What are the conditions for eternal salvation according to the Bible? The verses that come immediately to mind are Ephesians 2:8-9: “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.” Grace is another word for a free gift and faith means to trust or be firmly persuaded. So it involves a free gift and includes a trust in something or someone. In John 3:16, that someone is “His only begotten Son” a clear reference to Jesus Christ. When one trusts in Jesus Christ as “His only begotten Son”, he is ready to receive a free gift, a gift that cannot be received by human works. It is the gift of salvation in Ephesians 2:8, but this gift may also be referred to as eternal life (John 3:16). And what about the gift of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38)? This is an amazing gift!
In John 4, Jesus and His disciples were traveling to Galilee from Judea and He made a point to travel through Samaria, a route not normally traveled by a good Jew. This was intentional because He had a divine appointment with a Samaritan (Gentile) woman. In verse 10, Jesus spoke to her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.” Of course, Jesus was teaching her, a Gentile about salvation, how to receive eternal life (verse 14). He was teaching her that the elements of salvation were the recognition of the Giver, Who He is, and that He has a free gift for her.
Later in the conversation, she recognizes Him as a prophet (verse 19) and then in verses 25-26, Jesus confirms that He is the Messiah. How do we know she got saved? In verses 28-29, “So the woman left her waterpot, and went into the city and said to the men, ‘Come, see a man who told me all the things that I have done; this is not the Christ, is it?’“ She became the first missionary in the New Testament age. She accepted the free gift when she recognized the Giver.
The simplicity of the Gospel
This is the simplicity of the Gospel. Saul of Tarsus was on his way to Damascus as an esteemed Pharisee when something profound took place. He tells the story this way in Acts 26:14-16, “And when we had all fallen to the ground, I heard a voice saying to me in the Hebrew dialect, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’ And I said, ‘Who are You, Lord?’ And the Lord said, ‘I am Jesus whom you are persecuting. But get up and stand on your feet; for this purpose I have appeared to you, to appoint you a minister and a witness not only to the things which you have seen, but also to the things in which I will appear to you.” In that moment Saul came to realize that Jesus of Nazareth was the Messiah and he was being promoted into his gift. The manifestation of that gift in soon-to-be Paul’s life was the incredible ministry that God was calling him to, that he would be the Apostle to the Gentiles.
There’s another example to consider here. It’s found in Acts 16 when Paul and Silas are imprisoned in a Philippian jail. The reasons why are not important to this conversation. God decided that Paul and Silas were no longer to remain in jail, so He sent an earthquake to shake the foundations of the prison house and the prison doors were opened. The jailer woke up to see this miraculous event and drew his sword to kill himself, believing that the magistrate would have him put to death since the prisoners were escaping. In verses 28-29, “But Paul cried out with a loud voice, saying, ‘Do not harm yourself, for we are all here!’ And he called for lights and rushed in, and trembling with fear he fell down before Paul and Silas”. His question to them is still sounding today: “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”
Their answer also rings true today: “Believe in [epi – on] the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.” This jailer and his whole household believed in Jesus as Lord and were gloriously saved. They acknowledged the Giver and received the gift of life, eternal life. It’s so simple yet so profound.
What a gift
There is so much more to the free gift. In Romans 5:15-17, “But the free gift is not like the transgression. For if by the transgression of the one the many died, much more did the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abound to the many. The gift is not like that which came through the one who sinned; for on the one hand the judgment arose from one transgression resulting in condemnation, but on the other hand the free gift arose from many transgressions resulting in justification. For if by the transgression of the one, death reigned through the one, much more those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.”
This gift is not only free, but much more, abounding to many. This gift solves the transgression problem and becomes the gift of righteousness, resulting in the believer “reigning in life through the One, Jesus Christ”. What a gift!
One of the most important words in the Old Testament Hebrew is “hesed”. While it is translated “mercy” in the King James, hesed may be better translated as “lovingkindness”. According to Spiros Zodhiates, a 20th century Greek scholar, hesed goes beyond mercy and encompasses more completely the idea of God’s loyalty to covenant obligations. “Because of His kindness, He meets the needs of His creation by delivering them from enemies and despair.” It was intended that the Israelites would not only receive it, but be ready to show it.
In Deuteronomy 7:9, “Know therefore that the Lord your God, He is God, the faithful God, who keeps His covenant and His lovingkindness to a thousandth generation with those who love Him and keep His commandments.” Hesed is the evidence of a God totally committed to His covenant with His people. Because God loves His people, He expresses that love in the form of kindness and not judgement (James 2:13). It also includes the sense of strength and steadfastness and is also translated “steadfast love”.
Psalm 136 may be the most complete statement of God’s hesed to His people. It has 26 verses and each one ends with the phrase, “for His lovingkindness is everlasting”. It is the story of God’s faithful expression of love toward His people from creation throughout all of their challenges. Verse 26 concludes the psalm with, “Give thanks to the God of heaven, for His lovingkindness is everlasting.” The reference to God as the God of heaven takes His hesed beyond the Israelites and to all His creation.
Hesed for Hagar and Ishmael
One great example of hesed is the way God treated Hagar and Ishmael in Genesis 21. Sarah was having great difficulty sharing her home with her Egyptian maid and her son borne to Abraham. As a result, she told her husband to, “Drive out this maid and her son, for the son of this maid shall not be an heir with my son Isaac” (v 10). Abraham was distressed by this because Ishmael was his son, but God told him to honor Sarah’s demands. So he took the two out to the wilderness, gave them bread and water and left them to their own care.
The account does not end there. In verses 15-21, the story continues. Once the water was used up, Hagar cried out to God for hesed toward her son. This initiated a conversation with an angel of God, who said to her, “What is the matter with you, Hagar? Do not fear, for God has heard the voice of the lad where he is. Arise, lift up the lad, and hold him by the hand, for I will make a great nation of him.” God demonstrated His hesed to them by first providing a well for water and then in verse 20, “God was with the lad and he grew.”
A Story to Illustrate Hesed
I once heard a story about a young expectant mother working in Israel who was afraid she might lose her job once she delivered her baby (this was before Israel had enacted laws regarding maternity leave.) This woman was the sole supporter of her family as her husband had recently lost his job. During an informal lunch gathering at work, the woman mentioned her predicament to her co-workers in earshot of the company’s owner, Mr. Fleisher. However, Mr. Fleisher showed no signs that he had heard anything.
Shortly afterward, the conversation shifted, and the employees began talking about where their families had come from and how they had arrived in Israel. Suddenly Mr. Fleisher showed interest as the young woman talked about her roots in Brooklyn. He wanted to know details about where she lived and her grandfather’s name—even what synagogue he had attended. The woman was taken aback but supplied all the information. Abruptly, Mr. Fleisher left the room and returned a few minutes later with red eyes.
Tearfully he explained to the young woman how his father, who had been an electrician, died leaving the family penniless. There was another, more successful Jewish electrician in the community, who had been friends with his father. Upon the loss of his colleague, this man filled the family’s bare cupboards for weeks. Then he spent a month going through the deceased man’s old supplies and selling them, giving every penny earned to the widow and her family. Mr. Fleisher explained that the man who had done all this kindness for his family was this woman’s grandfather. He concluded, “You will always have a job here, and I’ll give your husband one too.”
In Micah 6:8, “He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, to love kindness (hesed), and to walk humbly with your God?” The requirements of a great relationship with God are doing justice, that is bringing justice to others, love hesed which is to show lovingkindness, and be humble before God and man.
Count on God’s Hesed
“I have not hidden Your righteousness within my heart; I have spoken of Your faithfulness and Your salvation; I have not concealed Your lovingkindness and Your truth from the great congregation. You, O Lord, will not withhold Your compassion from me; Your lovingkindness and Your truth will continually preserve me. For evils beyond number have surrounded me; my iniquities have overtaken me, so that I am not able to see; they are more numerous than the hairs of my head, and my heart has failed me.” (Psalm 40:10-12)
Like King David, we can count on hesed since it is the nature of God. Paul spoke of it in Romans 2:4 when he challenged the Roman Christians not to think lightly of the riches of God’s kindness—His hesed—since it leads one to repentance. But it was their stubbornness and unrepentant heart that kept them from experiencing the riches of hesed.
No one likes pain. But some kind of discomfort is part of God’s purpose for His servants. The apostle Paul’s life teaches us five things we need to accept about being a chosen vessel.
The Bible is a mysterious book. We catch a glimpse of this mystery unfolding in Revelation 12:7, “And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels…”
Where did this war come from?
The Bible answers this question in Ezekiel 28:11-17, and offers a similar explanation in Isaiah 14:12-15. In summary, we see that God created Lucifer perfect until iniquity was found in him (Ezekiel 28:15). When his heart was lifted up because of his beauty (v 17), his ambition grew to the point of desiring to be like God (Isaiah 14:14) culminating in a war against God (Revelation 12:7). As a result, Lucifer (Satan) and his angels were cast down to the earth (v 9).
What does a war have to do with being a chosen vessel?
Having been cast to the earth, the Devil continues to fight, but his opposition is not leveled at God directly. He now directs his warfare against God’s people (v 17). He is the head of an army of fallen angels, whose ultimate mission is to hinder the work and will of God on earth.
Enter: You!
This is the context in which your calling is embedded – the Devil is at war and has a host that he commands, but God also has an army and He is enlisting soldiers. He is seeking labourers. There is a call for warriors!
Everything about being a chosen vessel is wrapped up in this truth (besides the fact that we were created for God’s pleasure, Revelation 4:11). There is a war between the kingdom of light and the kingdom of darkness. Nothing about being a chosen vessel is in a vacuum- it’s all related to this one cause.
You will never walk in your purpose as you should without acknowledging the reality of this war. Without keeping the cause in mind, every chosen vessel of God is susceptible to complacency.
The Call
Acts 9:1-16
So here comes God seeking vessels to use and what does He do? He meets us in our mess! What kind of a holy, Supreme Being comes to unclean people seeking to draft them into His holy army with a holy cause?!
Well, without meaning to sound disrespectful to God, I have to say it: God actually doesn’t have any choice! You see, I can’t tell God that I’m too sinful for Him to use, then direct Him to yonder hills to find someone else over there who is more worthy.
If He goes to yonder hills, He’s still going to find someone else’s mess!
We all start off in sin and God knows it. (Please note I said start off!)
Never use your situation to tell God He can’t use you.
The apostle Paul is a clear example of this predicament because he was once a mess! In Acts 7:58, we see him consenting to the unjust stoning of Stephen. In Acts 9:1, we see him turning up the heat on Christians with threatenings and slaughter. In Acts 9:13, we see the disciple Ananias hesitant to encounter Paul even after his conversion, because he had heard of the evil he had done to the saints at Jerusalem. In 1 Timothy 1:15, Paul calls himself a chief of sinners. (Did I mention he was a mess?)
But where did the Lord meet him? Right on the road to Damascus with a letter in hand against the Lord! Wow! What an unabashed call! God was not afraid to step into the pathway of a sinner and pull him off it. Jesus introduced Himself to Paul while he was an enemy of the faith, and called him to be an ambassador of that same faith.
That’s the nature of the call: God takes us out of the kingdom of darkness, drafts us into His kingdom of light, then uses us to fight against that kingdom out of which He took us. Awesome!
But even after getting saved, God’s call will still come to us when we are not ready!
I was told that I was going to marry a minister when I was around 16 years old. Though this was legally the age of consent, the idea of getting married was incredulous to me. I had never had a boyfriend up to that point and I was just about to enter University.
I had my whole life ahead of me and I had it all planned out. I can assure you that marriage was not in that plan! In fact, when my Women’s President looked at me that fateful night and told me that the Lord wanted me to marry a pastor, my exact words were: Miss, me not even waa married much less fi go married Paasta! (Jamaican Creole). Translation: Miss, I don’t even want to get married let alone to marry a Pastor!
But look at me now–married to a minister, with children!
Don’t let the state in which God calls you prevent you from graciously accepting it, humbly saying yes, and obediently yielding to the process that will prepare you for it. (Oh yes! There will be a process!)
The Cost
Acts 9:16, 2 Corinthians 11:23-27
Paul is also an example of suffering. In Acts 9:15-16, the disciple Ananias receives a word for the new Brother Paul–it includes a sobering prophecy of things he must suffer for Jesus. We find a synopsis of this prophecy’s fulfilment in 2 Corinthians 11:23-27. Stripes, prisons, beatings and perils galore were among the apostle’s afflictions.
And just when Paul had gone through such intense suffering for Jesus’ sake, He prepared a thorn just for him too! (2 Corinthians 12:7). Paul had a dear price to pay for serving His new master.
Affliction is part of the calling
We love to hear that we are called for great things in God. We relish the thought of being used by God. We even admire those who we see the Lord using and enjoy being fed by what God pours out through them. All of that is good, but we also like to hide from the idea that affliction is a part of the calling.
The glory of seeing our brethren ministering in God’s will can blind us to what they have been through, and go through even daily for it! Paul had an advantage over some of us, though, because at least God told him he would suffer!
When God showed Joseph his destiny, we see no evidence in Scripture that God told him about the suffering that awaited him in the process (Genesis 37:5-11, 18-28; 39:20). Truth be told, many of us fall into Joseph’s category–God shows us the glory but never mentions the pain.
Here’s a heads up: pain is coming with your calling! And if you are already in pain, I’m here to tell you it’s normal!
Personal example
My husband was never and has to date not, been accepted by my birth family. There are no words to fully describe the internal warfare I bore because of that. I struggled between choosing to go where I knew God was leading me, versus wanting to please my parents and trying not to feel rejected by them.
Why did that have to happen? Why couldn’t the two worlds have just seamlessly joined together? After all, my parents are Christians so why did there have to be a choice between Christian parents and God’s will?
I concluded that it was either the Devil who spoke to me about a husband so I could end up confused, or, I was mad. I don’t ever want anyone to feel like you’re losing your mind. It’s a horrible feeling. But that’s what I went through in the will of God. I no longer feel that way about being mad, thankfully. But at the time of writing, I still can feel the strain and awkwardness of juggling relationship with birth family over here, and walking in love with someone who is still not acknowledged or honoured by them on the other side.
Suffering isn’t so strange!
If we look back or look around us, we have seen, and some of us have even experienced, suffering in non-Christian circles. People have suffered for the sake of getting a University degree for example. When I was a university student, my low financial status meant that I would buy a cheap pack of biscuits, sip some water from the water coolers, and call that lunch! Then I would go pass the rest of my ‘lunch time’ in the lecture hall waiting for my next class to start.
Many other students had similar experiences in university, and most of them weren’t even Christians. They weren’t doing it for God, but they suffered! In fact, the world is riddled with examples of persons who are even suffering because they have rejected Christ.
So let’s not be wimps when it comes on to suffering. We only need to gird up our minds with the expectation that there will be a cost to being called.
I’ll also hasten to mention a revelation Paul received from God when he had that thorn in his flesh: when we are weak, then are we strong for God’s grace is sufficient! (2 Corinthians 12:7-10) Never try to opt out of the price that you have to pay for pleasing God. Like Paul, let us rather glory in our infirmities that the power of Christ may rest on us.
The Comfort
2 Corinthians 1:3-5, Psalm 23:4
In 2 Corinthians 1:3-5, the same Paul who went through stoning and imprisonments offers a surprising testimony. He is able to testify of a reality that the world does not understand- the possibility of peace in the storm; weeping with hope; comfort in suffering.
The suffering of the world is a common suffering. It is depressing, hopeless, empty, lonely, and cold. The suffering of a chosen vessel of God is a peculiar suffering because it is set apart for the peculiar people. (1 Peter 2:9)
The suffering of the world is comfortless; the suffering that comes with obedience to the call, purpose and will of God comes with consolation.
And this is the consolation: Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for God is with me! (Psalm 23:4) Hallelujah! I am not alone!
The fellowship of His suffering
There is an intimacy with God that is reserved for only those who suffer. It is a special hug. It is an embrace so tender, and is hidden from and inaccessible to those who have never been tried.
Paul had been there. He was deliberate when he used the term ‘fellowship’ with regard to Christ’s suffering in Philippians 3:10. He also wrote in Romans 8:17, to remind us that when we suffer with Christ we will also be glorified together. Note that we suffer with. There is a togetherness with Christ, a fellowship with Him, that brings sweet consolation in our afflictions.
When I suffer in the will of God, I get front row seats to a revelation of His comforting capacity that other humans (and even some Christians) don’t get. I am blessed to be afflicted because I get with it an equivalent level of consolation. The suffering is real, the pain too, but God gives grace to go through. He gives comfort that keeps us in peace.
And what is more, I get to share that same comfort I get from God with others who are going through their afflictions! I now have a compassion and deeper sense of understanding for any minister’s wife who is in my position. In fact, all the trials that I have been through in God’s will have tenderized me. My praying is different and my comments are different toward other servants of God. I now bear their burdens in prayer and travail.
Instead of quickly and harshly criticizing another of God’s chosen vessels, I find myself groaning when I hear of their fall to sin or of their struggle with various afflictions. I may not get to meet any of them, but I can share the comfort of God with them through intercession. What a privilege! What an honour! What an awesome blessing!
But to whom do I owe this empathising ability? I can only give as I am graciously given by the Holy Spirit. He is still with me and is still consoling, comforting and strengthening me.
The Confidence
1 Kings 17:1-9, Acts 19:13-16
Confidence as a chosen vessel is in the context of provision, and also in the context of authority.
Confidence of Provision
When you know that God is the One who called and sent you, there is a trust that God will provide. This is a trust you display in spite of what you see in front of you. There may even be times when it is our obedience to the will of God that takes us from a physical state of plenty: Paul declared that he had experienced hunger and thirst in 2 Corinthians 11:27. Elijah declared a famine in Israel and guess what? It affected him too! But God commanded ravens and a widow to feed him. (1 Kings 17:4,9).
Know this: you may not have the overflow you would like to have or even once had, and all because you have stepped out in obedience to the call of God on your life.
At the Lord’s direction, I had not worked outside the home since getting married, and my husband was a full time minister in a very small independent ministry.
Then, we became tenants for three years. We had to pay rent, utilities, and buy groceries for the whole family. It was sometimes a bit precarious, and we had some rough patches where our utilities were cut off for a while, but faithfully, God kept on providing. Our children were never forsaken.
When you move in the direction and will of God, rest assured there will be provision. You will be sustained!
Confidence of Authority
Another level to being confident is in facing the dragon and his angels mentioned in Revelation 12:17. It is a confidence in war.
The sons of Sceva (Acts 19:13-16) took something on themselves. God had not given it to them. So, when faced with a particularly stubborn demon, they were overcome. As we go forward in ministry, we must know that we did not choose ourselves. As Paul was busy going about his own affairs, even so many of us were minding our own business when God stepped in with His call.
You may sometimes see this in a negative light, but this is what gives you power to stand in the face of the enemy. You may sometimes feel like God imposed Himself on you and now has you suffering for it. But rejoice about it, because that is the source of your authority.
When we go out by ourselves, we go limited in power and authority because we bear witness of our limited selves. But when a chosen vessel steps out, he or she goes not in his or her name, but in the name of the One who came and interrupted that life for His purpose.
I didn’t ask for marriage. Many of you never asked for ministry. As chosen vessels we did not take this on ourselves; it was God who called, chose, processed and sent us. When we stand before principalities and powers or even the Devil himself, we have all authority to say, “Back up!”
Sceva’s sons couldn’t do this because they took something upon themselves that can only work when we are sent!
The power of ongoing submission
As being called by God brings authority over the Devil, so ongoing submission to God and His will help to maintain that authority.
Here’s an example. I know God wanted me to marry, and to marry a pastor, and to specifically marry my husband. That makes me confident to contend with the enemy for my marriage and family when the Devil tries to enter.
But I also have an ongoing responsibility to daily honour God in my marriage and family–loving, submitting to, supporting and reverencing my husband; loving my children and teaching them to fear God.
What do these activities have to do with waging war against the kingdom of darkness? EVERYTHING!
As chosen vessels of God, we can never take a break from surrendering to the call or the cost of the call. We should never assume that we have yielded once and for all. As new challenges arise, we can be confident of victory when we are continuing to position ourselves in the will of God.
I dare not give you the impression that this is easy. Daily submission (to both God and my husband) takes daily death to self. But when we face a principality in prayer, we can rejoice when we look back at the painful tests we have passed.
It isn’t confidence in self-righteousness. Rather, it is bearing a limp from a wounded hip, so we can have power with God (Genesis 3:24-31).
Final Thoughts
God’s perfect will is the best thing that could ever happen to someone–suffering included! It is therefore something to be surrendered to, rather than to be resisted.
Have you ever experienced fear in your life? Everyone has definitely experienced it at some point. However, how you deal with the spirit of fear will be the deciding factor as to whether you will triumph or lose.
Fear silently whispers to you that the situation you are facing is insurmountable or the challenge ahead of you has never been conquered so everything may still work against you. You need to understand what is fear, how it works against you, and how to rise above it.
What is Fear?
How would you describe fear? It is a tool used by the devil to create misery in your life and to eventually destroy your life. It starts as a thought and eventually leads to emotions that hold us captive. This then tries to manipulate you towards foolish actions or even prevents you from taking a bold step and doing something that would change your situation and bring glory to God.
In simple terms, fear holds you back and prevents you from actualizing your dreams in life. God’s desire is that you walk by faith. The moment you choose to live by faith in God, you start to experience fulfilment, satisfaction, peace, and joy in your heart.
In the book of Proverbs 23:7, the Bible says:
“as a man thinks in his heart, so is he”.
Whichever way your mind thinks will influence your reactions and progress. Put your faith in God, think positively, and conquer all odds.
Is the Spirit of Fear Holding You Back?
How many times have you wondered whether you are doing the right thing or making the correct decision? Are you among the many people blessed with great gifts and talents from God but are not making use of them because you tried once and failed?
Many people live in frustration because they allow fear to rule over them. They end up living a life completely different from that which God had purposed for them.
Let Christ Take Charge
Allow Christ to come into your life and take charge of everything thereof. When Christ takes over, He replaces your fear with faith in Him, He clears out all doubt and He refines you into a new and focused being. He opens your eyes to your purpose in life and ably guides you towards fulfilment fearlessly!
As you study the Word of God and meditate upon it, you will be able to clearly pinpoint the fears holding you back and consequently rise above them through Christ in you. Your purpose will then come into clear focus ready for you to take the next step towards living a fulfilled life.
Put Your Faith in God and You’ll Never Go Wrong
Whenever you allow the spirit of fear to rule your life, you become enslaved to a life of mediocrity, pain, and regrets. You end up living as if you are caged in a prison.
When you study the word of God, you will encounter the phrase “fear not” on many occasions. The Bible commands you to believe in God, to cast all your burdens unto Him, and to believe that He has good plans for you.
The Bible, in Joshua 8:1, says:
“And the Lord said unto Joshua, Fear not, neither be thou dismayed: take all the people of war with thee, and arise, go up to Ai: see, I have given into thy hand the king of Ai, and his people, and his city, and his land.”
This was a strong assurance to Joshua that in every step of the way, God was in charge. In the same way, God is in charge of your destiny, fear not!
Because God is all-knowing, He already understands that fear is a problem you always encounter. This is why He doesn’t condemn you when you are in fear. All He wants is to set you free from that bondage.
Whenever God commands, “Fear not,” He goes ahead to assure you that He will be there to see you through everything. He reminds you that He is God and reigns above everything else.
God has already given you the power to overcome fear. Fear chains you to ordinary and unfulfilled life. Trust in God and allow Him to empower you to overcome all obstacles brought about by fear. Whenever you overcome fear, you open doors to a fresh, higher, and more beautiful beginning in your life.
How to Overcome the Spirit of Fear
1. Name Your Fears
When you decide to name your fears, you take away their power. Take a step of faith and name them before God in your prayer and reclaim power over them. Render them inconsequential by naming them and placing the name of Jesus, the name that is above every other name, above them.
2. Hold on To the Promises of God
The Bible says that the word of God is like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces. Read and meditate upon it. Let His promises live in you and mould you into a fresh creature as He breaks every spirit of doubt and fear from your life.
3. Surrender Your Fears to God
Fears that hold you back from actualizing your potential and living as per God’s purpose should be cast unto Jesus. Surrender them one by one. Give them to God with a simple prayer. Keep praying from your heart and let go.
4. Envision Your Success
Through the power of imagination, you can influence the outcomes of situations. Trigger your success story by visualizing success in your mind. If possible, get a piece of paper and note down in a simple form the vision for success in your life.
5. Take Action
Rise up in faith and take a step of faith towards your dreams. You may encounter challenges but keep holding your head high. Take a rest if you must but do not give up.
Nace Volcic is a founder and president of Operando society. He is a lay missionary from Slovenia and author of three published books. With his wife, he travels around the world, visits missions in third world countries, helps as a volunteer, and writes about it on the blog https://en.operando.org.
There tends to be much debate in Christianity about whether or not we can live sinless lives. “No one is perfect!” we often say. “If God was done with you He would’ve taken you to Heaven”, some will say. I have no intention of adding to controversy. However, this might be your opportunity to see things from a new angle. The Bible tells us to awake to righteousness and sin not (1 Corinthians 15:34).
Here are three points to consider on the matter of living a sinless Christian life.
1. It is admirable
“Awake to righteousness and sin not.”
One of the challenges I have had in Christianity is a problem of perspectives. Maybe it was my flesh. Maybe it’s how I was raised. Or perhaps it has to do with who I first learned Christianity from. Regardless of the cause, I had a negative mindset towards holiness and righteousness.
Those words stirred in me a concept of something cold, unattractive and even dead. I was never naturally drawn to them. (Like I said, it could have been my flesh!) They were never something that seemed beautiful. Holiness and righteousness were once never desirable to me. They seemed more like a burden and a punishment, rather than sweet, admirable virtues.
But that’s when the Holy Spirit began His precious ministry to me, teaching me about the beauty of holiness (Psalm 29:2; Psalm 96:9). In fact, a turning point in my perspective on holiness occurred because of Exodus 28:2: the priests’ holy garments were to be made just for the purpose of ‘glory and beauty’.
When the Holy Spirit first brought that verse to my attention, I was stumped! Holy garments were not for instilling fear into the people?! Holy garments were not for terror?! Holiness here was directly associated with glory and beauty! Wow!
There is a beauty in holiness. And that beauty cannot be attained any other way. The apostle Peter endorsed this concept of spiritual beauty in 1 Peter 3:2-4. Here, Peter emphasized that what God saw as true adornment was a meek and quiet spirit. A wife who was being holy in submission to her husband, was beautiful to God.
The next time God sends a rebuke your way, try not to be defensive about it! The next time someone teaches about holiness, repentance or righteousness, receive it with a rejoicing heart. When God tells us to sin not, He is drawing us into something that He finds admirable!
2. It is advisable
“Awake to righteousness and sin not.”
I grew up hearing a famously quoted Scripture: Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people (Proverbs 14:34). I didn’t even know what that meant! It was only until recently, when the Holy Spirit brought me through the book of Lamentations, that I began to understand reproach.
Throughout Lamentations, Jeremiah affirms repeatedly that sin was the cause of Judah’s misery. We’re talking starvation, rape, a destroyed temple, cannibalism, death and oppression.
In fact, God had forewarned His people in Deuteronomy 28:14-68, about the terrible results of sin. Though unbelievably horrific to experience, the people of Judah had been told what was to befall them if they did not abide in God’s laws.
God’s warnings against sin continue into the New Testament, all the way to the book of Revelation. We see in Revelation 21:8 a promise of the destiny of sinners of all categories. We are being warned, just like the people of Israel. We would be wise to sin not, if we intend to avoid that lake of fire.
But that’s in eternity.
Is there a reason to sin not right here and now?
The truth is, holiness attracts God’s favour on our lives. When we sin not, we position ourselves to receive God’s goodness, as promised in Psalm 24:3-5.
Righteousness is also a safety net. When we sin, we make ourselves easier targets for the kingdom of darkness. Oh, we can be forgiven. But the doors we open and the mess we make, produce a warfare that we may not have needed to fight in the first place.
Reproach, attacks from the enemy, and a place in the lake of fire, sure do make a sinless life sound quite advisable!
3. It is attainable
“Awake to righteousness and sin not.”
The unfortunate reality is that so many of us have absorbed something else, that it might be easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than to believe we can be sinless!
God is wooing us to the beauty of holiness. He has made it a requirement too, but in His great grace and love, He has given us all that we need for life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3).
God wants us to be partakers of His holiness (Hebrews 12:10), and He extends Divine assistance through the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit is the One who dwells in and baptises the believer, empowering us for holiness. Through daily fellowship and ongoing intimacy with the Holy Spirit, we can grow in righteousness.
The apostle Paul declared a truth that we all need to own as believers: I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me (Galatians 2:20).
Don’t get me wrong–your flesh will always put up a fight! But you are better able to crucify it when you walk daily with God.
Another tool for sinless living is the word of God. Don’t ever assume that you know what that Scripture says, so you don’t need to read it again. Keep it current and fresh in your mind. A sword is more effective if it is constantly sharpened!
I have also proven that righteousness is strengthened when we have right fellowship with the brethren. Believers strengthen each other. When we pray together, worship together, read the Bible together, it adds another layer of spiritual immunity. Just seeing someone else continue in holiness can be motivating!
Conclusion
Let us all seek to awake to righteousness and sin not. Therein awaits us something beautiful, blessed and safe!
Have you ever been in trouble? I mean BIG trouble?
The kind of trouble that makes your mouth go dry, your heart race and plants a rock in the pit of your stomach?
The kind of trouble that will ABSOLUTELY alter your future should it come to pass?
Our lesson of woe and wonder today begins in the Book of Acts…
Jesus walked the earth for 40 days after His resurrection and rose to heaven through the clouds over Mt. Olivet. Holy Spirit descended upon the 120 in the upper room in Jerusalem with a sound like roaring wind and tongues of fire. Full of the Holy Spirit, the disciples emerge preaching the Good News in a cacophony of languages, reaching the Jewish masses visiting Jerusalem from many different nations for the feast of Pentecost. The crowd is amazed and caught in wonder, though some mock in disbelief, accusing the disciples of drunkenness.
“But Peter, stands up with the eleven, lifts his voice, and says to them, ’15 For these are not drunken, as ye suppose, seeing it is but the third hour of the day.* 16 But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel;'” (Acts 2:15)
* Each new 24 Jewish day began at sundown (or around 6pm.) That is why the Jewish Sabbath begins at sundown. Our Roman days begin at midnight. Jewish Daytime began at sun-up (around 6am); and ends at 6pm for counting hours. The first hour is therefore 7am; the second hour is 8am; the third hour is 9am, the sixth hour is noon or 12pm; and so forth. (Carolyn Hurst. Nov 8, 2019. What Hour is That? Retrieved from https://www.passiontoknowmore.com/post/2016-1-19-what-hour-is-that.)
Acts 2
17 And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams:
18 And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy:
19 And I will show wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke: 20 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and notable day of the Lord come:
Joel 2
28 And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions:
29 And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit.
30 And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke.
31 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and terrible day of the Lord come.
And this is where we will pitch camp today, friends.
The Day of the Lord
There is a common notion that the day of the Lord is the same as the day of Christ, when Jesus returns to earth at the end of days, but we are mistaken if we think there is only one day of the Lord.
The “day of the Lord” is Jewish apocryphal language; an idiom for expressing a cosmic “lights out” from God.
Usually we see this expressed in the form of an invading army. Judgment and wrath from above, God Himself is coming for you and there is nowhere to hide.
Clouds are key. Why? Because mortals do not walk among the clouds. God manifested Himself to Israel in the clouds in Exodus, in the wilderness, in the tabernacle and in the temple.
In Old Testament and New, clouds are considered to be the visible evidence of the invisible presence and power of God.
So, out of the mouths of two or three witnesses…
The prophet Zephaniah–when referring to the destruction of Jerusalem and Judah in 586BC–probably has one of the best definitions of the day of the Lord in chapter 1:14-15:
14 The great day of the Lord is near, it is near, and hastes greatly, even the voice of the day of the Lord: the mighty man shall cry there bitterly.
15 That day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of wasteness and desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness,
In Isaiah 13:9-11, we see judgment coming to Babylon at the hand of the Medes fulfilled in 539 BC:
9 Behold, the day of the Lord comes, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate: and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it.
10 For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light: the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine.
11 And I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; and I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible.
We also hear similar language in Isaiah 5:30, God’s warning to Israel through the prophet Isaiah: “And in that day, they shall roar against them like the roaring of the sea: and if one look unto the land, behold darkness and sorrow, and the light is darkened in the heavens thereof.“
More Old Testament Examples of the Day of the Lord
Isaiah 2:12, judgment over Israel: “For the day of the Lord of hosts shall be upon every one that is proud and lofty, and upon every one that is lifted up; and he shall be brought low:”
Amos 5:18-20, judgment over Israel: “Woe unto you that desire the day of the Lord! to what end is it for you? the day of the Lord is darkness, and not light.”
In Nahum 1:3, we have judgment coming to Nineveh at the hands of the Babylonians and Medes, as fulfilled in 612 BC: “The Lord is slow to anger, and great in power, and will not at all acquit the wicked: the Lord has his way in the whirlwind and in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet.“ You will see a connection between the desolation described in Nahum and the desolation described in Joel.
In 2 Samuel 22:7-10, we see David singing about the day God delivered him out of the hand of Saul and his armies: “10 He bowed (parted) the heavens also, and came down; and darkness was under his feet.“
Other translations say “thick darkness” was under God’s feet. The NIV says “dark clouds.” We also see this same language used in in David’s Psalm 18 about the same event.
Jeremiah 46:10 and Ezekiel 30. The prophets lament judgment coming to Egypt at the hand of the Babylonians. Per Ezekiel 32:7: “7 And when I shall put thee out, I will cover the heaven, and make the stars thereof dark; I will cover the sun with a cloud, and the moon shall not give her light.“ (Read Ezekiel 32 and see the depth of judgment language here!)
Finally, still more Old Testament examples of the day of the Lord can be found in: Zechariah 14, Obadiah and Isaiah 34 (judgment over Edom), Lamentations 2:22, and Malachi 4:5-6 (foreshadowing the fall of Israel by 70AD.)
Matthew 24, Mark 13, Luke 21
The Olivet Discourse is probably one of the most abused and misunderstood passages of Scripture. In Matthew 24, we have the words of Jesus as He stands on the Mount of Olives and prophesies judgment over Jerusalem and the nation of Israel, which we know climaxed with the destruction of the temple by the hand of Rome in 70 AD—40 years later, within a Biblical generation—just as our Lord said it would.
“29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:“
New Testament examples of the day of the Lord include Acts 2, 2 Peter 3:10, Revelation 6:12-17.
Matthew 26, Luke 17: Jesus Coming in the Clouds
On the night Jesus was betrayed, Caiaphas, Jewish high priest, asked Jesus if He was the Messiah:
Mt 26:63 But Jesus held his peace, And the high priest answered and said unto him, “I adjure you by the living God, that you tell us whether you are the Christ, the Son of God.”
64 Jesus said to him, “As you’ve said. Nevertheless, I say to you, Hereafter shall you see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.”
Caiaphas tears his robes in a great sign of offense and declares blasphemy and our Lord is led off.
Here Jesus is reminding Caiaphas of Daniel 7:13: “I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him…”
In effect, Jesus is saying, “Not only am I the one Daniel saw, but I’m coming back to judge you.”
By the way, our hallelujah moment comes immediately after Daniel 7:13 where verse 14 states: “And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.” Amen!
A Proper Response to Divine Judgment
So, what would be a proper response to the impending doom of divine correction?
Now when they heard this, they were pricked (katenygesan, pierced, cut) in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do? (Acts 2:37 KJV)
I don’t know about you, but in years prior, whenever I read this, I just imagined the crowd felt bad. Pricking your finger hurts a little. I think other translations probably do a better job of handling the reality of the moment.
The word is katenygesan, pronounced kata-nee-yee-san, which the New American Standard Bible translates as “pierced.” The NIV says “cut.” I don’t think they were having an “Aw, shucks, we missed it” moment that day!
To say this is a big “Oh NO” moment for the Jews would probably be an understatement. In an instant, they recognized the fulfillment of Messianic prophesies and understood there was yet a promise of judgment coming down upon the heads of the nation of Israel.
God promises two outcomes in the book of Joel: judgment of the wicked and foolish at the hands of a powerful invading army—and—salvation for the humble and wise.
What is Your Katenygesan Moment?
So, when it comes to the day of the Lord—a day of darkness and trial—it’s a day we don’t want to meet.
If you’ve been on the planet for at least a couple decades, you’ve probably had a personal oh-no moment by now; maybe not from impending divine judgment but certainly from trial. Many of us by now have experienced that personal katenygesan moment where we’ve been cut to the heart. It’s that place where we see our life’s future potentially taking a hard-left turn and it’s not good.
Maybe you’ve learned an important relationship in your life was ending and you never saw it coming. Or you simply couldn’t believe it when it finally did.
Maybe you’ve been confronted with financial hardship, not knowing how you were going to feed your family, pay your bills or keep a roof over your heads.
Maybe you’ve been taken by surprise by bad medical news, either for yourself or for a loved one.
Maybe you’ve found yourself in the wrong place at the wrong time and felt powerless to stop the momentum of a decision you knew in your heart was wrong.
Myself, I was surprised to be confronted by the threat of prison one day.
On my way into the office one morning, several years ago, I received a call from a restricted number. Turned out, the call was from one Agent Smith from the FBI—the Federal Bureau of Investigation. He told me they were running an investigation and they had some questions for me. When I pulled up to their unmarked office building, I took the elevator to the second floor and a woman behind a sheet of bulletproof glass told me to take a seat in an empty room with a table, a couple chairs and a camera. About 10 minutes later, the agent comes in and proceeds to explain they’re doing an investigation on a couple folks I had entered into a real estate transaction with years prior. After much questioning, I’m told I can go home but that—if they choose to prosecute me—I would likely go to prison.
Ah.
Well, while I didn’t know Jesus very well at the time, I still had enough of a relationship with God to know I was firmly in His hands. There wasn’t much I could do for some dealings I had made in relative ignorance years before; if I was going to prison, I was going to prison! I went home and told my wife. Needless to say, she was not pleased. We had four children under the age of seven and she wasn’t looking forward to being a single mom!
What to Do?
So, when the future you’ve imagined for yourself seems to be disappearing into a puff of smoke and thick darkness—the big question we have to ask is, “What shall we do?”
Peter has our answer in Acts 2…
38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
39 For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.
40 And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward (corrupt) generation.
A promise of escape wrapped in a warning of judgment. What does Peter say to do first? Let’s break it down…
1. Come to the End of Yourself (Repent)
I saw a comic recently that illustrated the two attitudes toward God’s will in our lives:
Two people are walking along and they both see a rail that runs alongside the path. There’s a sign on the rail that says, “Don’t cross.”
They have two different responses:
The first person sees the rail and heeds the instructions.
The second person scoffs at the instructions and says: “Hah! You’re not gonna fence ME in!” They leap over the rail only to find out there is no ground on the other side of the rail.
The first person calls after the one falling, “That wasn’t a fence! It was a guardrail!”
Folks, I offer for your consideration that maybe we aren’t as smart as we think we are. Maybe God knows more about how we were originally designed. Maybe humility and not leaning on our own understanding is the beginning of wisdom in the Lord…
So, what does it look like to repent?
In Joel 2:12-27,
12 Therefore also now, saith the Lord, turn to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning:
13 And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the Lord your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repents him of the evil. (or, “he relents from sending calamity” per the NIV.)
Do you see the key words here? Do you see the pattern? Must be important if God is going to repeat it.
2. Turn to Your Father
Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. (Acts 2:38)
Accept God’s promises. We have BOTH promises of blessing and promises of judgment.
Jesus taught that apart from Him, we are withered branches ready for the fire. (John 15) You are free to disagree with that, but you’re not arguing with me; you’re arguing with Jesus.
We see this again explained in Joel 2…
32 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the Lord hath said, and in the remnant whom the Lord shall call.
That is a promise from our Father for deliverance from incoming wrath, amen? So if we do all this, we arrive at…
3. God’s Response to Right-Heartedness
18 Then will the Lord be jealous for his land, and pity his people.
19 Yea, the Lord will answer and say unto his people, Behold, I will send you corn, and wine, and oil, and ye shall be satisfied therewith: and I will no more make you a reproach among the heathen:
20 But I will remove far off from you the northern army, and will drive him into a land barren and desolate, with his face toward the east sea, and his hinder part toward the utmost sea, and his stink shall come up, and his ill savour shall come up, because he hath done great things.
I believe this is referring to the Roman army in 70AD. Keep in mind, scholars believe the book of Joel to be written about 830BC—almost 900 years before the fall of Jerusalem!
If you’re familiar with Deuteronomy 28, you know the first third of the chapter outlines a list of blessings Israel will experience with living in right relationship with our Creator. But the rest of Deuteronomy 28 contains the myriad of curses that they bring upon themselves should they choose to walk in rebellion, including pestilence, famine, earthquakes, war, cannibalism, etc.
As we know from first-century historians like Josephus, many of these curses came to pass during the war of the Jews and the Roman siege on Jerusalem.
The Faithfulness of God
Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. (Acts 2:38)
Well, we know how history played out…
3,000 souls were added to the Judeo-Christian church that day and more were added daily. The people witnessed many signs and wonders through the Spirit-empowered apostles and many sold their possessions. (Acts 2:41-46)
By 64 AD, an exodus of Christian Jews began to move from Jerusalem:
“The people of the Church in Jerusalem were commanded by an oracle given by revelation before the war to those in the city who were worthy of it to depart and dwell in one of the cities of Perea which they called Pella. To it those who believed on Christ traveled from Jerusalem, so that when holy men had altogether deserted the royal capital of the Jews and the whole land of Judaea…” —Eusebius, Church History 3, 5, 3
“So Aquila, while he was in Jerusalem, also saw the disciples of the disciples of the apostles flourishing in the faith and working great signs, healings, and other miracles. For they were such as had come back from the city of Pella to Jerusalem and were living there and teaching. For when the city was about to be taken and destroyed by the Romans, it was revealed in advance to all the disciples by an angel of God that they should remove from the city, as it was going to be completely destroyed. They sojourned as emigrants in Pella, the city above mentioned in Transjordania. And this city is said to be of the Decapolis.” —Epiphanius, On Weights and Measures 15
Accept His Love
So, just to be clear, if you see someone claiming the day of the Lord in Acts 2/Joel 2 is all about the rapture or Jesus’ return to set up His millennial kingdom, you can be sure they don’t clearly understand the ancient Jewish concept of divine judgment.
I never heard anything more from the FBI. No summons to court to testify. No men in black suits showing up at my front door. To kill the suspense, I eventually called the agent. He said they had no plans on prosecuting me at that time but he assured me he would call if he needed anything else. This was answered prayer for both my wife and I.
Folks, I want us to recognize this: there were more than 3,000 people in the crowd that day. That crowed consisted of two types of people. The first heard the words of the disciples, knew what the Scriptures said and realized they were in the middle of prophetic fulfillment. The second type dismissed the disciples, dismissed the supernatural evidence of prophetic fulfillment around them and walked away unchanged.
Brothers and sisters… I don’t know what “oh no” moments you’ve been through. I would tell you—I can promise you—when you accept Jesus’ sacrifice on your behalf, to pay for your error, to pay for your bad choices, to pay for your inability to fix you, everything and everyone around you…
It doesn’t matter what you’ve done. It doesn’t matter the brokenness you’ve planted in your own life. You have a choice, right now, to turn back to your Holy Father who loves you and knows you better than you know yourself.
P.S. Is the ‘day of Christ’ in 2 Thessalonians the same as the ‘day of the Lord’?
I don’t think so. Consider the shift between the Lord’s end-of-days return mentioned in 1 Thessalonians 4 and the day of the Lord judgment mentioned in 1 Thessalonians 5. We see Jesus do the same thing between Matthew 24 and Matthew 25 as He moves between the judgment of Israel into the judgment of the world.
