all about perspective

3:23pm EST, Sunday, November 27, 2011. On that day, and at that time, I had a thought that I never expected, and would have never thought would ever, under any circumstances (with the exception of being chased), ever think. This thought was: "I need to go running."

This may seem silly, but it's true! I have always detested physical exercise, and always thought it would be something that I would never do faithfully. Whenever I have done any exercising in the past outside of working, it has always been grudgingly and with a firm, unwavering negative disposition.

About two months ago, my roommate and I began a workout program. At first, I had the same perspective that I always had, along with a secret hope that my roommate would flake out on our plans so I wouldn't be responsible for not continuing faithfully (I'm so thankful that didn't happen!). However, after I decided to look to the Word about this, I began to think about how me being faithful to our running plan is a great metaphor in the five senses of me faithfully and freely running to serve spiritually, and that I was applying the principle of making my body an effective vehicle for moving the word. With this new perspective, the running itself got easier (it felt as though a weight had been lifted), and the time spent was more and more enjoyable. Now, I look forward to our morning runs!

 God's perspective is higher than ours. 


Isaiah 55:9

For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.

When I chose to look to God's perspective rather than my own, not only were our runs easier, but they became more fun. This applies to more than just physical exercise. When we live life with love, God says that His commandments are not grievous.


I John 5:3

For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous. 

We do our best and live with love, and God helps us out. Life is exciting!!!!!!!!!!

Faithfulness

As born again believers, we all have the same measure of faith as a part of our "holy spirit package." That measure at faith is by grace, not by works. However, the measure of our faithfulness is dictated by our works.

How is our faithfulness measured? It is measured by our words and deeds. Now, is this our others perceive us? Let's look at this example of Jesus talking about being faithful to pray.

Matthew 6:1-6

Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven. Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth: That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly. And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.

If Jesus was teaching to be faithful to pray when we're alone, do others' opinion dictate how faithful we are? NO!!!!!!!!!!!!! It's all about the heart


Luke 16:10, 13-15

He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much...No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. And the Pharisees also, who were covetous, heard all these things: and they derided him.And he said unto them, Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God.

God blesses us for being faithful.

Psalm 31:23

O love the LORD, all ye his saints: for the LORD preserveth the faithful, and plentifully rewardeth the proud doer.

Being Watchful/Protecting Ourselves

Proverbs 4:23

Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.

The word "keep" here means to guard or protect with watchfulness. We are to guard our hearts because that's where our lives are! From what are we to keep our hearts?

Let's look at the context:
Pro 4:14-19, 24-27

Enter not into the path of the wicked, and go not in the way of evil men. Avoid it, pass not by it, turn from it, and pass away. For they sleep not, except they have done mischief; and their sleep is taken away, unless they cause some to fall. For they eat the bread of wickedness, and drink the wine of violence. But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day. The way of the wicked is as darkness: they know not at what they stumble... Put away from thee a froward mouth, and perverse lips put far from thee. Let thine eyes look right on, and let thine eyelids look straight before thee. Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established. Turn not to the right hand nor to the left: remove thy foot from evil. 

We guard our hearts from wicked ones and evil. We are in a spiritual competition instead of the spiritual war of the old testament, but we still see this principle in the church epistles and books that pertain to the church of grace.

I Thessalonians 5:21-23

Prove all things; hold fast that which is good. Abstain from all appearance of evil. And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

I Peter 5:8

Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:

 Now that we know from what we are to keep our hearts, but now, with what do we keep our hearts?
Proverbs 4:1-13, 20-22

Hear, ye children, the instruction of a father, and attend to know understanding. For I give you good doctrine, forsake ye not my law. For I was my father's son, tender and only beloved in the sight of my mother. He taught me also, and said unto me, Let thine heart retain my words: keep my commandments, and live. Get wisdom, get understanding: forget it not; neither decline from the words of my mouth. Forsake her not, and she shall preserve thee: love her, and she shall keep thee. Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding. Exalt her, and she shall promote thee: she shall bring thee to honour, when thou dost embrace her. She shall give to thine head an ornament of grace: a crown of glory shall she deliver to thee. Hear, O my son, and receive my sayings; and the years of thy life shall be many. I have taught thee in the way of wisdom; I have led thee in right paths. When thou goest, thy steps shall not be straitened; and when thou runnest, thou shalt not stumble. Take fast hold of instruction; let her not go: keep her; for she is thy life....My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings. Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart. For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh. 

Proverbs 5:1

 My son, attend unto my wisdom, and bow thine ear to my understanding:

Phillippians 4:6-7

Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

God's peace reigns and our hearts are kept with WORDly wisdom. We put on the word diligently and apply it, and that's how we keep our hearts. What is that word, "diligence?" It means (from dictionary.com) "constant and earnest effort to accomplish what is undertaken; persistant exertion of body or mind. proper attention or care."

See the emphasis that God puts on wisdom? Wisdom is knowledge applied. When we learn what the Word says, we have knowledge. When we apply it, we have wisdom. That wisdom is what keeps our hearts and lives. The Word is practical! The best knowledge to turn into wisdom is the Word for our time in the seven church epistles! Do it diligently!

be especially good/iron sharpening iron

This morning (er...that morning, it's been a while) my roommate and I went running and were pleased to see the police academy students at the track. In particular, this morning I started paying close attention to how they treated one another. I was amazed to see how they worked together and pushed one another to succeed and grow. At one point, I saw one of the men pushing himself beyond what was simply asked of him in order to help and push one of his classmates. This man was running nearly twice as hard as he needed to! As I watched, I was so inspired and touched by this simple act that exemplified many of the qualities that we in God's household exhibit as we walk faithfully with the Love of God.

Galatians 6:10

As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.

Philippians 2:4

Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.

Just like those students, we can help each other get stronger and go further. Strength builds strength within the household and within families and within any group of people. Proverbs 27:17

Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.

In the household especially, we give to one another and serve one another to build each other up and add to the strength of the body of Christ. These verses are within the context of Jesus Christ talking with his disciples and answering their question of who among them would be the greatest. Matthew 23:11-12

But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant.  And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted.

We don't vaunt ourselves up or focus on ourselves when others have needs. When we live life on the give, God gives back to us, and the household is stronger! We get bless and so do those around us! There is no downside to giving.

I often joke about how my roommate kicks my butt when we're exercising, but I've always been thankful for it ( a fact that I tell her often). We are members in particular, and God gave us specific functions in the body to serve, yes, but He also gave us those functions to help raise each other up and to add to the body's overall strength.

Ephesians 4:7-8, 12-15

 But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ. Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men... For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:

We function for the perfecting or maturing of the saints! We have no reason to ever not grow as we stay in the household and in fellowship with the Father because we can push ourselves and each other.
THAT'S SO COOL!

faith/believing

Hebrews 11:1,3,6

Now faith is the substance [proof] of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.---Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.---But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

The word "faith" in these verses is better translated "believing." God puts so much focus on believing in His Word! Believing must be important. What is believing though? Let's look into this a little bit.

The Greek word used here for faith/believing is the word pistis. In Bullinger's Lexicon, the definition given is, "firm persuasion on, the conviction which is based upon hearing, not upon sight or knowledge; a firmly relying confidence in what we hear from God and His Word. (believing)."

When we look at the root word for this word, pitho, we see that its definition is, "to persuade, win by words, influence, to speak with winning words...to be persuaded or convinced...to yield assent to, trust him, obey him, to have assurance concerning, to confide or trust to."

Knowing the definitions of these two words according to biblical usage can bring such clarity and light to this subject. Pistis is being fully persuaded on what we hear. On what are we to be fully persuaded? We get great results when we get fully persuaded on the truths in God's Word. On the other hand, we also hear things from the world. It's up to you and me to decide what we choose to "believe."

Once we are fully persuaded on something that we hear, we act on it. If I hear that a man is handing out $100 bills on the corner of my street, and I choose to believe the person that told me, I'm going to go down to the corner of my street for some free money! It's the same with what we "hear" from God's Word! We can get so fully persuaded on promises from The Word that we act on it and claim the blessings!

More noble than those

Acts 17:11

These were more noble than those [unbelieving Judeans] in Thessalonica, in that they received the Word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.

These wonderful, noble believers were esteemed because they legitimately received the word and they took the time to consider it and make it their own. They took the time to learn and grow. They didn't passively take it in or let it go in one ear and out the other. Their focus and love for God and His Word are inspiring examples for us to follow today. God doesn't desire for His people to be passive with the study of His Word.

II Timothy 2:15

Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of truth.

 The word "study" in this verse is to expend diligent effort with the brevity of time in mind. It is to make the most of your time in God's Word. For most people, the time that they spend in God's Word is the only time of day that they get to devote solely to spending time with God. Reading the Word for enjoyment is a wonderful and beautiful thing, but in order to really get blessed by it, we need to be thinking about it and mentally digesting it.

Jeremiah said, "thy words were found and I did eat them, and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of my heart." The word "REjoicing" means to joy again. He continued to think about those words. We can rejoice in the words of the Father as we continue to consider, think about, analyze, and seek to understand deeply what we read and study. To simply spend time looking at the words will do nothing (or at least next to nothing) for our lives. It's when we make it our own and retain it with conviction! 

we are spiritual athletes

In the old testament, the people who stood for God fought literal battles for Him (vivid illustrations of this can be found in Exodus, Joshua, Judges, First and Second Samuel, First and Second Kings, First and Second Chronicles, Nehemiah, etc.). For instance, the following is a word of praise that the Isrealites sang to God after being delivered form Pharaoh and his men:

Exo 15:1-3  Then sang Moses and the children of Israel this song unto the LORD, and spake, saying, I will sing unto the LORD, for he hath triumphed gloriously: the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea. The LORD is my strength and song, and he is become my salvation: he is my God, and I will prepare him an habitation; my father's God, and I will exalt him. The LORD is a man of war: the LORD is his name.

There are a lot of gruesome battles that were fought in the old testament because the competition for them had to be fought in the senses realm. In this day and time and administration, we are no longer limited to our 5 senses. We have ready access to our heavenly father's strength and resources. The competition in which we participate is not one of war but of athleticism.

Eph 6:10-12  Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

We no longer fight physical battles. We wrestle and compete in the arenas of our minds and hearts. The allegory of God's people being athletes is found in several places in the Church epistles.

1Co 9:24-27  Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain. And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible. I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air: But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway. 

2Co 10:2-6  But I beseech you, that I may not be bold when I am present with that confidence, wherewith I think to be bold against some, which think of us as if we walked according to the flesh. For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled.

 This morning, as is our custom, my roommate and I went to the high school track near our apartment to exercise. We are working to complete a running plan to build cardiac endurance and health. The workout to be completed today involved pushing myself to alternate between walking and jogging for a total of 2 miles (only a half mile to be walked). Twice in this particular workout, the goal was to jog at an even pace without stopping for a half mile. This may be easy for some, but it was definitely a test of my endurance and proved to be far more strenuous than anything I have done in recent years.

The workout finished with the second half-mile jog, and I was feeling tired. As we finished lap number 1 in this last stretch, the muscles in the back of my leg began to cramp. Shortly after we started lap number 2, the cramping was so bad that it felt as though someone was pulling apart my leg at the knee. My roommate had been encouraging me with phrases like, "you're doing great," "keep it up," and "just a little more." As she saw the pain in my face, she said that if I needed to, I could stop. The pain increased to the point that I couldn't keep going, so I paused. In that moment, she asked me if I wanted to keep going. My mind and body were both screaming "no!" However, I began to move anyway. I made the decision to prove God. I began to think about promises in God's Word like, "God has given me all of the things that I need, including the energy to be my best for Him," and "my body is subject to my mind, and my mind is subject to the Word." Before I knew it, I was beginning to jog again. I was telling myself things like, "There is no way that I'm going to stop competing in this life. There's no way that I am ever going to stop running to serve. God has given me everything that I need to succeed in every situation. etc."

As we rounded the last curve and only had the last straight-a-way to finish, I heard God's still, small voice tell me, "I have not only given you the energy that you need to finish this; I have given you the energy to sprint to the end." I was tired, but I made the decision to believe what He said and claim it. We crossed the line that began the last stretch that would be about 100 meters. Determined, I picked up speed and began to sprint. Before I knew it, I had left her behind and was crossing the finish line. Out of breath but proud and excited because of what God had just done for me, I slowed down and walked to the place that we had set our sweatshirts and where we would stretch. As my heart rate returned to normal, and I caught my breath, my roommate told me how proud of me she was. As soon as I was able to speak, I told her about the victory that I had just had as I claimed God's promise to me. We rejoiced together, and it was a wonderful start to our day.

God taught me this morning about the spiritual competition and how He is able and willing to help us endure and claim victory in the face of adversity. It was wonderful to have this reminder and phenomenally illustrated example directly for me of how we don't have to succumb or stop or faint in our minds to pressure. God both willing and able to help us and to teach us as we claim His promises. How Great! Our bodies our subject to our minds. As we keep our thoughts aligned with The Word, there is literally nothing good in this life that we cannot do!

I Thessalonians 2:4

I Thessalonians 2:4

But as we were allowed of God to be put in trust with the gospel [good news] even so we speak; not as pleasing men, but God, which trieth [proves] our hearts.

I was sitting in session 2 of our ministry's foundational class last night, and we went to this verse. It really blesses me whenever I see the notes that I have made either in my personal study time or from teachings. One particular note that I had written from my in-depth study of faith/believing a few months ago (more on that study later) was that the phrase "to be put in trust with" in English is the one word pisteuo in the Greek. This is interesting because the definition of that word is (from Bullinger's Lexicon), "be persuaded, rely upon, to trust, to the new testament concept of faith is (i) a fully convinced acknowledgment, (ii) a self surrendering fellowship, (iii) a fully assured and unswerving confidence." The root word of pisteuo is the word pitho which means (from the same source), "to be persuaded by winning words." God loved us so much that we have the amazing privilege to have and speak the good news of the gospel.

What is this good news? When we read the context we see clearly that this gospel is the teachings of the mystery, the revelation that Paul received of God. We see detailed especially in Thessalonians the mystery in regarding our hope, Christ's return, and that as born again believers we have eternal life (along with a lot of other wonderful things).

From what we know about this now, the verse could read:

But as we have the tremendous privilege from God [to be put in trust with the gospel (good news of the mystery, especially the hope)/to be able to get fully persuaded of the good news of the mystery to the point that we are fully assured and reliant upon it because we have been won by its winning words] even so we speak; not as pleasing men, but God, which trieth [proves] our hearts (because He is the searcher of hearts).

God works in you. Let Him!

Philippians 2:13

For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.

John 5:17,19-20

But Jesus answered them, My Father worketh hitherto, and I work. Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise. For the Father loveth the Son, and sheweth him all things that himself doeth: and he will shew him greater works than these, that ye may marvel.

Col 1:26-29

Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints: To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory: Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus: Whereunto I also labour, striving according to his working, which worketh in me mightily.

1Thessalonians 2:13 

For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe.

God clearly wants us to know that He both can and will work in us to accomplish His will. The only thing that can ever stop God from doing what He desires to do is our believing. God is such a gentleman that he limited himself. He gave us freedom of will. What God freely gives by grace He never takes away. We always have and always will have the freedom to choose what we want to do. This includes the ability to choose whether or not we are going to do His will.

God's will is perfect, so why would anyone ever not want to do His will? Well, as much as God desires to work within us, the adversary wants us to not let Him. The adversary will do whatever he can to pleasure or pressure us off of God's word, away from God and away from God's household. What do we do to keep this isolation from happening? Study God's Word, assimilate it into our lives, and live life on the give.


What does it mean "live life on the give?" I'm so glad you asked! It means to serve and give whenever you have the opportunity and means. We love people, and as long as we continue to love people, it is easy to give to them. Think of the last time that you gave something to someone or did something for someone simply with the intention to bless him or her. What was it? Was it blessing someone with food or a beverage that you purchased or made? Was it sending someone a text or message on facebook with encouraging words? Was it praying or speaking in tongues for someone? Was it manifesting in fellowship? Was it spending time with someone? These (and other simple things) are all ways that we live life on the give. Believe it or not, these are also some of the common ways that God can work in us! Sometimes it's as simple as giving someone a hug or even a smile! There have been times that God has worked in me to simply smile at someone or make them smile, and it turns that person's whole day right-side up!

Most of us have heard the saying, "God is in the little things." Clearly God is in the big things (ex: raising people from the dead, healing, other miracles, etc.), but I (and others too probably) often forget to look for God in the little things. He's that still small voice (I Kings 19:11-12), remember? It's a tremendous journey and walk with the Father to learn how he Works within us.

The gift of holy spirit within each of us is individually crafted and created by God to fit our unique bodies and souls. We can't expect God to work in us exactly the same way that He works in others. We can learn and grow in an understanding of where we fit within the body of Christ and how God works in us to will and to do of His good pleasure. The best (and only) way to do this is to serve and give within the household. As we do this, the household gets built up, our relationships get sweeter, and we rack up rewards in heaven. There is no downside!

God will work within you. You can choose to let Him!

We are righteous now!

Job 23:3-12, 15

Oh that I knew where I might find him! that I might come even to his seat! I would order my cause before him, and fill my mouth with arguments. I would know the words which he would answer me, and understand what he would say unto me. Will he plead against me with his great power? No; but he would put strength in me. There the righteous might dispute with him; so should I be delivered for ever from my judge. Behold, I go forward, but he is not there; and backward, but I cannot perceive him: On the left hand, where he doth work, but I cannot behold him: he hideth himself on the right hand, that I cannot see him: But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold. My foot hath held his steps, his way have I kept, and not declined. Neither have I gone back from the commandment of his lips; I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary food. --Therefore am I troubled at his presence: when I consider, I am afraid of him.

This believing man of the old testament was unable to stand before God righteous. We, in this day and time, have that sonship right! We can practice the presence of God and stand before him confidently and boldly with no sense of sin, guilt, or condemnation. God's son, Jesus Christ, is our mediator and makes intercession for us in this administration of grace. In Job, the prophecies and emphasis about Jesus is of him being a daysman (a respected person to whom people would go to settle disputes or arguments who would usually place responsibility on both parties involved but would be fair and wise in his judgements). This is a tremendous point of interest for us because the believers in the old testament could only look toward the hope of the messiah and a daysman what would exact judgement based on whether they were or were not just. We have already been justified, so Christ is simply our mediator. We are judged only with rewards! We can stand tall before God, knowing that we are just and righteous! How much stronger than Job can we stand today!

We can be inspired by the stand that Job took and claim who we are now! We can take on the whole armor of God  that we can withstand and stand in this evil day (Ephesians 6:10-17)! We have a great hope and a standing with God that can never be lost! WE ARE SONS/DAUGHTERS WITH POWER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

God's Word stands always!

I enjoy learning more about God's Word, and this morning at a local coffee shop, I was thinking about why that is. Is it because I believe it? Partially. Is it because I love God and desire to know His will for my life? Partially. Is it because I desire to have power in my life or abundance? Partially. The really reason that I love God's Word is because it works! Even when people don't know that the principles are in God's Word, they can see for a fact that the principles still work.

 A wonderfully vivid example of this is a "be careful what you wish for." For those of us who know the Word on this subject, we usually call it the "law of believing." Regardless of whether or not we back it up with scriptures like Mark 11:23-24 ("For verily I say unto you,, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his hear, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith. Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.") or Mark 9:23 ("Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.") the "law of believing" works! If I am fully persuaded of whatever I am saying, that thing will come to pass even if I'm not quoting scripture to myself. I'm sure that you can come up with more examples of this because the principles that God sets always work.

When we know this, how can we not act on God's Word? If I know that a nail will be driven into a board if I hit it with a hammer, I'm not going to simply stare at it expecting it to be driven into the board by the wind, and I'm not going to attempt to use a saw to drive in that nail. I am going to use the best tool for the job! The best tool to succeed in any situation in life is the applied Word of God coupled with believing. God's word is proven. God's Word stands. God never changes, and neither does his Word. It will never cease to work when we take a stand on it!

Psalm 119:89-91
For ever, O Lord, thy word is settled in heaven. Thy faithfulness is unto all generations: thou hast established the earth, and it abideth. They continue this day according to thine ordinances: for all are thy servants.

Psalm 119:111
Thy testimonies have I taken as an heritage for ever: for they are the rejoicing of my heart.

 Psalm 119:138
Thy testimonies that thou hast commanded are righteous and very faithful.

Psalm 119:160
Thy word is true from the beginning: and every one of thy righteous judgments endureth for ever.

God's word is always true! It can and should be proven!

Romans 12:2
And be not conformed to this world, but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

I Thessalonians 5:21
Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.

We can have the same heart displayed in Psalm 119 about doing the Word of God because we know that it will stand forever! It will always work as we are faithful to apply what we know. God doesn't hold us responsible to do the things that we don't know, but once we learn things from the Word, it is our responsibility and privilege to apply those things that we learn. We can assimilate God's will into our lives and act on it every day. What a privilege! How amazing! What fun!

Why I'm starting this blog

I Love God's Word!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I generally write a few teachings on various topics from the word every week while I'm studying it, and I decided that it would be a good way for me to give to publish them instead of just saving them to my computer or leaving them in my notebook. The reason that I write teachings while studying is that I get more out of my time if I do the research with a heart to teach (even if I'm only teaching myself). Enjoy!