Insights from friends

1) In her heart, your wife wants you to lead and wants you to take up the responsibilities required of you as a husband.

2) God has ordained you to lead your family, don't let the devil take away that authority bestowed by God as a man to lead. God

Essential elements of faith to be saved

Taking from Romans 10, v9

9 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 

Think it is essential to believe 1) Jesus died for sins, 2) was raised from the dead and is alive.

These 2 factors form the essence of the faith that is required for salvation, thus forming the basis for a person to be declared righteous. 1) He carried sin 2) He is raised from the dead and is alive.

So necessarily, the person has to believe in the following: 

1) Jesus incarnation as God become man,

2) bearing sins of the world

3) paying through death for sins punishment

4) raised from the dead ‘for righteousness’ to declare man righteous who believes in Him.

Thus the above are the essential elements of biblical faith, faith that can save a person. Praise God!

First love forsaken

I have forsaken my first love, I repent to return to you, for you are a jealous God.

Fighting the lusts of the flesh

Can we be freed of the flesh or are we dammed to continue our existence on earth and trudge through life with something less than victory?

"taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ"

Only though walking in the fullness of the grace of God through the Holy Spirit are we able to overcome our deepest and closest enemy. The devil would not get and snare us if not for the weakness of our Spirit that allows the flesh to indulge. How then can we fight this evil and prevail?

3 thoughts JJJ

#1: Jesus who went 40 days and nights in fierce conflict with the enemy: only after being baptised in the power of the Holy Spirit was He able to prevail. Only after being immersed into Christ's death and His resurrection are we able to prevail over the evil one and the flesh to do God's will. It is received by faith in the grace of God, in the works of God as revealed in Christ for Man.

It is not by our own strength that we can do God's will its is only as we keep in step with Grace in the Power of the Holy Spirit that we are able to walk and keep the enemy and the flesh under our feet. More of Grace, more of God, and less of self, leave the self and flesh be crucified at the cross.

#2 Joseph Son of Jacob : who loved God rather than to sin against Him even when no one was looking when no one would know. The man had a deeper love for his God in dire straights of trial and confinement than any Stirling saint. God will give us grace to follow Him in the midst of confining circumstances that we might remain pure and delighting in Christ all the more. The man was human but he possessed a love for Christ, for God.

#3 Joseph father of Jesus, who refused to lie with Mary out of the fear of God. Are we able to keep ourselves for Christ, entirely because He loves us, entirely because He has done a fearful Godly thing in us, giving us the deposit of His Spirit, are we able to keep ourselves for Him?

In the face of a society that gratifies itself immediately on every lust of the heart, every greed every desire, are we able to hold off gratification to seek God for that pure gratification and blessing, on marriage, on sexuality, on healing, on blessing and wealth, a blessing that He Himself wants to bless us with, and even if He does withhold it, will we still delighting in Him declare He is greater joy than desire fulfilled. He is the sum of Desire fulfilled, the husband man, our souls delight, the joy of Nations. O That I may know you more.

Devotions and reflections

Pornogrpahy. Its harmful because like the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil it encourages us to fulfill longings and desires for what is good "to be like God", in this case good desires for intimacy, fulfillment and deep satisfaction and joy through the engagement of the flesh and entrenches the indwelling power of sin instead of faith. Its a call to find wholeness and satisfaction and joy in something other than.Christ

It calls for the entire devotion and absorbtion of body soul spirit bowing down to an image even a demonic spirit and is an idolatory of something other than God.

It encourages that greed in the heart that lust for more that all consuming evil vacuum within if not for money then sex if not its power

Song Idea for I wait upon the Lord

I wait upon the lord
Upon His mercy, Upon His love
I wait upon the Lord
O wait O my soul wait O my soul, wait O my soul upon the Lord

On His wings
I will rise,
He will carry me
On His wing I will fly

On His wings
I will rise
Up from prisons
Of circumstance and pain

Esteem attack

Feel like nobody believes in me my colleagues say i am sick and have no drive and will not amount to much. Though they never say it, i Feel like my in laws look down on me and wonder how i will make it in life.

The hardest part is that neither do i believe in me. My estimation of myself is so small i can hardly be confident that i will amount to anything.

The hardest part is that i have great difficulty believing in myself. I must be careful for i border on dispising the day of small beginnings, i border on calling God work, me a common and.unholy thing when God has a great redemption plan and a grand rebuilding project for my life.

How can i look down on a Son of God how can i call this temple common and unclean?

I must have a right esteem of myself. I am created in true righteousness and holiness, created and reborn to reflect His glory. I must put on Christ to combat self hatred and dispising, which is a sin which causes me to debase myself and not value.treasure develop and protect myself. why protect something that does not have worth?

i can look at me and recognize the marks of grace that God has changed me. spiritually this is one of the centre points of my struggle.

Thank u for giving me mercy and love and compassion for people.

Thank u for bettering my people skills

Thank u u have given me a heart and ears to listen to people and a.heart that cares

Thank u for a heart tt is willing to serve

Thank u for breaking down my pride and putting humility in me

Thank u for a heart of worship a heart that loves ur word and loves u.

Thank u for healing my emotional wounds

Thank I no longer fear people like i used to although i am not as bold as i need to be, i am further.along the way.

Strengthen my heart sprengthen my spirit that i may do all the things u require of me. I can do all things through ur strength. Fill me w confidence and faith that i may not hang my head low but lift it high and praise u for u are my God. Make me a royal ambassador, a light of Christ in Him do i find my worth and Identity. In Him all my weakness and sickness is passed away in Him i am alive.

there is peace like a river song idea

there is peace like a river in your arms
here is joy so infite and pure
in the fire in the storm i seek a refuge in you lord
there is peace like a river in your arms

covered in righteousness and
blood your love is flowing to me now

there is love overowing in your heart
there your passion is so tender and secure
i may stumble i may fall still your arms will hold me up
there is love overflowing in your heart.

piano and vocals like angel my sarah malaughlin

the security of faith

the only security we have as Chriatians is to live by faith in Christ. it might look scary and.precarious but there is true amtangible peace and assuranc with faith

not to live by faith in Him means to be contented with bondage. it means to be content w less than victory

an expression of faith is to fill in blank ------- sing to be quietv to touch christ its not ur volume its your trust in jesus what matters is not te size of faith that faith is alive and growing lets.believe god together for great things

sometimes we have to shout to declare by faith in gods word and promises like joshua and the wall of jerico it was faith tht knocked the walls down lets press in by faitg to touch him

The security of faith

the only security we have as Christians is to live by faith in Christ. it might look scary and.precarious but there is true and tangible peace and assurance with faith

not to live by faith in Him means to be contented with bondage. it means to be content w less than victory

an expression of faith is to fill in blank ------- sing to be quiet to touch christ its not ur volume of voice its your trust in jesus what matters is not the size of faith that matters but simply tt faith is alive in the person of Christ and growing lets believe god together for great things

sometimes we have to shout to declare by faith in gods word and promises like joshua and the wall of jerico it was faith tht knocked the walls down lets press in by faith to touch him

Words to my heart in the season

See my life fr another angle

Recognize the extraodinaryness of.Gods ordinary dealings in my life

me wife

She is the image of lovely.

ambition

cleanse me from ambition to a pure love for Christ. that i may have a love that overflows to men

Joshua character sketch

Joshua whould have seen slavery, born the son of a slave, worked as a slave in the tarpits of egypts making bricks to build an empire, bearing the whip of slave masters.

Was named Joshua by Moses when he went out to spy out the land

Hoshea - means place of saftey, savior

Joshua - means savior, deliverer.

By His grace

whatever i might go through, grace is so abundant, mercy is so sure that i am sure to go though it successfully by His grace.

Crticism and love

Criticism focuses on the speck in anothers eye and magnifies it until that small flaw becomes the focus of converstion and thinking both to the criticizor and the one being criticized. It destroys people's worth and value, makes one feel that the only thing that defines that person is that flaw, that imperfection.

Love is different. Love looks and searches intently for the good in people, love is meriful and ready to forgive, love loves unconditionally in the face of sin. Love accepts from a ground of grace. Unonditional and unmerited favour.

Love encourages and nourishes the good, what is noble, what is excellent to grow, it does rebuke flaws and faults but does so in a way that protects the person's worth and re-affirms value of the person. Love gently but boldly rebukes sin, but is humble and contrite.

Love also calls for wrath when sin is repeatly unrepented of, love is fierce, love protects is fiery to protect the good, and prevent the corruption of all that is pure and good by evil.

Love is strong and bold, it inititates, it plans, it finishes in power through its brother, faith.

When is a Christian most a Christ

A Christian is most a Chrsitian, when he takes up his cross to give his life to suffer for whom he has believed.

The need for a daily faith in christ and daily rejoicing in christ

I could not do more works for God or have more grace apart from an increasing daily faith in Christ and trust in His grace day by day.

Reflecting on somethings that He has told me to do, no they have not been easy. Not even with supernatural signs and wonders confirming direction. I have many times found myself doubting the instructions even when days earlier i was fully convinced and brimming over with faith.

Faith runs out fast even with supernatural God encounters and must be maintained daily in Christ a daily walk with Christ is the foundation for Godly character.

Free

 'you are free to do whatever you please.' Felt like God said these words to my heart earlier.

'no more slaves but Sons, free as Sons to discover for ourselves what is right and good.'

you don't have to serve me, you don't have to work for me, you are still my son still by beloved, I will still sanctify you and glorify myself in you.

feel as though it is a season to rediscover His grace and goodness and to stop the preaching and teaching and evangelizing. these will come as a spontaneous result of telling people How good a God Jesus is and in the overflow of His love.

A result of the re-discovery of His goodness, not just out of the terrible drudgery of duty.

I wonder how much of my wanting to be a minister stems from self - to be working 'for me', if God would call me it would be for His own glory it would Be Him working for His own glory through me.  the I is totally incidental. it could be anyone else.

and what a poor vessel too! little I can do indeed i feel so miserably poor in talent, in wisdom in energy capabilities, what can i offer God? only to trust Him completely to do His work.

IF God would still bless me whever i was whatever i was doing, would i still want to work to become a minister? If i didnt have to save souls, would i still want to? yes i would still desire it but I'd rather it be a joy of love for the Savior out of relationship and thankfulness to Him, not out of drudgery to preach.

Would i still love people because I have true love, true compassion in my heart? Have i been touched or sufficiently filled with God's love to have compassion for others?

do we struggle in the ministry to think we can earn God's favour, to create Godly character, to save souls, to ready overselves with right doctrine so that we may gain the favor of man and a good living, thinking we have power, or are we totally trusting God to do all, or I we do it out of pure desire for God?

what I really want 'what i please' is to enjoy God's presence, to love my wife, to do good, to live to honor God for from Him have come salvation, from Him have come all that I have.