Are you a sinner in need of God's grace and mercy. The Bible says that "all have sinned and come short of the glory of God." Romans 3:23. According to the Bible we are all sinners and need His mercy and grace in order to live a righteous life. Our salvation is secure in Christ, but outside of Christ we need to ponder some promises that will give us great hope. I am sure you will agree with me that we all need hope, I know I do, so let's see if we can find hope in these scriptures.
Luke 19:10 "For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost." NKJV
Isaiah 59:1 "Behold the Lord's hand is not shortened that it cannot save; nor His ear heavy that it cannot hear, but your iniquities have separated you from your God."
Jeremiah 31:17 "There is hope in your future, says the Lord, that your children shall come back to your own border."
Hosea 14:4 "I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely."
Just knowing that Jesus came to this earth just to save us is an awesome thought. Why would He suffer such a painful death to save me? The only reason that I can come up with is that His love is so great that He couldn't bear to leave us in this sinful world without making every effort to save us to Himself. God's love is so great that He was willing to sacrifice His Son and watch Him suffer and die on a cruel cross just for you and for me. We can't fathom such love, it is beyond our reasoning power.
All we can do is accept His great love for us and have faith in His redeeming power that He can and will save us if we consent to His will for us. If we contemplate this love and what He has done for us, we will love Him more and more. That is my prayer, that I will love Him more and more. He will save us if we let Him. I want to be with Him forever, don't you? Grandma Joan
Monday, August 31, 2015
Sunday, August 30, 2015
Promises for a full surrender to God.
I have a deep, personal question to ask you right now. When you look deep within your heart, do you see that you have grown deeper and deeper in your relationship with Christ? Do you consider yourself to be stronger in the things of God than you have ever been before? I hope so. Every day with Jesus should be sweeter than the day before. We should have a deeper faith moment by moment. Yet we should not be satisfied that God has finished His work in our lives. He is ever working on our characters to lift us up and set our feet on solid ground, spiritually. Does God really mean what He says in the promises in Roman 6? No other chapter in the Bible is so lavish in giving instruction to a struggling Christian. Consider these verses:
Verses 1& 2 "Shall we continue in sin. . . .God forbid."
Verse 2 "We that are dead to sin."
Verse 6 "Henceforth we should not serve sin."
Verse 7 "Freed from sin."
Verse 11 "Dead indeed to sin."
Verse 12 "Let not sin therefore reign."
Some are frightened simply because it describes the perfect work God wants to do in sanctifying us from sin. Many are afraid of that word 'perfect'. They are fearful that God will ask them to do some-thing that they are not willing to do.
Philippians 1:6 "Being confident of this very thing, that He that hath begun a good work in you, will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ." If we surrender our all to Christ, He will do just what He says.
1 Thessalonians 5:23,24 "And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit, soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is He that calleth you, who also will do it."
He has called us and He has said He will do it for us. We must give ourselves to Him in complete surrender. Of ourselves we cannot do anything because He has said in John 15:5 "I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in Me and I in Him, the same bringeth forth much fruit, for without Me ye can do nothing."
This whole study is pretty plain, isn't it? I believe that we can be very confident that when He begins a good work in us, He will finish it in us and save us in His kingdom. If He is faithful to call us, He also will be faithful do it for us. I love these promises, they mean so much to me. Grandma Joan
Verses 1& 2 "Shall we continue in sin. . . .God forbid."
Verse 2 "We that are dead to sin."
Verse 6 "Henceforth we should not serve sin."
Verse 7 "Freed from sin."
Verse 11 "Dead indeed to sin."
Verse 12 "Let not sin therefore reign."
Some are frightened simply because it describes the perfect work God wants to do in sanctifying us from sin. Many are afraid of that word 'perfect'. They are fearful that God will ask them to do some-thing that they are not willing to do.
Philippians 1:6 "Being confident of this very thing, that He that hath begun a good work in you, will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ." If we surrender our all to Christ, He will do just what He says.
1 Thessalonians 5:23,24 "And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit, soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is He that calleth you, who also will do it."
He has called us and He has said He will do it for us. We must give ourselves to Him in complete surrender. Of ourselves we cannot do anything because He has said in John 15:5 "I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in Me and I in Him, the same bringeth forth much fruit, for without Me ye can do nothing."
This whole study is pretty plain, isn't it? I believe that we can be very confident that when He begins a good work in us, He will finish it in us and save us in His kingdom. If He is faithful to call us, He also will be faithful do it for us. I love these promises, they mean so much to me. Grandma Joan
Saturday, August 29, 2015
Promises for the rest we need.
Everyone needs rest, I know at my age I for sure have to rest more than ever before. God wants us to rest one whole day a week. Does anyone know what day He picked? I will let you look it up and find out. You just might be surprised. Email me and let me know if you found it. Be sure to give me the text where it is.
Matthew 11:28-30 "Come unto Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble of heart, and you will find rest for your souls. for My yoke is easy and My burden is light."
Jeremiah 31;25 " I will refresh the weary, and satisfy the faint."
Psalm 62:1, 2 "My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from Him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; He is my fortress, I will never be shaken."
Psalm 91:1 "He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty."
I'm weary, are you? I need rest for my spirit as well as for my soul. The above verses promises rest for us if we are willing to rest in God alone. We have the invitation to 'Come unto Him, if we are weary and burdened and He will give us rest. He will refresh us and if we are faint, He will satisfy us. We can dwell in the shelter of the Most High and rest in His shadow. These are awesome thoughts about resting. Our minds need rest too. Sometimes we are overburdened in our minds and we need to lay all those burdens on Him and He will give us the rest that we need. I love that! Grandma Joan
Matthew 11:28-30 "Come unto Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble of heart, and you will find rest for your souls. for My yoke is easy and My burden is light."
Jeremiah 31;25 " I will refresh the weary, and satisfy the faint."
Psalm 62:1, 2 "My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from Him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; He is my fortress, I will never be shaken."
Psalm 91:1 "He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty."
I'm weary, are you? I need rest for my spirit as well as for my soul. The above verses promises rest for us if we are willing to rest in God alone. We have the invitation to 'Come unto Him, if we are weary and burdened and He will give us rest. He will refresh us and if we are faint, He will satisfy us. We can dwell in the shelter of the Most High and rest in His shadow. These are awesome thoughts about resting. Our minds need rest too. Sometimes we are overburdened in our minds and we need to lay all those burdens on Him and He will give us the rest that we need. I love that! Grandma Joan
Friday, August 28, 2015
Promises of what the Word of God will do.
Do you ever wonder how to be 'Born Again' or how to 'Build your Faith' into a faith that is beyond our comprehension? There is a simple way that only takes a little time each day. Considering we have 24 hours in a day, what is a half hour or hour out of the day to live a life that you never dreamed possible? Well, the scripture tells us how and also promises great rewards if we follow the advice given.
Romans 10:17 "Faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word of God." So faith is strengthened by spending time in God's word. In order to strengthen our faith, we must often bring it in contact with the Word of God.
1 Peter 1: 23 "Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the Word of God, which liveth and abideth forever." Surely it is a wonderful word that can produce conviction, faith and cause us to be Born Again.
Psalm 119: 9 "Wherewithall shall a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed thereto according to Thy Word." When this Holy Word is cherished in the heart and is meditated upon in the heart, there is no room for sin.
Psalm 119: 11 "Thy Word have I hid in my heart, that I might not sin against Thee." Spend time in His Word if you want to have victory over sin.
Acts 20: 32 "And now brethren, I commend you to God, and to the Word of His grace, which is able to build you up." This is the way to be built up spiritually
Jeremiah 15:16 "Thy words were found and I did eat them; and Thy Word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of my heart."
This was probably the study that will turn our lives around for the better, if we take heed to His promises. I must tell you, this study has done wonders for me. I now understand how I can have a new life in Christ and be Born Again and be cleansed from all sin and grow up into Christ. By spending time in His word. This will bring joy to our hearts now and forever and will build up our faith in Him so we can face any issue in life knowing that God has taken care of it or will take care of it. I really needed this study this morning. I hope you have been blessed as well. Grandma Joan
Romans 10:17 "Faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word of God." So faith is strengthened by spending time in God's word. In order to strengthen our faith, we must often bring it in contact with the Word of God.
1 Peter 1: 23 "Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the Word of God, which liveth and abideth forever." Surely it is a wonderful word that can produce conviction, faith and cause us to be Born Again.
Psalm 119: 9 "Wherewithall shall a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed thereto according to Thy Word." When this Holy Word is cherished in the heart and is meditated upon in the heart, there is no room for sin.
Psalm 119: 11 "Thy Word have I hid in my heart, that I might not sin against Thee." Spend time in His Word if you want to have victory over sin.
Acts 20: 32 "And now brethren, I commend you to God, and to the Word of His grace, which is able to build you up." This is the way to be built up spiritually
Jeremiah 15:16 "Thy words were found and I did eat them; and Thy Word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of my heart."
This was probably the study that will turn our lives around for the better, if we take heed to His promises. I must tell you, this study has done wonders for me. I now understand how I can have a new life in Christ and be Born Again and be cleansed from all sin and grow up into Christ. By spending time in His word. This will bring joy to our hearts now and forever and will build up our faith in Him so we can face any issue in life knowing that God has taken care of it or will take care of it. I really needed this study this morning. I hope you have been blessed as well. Grandma Joan
Thursday, August 27, 2015
Promises of protection.
This world is becoming a frightening place to live, specially in some places more than others. We surely need promises now to help us realize how much God cares and takes care of us. Here are some very important promises from Scripture that will give us hope.
John 10:10 "The thief does not come except to steal, kill and destroy. I have come that they may have life and that they may have it more abundantly."
Psalm 97:10 "The Lord.....guards the lives of His faithful ones."
Psalm 91:9-11 "Because thou hast made the Lord, which is my refuge, even the Most High thy habitation; there shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling. For He shall give His angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.
Psalm 32:7 "You are my hiding place; You shall preserve me from trouble."
Psalm 121:7,8 "The Lord shall preserve thee from all evil: He shall preserve thy soul. The Lord shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore."
Psalm 91:1-7 "He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress; my God, in Him will I trust . Surely He will deliver thee from the snare of the fowler. and from the noissome pestilence. He shall cover thee with His feathers, and under His wings shalt thou trust; His truth shall be thy shield and buckler. Thou shalt not be afraid of the terror by night; not for the arrow that flyeth by day; nor for the pestilence that walketh in the darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday. A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand, but it shall not come nigh to thee."
After reading these promises, there is no need for us to be afraid, is there? We are safe in His keeping and we need have no worries. We just need to trust Him in all things. Grandma Joan
John 10:10 "The thief does not come except to steal, kill and destroy. I have come that they may have life and that they may have it more abundantly."
Psalm 97:10 "The Lord.....guards the lives of His faithful ones."
Psalm 91:9-11 "Because thou hast made the Lord, which is my refuge, even the Most High thy habitation; there shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling. For He shall give His angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.
Psalm 32:7 "You are my hiding place; You shall preserve me from trouble."
Psalm 121:7,8 "The Lord shall preserve thee from all evil: He shall preserve thy soul. The Lord shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore."
Psalm 91:1-7 "He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress; my God, in Him will I trust . Surely He will deliver thee from the snare of the fowler. and from the noissome pestilence. He shall cover thee with His feathers, and under His wings shalt thou trust; His truth shall be thy shield and buckler. Thou shalt not be afraid of the terror by night; not for the arrow that flyeth by day; nor for the pestilence that walketh in the darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday. A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand, but it shall not come nigh to thee."
After reading these promises, there is no need for us to be afraid, is there? We are safe in His keeping and we need have no worries. We just need to trust Him in all things. Grandma Joan
Wednesday, August 26, 2015
Promises to help with our pride.
I think we all have some pride of some kind and this really should not be and I will tell you why from the Bible. Isaiah 64:6 "We are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away." Jesus says in Isaiah 1:18 "Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool."
When we are in this condition, do you think there is any room for pride in our lives. According to the second verse above, we can be cleansed of our pride and any other sin in our life. So let's look at some of those promises about pride.
Proverbs 16:18,19 "Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall. Better to be of a humble spirit with the lowly, then to divide the spoil with the proud."
Proverbs 26:12 "Do you see a man wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him."
Proverbs 21:4 "A haughty look, a proud heart, and the plowing of the wicked are sin."
James 4: 6,7,10 " 'God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.' 'Submit yourselves then to God. Resist the devil, an he will flee from you, draw nigh to God and He will draw nigh to you. Humble yourselves before the Lord and He will lift you up."
Micah 6:8 "He hath showed thee O man what is good and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy and to walk humbly with thy God." Do you see any pride in God's requirements in this verse. I don't think so.
It's better to be of a humble spirit, it's one of God's requirements. According to these verses the proud heart is a sinful heart. Let God do our lifting up if He so sees that we can handle it. We must walk humbly with our God and do justly and to love mercy. I love this verse don't you? Remember that God says, "Come now and let us reason together; though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow." I want my sins, including any pride in my heart washed away and made as white as snow. Don't you? This has been a very helpful study this morning. The word of God strengthens me so much and I know it will if you will just contemplate the verses and how they apply to your life. We may feel terrible when we see ourselves as we really are but remember we can be as white as snow when we confess and repent. God loves us so much and He is in the process of saving us. Grandma Joan
When we are in this condition, do you think there is any room for pride in our lives. According to the second verse above, we can be cleansed of our pride and any other sin in our life. So let's look at some of those promises about pride.
Proverbs 16:18,19 "Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall. Better to be of a humble spirit with the lowly, then to divide the spoil with the proud."
Proverbs 26:12 "Do you see a man wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him."
Proverbs 21:4 "A haughty look, a proud heart, and the plowing of the wicked are sin."
James 4: 6,7,10 " 'God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.' 'Submit yourselves then to God. Resist the devil, an he will flee from you, draw nigh to God and He will draw nigh to you. Humble yourselves before the Lord and He will lift you up."
Micah 6:8 "He hath showed thee O man what is good and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy and to walk humbly with thy God." Do you see any pride in God's requirements in this verse. I don't think so.
It's better to be of a humble spirit, it's one of God's requirements. According to these verses the proud heart is a sinful heart. Let God do our lifting up if He so sees that we can handle it. We must walk humbly with our God and do justly and to love mercy. I love this verse don't you? Remember that God says, "Come now and let us reason together; though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow." I want my sins, including any pride in my heart washed away and made as white as snow. Don't you? This has been a very helpful study this morning. The word of God strengthens me so much and I know it will if you will just contemplate the verses and how they apply to your life. We may feel terrible when we see ourselves as we really are but remember we can be as white as snow when we confess and repent. God loves us so much and He is in the process of saving us. Grandma Joan
Tuesday, August 25, 2015
Prayer Promises
There are some really good prayer promises and it is good to know what they are and claim them in our prayer time. I have had many answers to prayer and I appreciate it very much but I know that it is only a fraction of the answers that God would like to give me if I just spend time with Him and surrender my life to Him completely and at this time in my life I am really trying to do just that. If you have some answered prayers that you would like to share with others, please send them to me and I will gladly post them for encouragement to others. Following are some texts I would like to share with you regarding this subject.
Psalm 107:9 "For He satisfies the longing soul, and fills the hungry soul with goodness."
Jeremiah 33:3 "Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things which thou knowest not."
Matthew 7:7 "Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you."
Matthew 21:22 "All things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive."
John 15:7,8 "If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire and it shall be done for you. By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples."
How is that for some awesome promises. I want you to notice that all of these promises have conditions in them. Not anything hard but conditions that God wants us to fulfill so He can fulfill His promises to us.
We must long after Him and hunger for Him as searching for great treasures. He also says we must call unto Him and He will show us great and mighty things. We must ask, seek, and knock before it can be opened to us.
We must believe that we will receive whatever we are asking for. This is sometimes the hardest part for we humans, because it is so hard to believe in something or Someone that we cannot see. But think of all the things we are missing out on because of our unbelief.
The last promise is, If you abide in Me and My words abide in you. We must spend some time each day abiding with Him in His word. This glorifies our Father and we will bear much fruit, and then we will be His disciples.
This little study has helped me so much this morning, I hope it has helped you. I want to glorify my Father so much and be His disciple. Don't you? Grandma Joan
Psalm 107:9 "For He satisfies the longing soul, and fills the hungry soul with goodness."
Jeremiah 33:3 "Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things which thou knowest not."
Matthew 7:7 "Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you."
Matthew 21:22 "All things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive."
John 15:7,8 "If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire and it shall be done for you. By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples."
How is that for some awesome promises. I want you to notice that all of these promises have conditions in them. Not anything hard but conditions that God wants us to fulfill so He can fulfill His promises to us.
We must long after Him and hunger for Him as searching for great treasures. He also says we must call unto Him and He will show us great and mighty things. We must ask, seek, and knock before it can be opened to us.
We must believe that we will receive whatever we are asking for. This is sometimes the hardest part for we humans, because it is so hard to believe in something or Someone that we cannot see. But think of all the things we are missing out on because of our unbelief.
The last promise is, If you abide in Me and My words abide in you. We must spend some time each day abiding with Him in His word. This glorifies our Father and we will bear much fruit, and then we will be His disciples.
This little study has helped me so much this morning, I hope it has helped you. I want to glorify my Father so much and be His disciple. Don't you? Grandma Joan
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