"God saw all that he had made, and it was very good." Genesis 1:31a, NIV
In the beginning, God made everything. He still makes everything, as it is written, "You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being." Rev. 4:11 NIV. God made you. As David said to God by the Spirit, "...you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb."
God made you, but are you what God made you to be? When he sees you, what does he see?
In the beginning, God made all, and then he looked at all that he had made. Because it was just as he intended it to be, what God saw was very good. Look at the verse at the top again. God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. What was very good? All that He had made. Only what originates from God is very good. This applies to you and me. When God looks at our lives, only what came from Him in our lives is very good, nothing else.
God creates. God critiques what he makes.
God created you. God critiques you.
We live in a society that hates the idea of being judged. Yet ironically we are a very judgmental society. If you watch TV you will see many reality shows that do just that. Some famous celebrity, actor, or singer sits as judge over contestants who desperately want to be deemed worthy by a celebrity. But no one dares submit to God's judgment. We give glory to celebrities and not to our Creator. Is this true of you?
Do you submit to celebrity judgment? Do you assume the authority to be your own judge?
If a celebrity looked at you and said "You are very good," would you cry because of his or her approval? Or do you look at yourself and say about yourself, "I am very good. I deserve it. I'm worth it!"
If you submit to human judgment instead of our Creator's judgment, or to your own self-critique instead of our Creator's critique of you, then you are prideful and you need to repent. You did not make yourself, therefore you have no authority to critique yourself. I did not make you, and no other human being made you. God alone made you, and He alone ultimately critiques you.
Now don't misunderstand. If you accept our Creator as your Master, as the One who owns you, defines you, and determines your actions, then you can say of yourself exactly what the Creator says of you. You can accept compliments from anyone, including yourself, if those compliments are echoes of the Creator's compliments of you. In other words, as it is written, our destiny is "to be conformed to the likeness of God's Son".
Therefore, if you are like Jesus, having placed your faith in Jesus, then when God looks at you, He sees you as very good. But if you are not like Jesus, if you are not a reflection of what God Himself is like, then you are not very good, nor should you feel good about yourself. Why should you? You were made by God and for God; He made you to be like Him. When people see you, they should see what God Himself is like in that situation. Is that what people see? Is that what God sees?
Stop right now and acknowledge the truth about yourself, about what God sees when he sees you.
If you are living to honor and obey God, living to be like him and act exactly as he does, then thank God for the privilege of the knowledge and likeness of God.
But if you are living for human approval, and for your own approval, admit this in the prayer below:
"God, you made me, but I am not living for you. I am not like you. I focus on what people think about me, and I focus on my own self-esteem instead of your honor and approval alone. I exalt myself and focus on myself instead of you. I focus others on me and my opinions instead of on your Son. I'm sorry for this. Please forgive me. From now on, I live only to serve and please you."
From now on, when God sees you, may what he sees be very good.
Monday, February 15, 2016
Tuesday, February 9, 2016
Are you ignoring God?
"They knew God but did not praise and thank him for being God." Romans 1:21a GWT
If you say you know God and claim to be in a relationship with Him, you should frequently and freely praise and thank Him. Do you do this? Do you act as if you know God?
Or do you ignore Him?
DO YOU KNOW GOD?
To know someone in the scriptures is to be in intimate connection with that person. Adam is said to have "known Eve," which meant he had sex with her, the most intimate physical act a husband and wife can have. With a connection closer than sex, God knows us intimately and personally, knowing the number of hairs on my head and yours, as Jesus said. Do you know God intimately? If you know Him, you will effortlessly praise Him. Do you? If you are intimate with Him, you will consistently thank Him for who He is to you, and what He has done for you. Do you?
DO YOU PRAISE AND THANK GOD?
After you see a very good movie, you can't stop talking about it. When you go to a good restaurant and enjoy a delicious meal, you want to take people to this restaurant, singing its praises. You personally saw and experienced the powerful drama of the movie; you tasted the scrumptious flavors of the food in the awesome restaurant. As a result, you just had to tell someone. You had to praise the movie. You had to find the chef and thank him for the meal. In the same way, we should praise the beauty that is God, as it is written, "Taste and see that the LORD is good."
If you aren't naturally and effortlessly praising and thanking God, it's because He is less real to you than a good movie or a good restaurant. How can you say you have a "personal relationship with Christ," who died for you, who rose for you, and who lives for you by His Spirit, and rarely praise and thank Him from your heart?
If this is true of you, repent right now.
Face God your Creator and Savior and Master, the one who lives inside of you and loves you so much He gave you His very self. Tell Him you are sorry for neither praising nor thanking Him as He deserves...Tell him you are sorry for ignoring Him. Do that now with me:
Dearest God, my Creator and Father, I love you and like you and need you. Forgive me for any way and every way that I ignore you. I won't ignore you any more. I love you God. I need you God. I must have you. Take me completely. Amen.
Write me in the comments and let me know about your renewed relationship with our God.
If you say you know God and claim to be in a relationship with Him, you should frequently and freely praise and thank Him. Do you do this? Do you act as if you know God?
Or do you ignore Him?
DO YOU KNOW GOD?
To know someone in the scriptures is to be in intimate connection with that person. Adam is said to have "known Eve," which meant he had sex with her, the most intimate physical act a husband and wife can have. With a connection closer than sex, God knows us intimately and personally, knowing the number of hairs on my head and yours, as Jesus said. Do you know God intimately? If you know Him, you will effortlessly praise Him. Do you? If you are intimate with Him, you will consistently thank Him for who He is to you, and what He has done for you. Do you?
DO YOU PRAISE AND THANK GOD?
After you see a very good movie, you can't stop talking about it. When you go to a good restaurant and enjoy a delicious meal, you want to take people to this restaurant, singing its praises. You personally saw and experienced the powerful drama of the movie; you tasted the scrumptious flavors of the food in the awesome restaurant. As a result, you just had to tell someone. You had to praise the movie. You had to find the chef and thank him for the meal. In the same way, we should praise the beauty that is God, as it is written, "Taste and see that the LORD is good."
If you aren't naturally and effortlessly praising and thanking God, it's because He is less real to you than a good movie or a good restaurant. How can you say you have a "personal relationship with Christ," who died for you, who rose for you, and who lives for you by His Spirit, and rarely praise and thank Him from your heart?
If this is true of you, repent right now.
Face God your Creator and Savior and Master, the one who lives inside of you and loves you so much He gave you His very self. Tell Him you are sorry for neither praising nor thanking Him as He deserves...Tell him you are sorry for ignoring Him. Do that now with me:
Dearest God, my Creator and Father, I love you and like you and need you. Forgive me for any way and every way that I ignore you. I won't ignore you any more. I love you God. I need you God. I must have you. Take me completely. Amen.
Write me in the comments and let me know about your renewed relationship with our God.
Monday, February 1, 2016
How to be conscious of the Spirit's Power in your life (Part 2)
"God brought this man Jesus back to life. We are all witnesses to that." Acts 2:32 GWT
Throughout the book of Acts I continue to see these words: We are witnesses.
The apostles and early followers of Jesus, as you may know, spent 3 years with him. They saw him preach, teach, heal, and cast out demons. They themselves healed and cast out demons, and saw Jesus perform many other miracles. They saw Jesus risen from the dead, and they saw him ascend into heaven. All they were supposed to do is tell people what they had seen, heard, and experienced. But Jesus specifically commanded them not to say anything until the Holy Spirit gave them power--supernatural boldness and effectiveness. Why would they need this? Because they were bearing witness to something supernatural--that Jesus rose from the dead. How, or why, would anyone believe that a man rose from the dead?
The Spirit of Jesus was in them and with them, bearing witness that He is still alive.
When the early followers told people that Jesus is the son of God and that he died for their sins and rose from the dead, they spoke with supernatural power and did supernatural things. We are supposed to be the same way. The least we should experience is supernatural boldness and effectiveness as Jesus' witnesses.
How does that feel, and how do we experience it?
Click here for part 3.
Throughout the book of Acts I continue to see these words: We are witnesses.
- "But God brought him back to life, and we are witnesses to that. Acts 3:15b"
- "Peter and John answered them, 'Decide for yourselves whether God wants people to listen to you rather than to him. We cannot stop talking about what we've seen and heard.'" Acts 4:19-20
The apostles and early followers of Jesus, as you may know, spent 3 years with him. They saw him preach, teach, heal, and cast out demons. They themselves healed and cast out demons, and saw Jesus perform many other miracles. They saw Jesus risen from the dead, and they saw him ascend into heaven. All they were supposed to do is tell people what they had seen, heard, and experienced. But Jesus specifically commanded them not to say anything until the Holy Spirit gave them power--supernatural boldness and effectiveness. Why would they need this? Because they were bearing witness to something supernatural--that Jesus rose from the dead. How, or why, would anyone believe that a man rose from the dead?
The Spirit of Jesus was in them and with them, bearing witness that He is still alive.
When the early followers told people that Jesus is the son of God and that he died for their sins and rose from the dead, they spoke with supernatural power and did supernatural things. We are supposed to be the same way. The least we should experience is supernatural boldness and effectiveness as Jesus' witnesses.
How does that feel, and how do we experience it?
Click here for part 3.
How to be conscious of the Spirit's Power in your life (Part 1)
Jesus told (the apostles), "You don't need to know about times or periods that the Father has determined by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes (upon ) you. Then you will be my witnesses to testify about me...to the ends of the earth."
Acts 1:7- GWT, parentheses mine.
You can have power from the Spirit and know it; you should feel it and be aware of it. In fact, you should be aware of the Spirit's power before you say or do anything.
You need to be. You have to be. You're supposed to be.
I know this because I see this in scripture, and I am experienced it right now as I write to you.
Power: Ability to accomplish a specific goal you set out to accomplish.
You can have that power as soon as you finish reading my blogs. I'll show you how right now.
First, as I said, power assumes a purpose; it assumes a specific goal that you have the ability to accomplish. What is our goal? To be a witness of the Lord Jesus. What does a witness do? He or she simply tells what he or she has seen, heard, or directly experienced. So what kind of power do you need to be a witness, any kind of witness?
Jesus promised his first followers and us that we will be his witnesses throughout the world, and that he would give us power from the Spirit to do so. The early followers experienced the Spirit's power, and it was manifest in two ways:
These two things encompass the power of a witness of Jesus.
These two things are the power of which you should be conscious.
Click here for part 2.
Acts 1:7- GWT, parentheses mine.
You can have power from the Spirit and know it; you should feel it and be aware of it. In fact, you should be aware of the Spirit's power before you say or do anything.
You need to be. You have to be. You're supposed to be.
I know this because I see this in scripture, and I am experienced it right now as I write to you.
Power: Ability to accomplish a specific goal you set out to accomplish.
You can have that power as soon as you finish reading my blogs. I'll show you how right now.
First, as I said, power assumes a purpose; it assumes a specific goal that you have the ability to accomplish. What is our goal? To be a witness of the Lord Jesus. What does a witness do? He or she simply tells what he or she has seen, heard, or directly experienced. So what kind of power do you need to be a witness, any kind of witness?
- You need to know something or someone by direct experience.
- You need to be able to communicate effectively what you have experienced.
Jesus promised his first followers and us that we will be his witnesses throughout the world, and that he would give us power from the Spirit to do so. The early followers experienced the Spirit's power, and it was manifest in two ways:
- Boldness
- Effectiveness
These two things encompass the power of a witness of Jesus.
These two things are the power of which you should be conscious.
Click here for part 2.
How to be conscious of the Spirit's Power in your life (Part 3)
"Lord, pay attention to their threats now, and allow us to speak your word boldly. Show your power by healing, performing miracles, and doing amazing things through the power and the name of your holy servant Jesus." When the apostles had finished praying, their meeting place shook. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God boldly.
Acts 4:29-31 GWT, emphasis mine.
How does it feel to be conscious of the Spirit's power in your life?
It feels like two things:
SPIRIT POWER CONSCIOUSNESS IS BOLDNESS
When the Spirit fills you, when the power of God comes upon you, you will feel bold, fearless, and confident in your relationship with Jesus. You know that Jesus is the son of God as you read my words. Are you afraid to tell people this? You know that Jesus died for your sins and rose from the dead. You know His Spirit lives inside of you, as it is written, "The Spirit bears witness with our spirit that we are the children of God." You know that you feel like a child of God, and that you feel God's Spirit in you. Are you afraid to tell anyone this? When you are filled with the Spirit, you won't be afraid to tell people about Jesus in you, and you will do it effectively.
SPIRIT POWER CONSCIOUSNESS IS EFFECTIVENESS
I learned that effective communication is when the message you send is the message the listener receives. For example, my name is Olatunde. What is my name? Yes, it's Olatunde. That was effective communication. (It was also bold communication. I know my name, and I'm not afraid to tell you what it is.) In the same way, you know how you came to follow Jesus. You can tell that story boldly and effectively, and the Spirit's power will be in your words as you tell your story. You know how God has answered your prayers before. You can boldly and effectively tell people how God has answered your prayers.
Now that you know what Spirit power consciousness is, how do you get it?
You get it the same way the early church got it: you pray for it.
Ask God to give you power to speak his word boldly. Ask Him to fill you with the Holy Spirit so you can be a bold and effective witness of the Lord Jesus. And He will do it. And you will feel it when you do it.
"But what if I'm not in a position to talk directly about Jesus?" you may ask.
Listen to Jesus' own words that he spoke to Pilate before he was crucified:
"For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.” John 18:37, emphasis mine.
The Apostle Paul said we were "predestined to be conformed to the likeness of Jesus." Jesus was born and came into the world for this purpose--to bear witness to the truth. Therefore, you were born again, and came into the world again, to bear witness to the truth. Jesus called the Holy Spirit "The Spirit of Truth." So even in situations where you can't talk directly about Jesus, you can bear witness to the truth. There is never a time or place where you can't tell the truth. And when you tell the truth, the Spirit of Truth will give you power to boldly and effectively do it.
If you want to be conscious of the Spirit's power as a witness, pray this with me:
God, I come to in the name of Jesus as a witness of the Lord Jesus. Please fill me with the Spirit that I may be a witness of the Lord Jesus with supernatural boldness and effectiveness, bearing witness to His resurrection and ascension, and bearing witness to the truth. Thank you for filling me with the Spirit.
Now leave the computer and go tell someone about Jesus, or go tell someone the truth. Let me know in the comments sections how it felt to experience the Spirit's power.
Acts 4:29-31 GWT, emphasis mine.
How does it feel to be conscious of the Spirit's power in your life?
It feels like two things:
- Boldness
- Effectiveness.
SPIRIT POWER CONSCIOUSNESS IS BOLDNESS
When the Spirit fills you, when the power of God comes upon you, you will feel bold, fearless, and confident in your relationship with Jesus. You know that Jesus is the son of God as you read my words. Are you afraid to tell people this? You know that Jesus died for your sins and rose from the dead. You know His Spirit lives inside of you, as it is written, "The Spirit bears witness with our spirit that we are the children of God." You know that you feel like a child of God, and that you feel God's Spirit in you. Are you afraid to tell anyone this? When you are filled with the Spirit, you won't be afraid to tell people about Jesus in you, and you will do it effectively.
SPIRIT POWER CONSCIOUSNESS IS EFFECTIVENESS
I learned that effective communication is when the message you send is the message the listener receives. For example, my name is Olatunde. What is my name? Yes, it's Olatunde. That was effective communication. (It was also bold communication. I know my name, and I'm not afraid to tell you what it is.) In the same way, you know how you came to follow Jesus. You can tell that story boldly and effectively, and the Spirit's power will be in your words as you tell your story. You know how God has answered your prayers before. You can boldly and effectively tell people how God has answered your prayers.
Now that you know what Spirit power consciousness is, how do you get it?
You get it the same way the early church got it: you pray for it.
Ask God to give you power to speak his word boldly. Ask Him to fill you with the Holy Spirit so you can be a bold and effective witness of the Lord Jesus. And He will do it. And you will feel it when you do it.
You will feel God's power when you speak and act based upon God's purpose.
"But what if I'm not in a position to talk directly about Jesus?" you may ask.
Listen to Jesus' own words that he spoke to Pilate before he was crucified:
"For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.” John 18:37, emphasis mine.
The Apostle Paul said we were "predestined to be conformed to the likeness of Jesus." Jesus was born and came into the world for this purpose--to bear witness to the truth. Therefore, you were born again, and came into the world again, to bear witness to the truth. Jesus called the Holy Spirit "The Spirit of Truth." So even in situations where you can't talk directly about Jesus, you can bear witness to the truth. There is never a time or place where you can't tell the truth. And when you tell the truth, the Spirit of Truth will give you power to boldly and effectively do it.
If you want to be conscious of the Spirit's power as a witness, pray this with me:
God, I come to in the name of Jesus as a witness of the Lord Jesus. Please fill me with the Spirit that I may be a witness of the Lord Jesus with supernatural boldness and effectiveness, bearing witness to His resurrection and ascension, and bearing witness to the truth. Thank you for filling me with the Spirit.
Now leave the computer and go tell someone about Jesus, or go tell someone the truth. Let me know in the comments sections how it felt to experience the Spirit's power.
Monday, January 25, 2016
The truth about what you are (Part 2)
Do you remember what happened with Mary, the mother of Jesus?
The angel Gabriel came to her and gave her this message, "You will give birth to the son of God."
Mary asked, "How can this happen? It is physically impossible because I have never had sex with a man?"
Gabriel told her that the Holy Spirit would come upon her, and by His power the son of God would be placed in her womb.
What could Mary do at this point?
She couldn't bring it about by her own efforts.
She could either accept what Gabriel said, or reject it.
Mary accepted the word of God. She yielded her body to the will of God, and Jesus was born, in her and from her.
"I am the Lord's servant," Mary answered. "May your word to me be fulfilled." Then the angel left her. Luke 1:38
The same is true for you and me as Christians.
God promises us that if we accept Jesus, we will be reborn, and the Spirit of Jesus will be in us, filling us just as Jesus filled Mary.
We can't bring this about by our efforts any more than Mary could.
But we can accept Jesus and His Spirit, yielding our bodies to God just as Mary did.
When we do this, we are reborn by the word, will, and Spirit of God.
After this, we thank God, and we do what children naturally do when they are born.
If you are born again, a child of God, you naturally want to cling to God just as you naturally wanted to cling to your mother and father when you were a child.
What is making you read my words? Where does your interest in the knowledge and likeness of God come from? If you were not born again, you wouldn't want to read my words or think these thoughts. Keep doing what you're doing right now. Keep seeking God. Keep being who you are and what you are: a child of God. Know that when people see you, they are in fact seeing Jesus.
Say to God what Mary said to Him:
"Lord, I am your servant. May your word to me be fulfilled"
The angel Gabriel came to her and gave her this message, "You will give birth to the son of God."
Mary asked, "How can this happen? It is physically impossible because I have never had sex with a man?"
Gabriel told her that the Holy Spirit would come upon her, and by His power the son of God would be placed in her womb.
What could Mary do at this point?
She couldn't bring it about by her own efforts.
She could either accept what Gabriel said, or reject it.
Mary accepted the word of God. She yielded her body to the will of God, and Jesus was born, in her and from her.
"I am the Lord's servant," Mary answered. "May your word to me be fulfilled." Then the angel left her. Luke 1:38
The same is true for you and me as Christians.
God promises us that if we accept Jesus, we will be reborn, and the Spirit of Jesus will be in us, filling us just as Jesus filled Mary.
We can't bring this about by our efforts any more than Mary could.
But we can accept Jesus and His Spirit, yielding our bodies to God just as Mary did.
When we do this, we are reborn by the word, will, and Spirit of God.
After this, we thank God, and we do what children naturally do when they are born.
If you are born again, a child of God, you naturally want to cling to God just as you naturally wanted to cling to your mother and father when you were a child.
What is making you read my words? Where does your interest in the knowledge and likeness of God come from? If you were not born again, you wouldn't want to read my words or think these thoughts. Keep doing what you're doing right now. Keep seeking God. Keep being who you are and what you are: a child of God. Know that when people see you, they are in fact seeing Jesus.
Say to God what Mary said to Him:
"Lord, I am your servant. May your word to me be fulfilled"
The truth about what you are (Part 1)
"You see, the Lord Jesus is not only the truth about God, he is the truth about man. He was the truth about God because he was the truth about man--because...man was (supposed) to be the truth about God." Major Ian W. Thomas
To see Jesus is to see God. But to see Adam before he sinned would also have been to see God. In fact, before Adam sinned, every man and woman would have been a picture of God, a portrait of what God is like. He wanted each man and woman to be the earth creatures that look and act like him. Because of this, the very definition of sin is for the creature to not be like the creator. But Jesus came so we could all be reborn, so we all could look and act like God. In the same way that Jesus could say, "If you have seen me, you have seen the father," we should be able to confidently say, "If you have seen us, you have seen the Lord Jesus." The Lord said, "As the Father sent me, so I send you." We are now in this world as Jesus was when He was here.
How do we experience this?
The same way Jesus did.
Click here for part 2.
To see Jesus is to see God. But to see Adam before he sinned would also have been to see God. In fact, before Adam sinned, every man and woman would have been a picture of God, a portrait of what God is like. He wanted each man and woman to be the earth creatures that look and act like him. Because of this, the very definition of sin is for the creature to not be like the creator. But Jesus came so we could all be reborn, so we all could look and act like God. In the same way that Jesus could say, "If you have seen me, you have seen the father," we should be able to confidently say, "If you have seen us, you have seen the Lord Jesus." The Lord said, "As the Father sent me, so I send you." We are now in this world as Jesus was when He was here.
How do we experience this?
The same way Jesus did.
Click here for part 2.
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