This Is Holy, but That Is Not

The first principle of authentic Christian discipleship is that we must choose to look at and define any key words, concepts principles and ideas the way that God Himself looks at them and defines them in His Word.

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This Blog Will Discuss:

• To Be Holy means to be set apart or separated onto God  for a sacred purpose
• An outline of Ezekiel 22:24-31
• The Holy God of Heaven makes absolute distinctions
• Developing a whole testament perspective, not just an Old or New Testament perspective.
• What Wise Christians should glean from Ezekiel 22: 24-31
• Faithfulness Starts n the Little Things

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Ezekiel 22:24-31 "Son of man, say to her, 'You are a land that is not cleansed or rained on in the day of indignation.' "There is a conspiracy of her prophets in her midst like a roaring lion tearing the prey. They have devoured lives; they have taken treasure and precious things; they have made many widows in the midst of her. "Her priests have done violence to My law and have profaned My holy things; they have made no distinction between the holy and the profane, and they have not taught the difference between the unclean and the clean; and they hide their eyes from My sabbaths, and I am profaned among them. "Her princes within her are like wolves tearing the prey, by shedding blood and destroying lives in order to get dishonest gain. "Her prophets have smeared whitewash for them, seeing false visions and divining lies for them, saying, 'Thus says the Lord GOD,' when the LORD has not spoken. "The people of the land have practiced oppression and committed robbery, and they have wronged the poor and needy and have oppressed the sojourner without justice. "I searched for a man among them who would build up the wall and stand in the gap before Me for the land, so that I would not destroy it; but I found no one. "Thus I have poured out My indignation on them; I have consumed them with the fire of My wrath; their way I have brought upon their heads," declares the Lord GOD. (Ezekiel 22:24-31 NASB)

Guiding Principles

 

(just from the reading of the plain text, and breaking it down into its primary clauses)

Almighty God is indicting the priest of Three primary crimes

a)  They have done violence to the law of the Lord
b)  They have profaned my holy things
c) Causing people to offend and profane the LORD because they have failed to uphold His standards

According to God, how was this violence against this law perpetrated?

a)   Failure to make clear distinctions (in their case they failed to make any distinctions, let alone clear ones), concerning what is holy and common, or clean and what is unclean.
b)  They have disregarded my Sabbaths, so that I am profaned among them. This is actually causing God to be dishonored in the society (that is a real big deal).
c)  Government Officials Destroying lives, and shedding blood to obtain dishonest gain (This is greed of a very high magnitude), and the prophets of God excusing them for it, perhaps even helping leaders cover it up.
d)  The prophets seeing and declaring false visions, and divining lies for them.
e) As a result, the attitude of greed and the behavior of robbery has trickled down to the people. So they have oppressed the poor and needy, and they have extorted from travelers without facing justice, or being punished for it.
The LORD seeks a remedy and gives the people a chance to do right
The Lord sought for a man who should build up the wall and stand in the breach before God (a.k.a. be a real priest i.e. Moses in Exodus 32:1-6), on behalf of the land, so that God would not have to destroy it in his righteous justice. The biggest problem is that God found no such man. He found no real priest that would recognize the sin, called the people to genuine repentance, and intercede for the people so that God would not have to destroy them. Having found no real priest who would stand in the breach, God would bring the following judgment and punishment:
a)  the Lord poured out his indignation upon Them.
b) The Lord returned their way upon their own heads. In other words, their sin devoured that society, and they would be destroyed.

The Application to the Believer Today

1. As believers who follow God and Jesus Christ, the temptation is to say, well, we are exempt from these precepts and standards because that was Old Testament. Furthermore, some of us might say we are not priests or leaders in the church, so this doesn't apply to us. One could say that such an argument is very popular. One could say this is a very traditional way of thinking. What one cannot rightly say is that this philosophy which is taught as doctrine is true, because it is not true. It is a very comforting self-delusion which has been long accepted, but that does not make it true in the eyes of the Almighty, and His Son Jesus Christ who is the Truth. What's more, I can prove what I'm saying using primarily New Testament sources:
a). Do you agree that Ezekiel was a prophet of Almighty God? Do you agree that the Bible is Scripture? If you agree to those two things then you cannot ignore Ezekiel on the basis of

2 Timothy 3:16-17 All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 (NASB)

Folks, last time I checked 2 Timothy was written in the New Testament. I'm just sayin'.

Romans 15:4 For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. Romans 15:4 (NASB)

b. God does not change. (Numbers 23:19; 1 Samuel 15:29; Hebrews 13:8). The words, commands and principles that Almighty God declared in the Hebrew Scriptures will still be true in the Fulfillment Scriptures. In God's economy there is virtually no division between the two. In fact Messiah openly declared that He not only came to fulfill God's law, but that greater standards of righteousness would be required from us (Matthew 5:17-20). Moreover, Messiah clearly stated that anyone who diminishes His standards would be called least in the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 5:19). This principle will remain in effect until our present heaven and earth are passed away, (Matthew 5:18). So you can see how critical it is that we interpret the Scriptures correctly, using the whole text of Scripture as our guideline and not negating anything that God has caused to be written as Holy Scripture. So to say that these precepts do not apply to us because they are in the Old Testament is first to deny the very words of Jesus Christ. It requires that we deny the direct teaching of the apostles. Moreover, it is then to take the risk of becoming the least in the kingdom of heaven. So, if you want to continue to take that risk, that is your choice, but I do not recommend it and I earnestly recommend making a different and wiser choice. That's up to you.
2. We are members of God's priesthood. We are not exempt simply because we are not in the position of leadership in the church. I can say that because 1 Peter 2:9 says that believers are in fact, a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation. We are God's special people called out of darkness and into his marvelous light. So in fact we are a member of God's priesthood in light of the fact that we have received and accepted Jesus Christ. Therefore we cannot correctly say that Ezekiel 22:26-31, does not apply to us.
3. Failure to uphold God's true definitions and standards is an act of violence against God and His Law. Beloved, that is why I always say that the first principle of Christian discipleship is to always define every key word, every idea and every principle in the same way that God Himself defines it in His word. Something is a success when God says it is successful according to His measure of success. Something is only holy, when God says it is. It's only righteous when God says it is, and something is sin when God defines it as sin. My definitions MUST change to come into agreement with His. I've said it before, and it bears repeating again. Discipleship is about growing to agreement with God's opinion, not expecting God to adjust Himself or His standards to suit our own personal preferences. He is God, we are not. Even the failure to make clear distinctions between holy and unholy or clean and unclean as God defines those terms, then you are committing an act of violence against God, and you could be leading other people to profane the very God of Heaven. That is certainly not behavior worthy of a Christian. It is not behavior worthy of the priestly generation which is supposed to help people bridge the gap between themselves and God by upholding God's standards.
4. The Sabbath principle: From the traditional church perspective, it may be somewhat difficult to discern why the prophet brought in a discussion of the Sabbath at this particular point in his discourse, but looking at it from a Whole Testament perspective, the discussion makes sense. I encourage you to think about it for a moment. The whole discourse is about failing to recognize and make clear and proper distinctions between what God calls holy, and what is unholy or profane in His sight, right? What was the very first thing in all of creation which God set apart for Himself? Folks, it is a fact that the very first thing in all of creation that God sanctified, made Holy and set apart, sanctified and blessed for His unique purpose, was the seventh day Sabbath Genesis 2:3. So in effect, the prophet was going back to the very beginning. He was demonstrating that from the very beginning, God Himself made some clear distinctions, and we should do the same. Moreover, the prophet was also demonstrating that failure to make the distinctions which agree with God in the regular issues of daily life, will also lead to disrespecting God's standards in all other areas of life as well.
Let me be very clear on this, I strongly believe that believers in Jesus Christ are free to meet together for worship and fellowship throughout all seven days of the week if that is what they choose to do. I even believe that God would even bless the gathering, because wherever two or more of us are gathered in His Name, He is in our midst (Matthew 18:20). However, I emphatically state that no one may rightly call any of those other six days on which they choose to meet as the Sabbath . The weekly Sabbath of the Lord is still the Sabbath of the Lord, and it is still on the seventh day (from Friday sundown, to Saturday sundown) is still the Sabbath of the Lord. Jesus Christ was resurrected on the feast of first fruits which we know that year, fell on the first day of the week, which made Him the first among many brethren. However nowhere in Scripture does it record any change in the Holy Sabbath of the Lord. Please do not be deceived.

5. God and His standards must control my appetite and guide my choices. Let me give you an example. Let's say that I'm trying to make a decision about watching a TV show or going to a particular movie. How do I make the decision about what to choose? Well, what are some of God's requirements about how I am to live? Here is a clue. Please look at each of the different clauses as they are underlined below. This gives you an idea of how to evaluate your choices, and what ought to be our standards.

1 Peter 1:13-16 Therefore, prepare your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance, but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; because it is written, "YOU SHALL BE HOLY, FOR I AM HOLY." 1  (Peter 1:13-16 NASB)

a) Is it going to reaffirm and build up godly precepts in my mind, or is this movie going to spend 90 minutes of my life, mocking and rebelling against godly things, and trying to make me believe that it really doesn't matter whether I obey God or not? How you answer that question makes a difference, because faith comes by hearing (Romans 10:17; Psalms 1; Galatians 6:7-9)
b) Is this book, movie or TV show, portraying what God calls evil as being evil? Is it portraying what God calls good as being good? If it does this, then it could be worth while. However, if on the other hand my choice of entertainment treats the things that Almighty God would call good, and portrays it as being evil, or if it takes ideas concepts and behaviors that Almighty God would call wicked, but my entertainment portrays these things as though they were good, then God pronounces a woeful judgment against that type of thinking and behavior, (Isaiah 5:20-24). Folks, the people who know me understand that I enjoy fun as much as the next person. I have a terrific sense of humor and make a lot of people laugh. Nonetheless, I refuse to be entertained by things such as Harry Potter, Desperate Housewives and  The Office, just to name a few. Why? It's not because I'm a prude. It's not because I don't like having fun. I enjoy fun quite a bit. The problem is that all the genres; things like Harry Potter, Desperate Housewives and The Office among others; each of these treats ideas concepts and behaviors that Almighty God calls wicked, and these entertainments all treat ideas like sorcery and witchcraft, adultery and fornication and crude joking and it portrays each of these things as though they were good things. That's dangerous, and no person who wants to be Godly could take such a position. Things like sorcery and witchcraft, adultery and fornication, crude joking and lack of mouth control, they are not really funny.
No true Christian should have an appetite or be entertained by such things, because God does not find them fun or amusing. In fact, these things are so completely not funny, that's sorcery, adultery, fornication and lack of mouth control can and will lead someone to eternal hell,  if they don't radically turn away from those types of things (Matthew 12:36; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10; Galatians 5:19-21; Revelation 21:8). Why would anybody who has any regard for their immortal being willfully choose to train their appetites to find delight in those things which God says belong in hell? If hell is not where you're planning on spending eternity, then why ever would you be so foolish as to train your appetites to enjoy, to delight in and to be entertained by ideas, concepts, mindsets, attitudes and behaviors which Almighty God says belong in hell?
Some people reading this article might be tempted to ask, why are you choosing to talk about how we choose to be entertained? Aren't there more important things about the Christian life of faith and practice? Aren't these issues of fun and entertainment largely insignificant? Why are you making such a big deal about such things?
To all these questions I answer, you are absolutely right. On the surface these issues don't appear to be life-and-death issues. Really they are just about fun and games. In a way though, that is exactly what makes them so important. Here is why I say that. In one sense this issue is not life-and-death. Ultimately, I'm not going to die if I choose to abandon any of these entertainments altogether. However, in another sense, if it is so insignificant, then why not allow Almighty God and His Standards to direct my appetites and choices in my entertainments? If it is as insignificant as I claim it is, then letting God and Jesus Christ be Lord and Master over it should be easy for me, shouldn't it? However, if I find it hard to obey and glorify God in my entertainment choices, then maybe it's got a bigger hold on my life than I thought it did. In which case it becomes all the more important that I learn to surrender this area of my life to God God. Moreover, there is another principle at work. If I do not learn to make distinctions between holy and unholy, or between clean and unclean in the so called insignificant things of life (such as my entertainments), then I will not be able to be faithful in making those Godly distinctions in the much bigger issues of life. How do I know that? I know it because Jesus said so. As it is written:

Luke 16:10 "He who is faithful in a very little thing is faithful also in much; and he who is unrighteous in a very little thing is unrighteous also in much. (NASB)

In closing, we must learn to make clear distinctions between holy and unholy, clean and unclean, right and wrong. We must make these distinctions in a manner that is completely agreeable with God's Words and Precepts. Almighty God views the failure to do this as an act of violence against Him and His laws. Moreover, it is the failure to make these very clear distinctions between holy and unholy, clean and unclean, right and wrong which leads to an ineffectual congregation and moral decay in the society as a whole. God is looking for people who will elevate His Standards back into their proper place, and intercede before God onbehalf of those who are wayward. We should be pleading with God to restore those who are claiming to be His followers, so that a reverential respect to the Lord will permeate the land and he will save us from devastation (2 Chronicles 7:14). Let it be sweet Jesus.
Brother Michel Lankford

Do Everything to Stand

By brother Michel Lankford

The Second principle of authentic Christian discipleship is When God says something he means it. Believe Him and always take God seriously

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This Blog Will Discuss:

• Although many believers would prefer to think otherwise, the devil is real.
• The devil is crafty, and his plan for your destruction is also very real
• Scripture clearly tells us that not being ignorant of the devil schemes and devices, along with doing everything we can do to stand against is wicked plans and devices is clearly our responsibility.

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Peter 5:8-10 Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. But resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world. After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you. 1 Peter 5:8-10 (NASB)¹

Ephesians 6:10-13Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Ephesians 6:10-13 (NASB)

As a Christian who loves Almighty God and our Savior Jesus Christ, talking about the enemy is definitely not my favorite thing. Honestly, I'm a lover more than a fighter. I wish we could all hold hands sway a little to the right and a little to the left and sing cum-ba-Yah; and every demon devil would automatically run for the hills and never bother the Saints, but the fact is. The devil is real. The devil's plan for your destruction is real. I like peace as much if not more than the next guy. I fight only because I have to and my Shepherd's heart will not let me stand by and watch the sheep get devoured by wolves.
When I read articles from Barna Research Institute and Christianity today which plainly suggest that almost 2/3  60% of Christians do not believe the devil is real, that's a real problem.
If you don't believe the Bible, then at the very least learn from history. For decades from the 1920s to the 1950s high-ranking figures of the Mafia and organized crime together with the US Federal Government repeatedly publicly denied that the Mafia and organized crime even existed in the United States. The government denied that the Mafia and organized crime existed because they didn't know how to fight it, and some were even bought off and compromised by it. Organized crime had high-ranking front men and press agents denying that the Mafia even existed. They spent an enormous amount of time and money perpetrating a lie on the American public. Why? Because you will be less likely to resist what you refuse to admit exists. Both the devil and the Mafia understands that if you don't believe they're real you won't equip yourself to fight and you won't be able to resist them. Do not be deceived.
Do not be deceived by the devil's schemes (John 10:10; 2 Corinthians 2:11). The only way to successfully fight the devil's deception and confusion tactics is to make a concerted decision to believe that what God said is the truth.

We must also understand that the devil, the so-called 'god' of this age or of this sinful world desperately wants people not to recognize, or not to understand their very real need for the Savior (2 Corinthians 4:4).

• In order to understand and not be deceived by the enemy's schemes, it is very helpful to remember how the devil successfully tempted the first human beings that ever lived. The truth is that in many respects, the devil uses the exact same tactics against human beings today which he also used so long ago. That's because they still work much of the time. We find the biblical account of this in Genesis chapter 3:1-7):

○ We know that the serpent of Genesis 3:1 refers to the devil, because he is specifically identified as such (Revelation 16:13; 20:2).

○ Remember that God had given Adam and Eve a specific command in Genesis 2:16-17. They were allowed to eat of any tree in the garden of Eden that they wished, with the exception that they were not Permitted to eat from the tree that was in the middle of a garden also known as the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Genesis 2:16-17).

○  We know that the serpent was crafty, or sneaky and manipulative (Genesis 3:1).

○ The devil's 1st attack: Did God really say, ‘You can’t eat from any tree in the garden’?” (Genesis 3:1). The objective: Get people to doubt what God actually said, or get them to doubt their understanding of what God says: " Along with trying to get Eve to doubt what God said, there was a not so veiled attempt to cast some doubt in Eve's mind about God's character. The question was setting her up to wonder if God would be willing to let them starve.

○ The devil's 2nd attack: "But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die.   (Genesis 3:4 ESV) The Objective: Openly defy God's word, get people to doubt or discount the consequences of disobeying what God said, and in effect the devil challenges people to believe the devil instead of God.

○ The devil's 3rd attack: "For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”(Genesis 3:5 ESV). The Objective: Assault God's character in the eyes of God's people and God's followers. Get them to question and doubt what God's real motives and intentions are behind what God told them to do. In effect, the devil was planting doubt in Eve's mind about God's intentions. That way she would decide that God was no longer a reliable source for truth and information. The serpent was planting false ideas in Eve's mind such as; God doesn't really want the best things for you, God is trying to keep you under His thumb, God is trying to prevent you from reaching your highest potential. The only way that you can be protected from being under God's oppressive control is to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. So that way you will know good from evil. You will be like God, and He will not be able to trick you. Those were really the lies behind those three little words: "For God Knows..." Once Eve believed the lie that God did not really have her best intentions at heart, once she believed that God might be setting her up to fail, then getting her to disobey God after that was easy.

 

How Do We Defeat the Devil's Lies?

• The best way to defeat the devil’s lies is with the truth. Learn to Love truth. Learn to seek truth.  Learn to recognize truth. Learn to think truth. Learn to speak truth.  Learn to walk in truth, and to persevere in truth until you win. that's how you defeat the devil . see John 8:31-36)

• The big secret about truth is that the truth is not an idea. The truth is not a thought process. The truth is not a philosophy.  The truth is not some vague concept agreed upon by public opinion.  The truth is a Person. His name is Jesus of Nazareth; the Son and physical embodiment of YHWH Almighty God made flesh; the Messiah and Christ sent by God.  Quite simply, if it does not think, if it does not agree with, it does not speak, if it does not obey God, or behave, or Love like the biblical Jesus, then it isn't truth, no matter how good an accurate it might otherwise look. Please do not be deceived, (see John 14:6).

Until next time, May you grow in love and obedience to the truth and abide in Him until you are completely victorious.
Brother Michel Lankford

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1. All Scriptures which are designated (NASB) are taken from the New American Standard Bible copyright The Lockman Foundation 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
2.   All Scriptures which are designated (ESV) are taken from the The holy Bible, The English Standard Version copyright 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
All rights reserved

Our Choices Set our Courses

By Brother Michel Lankford

The Second principle of authentic Christian discipleship is When God says something He means it. Believe Him and always take God seriously

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This Blog Will Discuss:

• All of God's promises are true. This includes the promises and blessings as well as promises of judgment. 
• You should notice that the consequences of sin are always far more reaching then we expect.
• Our walk with God and our destination is a matter of our choices. We get to choose whether we want wisdom or idiocy.

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Many people neglect to remember this, but the very first promise which God made to humankind which was to be fulfilled, was a promise of punishment. You see, in Genesis 2:15 God gave an explicit command to the first human beings:

Genesis 2:15-17 Then the LORD God took the man and put him into the garden of Eden to cultivate it and keep it. The LORD God commanded the man, saying, "From any tree of the garden you may eat freely; but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die." (Genesis 2:15-17 NASB)¹

Galatians 6:7-8 Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. (Galatians 6:7-8 NASB)
English does a poor job of translating Genesis 2:15. In this case, the original languages is somewhat more precise, but I digress. Let's take a look more closely at the verse:
The Command: "From any tree of the garden you may eat freely; but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat."
The Promise: For in the day that you eat from it you will surely die."
Some Clarification: This is one of those verses where the word of God suffers in the English translation. On the surface it appears that God is saying that within the 24-hour period that Adam eats of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, he will die. A more precise rendering of what God said would be: "From the day that you eat of that tree, your death becomes a certainty." Not only is that language more precise, it is in fact more accurate to what actually occurred.
The fact is that in the next chapter (Genesis 3:1-5), Adam and Eve did exactly what the Almighty commanded them not to do. They obeyed the devil instead of God. Sin became part of the human genome ever since. Just as God promised, ever since that day, Adam's death did in fact become a certainty. Not only did Adam's death become a certainty from that day forward, but every human being which would descend from Adam and Eve would eventually suffer death because of their sins, (1 Corinthians 15:22; Romans 5:14-18). Tragically, death became such a certainty as part of the human experience that within a generation, Adam and Eve were the first parents to actually outlive one of their own children, when one of their sons Cain, murdered his own brother Abel, in cold blood. Not only was death now a certainty as a result of sin, but sin itself was escalating fast in the human tradition. It didn't take much time at all to go from listening to the devil, and letting our appetite rule, to being ruled by the one  who was a murderer from the beginning, (John 8:44). Adam lived a total of 930 years, but his death eventually came, just as God said it would.

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The bottom-line:

  When God says something, He means it. So ALWAYS take God Seriously. 

• Adam and Eve did not take God seriously. They obeyed the devil instead of God, and humanity has been paying the price ever since.

• God warned Cain to deal with his sinful character and to repent (Genesis 4:1-16). Cain did not take God seriously. He did not deal with his sinful character. Instead, he chose to murder his brother Abel, and if you examine the biblical record, Cain's family line suffered ever since.

• Sins had multiplied so greatly on the Earth, that God promised He would destroy the earth with a worldwide flood. He warned Noah about what he was going to do. God gave Noah instructions about what to do. Noah did in fact take God seriously (Genesis 6:1-22) he obeyed God, and it led to rescue and deliverance for him and his entire household (Hebrews 11:7).

• When God revealed Himself to Abraham, Abraham took God seriously (Genesis 12:1-4; Acts 7:2-4). God then established Israel as His people.

• When God revealed to Abraham that he was going to judge Sodom and Gomorrah, Abraham took God seriously. He interceded for the city of Sodom (Genesis 18:22-33), and God spared Abraham's nephew Lot who lived in Sodom at the time (Genesis 19:1-29). Now the angel of the Lord gave lots family explicit instructions not to look back upon the destruction of Sodom as they were fleeing away from it (Genesis 19:17). Lot's wife did not take God seriously (Genesis 19:26). She looked back, and was turned into a pillar of salt (Luke 17:32).

Are you sensing a theme yet? Those are just five examples from the first book of instruction (the Torah), but there are countless more throughout Scripture. The fact is that taking God seriously is the difference between salvation and damnation. Taking God seriously is the difference between deliverance and destruction, or between life and death. The reason we need to define everything the way that God does is so that we understand what His standards truly are. Once we define things the way that God defines them so that we understand what God's standards truly are, the next step is to take God and His standards seriously.
When God says something, please take Him seriously. He means it. God made promises to send a Savior by Virgin birth (the seed of the woman Genesis 3:15). He made that promise on the day that humankind first sinned, but the fulfillment was not seen until 33 A.D. This was thousands of years later, but God still fulfilled the promise that He made. When God makes a promise it is certain.

Things to Consider:

At the end of your life, where do you want to be? What  would you like Almighty God who is perfect love and who gave you your life to be able to say about you when you're done with his life?  Consider, are you purposely and intentionally cooperating with God to develop your character, so that you will make the choices which will allow God to be able to rightly say those good things about you which you would like to hear and receive from God at the end?  It is today's decisions that determine your course and destination.
Let me use a human illustration: Right now, the price of gasoline runs between $3.13 & $3.30 nationally. With prices that high most people are smart enough that they don't drive aimlessly through the countryside for hours endlessly. They decide where they want to go and they take the shortest route to their destination, because the price of gasoline is too dear to fritter it away aimlessly.
The thing that is so odd to me is that the human spirit and soul are worth infinitely more, and yet people tend to walk aimlessly through their lives for decades on end without considering their final destination. My challenge to you is to consider your ways.
Is it your goal to be a person that obtains true knowledge, understanding and wisdom? The only way to arrive There is by first obtaining holy, reverential, fearful respect for the Lord. In other words, the only way to become a person who truly knows anything at all is to fear the Lord and take Him seriously. For the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge (Proverbs 1:7; Proverbs 3:7).
On the other hand if your goal and aspiration in life is to become a foolish idiot, then simply refuse to take God seriously, and you will arrive at that destination in no time flat (Romans 1:18-32; Proverbs 12:15; 14:12; 16:25).
The good news is you get to decide where you want to end up at the end . you get to choose what road you will take, and God will allow you the grace to change course if you take a wrong turn; provided you care enough to check the roadmap and change course is necessary. Choose Life. is

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All Scriptures which are designated (NASB) are taken from the New American Standard Bible copyright The Lockman Foundation 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Understanding Biblical Concept of Sin

 

What is Sin?

By Brother Michel Lankford

The first principle of authentic Christian discipleship is that we must choose to look at and define any key words, concepts principles and ideas the way that God Himself looks at them and defines them in His Word.

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This Blog Will Discuss:

• Our definitions are the seeds of our legacies
• A visual representation of Righteousness versus Sin
• A review of key things to remember

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Jesus Christ said: “The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. So if the light within you is darkness—how deep is that darkness! (Matthew 6:22-23 HCSB)¹
The first principle of genuine Christian discipleship is that we must look at words concepts and ideas the way that God and Jesus Christ defines them. If the eyes (meaning our perceptions) are good, then our whole body will be good and full of light. Definitions matter because words mean things. Words create ideas and ideas inspire behaviors, and behaviors create habits and habits create character and character creates legacies for future generations. Words and ideas are the seeds of legacies, and legacies will either create prosperity or devastation for societies. What we believe matters, even in ways not yet imagined by humankind.
Remember, part of discipleship is developing a God centered mindset means to define all key words and principles the way that God defines them in His Word. It's not a success unless God says it is. Something is sin, when God and Jesus Christ says it is sin. Something is Righteous only when God calls it righteous. Discipleship is about growing to agreement with God's opinion, not expecting God to adjust Himself or His standards to suit our own personal preferences. He is God, we are not.
God pronounces woeful judgment on any society or people who try to redefine, adjust or undermine His standards concerning right and wrong:

Isaiah 5:20-24 Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; Who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; Who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes, And prudent in their own sight! Woe to men mighty at drinking wine, Woe to men valiant for mixing intoxicating drink, Who justify the wicked for a bribe, And take away justice from the righteous man! Therefore, as the fire devours the stubble, And the flame consumes the chaff, So their root will be as rottenness, And their blossom will ascend like dust; Because they have rejected the law of the LORD of hosts, And despised the word of the Holy One of Israel (Isaiah 5:20-24 NKJV)².

Even Jesus Christ the Son of God did not try to undermine or adjust God's standards or commands. He came to fulfill them (Matthew 5:17-20). That is why God honored Jesus, (Hebrews 1:9).

So the key point is that when we are facing important questions like what is a family? What is marriage? What is parenting? What is true love? Etc. etc. etc. We must always start the basis of our discussion with how does God and His word define any key terms. Since God is the Creator of all things, He designed life and relationships to work a certain way. It doesn't work well outside of God's design. So today, we are discussing the ideas of sin. The entire basis of our discussion will be how God defines these in the Scripture and how do we operate within His parameters. God be with you as you study His words, and implement them into your life.
 
This is Righteousness:
(Anything that HITS the mark of God's standards)

 

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How Does God Word Define Sin?

Using the original Greek New Testament language, the word for sin is “hamartia.” It is a Greek archery term meaning to miss the mark; meaning to miss the center or bull's-eye. Plainly speaking, anything that misses the mark of God's highest and best desires for our lives is sin. Note that Scripture makes no provision concerning how far we missed the mark. Any missing of Gods mark is sin, and the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23).
Since sin is to miss the bull's-eye mark of God's highest standards, then obviously, God does in fact have specific standards of right and wrong, true and false, light and darkness, or good and evil. After all, one cannot miss a bull's-eye mark if it does not exist. That is one of the biggest deceptions of the sinful world in our age. The sinful world desperately wants us to adopt a lie that there is no absolute right or wrong. The sinful world desperately wishes to deny that there is a God, that he has standards and that he will judge the living and the dead according to His standards. They desperately want to claim that there is no such thing as sin, so they falsely claim that there is no standard which can be missed. Scripture clearly calls such an attitude to be a deception:

1 John 1:5-9 This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:5-9 NKJV - Emphasis Added)

If we try to deny that God has specific standards, if we say there is no such thing as sin, then we deceive ourselves. If we acknowledge that God has standards, but then we convince ourselves that we do not miss those standards, then we are also deceiving ourselves at that point. In fact, if we deny that God has standards, or if we deny that we have missed God's standards, then we are not only deceiving ourselves, but in such a case, the truth is not even in such a person.
Many people are not completely so far gone as to foolishly outright deny that God has standards, but they will try to claim something to the effect that, "We cannot really know what God's ultimate standards are can we? So shouldn't it be left to each individual's personal interpretation? Doesn't each person have the God-given right to determine what is right for himself or herself? At first glance, that sounds reasonable. It looks open and liberating, but such a belief system is actually disastrous on society. Think about it. If each person's idea is absolutely right and no one can challenge it as being wrong, then ultimately what right do we have to arrest the thief or murderer who has convinced himself that he has good enough reasons for doing what he's doing? Under such a misbegotten conclusion, no one's life, well-being, property or liberty can even hope to be preserved.
In point of fact, God has answered the question, "Can't each individual person decide for himself what is right and wrong? Speaking in paraphrase, God's answer is, "No, they cannot each decide for themselves what is right and wrong because their moral compass is corrupted by sin and they would destroy themselves. Besides, people would completely lose their way and there would be no method of restoration for them." (Genesis 6:5; Jeremiah 17:9; Isaiah 5:21; Proverbs 26:12; Proverbs 14:12; 16:25; Proverbs 3:7).
Since we know that God has standards - there is a bull's-eye, and sin is missing the bull's-eye of God's highest standards, then the next progressively logical question is what does God's bull's-eye standard of excellence look like? How do I know what God's bull's-eye mark is and whether I'm hitting or missing it?
This is sin:
(Anything that MISSES the mark of God's standards)

It's not complicated. The Bible is very clear. Anything done outside of the bounds of love, faith, obedience to God's word, or anything done outside of purposefully and intentionally glorifying God, is sin. By the way, that is not merely my opinion it comes straight from the Scriptures:

 

Sin Is Missing the Mark of Love:

God's highest standard is a godly Love. Its characteristics are described in (1 Corinthians 13:4-8; Ephesians 4:32). We are to love God with our whole heart, soul, mind, and strength, and we are to love our neighbor as ourselves (Deuteronomy 6:5; Matthew 22:34-40; Matthew 7:12). Both the Old and New Testaments proclaim that loving God with our entire being and loving our neighbor as ourselves is God's highest law. So anything not done in godly love misses God's standard, and is therefore sin.

 

Sin Is Missing the Mark of Faith:

Faith is trusting God and taking Him at His word (Hebrews 11:1,6). That is why reading, listening to and obeying the Scriptures is so critical; because faith comes by hearing God's Word (Romans 10:17). Faith is one measure that God uses to decide whether a person is Righteous or not. (Habakkuk 2:4; Romans 1:17; Galatians 3:11). God's word directly says that whatever we do not do by faith is sin (Romans 14:23b). Therefore, failing to live by faith (which is firm conviction or persuasion in a manner agreeable to God's word) misses God's bull's-eye mark of excellence, and is therefore sin.

 

Sin Is Missing the Mark of Obedience to God:

If our love is genuine and your faith is growing, then obedience will surely follow (John 14:15,21). If I'm loving and trusting God as I should, then obedience is a natural outgrowth of my love and faith. It's a fact. Whenever I struggle with applying God's word in a particular area of my life (and we all will struggle), I try to find out where the breakdown is. Am I struggling with sincere love for God in this area? Am I having trouble here because I'm struggling with trusting God? Or am I struggling now because my own self-will and desire is too strong in this area of my life? Usually, once I resolve these questions, obeying God in whatever challenge I'm facing becomes much easier.
God cares more about our obedience than any sacrifice or ministry we can bring to Him (1 Samuel 15:22-23; Psalms 51:16-17). He cares more about our obedience than our church attendance, our tithing. Our obeying Him is more important than our serving or using our spiritual gifts. God desires people who obey Him from the heart, far more than He desires any other sacrifice. In fact, if you refuse or cannot obey what is written, then don't claim to have revelation knowledge of God. His own word would call you a liar (John 14:21).
Concerning this concept, I've heard many people approach God backwards. What I mean is they'll say something like, "If only God would reveal Himself to me more clearly, than I could obey Him better." That sounds good, except for the fact that it's completely wrong. Christ said, “He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will disclose Myself to him." (John 14:21 NASB)⁴
At first the idea that God only reveals Himself while we're obedient sounds unfair. After all we think to ourselves, how can we obey what we don't clearly understand? However, I believe that God established this concept for our protection. Think about it. The more we understand and know of God, the more accountable and responsible we are. If God were to reveal Himself to us before we determined in our heart that we wanted to obey Him, then we would be all the more condemned because we would be disobedient with full knowledge. By waiting until we determine in our hearts to be obedient before He reveals Himself, God ensures that our new revelation knowledge of Him will be a blessing, instead of a stumbling block.

 

Sin Is Missing the Mark of Purposely Glorifying God:

If we have the other three pillars of righteousness effectively working in our lives, the fourth one will come more naturally. That is that we are to live life purposefully with the goal of glorifying and honoring God. That means that we cannot live life passively. We must live life intentionally with the purpose of bringing honor to the one who made us (1 Corinthians 10:31; Colossians 3:17-23; James 2:12; John 5:19, 30;1 John 2:6).

The Conclusion: There is really no degree of sin. You either hit the mark of God's standards or you miss the mark. There really is no in between. Scripture tells us that when we sin violating one point of the law, we violate the whole law (James 2:10; 1 John 3:4). That is why when we truly look at God's fourfold standard of righteousness, no one can be counted as sinless. There is no human being that has ever lived except for Jesus Christ who ever successfully lived every moment of their lives entirely fulfilling all four of those standards perfectly for a lifetime. That's why it is written that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23).
Scripture is also very clear that the only solution to sin was the death that Christ died on the cross (Matthew 26:28; 1 Corinthians 15:3; Colossians 1:14). If our good works and our penances could effectively save us, Jesus would not have had to die. Christ died once for all to pay the penalty for our sins. (Romans 6:10; Leviticus 17:11; Hebrews 9:22; Colossians 1:1-17; 1 John 2:2, 4:10).

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Key Things to Remember:

1. Remember, how we look at things is critical. What we believe drives our choices and actions. Part of discipleship is developing a God centered mindset. We must define all key words and principles the way that God defines them in His Word. It's not a success unless God says it is. Something is sin, when God and Jesus Christ says it is sin. Something is Righteous only when God calls it righteous. (Matthew 6:22-23).
2. Remember that God defines sin as, "Missing the bull's-eye mark" of His highest standards and desires. Remember that there are no degrees of sin. One either hits the mark or they missed the mark of God's highest standards. People want to believe that there is no standard because they want to pretend that they will not be judged by God, but this is ultimately self-deceptive because we will be judged by God according to His standards, whether we like it or not (1 John 1:5-8; Hebrews 4:12-13; Matthew 12:36; Romans 14:12).
3. Remember, God pronounces woeful judgments on a society whenever it tries to adjust or tamper with His standards. That is dangerous (Isaiah 5:20-24). Remember, something is Sin when God says it is.
4. Remember, the reason that God does not allow each individual person to decide for himself or herself what is right or wrong is because our moral compass is corrupted by sin and we would destroy ourselves. Once we took a wrong turn there would be no way to bring us back into right standing with a Holy God (Romans 6:23; Romans 3:23 Genesis 6:5; Jeremiah 17:9; Isaiah 5:21; Proverbs 26:12; Proverbs 14:12; 16:25; Proverbs 3:7).
5. Remember that Biblically, God has a fourfold standard for righteousness: everything that we desire, everything that we pursue, everything that we say and all that we do must be done in love, in faith, in obedience to God and with the full purpose of honoring and glorifying God. By God's definition of the term, anything that falls short of these standards is sin. (1 Corinthians 13:4-8; Matthew 22:34-40; Matthew 7:12; Hebrews 11:1,6; Romans 1:17; Romans 14:23b; 1 Samuel 15:22-23; Psalms 51:16-17; John 14:21; John 15:14; 1 Corinthians 10:31; Colossians 3:17-23; 1 John 2:6).

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 Endnotes:
1. All Scriptures designated (HCSB) are taken from the Holman Christian Standard Bible,Nashville: Holman Bible Publishers, 2003.
2.  Scriptures designated (NKJV) are taken from: The New King James Version. Copyright 1979, 1980, 1982 by Thomas Nelson, used by permission. All rights reserved.
3. All clipart and visual representations for this article were downloaded from the Microsoft Office online clipart directory located: http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/images/  under the search criteria:  "target"
4.  All Scriptures which are designated (NASB) are taken from the New American Standard Bible copyright The Lockman Foundation 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Discipleship Mindset: Always Use God's Definition in Everything

By Brother Michel Lankford

The first principle of authentic Christian discipleship is that we must choose to look at and define any key words, concepts principles and ideas the way that God Himself looks at them and defines them in His Word.

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This Blog Will Discuss:

• The need to develop a discipleship mindset
• Why We Cannot Lean on Our Own Understanding
• Practical steps to developing a discipleship mindset (Including: Letting God, and not the world define our terms and concepts for us.
• What you put in You will harvest

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If we are honest, most people will agree that biblical discipleship is something that is sorely lacking in modern-day Christendom. Almighty God willing, this particular blog will publish articles between two and five times a week. With God's help, every single article in this blog will focus entirely and exclusively on the vital issues of Biblical discipleship. This blog will focus on useful and practical strategies to help people walk successfully with the Creator Almighty God, and His Son Jesus of Nazareth, the Christ, the Savior.
One of the main topics whose various aspects we will periodically address will be how to develop a discipleship mindset. What is a discipleship mindset? The label is exactly what it implies. A discipleship mindset is developing a way of thinking that will help us to walk successfully as a follower of God and Jesus Christ His Son.
Remember that we discussed what is the definition of a disciple, and most particularly what is a disciple of Almighty God and His Son Jesus Christ? Remember that a disciple is one who believes God and Jesus Christ, one who obediently follows God and Jesus Christ, and one who spreads the teachings and principles of God and Jesus Christ to others by their words and by their way of life. So, if you are believing God and Jesus Christ, if you are obediently following God and Jesus Christ, and if you are spreading the teachings of God and Jesus Christ by your words and way of life, then by definition, you are growing and succeeding as a disciple. If this is not happening on a regular basis, then you are either not growing, or you are not genuinely a disciple of Jesus Christ. It is that simple.
Obviously, one cannot successfully believe God and Jesus Christ, and one cannot develop a lifestyle of obeying God and Jesus Christ successfully, without first having a mindset that agrees with God and Jesus Christ.
Beloved, that is not merely my personal opinion. It is God's opinion according to His Word. As it is written:

Amos 3:3 Can two walk together, unless they are agreed? (Amos 3:3 NKJV)

The answer is obviously no, two cannot walk together successfully unless they have agreed. So we cannot really walk with God until we allow God to change our heart and mind so that we agree with God.

 

 

Do Not Rely or Lean upon Human Understanding

God's word further illustrated the point when He said that there is a way that seems right to human beings, but the end result of those things that appear to be right in our own minds is death or destruction. So critical is this idea, that The Creator made the exact same statement twice in His word (Proverbs 14:12; Proverbs 16:25). The way that seems most naturally correct in the eyes of human beings, will ultimately lead to our destruction. This is why God explicitly told us NOT to rely, not to depend, or not to lean upon our own human understanding. As it is written:

Proverbs 3:5-8 Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths. Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the LORD and depart from evil. It will be health to your flesh, And strength to your bones.  (Proverbs 3:5-8 NKJV)
Proverbs 26:12  Do you see a man wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him. Proverbs 26:12 (NKJV)

The apostle Paul, who witnessed the resurrected Jesus Christ and Messiah, also bears witness to the same principle that we cannot rely on mere human judgment to arrive at the truth, and especially we dare not rely on the collective human judgment of a sinful world that is hostile to God. As it is written:

Romans 8:5-8 For those who live according to the flesh (referring to the sinful nature) set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity (a hostile enemy) against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God. (Romans 8:5-8 NKJV - emphasis added)

This is why the apostle Paul clearly stated that if we are going to succeed at walking with God, we must allow The Almighty to transform our thinking so that we agree with Him. As it is written:

Romans 12:1-2 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. (Romans 12:1-2 NKJV)

The simple truth is that if we do not allow Almighty God to change our minds and our thinking so that it agrees with Him, then we will continue to think according to our sinful nature, we will continue to make choices that are hostile against God, and we will destroy ourselves. There simply is no other reasonable choice except to allow the Almighty God to change our minds, and our thinking, so that we agree with Him, and so that we can walk in His blessing and protection.

How Do I Develop a Discipleship Mindset?

So we know now that we cannot walk with God unless we first agree with God. From God's word, we know that natural sinful human thinking, logic, and understanding is hostile against God, so the person who thinks according to their sinful nature can never please God. We also know from Scripture that if we choose to hold on to our sinful human logic and understanding, we will think and do according to what seems right in our own eyes, and that will eventually destroy us.
To avoid this disaster of epic proportions, We must allow the Holy Spirit to transform and direct our minds so that we agree with Almighty God. God used the apostle Paul to write to believers explicit instructions:
1.  We are to remember God's mercy (Romans 12:1 a). Almighty God was faithful to us in sending Jesus Christ. Almighty God also faithfully provides for us everything else we need for life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3). Keeping these crucial things in mind, it's only right that we should present our bodies to God as a living sacrifice of love and praise, (Romans 12:1 b). In light of God's loving faithfulness, presenting our bodies to Him as a living sacrifice of love and praise is the only right and decent response. Since part of our bodies includes our mind, we need to present our mind and our thinking to God as a living sacrifice as well. As a result of God's character such as His love and faithfulness, we can trust Him to direct our minds and our thinking in the most blessed course, providing we make the choice to present our mind in our thinking to Him in the first place, whenever we are trying to learn or decide something.

2.   Make the choice not to be conformed to the thinking patterns of your sinful nature or the sinful world (Romans 12:2 a). Ultimately God will do the transforming work in your mind, but we must make a decision to present our bodies (including our mind and thinking) to God for Him to change us into what agrees with Him. Ultimately God does the changing of our mind, but it is we who make the decision to present our mind and bodies to God for Him to change us. At a minimum, we must choose , to point our mind in God's general direction.
Based on everything that you've read in this article so far, you might agree that it would be a lot easier to live and walk with God if my thinking and attitudes agree with God. So, how do we do that? How do we really point our minds in God's direction, so that He can transform our mind to agree with Him, and so that we can be that living sacrifice of praise to God that we wish to be?

• Recognize and acknowledge the areas where there is a problem. Beloved, like it or not we no longer live in the garden of Eden before the fall. We live in a sinful world. We have knowledge of good and evil. We have a sinful nature. We live in a sinful world that is hostile against God. We must fight against our own sinful inclinations as well as resisting the influences in the world. Very often, we allow our own thinking and attitudes to be influenced by these things much more then we should. One of the very first sins performed in the garden of Eden after disobeying God, was shifting blame. As the old saying goes, "After they sinned, Adam blamed God and blamed Eve. Eve blamed the serpent, and the serpent had no leg to stand on." Yes, it is true that my culture, my upbringing and my circumstances have influenced my thinking, but my own choices have also aggravated the problems I have in my thinking. Each of us has to own up to that. So how do I know when I'm having trouble in my thinking? Truthfully, anywhere you are having a problem believing the word of God, believing the Holy Spirit of God, or obeying God's direction, then you probably have some kind of stronghold in your mind that must be overcome. Whenever you find that you are struggling to obey the written word or the Spirit of God, then part of the struggle must be a stronghold in your mind somewhere. On the occasions when you encounter such resistance where you're struggling to believe and obey God, it is an indication that in that specific area, you still need to bring your mind under obedience to God and Jesus Christ.

• Always Let God Define Your Terms: One of the ways that the world infiltrates the thinking of the would-be disciple of Jesus Christ is in the realm of definitions. Think about it. We all know for example, that God's word requires us to be loving, right? Theoretically even the sinful culture agrees that people need to love each other more. So what the sinful world then tries to do is to simply change the definition of love,  for example. Over the past few decades global culture has managed to redefine love to mean absolute tolerance of every philosophy, every idea, and every behavior, except for the biblical worldview. In recent years, the mantra, "Tolerance is equal to love," has become the prevailing philosophy. Based on the Scriptures that we have already studied, the successful God follower cannot possibly accept every philosophy, every idea and every behavior is equally valid. Therefore, according to the prevailing philosophy of the world, Christians are not tolerant, therefore they are not loving, and therefore it is okay to revile and reject them because they are intolerant and therefore unloving.  What then happens in many cases is that the believer or the Christian’s objective is to love.  He or she naturally does not want to be viewed as being unloving by the very people that they are trying to reach for Christ, so the natural temptation than is to adapt to accommodate  the sinful world's definition of love in order to appear more loving, so that they have a better chance of being heard when they try to share the message of Christ. In order to seem more loving (according to the new definition of that term by the sinful world), we do not address issues of sin and repentance, judgment and condemnation, the consequences of ungodly behavior, or the need to pursue holiness before The Holy Almighty God, because such issues would make us look intolerant and therefore unloving in the very eyes of the people whom we are trying to reach for Christ. Unfortunately what we have done often without realizing it is to allow the sinful ungodly world to define the standards of righteousness for God's people.  The problem with accommodating the sinful world view,  is the accommodation and appeasement of sin never stops. the sinful world view continually pushes the church to accept more and more  wickedness in order to appear more tolerant.  The result is that the church becomes less and less godly every year. God is the Creator of all things, He knows how it's supposed to function. The way we defeat a lie, is with the truth.  So, what is the truth about the situation?

•   First, God IS Love  (1 John 4:8).  That means that everything which God thinks, everything God desires, everything Almighty God says, and everything God does is motivated and powered  by the truest representation of love.  According to His Word, God gave a very detailed description of true love (1 Corinthians 13:4-8).

• Second, True love requires intolerance  of certain things: Does God's definition of the word love actually  require that I tolerate every philosophy, every idea, and every behavior, in order to show love?  Absolutely not!  In fact, Scripture requires that I do exactly the opposite of what the sinful world considers love.  As it is written: "It [meaning love] does not rejoice in [meaning it does not endorse , celebrate or support iniquity, sin or unrighteousness (1 Corinthians 13:6)

•  Remember,  “Garbage in,  garbage out"  Finally,  one of the most crucial things that a believer who wishes to develop a discipleship mindset can do is to be very careful  about what he or she puts in  their mind in the first place. It is a lot easier to keep one's living room neat and tidy if they do not choose to allow wild horses to trample through it in the first place.  Developing a godly mindset requires that I be very selective about what I choose to put into my mind on a regular basis.  prayerfully consider your conversations.  Does what you choose to talk about most often support or hinder your growth in Christ? The same question could be asked about what you choose to read,  what you choose to listen to on the radio, what you choose to watch on television or movies etc.  Please do not be deceived. the things that we choose to put into our being through our five senses will have great impact on our ability to believe and obey God. As it is written:

  Galatians 6:7-8 Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life. Galatians 6:7-8 (NKJV)

 

Always consider what you want to harvest before you plant the seeds in your mind

God be with you

Michel Lankford

1. Scriptures designated (NKJV) are taken from: The New King James Version. Copyright 1979, 1980, 1982 by Thomas Nelson, used by permission. All rights reserved.

How Can I Understand God's Word Better?

By Brother Michel Lankford
I got this question from a beloved brother and friend in Christ the other day. He sent it to my Facebook mailbox. Wow, do I love that question! It's one of the best questions of all time, because it opens the door to learning a skill that will serve one well, both in this life and in the next.
Those of us who have felt that yearning in our hearts to know, love and to obey the Creator better have all felt that same yearning. All of us who want to be successful disciples of Almighty God and Jesus Christ have all asked the question, "How can I know that I'm understanding God's word correctly? If I already have a background in Bible study, how can I improve in this most worthwhile endeavor? Since getting into God's word and doing God's word regularly is the most vital part of discipleship, this blog will often feature various Bible study methods and how to implement them into our lives in practical ways

Eat Less, but Digest it More:

This advice may sound strange coming from a passionately devoted minister of the gospel, but I offer this advice to students nonetheless. I honestly do not recommend going through the entire Scriptures in a single year. I wholeheartedly recommend going through the entire Scriptures methodically, but I recommend a three-year, or even a four year cycle. The idea is to eat less of the Scriptures at one sitting, but to really digest more of the Scriptures on which you are feasting.
You see, up-and-coming disciples often forget that although the written word of God is very powerful and life-changing, it is not a matter of how much of the Scriptures that we know which transforms our lives. What transforms our lives is how much of the Scriptures we are able to digest, believe and practice correctly. In my experience it's very hard to digest the Scriptures well if you try to wolf down as much as you possibly can at one sitting. It's better to eat less at one time, but dine on the Scriptures more often. It's better to read less of the Scriptures, but become faithful to doing every day, then it is to try to do so much that you get overwhelmed and skip it for a week, then feel guilty and try to wolf down a bunch more which you find overwhelming. It's better to read less, but do it more steadily and faithfully.
Beloved, there are 37,103 verses of Scripture in the Holy Bible. Using the four year cycle, that is about 25 verses of Scripture per day. On a three-year cycle, it works out to about 35 or 36 verses of Scripture per day.  On a three year cycle, this works out to one or two chapters per day. Beloved, that is plenty if your goal is to meditate, pray through, and make appropriate action plans to correctly apply what you are reading.

Bible Study: The Basic Questions Method:

The scriptural basis for this Bible study method is taken from a principle taught by Jesus Christ:

John 14:21 "He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will disclose Myself to him." (John 14:21 NASB)

John 8:31-32 So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, "If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free." John 8:31-32 (NASB)

The Keystone of this particular Bible study method is to make sure that one focuses particularly on the specific commands and imperatives found within a passage, and prayerfully seeks God's guidance on how to obey those commands. This is critical because God ONLY reveals Himself to those who choose to obey Him. So if someone claims to have a revelation, knowledge, and understanding of God and Jesus Christ, but they refuse to comply with Christ's expressed written commands, such a one is either deceiving himself or outright lying. God only reveals Himself to those who have made the decision and are choosing to comply with the commands of His Son. Do not be deceived.
Remember, it is Not merely knowing the Scriptures that changes our lives, it's obeying them correctly that transforms us into triumphant overcoming disciples and children of Almighty God through Jesus Christ.

 

Implementing the Basic Questions Method:

1. Ask Almighty God the Father to prepare your heart and mind to receive his word. Ask God to give you understanding, leading and direction by the Holy Spirit as you study.
2. After asking God to give you the Holy Spirit's help and direction In Understanding His Word, read your Scripture portion. I recommend between one paragraph to one chapter (usually no more at one sitting). That may sound unusual doesn't it? The reason that I make that suggestion is because the point of reading the Scriptures is Not merely to wolf down as much of them as you can, but to really digest them.
3. As you are reading your Scripture portion, please identify the following key questions within whatever Scripture portion you're reading

• Are there any specific stated COMMANDS in what I am reading?

• Are there any PROMISES in the Scriptures I'm reading? Almost every promise in the Bible has what I call the "IF Clause," meaning that there is usually something which the growing believer must either agree to or obey before he or she can receive the benefits of the scriptural promise. If there are promises of God in my Scripture portion, what are their any specified CONDITIONS to receiving the promise?

• Are there any GUIDING PRINCIPLES in the Scripture that I am reading? A guiding principle in Scripture is any passage that you can use as an example, but it wouldn't qualify as a direct command of the Lord. For example, Proverbs 15:1 gives the general guidance: "A gentle answer turns away wrath." Now that is a good principle to keep in mind about how to respond to someone when I'm upset? It's not a direct command, like you shall not steal, but it's still good counsel.

• Does the passage I am reading bring any QUESTIONS to my mind?

• Does the passage I am reading cause me to feel that I need to PRAY about something? For example, you might be reading Proverbs 15:1 and feel convicted that you have a problem with your temper. Take the time to pray about it as soon as you can.

• Make ACTION PLANS to obey the commands that you found in the passages you are reading. In most cases the Sabbath, or your days off are a good time to review the Scriptures you've been reading and examine your life next to the commands that you've been studying in Scripture to see if you are obeying the commands and observing the conditions to receive the promises. John 14:21 specifically says that God only reveals and makes itself manifest to those who obey His commands. So I find it when we need a better revelation and understanding from God, we need to first make sure that we are obeying what we already know to do, and then God will give us more. Write down the references to the verses you are studying, the commands, the promises, the conditions, the guiding principles, the questions, and the action plans in a journal or diary and keep track of your progress.

Try this for a while and see how it works. Let me know. This is a process that I often use myself. Although, for me this procedure is almost automatic where I can identify it quickly and don't write it out as often. However when I hit a dry spell, I go back to logging it in a journal so that I can get back on track. I hope this helps you. May Almighty God bless you as you abide in his word.

Brother Michel Lankford

What Is Discipleship?

What Is Discipleship?

By Brother R. Michel Lankford

 
A basic dictionary definition of the word disciple is; one, who believes, one who follows or obeys, and one who spreads the teachings of another by their words and lifestyle. Therefore, a Christian disciple would be one who believes, one who follows and one who spreads the teachings of Jesus Christ by their words and actions to others.

 

One Who Believes...

In matters of faith, believing is incredibly important. You see, both in the Old and New Testament, we see that God uses faith as the standard to decide whether someone is righteous or not. As it is written: Look at the proud! Their spirit is not right in them, but the righteous live by their faith. (Habakkuk 2:4)
 Abraham for example "believed God, and God credited him as being righteous" (See Genesis 15). So important is the idea of believing God, that the absence of faith is considered sin. (See Romans 14:23)
At this point, you might be saying "I see some weaknesses in my faith." I want to believe, but I struggle." "What do I do when I struggle with doubt or need stronger faith?"The answer is to pray. Talk to God about your doubt. Be sincere and ask him to write or inscribe faith in your heart.
Hebrews 12:1-2 Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. (NKJV)
Notice if you will that the passage calls Jesus "the author of our faith." Think about it. When an author decides to write on a page does he right on a page that's already full, or does he start writing on an empty page? Of course, he starts writing on an empty page. So it doesn't matter today if you feel like you have no faith at all. Just ask Jesus the author of our faith to write some on your heart. Since God loves righteousness, and he uses faith as the measure of righteousness, he will not deny you when you ask for faith to believe and obey him.


Growing in our faith is by far one of the most important works of the Christian life. It can also be one of the most neglected because it is unseen and intangible. Therefore, deliberate effort must be made to grow in faith. People once came to Jesus asking him, "What must we do to perform the works of God?" Jesus answered them, "This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom He has sent." (See John 6:28-29 NRSV)
There have been endless books pamphlets and teachings on how to build stronger faith, but when one boils at all down, there is only one way to build faith.
 First: You must ask for it. Admit to God where your faith is weak and ask the author of faith to write faith on your heart. Matthew 7:7-8"Ask, and it will be given you; search, and you will find; knock and the door will be opened for you. For everyone who asks receives, and everyone who searches finds, and for everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. Is there anyone among you who, if your child asks for bread, will give a stone?
 Second: You must expose yourself to God's word often. So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.(Romans 10:17 NASB) There is an old saying that says, "garbage in, garbage out." That old saying reflects an understanding that whatever I put in my mind through my five senses will affect how I think and believe. So, whatever I spend my time looking at, whatever I spend my time listening to, whatever I spend my time doing with my hands will affect what I think about, how I believe and then how I behave. A true Christian disciple has the desire to and practices putting things in his heart that will strengthen and enhance his faith. That's why we need to be selective about what we put into our eyes and ears. Faith comes by hearing. If I want strong faith, what I spend my time listening to must be reflective of God's love and character.
 Tip: If you want to get more out of your Bible reading time, here is a neat trick. When you read the Bible in your own private time, make a point to do a couple of things. Read it out loud and follow along with your finger. It may seem babyish, but it's not. Think about it you are putting three of your five senses to work in your Bible reading time. You're hearing the word which produces faith. You are forced to slow down when you read out loud and follow it with your finger, so your sense of sight has to focus more on the word of God. When you read the word out loud your tongue is being used. When you follow along with your finger you are also bringing your sense of touch. So at least three of your five senses are being used to focus on God's word as you read. I can't think of a better use of one's senses.

One Who Follows...  Believing God is only part of the story. If we truly believe God we will adjust our lives to come closer and closer with what God desires. God wants us to have faith that motivates us to obedience. He loves obedience more than he wants your church attendance, your money, or anything else. God loves obedience more than sacrifice (1 Samuel 15:22-23; Proverbs 21:3). Many people approach God backwards. They think to themselves "If God would just reveal Himself more to me, and then I would obey him." God's kingdom doesn't work like that. In fact it's just the opposite. God says, "if you would just obey Me, I would reveal myself to you more."

 John 14:21 (Jesus Said) "He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will disclose Myself to him." (NASB)
So, if we want to understand God and his principles better, we have to make a decision to become obedient first.
Initially the idea that we have to determine in our hearts to obey before God reveals Himself, might seem unfair. However, God really set it up that way for our own protection. You see, once God reveals part of His character or principles to us, we enter into more severe judgment if we disregard it. God is eager to reveal Himself, His principles, His desires and ways to us. However, the more we know, the more responsible we are to apply the truth we learned into our lives. So if we have not predetermined to obey what God reveals, we risk entering into greater judgment. A living example of this is just like good parents do with beloved children, the more aware and capable they are, the more is expected of them.
 Please, allow me to demonstrate the concept from my own experiences with God. After I first accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior, I started becoming more and more opened to God's love. I wanted to obey and please God my Heavenly Father. I started getting hungry to learn every biblical and godly concept I could. After a short time, I started noticing that I wasn't learning new and exciting things as quickly as I had been before. That disturbed me. So, I started talking to God about it in prayer. He spoke to my heart and thoughts saying, "Start doing and practicing what you already know to do and I will give you more." I remember feeling strong emotions of love and concern from God, no harshness as He spoke in this case. It literally felt like a parent saying to the little one who is always asking for more, "Eat what you have first." Amazingly, a short time later I read the following passages in some of my daily Bible times:
 Luke 12:47-48 And that servant who knew his master's will, and did not prepare himself or do according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. But he who did not know, yet committed things deserving of stripes, shall be beaten with few. For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required; and to whom much has been committed, of him they will ask the more. (NKJV)
Luke 16:10 "He who is faithful in a very little thing is faithful also in much; and he who is unrighteous in a very little thing is unrighteous also in much (NASB).
When I read those passages, God brought my mind back to our earlier prayer conversation. Those Scriptures served as a confirmation to me that what I had heard in prayer was really from God and not just my own imagination because it completely matched and agreed with biblical principles and concepts.
If you genuinely wish to evaluate whether or not you are truly following Jesus Christ, I invite you to consider this. Whenever you make a decision in the course of your life, no matter whether you are deciding what college to attend, which job or career to pursue, or even where to go out to eat or go shopping, or what you choose to watch on TV or movies, do you invite Jesus Christ to take part in those discussions with you and your family? Do you allow His Words and Precepts to direct you in making those types of choices?
Now, there are times when I have asked God about something and He might impress on my heart that I could make the choice, or sometimes He would give me a choice between two or three things, and other times He would direct me specifically into what He wanted me to choose. All this may sound a little bit radical, but the simple truth of the matter is that if I don't let Jesus influence and direct those decisions, then in reality I'm still trying to be my own Lord and Master

One Who Spreads the Teachings of Christ to others...

There is a spiritual law that is as true in the spiritual realms as the law of gravity is in our physical realm. The best way to increase your spiritual wealth is to give it away. Anything we try to keep for ourselves, ends up being lost. Simply put, in the heavenly economy you become richer by what you give away, than by that which you struggle to retain for yourself. Jesus said, "Freely you have received, freely give." Matthew 10:8b
If we have truly received the Love of Jesus, we will have the desire to share it with others. Jesus also said, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Matthew 28:18-20 (NASB)
Jesus further said,  "For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when He comes in His glory, and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels. Luke 9:26 (NASB)

But even if you should suffer for the sake of righteousness, you are blessed. AND DO NOT FEAR THEIR INTIMIDATION, AND DO NOT BE TROUBLED, but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence; 1 Peter 3:14-15 (NASB)

The Bottom Line


If you want to know whether or not you are truly growing as a disciple of Jesus Christ, you must remember to periodically review some key questions:


Am I Believing God and Jesus Christ? Am I making my decisions and choices based on trusting and believing Him and His Word?
Am I Obeying/Following God and Jesus Christ? When I need to make a decision, do I seek His leading and direction? Do I base my decisions in a manner that agrees with God's Word and Principles? In those cases are God and Jesus Christ truly being allowed to be Lord over me.
Or, do I look only for Scripture verses that seem to agree with what I have already wanted or decided to do? Or do I predominantly ignore Scripture altogether and make my decisions based on what seems good to me? In such cases, I'm still trying to be Lord and Master over my own life.
Am I Spreading the Teachings of Christ to Others? This particular component is not primarily for new disciples. As a rule, you cannot really give away what you yourself do not fully possess. So it takes a little bit of time in obeying and practicing the Scriptures before you can pass on what you have learned and experienced to other people. Nonetheless, there does come a time when we are called to pass on what God has taught us as we have obeyed Him with other people. Remember, we are richer by what we give away than what we keep for ourselves. Once we have practiced obeying a biblical principle for a while, the time will come when we will have to share the Word and experience we gained through our walk, with other younger believers. We pass on what we have learned by words and by examples.


Almighty God, Lord Jesus Christ, Blessed Lord Holy Spirit; have mercy upon us. Graciously transform us into Your true disciples. Grant that we will daily grow in loving You, in believing You, in obeying You, and in faithfully sharing Your Word, precepts, and principles with others by through our words and lifestyle, so that you will be glorified and the body of Christ will be thoroughly equipped to overcome the world by Your Grace. Amen.

Developing a Successful Disciple's Mindset

By Brother Michel Lankford

　

Beloved, I'm a relatively new kid on the block. I've only been a child of God for 22 years and in ministry 20 years, but in that brief time, Abba Almighty God has taught me some very invaluable things. Yeshua says, "Freely you have received, freely give." Part of what I believe that YHWH Almighty God is directing me to do with this blog is to share with you some of the key things I've learned, and the things that I wish someone would have sat down and lovingly shared with me when I was first trying to grow up in Him. For the most part this blog and its teachings will focus on one thing and one thing only:

This blog is only and always about practical, down-to-earth, every day teaching about how to develop the mindset, the attitudes, the behaviors, and habits that will help believers in YHWH and Jesus Christ to become authentic, overcoming, victorious disciples of Jesus Christ

. One of the first things that we have to learn is that there is absolutely a difference (both in theory and in practice) between a mere believer in Jesus Christ, and an authentic, overcoming victorious disciple of Jesus Christ.

The Believer: In this context, to be a believer means that a person has come to believe that Jesus of Nazareth described in the Gospels of the New Testament is in fact the Messiah and Christ promised and sent by Almighty God. The believer believes that Jesus Christ is the Son of God

Matthew 16:16). The believer believes that Jesus Christ lived a life without sin in total obedience to God's law, and even though He was tempted as we are tempted, He did Not sin, (Hebrews 4:15). The believer believes that Jesus Christ the Son of the living God died a single time on the cross to become the substitutionary and atoning sacrifice for each of our own personal sins (Isaiah 53:1-12; 1 Timothy 1:15 1 John 1:8-10; 2:1-2; 1 John 4:10). The believer believes that Almighty God resurrected His Son Jesus Christ on the third day (Matthew 27:32-28:10. That is the definition of what it means to believe the gospel and to be saved (1 Corinthians 15:1-5). By definition, that is what it means to be a believer.

Here's a question. Is being a typical believer enough? The answer is both yes and no at the same time. You see, it depends on what you have had the opportunity to do after you have believed. Here's what I mean. Let's say that a person hears the gospel on a typical Sabbath study, or Sunday morning worship service. They believe the things they heard and they asked God and Jesus Christ to save them because they believed what they heard (Romans 10:9-10,13).

For the sake of example let's say that this poor person got into a terrible accident and got killed on the way home. I believe biblically such a person would escape the flames of hell and enter heaven, just as the thief on the cross did when he believed on the day that he died Luke 23:39-43). Now these people had no more opportunities to grow in their faith or to overcome their weaknesses after believing and confessing Christ. They had done what they legitimately could do. They believed and confessed, because they had no opportunity to do any more. For them this was enough.

 

On the other hand, let us say that the thief survived. Let us say that God miraculously gave the thief a new chance at life. Let's say that after his miraculous deliverance, the thief continued to think like a thief, to believe like a thief, to desire covet and crave like a thief, and then to steal and behave like a thief. Would this man who made a confession of faith in Christ still inherit the kingdom of God? The answer is no! Such a one would be confessing Christ, while retaining the sinner's mindset. That is dagerous James 1:5-8)

1 John 1:6-7 If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth; but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin. (1 John 1:6-7 NASB; cf. 1 John 2:6; John 15:1-6; 2 Peter 1:3-11). If the thief has the opportunity to repent and grow in the grace of God,but he chooses to remain in his sinful attitude, mindset, and practices, then he could still be condemned. One cannot successfully walk with God, while retaining such a mindset (Amos 3:3). Please do not be deceived.

 

Some people try to approach God with the attitude and mindset that says, how much of my own attitudes, desires mindset and behaviors can I retain for myself, but still go to heaven? In other words, some people approach God with the attitude that says, what is the very minimum I can surrender to God in order to escape hell and get to heaven? Sometimes that attitude is very subtle and we can't see it. All of us are susceptible to it and must guard against it. That attitude is very dangerous. In such a case, this kind of believer is still trying to be their own Lord and Master while claiming to be a follower of Christ. Sometimes they can approach Bible study like a lawyer looking for loopholes which will give them permission to do exactly what they want to do, while they still claim to be obedient to God's word. Again that's dangerous. If we are not vigilant and cautious, we can all fall into that attitude, which sets us up to fail as overcomers. We must guard against it.

The Authentic Overcoming Victorious Disciple of Jesus Christ:

In the context of the definitions we are using, the overcoming victorious disciple in Jesus Christ starts out the very same way that the average believer begins. The victorious disciple started out being a sinner who needs a Savior just like every believer does. He heard the gospel just like the average believer does. He believed and confessed Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior, exactly like the average believer does, but for the overcoming victorious disciple, that is where the similarity ends. For the average believer escaping hell I'm going to heaven is enough, but the Authentic overcoming victorious disciple of Jesus Christ wants God to change them until their heart, their character, their desires, their mindset, their attitudes, their choices, words and deeds matches YHWH God's and Jesus Christ's. The overcoming disciple is hungry for God to continually make that change. They accept that there growth is a process, but they keep pushing for their growth and development until their character changes to agree with Christ's. They are not content to settle for less. They are not content to start a marathon, they want to finish, and hopefully finish very well. It would grieve them not to finish the race. That is the frame of mind I wish to instill in every one of you from the very outset. Here is the mindset that I recommend that an up-and-coming disciple should take when he or she is about to study God's Word:

The desire and passion of my life is that God with His Son Jesus Christ and by the working of His Holy Spirit would transform me from my most inward part to my most outward and visible part until my every desire, passion, thought, attitude, motive, word and action is completely transformed with His Love and Righteousness until I am a total delight to God's heart and a glorious representation of His Son.

I long to authentically abide in God , Jesus Christ, and His word. I long to authentically know the Truth, and for the Truth to set me free. That is what makes a person a genuine disciple who is truly free through Jesus Christ (John 8:31-32). I long to be set free from everything that could hinder the statements above from becoming the living reality in me.

I long to authentically walk in the more abundant life that Jesus Christ came to give us. If that is your goal, then join me in studying in applying God's word together.

If that is Not your goal, chances are you'll find things in this Bible study hard or impossible to swallow. I approach Bible study with the following axioms as my guides, and I invite you to do the same.

I believe that Almighty God created the heavens and the earth and everything in them by speaking His Word (

Genesis 1:1-3, 31). Therefore, I believe that God said what He meant and means what He says. I believe that all Scripture (Old Testament and New Testament) is God breathed, anointed and appointed by God.

 

I believe that it is all completely sufficient for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the people of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work (see

2 Timothy 3:16-17).

 

I believe that it is the refusal to rightly divide and obey God's word that is at the root cause of every human ill and character defect we will ever encounter.

I believe that when it is rightly divided and obediently applied in the context of being in right relationship with God and Jesus Christ, His Word is completely sufficient to give us true wisdom in every situation, guidance and comfort through every hardship, and victory in every battle. If you too believe these things, then you are ready to study.