highly welcome thank you.
All images are taken from unsplash
Bigger God smaller problems
Jeremiah 32:17-22
**Ah Lord GOD! behold, thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy great power and stretched out arm, and there is nothing too hard for thee:**
**Jeremiah 32:18 Thou shewest lovingkindness unto thousands, and recompensest the iniquity of the fathers into the bosom of their children after them: the Great, the Mighty God, the LORD of hosts, is his name,**
**Jeremiah 32:19 Great in counsel, and mighty in work: for thine eyes are open upon all the ways of the sons of men: to give every one according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings:**
**Jeremiah 32:20 Which hast set signs and wonders in the land of Egypt, even unto this day, and in Israel, and among other men; and hast made thee a name, as at this day;**
**Jeremiah 32:21 And hast brought forth thy people Israel out of the land of Egypt with signs, and with wonders, and with a strong hand, and with a stretched out arm, and with great terror;**
**Jeremiah 32:22 And hast given them this land, which thou didst swear to their fathers to give them, a land flowing with milk and honey;**
*No one enjoys illness, conflicts, or difficulties. Such stressors tend to demand attention and drain energy, narrowing our focus until our troubles become larger and all else is pushed to the side. What we need at such times is a glimpse of the greatness and majesty of the Lord. Looking at Him helps us see our problems from the proper perspective.*
*During the captivity, when Jeremiah was confined in the guard house and Jerusalem was about to fall into enemy hands, the Lord’s promised restoration of the land seemed far away, if not impossible. But Jeremiah turned his eyes to God. He remembered the Lord’s great power, unfailing love, assurances to Israel, and omniscience about everything taking place.*
*The good news is that the words of Jeremiah’s prayer to the Lord—“Nothing is too difficult for You” (Jer. 32:17)—are still true today. Although we may want our difficulties resolved immediately, what we really need is a bigger vision of God, not fewer problems. The larger and more accurate our understanding of the Lord is, the smaller our troubles will seem. Even better, our confidence in His ability to handle our trials will increase.*
*SEE YOU TO FOCUS ON A BIGGER GOD AND LIVE.*
God's love
God's thought for us is of good not evil, he wants us to be happy, prosper in all what we lay our hands to do, and a good health, but sins has always keep us far from our maker
In Genesis 1:28 God blessed them and said to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.
This was the original plans God has for human to have dominion over everything including sin, for us to have this dominion we most fear God and keep his commandments
Deuteronomy 13:4 Says ye shall walk after the Lord your God, and fear him, and keep his commandments, and obey his voice, and you shall serve him, and cleave unto him.
Ignorance of the things of God keep us where we are today, I prayed God gives us the grace to obey him and his will in Jesus name.
Pictures source; unsplash.com
Overcoming the feelings of self consciousness is an excessively conscious of one's appearance or manner, not the same as inferiority complex.
* Identify what you are terribly conscious about
* Figure out who you are trying to please and why
* The moment you let someone judge who you are, that is the moment you have lost your happiness to someone else.
Note: be confident of yourself do what makes you happy rather pleasing people and get hurt.
@Nicklender
