"In Christ is man perfected and made complete." Christian Doctrine As Freedom, Not Control

[Lyfe]

...being gentle, kind, humble, meek, and full of good deeds will not stop the world from hating a person who just simply seeks to imitate Christ and deliver his message. In fact Jesus was all of these things. He performed innumerable healings and the world still hated him. Why? He came from heaven and revealed the truth about our condition. He exposed human nature and revealed it's guilt. He pointed out that our deeds and rebellion cry out for justice and then gave himself as a ransom for our constant sin. His life revealed that only God is good and we are not!

John 3:19
English Standard Version
19 And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil.

Jeremiah 17:9
King James Version
9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?

Genesis 6:5
English Standard Version
5 The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.

John 2:23-25
English Standard Version
Jesus Knows What Is in Man
23 Now when he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, many believed in his name when they saw the signs that he was doing. 24 But Jesus on his part did not entrust himself to them, because he knew all people 25 and needed no one to bear witness about man, for he himself knew what was in man.

Mark 7:21-23
English Standard Version
21 For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, 22 coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. 23 All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.”

Ecclesiastes 8:11-13
King James Version
therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil.

 

[Lyfe]

The world has an unbiblical view of depression. God had created man to be perfectly whole and altogether within himself, but because of the prince of darkness we were robbed of this birthright. Depression is a spiritual condition and work of the devil(yes there is a literal devil and kingdom of darkness). It says in scripture that Jesus came to DESTROY and nullify the works of the devil. Satan is a thief, a liar, and a murderer, but Jesus came to restore us to fullness of life IN HIM. God manifests himself and makes his abode within someone at the moment of salvation through his holy spirit. The indwelling holy spirit interacts with our soul and spirit and brings regeneration to our inner man. God is the only one who can truly satisfy the human soul. He reanimates and brings to life that which is languishing and ready to die! He gives his children HIS SPIRIT to nourish, sustain, and bring HEALING to their SOUL!

The LORD is good to those who wait for him, to THE SOUL who seeks him. Lamentations 3:25

For he satisfies the longing soul, and THE HUNGRY SOUL "HE FILLS" WITH GOOD THINGS. Psalm 107:9

For I WILL SATISFY THE WEARY SOUL, and EVERY LANGUISHING SOUL I WILL REPLENISH.” Jeremiah 31:25

I WILL FEAST THE SOUL OF THE PRIESTS WITH ABUNDANCE, and my people shall be satisfied with MY goodness, declares the LORD.” Jeremiah 31:14

Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even AS THY SOUL PROSPERETH. 3 John 1:2

GOD CAUSES OUR SOUL TO PROSPER! True prosperity is from WITHIN not MATERIAL!

YOU have put MORE JOY IN MY HEART than they have when their grain and wine abound. Psalm 4:7

He fills us and heals us with HIS LOVE through THE HOLY SPIRIT OF WHOM WE RECEIVE WHEN WE BECOME BORN AGAIN THROUGH CHRIST!

and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. Romans 5:5

 

[Lyfe]

In Christ man is perfected and brought to completion. This is all a sovereign work of God who takes his redeemed and circumcises them with a spiritual circumcision made without human hands. God is interested in our heart and conduct and turning us into new men more than he is our church attendance and religion. It's through salvation in Christ that we are begotten by God as he cuts away the old man and enables us to become partakers of the divine nature made after his likeness(through the outpouring of the holy spirit). It's through the holy spirit that we become children of God and belong to Christ.

John 1:12-13
King James Version
12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:
13 Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

Colossians 2:9-11
New Living Translation
9 For in Christ lives all the fullness of God in a human body.[a] 10 So you also are complete through your union with Christ, who is the head over every ruler and authority.

11 When you came to Christ, you were “circumcised,” but not by a physical procedure. Christ performed a spiritual circumcision—the cutting away of your sinful nature.

Ephesians 4:22-24
New Living Translation
22 throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. 23 Instead, LET THE SPIRIT RENEW YOUR THOUGHTS AND ATTITUDES. 24 Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy.

Ephesians 2:10
Amplified Bible
For we are His workmanship [His own master work, a work of art], created in Christ Jesus [reborn from above—spiritually transformed, renewed, ready to be used] for good works, which God prepared [for us] beforehand [taking paths which He set], so that we would walk in them [living the good life which He prearranged and made ready for us].

 

[Dalit]

In Christ man is perfected and brought to completion. This is all a sovereign work of God who takes his redeemed and circumcises them with a spiritual circumcision made without human hands. God is interested in our heart and conduct and turning us into new men more than he is our church attendance and religion. It's through salvation in Christ that we are begotten by God as he cuts away the old man and enables us to become partakers of the divine nature made after his likeness(through the outpouring of the holy spirit). It's through the holy spirit that we become children of God and belong to Christ.

John 1:12-13
King James Version
12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:
13 Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

Colossians 2:9-11
New Living Translation
9 For in Christ lives all the fullness of God in a human body.[a] 10 So you also are complete through your union with Christ, who is the head over every ruler and authority.

11 When you came to Christ, you were “circumcised,” but not by a physical procedure. Christ performed a spiritual circumcision—the cutting away of your sinful nature.

Ephesians 4:22-24
New Living Translation
22 throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. 23 Instead, LET THE SPIRIT RENEW YOUR THOUGHTS AND ATTITUDES. 24 Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy.

Ephesians 2:10
Amplified Bible
For we are His workmanship [His own master work, a work of art], created in Christ Jesus [reborn from above—spiritually transformed, renewed, ready to be used] for good works, which God prepared [for us] beforehand [taking paths which He set], so that we would walk in them [living the good life which He prearranged and made ready for us].

For we are the circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh.

Phillipians 3:3 ESV

 

[Lyfe]

For we are the circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh.

Phillipians 3:3 ESV

Amen. The flesh profits nothing. All that matters is a new creation. It's God who's working in and through us to produce his fruit and light within the world!

 

[Lyfe]

God looks after and is faithful to his sheep. The thing about all of God's sheep is that they are never truly comfortable in the world and they always think about home(even when they go astray) just as the prodigal did. The Father has joined their hearts to his and they are a part of Christ's own body! The sheep will stumble, but when it comes down to it they don't truly want the world over God! It has nothing to do with who they are or what they have done, but rather God's own love and faithfulness to those who he sets his seal upon! I'm not a Calvinist, but I just simply believe what God says about his sheep and his children! God's sheep resist and refuse the idea of ever falling away, because of what God has done in them!

WHO ARE KEPT BY THE POWER OF GOD through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 1 Peter 1:5

The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed AND BRING ME SAFELY INTO HIS HEAVENLY KINGDOM. To him be the glory forever and ever. Amen. 2 Timothy 4:18

Now to him WHO IS ABLE TO KEEP YOU from stumbling AND TO PRESENT YOU BLAMELESS before the presence of his glory with great joy, to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time[a] and now and forever. Amen. Jude 24-25

The LORD is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; HE KNOWS THOSE who take refuge in him. Nahum 1:7

My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and NO ONE WILL SNATCH THEM OUT OF MY HAND. My Father, who has given them to me,[a] is greater than all, and NO ONE IS ABLE TO SNATCH THEM out of the Father's hand. John 10:27-29

Psalm 89:31-33
English Standard Version
31 if they violate my statutes
and do not keep my commandments,
32 then I will punish their transgression with the rod
and their iniquity with stripes,
33 BUT I WILL NOT remove from him my steadfast love
OR BE FALSE TO MY FAITHFULNESS.

 

[Lyfe]

The Lord was impressing this subject upon me this morning. The enemy uses condemnation against God's children, because he knows how powerful of a weapon it is to form against someone. Condemnation is not of God especially for those who know and believe the truth according to the gospel. If someone believes in the scriptures that Jesus came from heaven( as the son of God) to die for their sin, that salvation is in nobody else as he is the only hope and the only way to God, that he rose again from the dead and now sits at the right hand of the father, if someone believes in these things and has gone before God and asked Jesus to save them then they are an heir of salvation and a member of God's household. If you know and believe in these things and are ready to go to your grave holding to these truths convinced of their certainty then that is true faith and don't allow the enemy to come in with his lies and condemnation. The testimony of Christ is within you through the holy spirit. The truth is in you to bear witness to the truth by the spirit of truth!

Psalm 34:22
English Standard Version
22 The Lord redeems the life of his servants;
NONE OF THOSE WHO TAKE REFUGE IN HIM WILL BE CONDEMNED.

Romans 8:1
English Standard Version
8 THERE IS THEREFORE NOW NO CONDEMNATION for those who are in Christ Jesus.[a]

John 3:17
English Standard Version
17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.

Hebrews 7:25
English Standard Version
25 Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost[a] those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.

The enemy is a liar. In Christ we are acquitted and pardoned!

Psalm 109:2
English Standard Version
2 For wicked and deceitful mouths ARE OPENED AGAINST ME,
SPEAKING AGAINST ME WITH LYING TONGUES.

Psalm 37:32-33
English Standard Version
32 The wicked watches for the righteous
and seeks to put him to death.
33 The Lord will not abandon him to his power
OR LET HIM BE CONDEMNED WHEN HE IS BROUGHT TO TRIAL.

1 Timothy 4:1
New Living Translation
Now the Holy Spirit tells us clearly that in the last times some will turn away from the true faith; they will follow deceptive spirits and teachings that come from demons

 

[Lyfe]

The children of God grieve over sin within the world and within themselves, because God grieves over sin. Sin destroys lives and families. Sin brings about tears and many sorrows. Sin destroys addicts. Sin brings heavy chains. Sin is the reason why hell was created. Sin brings about bodily torment and affliction. Sin brings premature and unexpected death and tragedy.

We must reach out for the hand that God is extending toward us and receive Christ for salvation and deliverance from this world of iniquity! It's only through the blood he shed and work he did at the cross that we can be made whole and complete! It's only through the holy spirit that we can become children of God and experience inner healing and restoration! It's through Christ that one becomes reborn(from above by the holy spirit) and receives an inheritance among the new heavens and the new earth when God makes all things new!

1 John 3:7-10
English Standard Version
7 Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous. 8 Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. 9 No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God's[a] seed abides in him; and he cannot keep on sinning, because he has been born of God. 10 By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother.

 

[Lyfe]

If someone is in Christ and has been born again then they are called to believe and know that there is healing and divine power in his blood. They are called to trust and have faith that the holy spirit is at work in and around them to sustain, revive, and guide them. They are commanded to believe that God is now their faithful father who calls them to fellowship and communion with him!

Psalm 103:1-18
English Standard Version
Bless the Lord, O My Soul
Of David.
103 Bless the Lord, O my soul,
and all that is within me,
bless his holy name!
2 Bless the Lord, O my soul,
AND FORGET NOT ALL HIS BENEFITS,
3 who forgives all your iniquity,
who heals all your diseases,
4 who redeems your life from the pit,
who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy,
5 who satisfies you with good
so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.

6 The Lord works righteousness
and justice for all who are oppressed.
7 He made known his ways to Moses,
his acts to the people of Israel.
8 The Lord is merciful and gracious,
slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
9 He will not always chide,
nor will he keep his anger forever.
10 He does not deal with us according to our sins,
nor repay us according to our iniquities.
11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
SO GREAT IS HIS STEADFAST LOVE TOWARD THOSE WHO FEAR HIM;
12 as far as the east is from the west,
so far does he remove our transgressions from us.
13 AS A FATHER SHOWS COMPASSION to his children,
so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him.
14 For he knows our frame;[a]
he remembers that we are dust.

15 As for man, his days are like grass;
he flourishes like a flower of the field;
16 for the wind passes over it, and it is gone,
and its place knows it no more.
17 But the steadfast love of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him,
and his righteousness to children's children,
18 to those who keep his covenant
and remember to do his commandments.

 

[Lyfe]

In light of what's revealed in God's word the most loving thing you can do for a person is point them in the direction of the cross and the one who hung on a cross for their sin. Jesus promised his disciples that after his departure he would send them the comforter. This is a reference to his spirit. He told his disciples that he would be with them always and if someone has received Christ then he is with them through his spirit(the holy spirit resides inside of them). He isn't a God who is far off, but he is one who is close by and within. He is the comforter, the upholder, the sustainer, the cleanser of all that is emotionally and spiritually harmful!

You and I can't help anyone in the way they truly need to be helped. Sin has twisted and warped our minds, it has bruised our hearts, it has left people with self destructive patterns that they can't shake that ruin their lives and the lives of those around them!. This level of damage is beyond human help. God is spirit and when a person turns to Christ for salvation he makes his abode within them and brings inner healing and regeneration. All the bitterness, all the lust, all the hatred, all the heaviness, all the addiction can finally be broken off and removed. People can begin to feel whole and experience life as God had always intended. This is why human help is vain, because it can't and won't deal with the core of the problem.

All God requires is for us to acknowledge our guilt and how we have sinned against him. We have despised his word and disregarded his ways and commandments. We must acknowledge this and ask him to forgive us. We must also recognize and believe he sent Jesus to bear our punishment on the cross when he suffered chastisement for our wrong. He will save you and deliver you and bring his fellowship within you through the gift of the holy spirit! He will bring your soul to life and restore your connection to The Father!

Titus 3:4-5
New Living Translation
4 But—

When God our Savior revealed his kindness and love, 5 he saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit.[a]

Isaiah 53:5
New Living Translation
5 But he was pierced for our rebellion,
crushed for our sins.
He was beaten so we could be whole.
He was whipped so we could be healed.

1 Corinthians 1:9
God will do this, for he is faithful to do what he says, and he has invited you into partnership with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

 

[Lyfe]

God is always warning his people through his word to not go back to Egypt. To the spiritually uncircumcised (those void of the spirit) this is a place of delight, ease, prosperity, and worldly pleasure, but to those in Christ who have had their hearts circumcised to God it will always be a place of spiritual hostility and bondage. Egypt is actually referred to as the house of bondage in scripture. It's a place of spiritual entanglement where Satan and his cast of seducing spirits are always looking to bring God's children into slavery. We must realize that if we are in Christ that this world is not our home. Those very things we once delighted in now grieve the spirit and bring godly sorrow. They are no longer able to satisfy after coming to taste and receive of God's goodness in fellowship with him!

The only source of peace, joy, and rest we now have is in The Father. It was David who said that the NEARNESS of God was his good. He also said that in God's presence is fullness of joy. We are called to worship and know God in spirit and in truth! If the enemy is tempting you then know its to steal your joy and deceive you. It's to bring you back into the bondage of the things of this world. It is to make you a slave all over again through his many devices! We will never be or feel at home in this world. We lose our peace and joy everytime we seek to find it somewhere other than God through his prayerful communion and fellowship. It's only when we renounce the world and come back to Christ that we begin to experience healing, renewal, and the joy of salvation return to us! It's only when we walk in a way that is pleasing to The Lord that he will remove his loving hand of correction and restore us once again!

Psalm 32:3-4
English Standard Version
3 For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away
through my groaning all day long.
4 For DAY AND NIGHT YOUR HAND WAS HEAVY UPON ME;
my strength was dried up[a] as by the heat of summer. Selah

Psalm 51:12
English Standard Version
12 RESTORE TO ME THE JOY OF YOUR SALVATION,
and uphold me with a willing spirit.

 

[Lyfe]

Biblical salvation is more than just God recording your name down in the book of life and being given a place in heaven when you die. Salvation is becoming part of a promised divine restoration and regeneration of our spiritual being, salvation is healing and renewal of the soul, salvation is freedom and deliverence from sin and the powers of darkness, salvation is a restored connection and friendship to God. Salvation is bringing man to completion through Christ! Salvation is an undoing of the damage that occured within us at the fall of man. Salvation is God consecrating you and bringing you near to himself. Salvation is adoption where God becomes your heavenly father!

Jesus is the SOURCE of all these things. He is the only SOURCE of eternal SALVATION for all of humankind! God has opened up a well of salvation and a source for which people can be made whole and complete! His word promises inner healing through his blood and to bring you to life through the gift of the holy spirit! This is what Christ has opened up for all of man through the cross!

Hebrews 5:9
English Standard Version
9 And being made perfect, he became THE SOURCE of eternal salvation to all who obey him,

Zechariah 13:1
English Standard Version
“On that day THERE SHALL BE A FOUNTAIN OPENED for the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, TO CLEANSE THEM from sin and uncleanness.

 

[Lyfe]

The truth is that if you are walking with Christ and being led by his spirit( to reach all the wayward souls in these evil times) it can be very discouraging. God sees your efforts and is true to his revealed will to bring comfort to his bond servants. Its been my experience that he has a way of using small things to uplift and renew you. I was walking the other day and I saw a car drive by with a license plate that read "Mt Zion."

I didn't know what it meant, but today I asked The Father to speak to me and he led me to Psalm 20 and as soon as I read it I just 'knew' it was his way of sending his 'support' and encouragement. There are many who would contend that I am looking too much into this, but that is fine by me...

Psalm 20:1-3
English Standard Version
Trust in the Name of the Lord Our God
To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.
20 May the Lord answer you in the day of trouble!
May the name of the God of Jacob protect you!
2 May HE SEND YOU HELP from the sanctuary
and GIVE YOU SUPPORT FROM ZION!
3 May he remember all your offerings
and regard with favor your burnt sacrifices! Selah

If we are living for Christ then we should not just expect the same opposition he experienced, but we should also be ready for The Father to bring relief and comfort as his word promises. The world will not understand what you do, because the cross is folly to those who have not had their hearts and minds renewed by the holy spirit, but as Christ has shown us his ways he has also provided us with a refuge in him through prayer. He has torn the veil and given us access by his blood into the holy place where God himself is! He has noticed your deeds and will bless you and visit you as you do his will! He will send support from Zion!

Hebrews 6:10
For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have shewed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister.

2 Chronicles 15:7
But as for you, be strong; don’t give up, for your work has a reward.”

Romans 14:18
Whoever thus serves Christ IS ACCEPTABLE TO GOD and approved by men.

Hebrews 13:12-13
English Standard Version
12 So Jesus also suffered outside the gate in order to sanctify the people through his own blood. 13 Therefore let us go to him outside the camp and bear the reproach he endured.

 

[Lyfe]

There was so much empty religion, man made tradition, and spiritual dead ends in Christ's day. Part of the reason why he was opposed so strongly was, because he compared and contrasted what the people believed in to the truth of what he knew to be right as the one who designed the very fabric of reality. Jesus IS the truth, he IS the reality, truth comes from him and is what he says it is. We as the creation do not have the luxury of creating our own reality and truth. The truth is we don't know better than the one who created us. God's word says that this culture is deceived and wrong. Love rejoices in the truth, because in the end lies can only bring one harm and further from the healing balm of God's truth!

There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death. Proverbs 14:12

In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes. Judges 21:25

THERE IS NO faithfulness or steadfast love, and NO KNOWLEDGE OF GOD IN THE LAND; Hosea 4:1

I would redeem them, but they speak lies against me. Hosea 7:13

Therefore I esteem all thy precepts concerning ALL THINGS TO BE RIGHT; and I hate every false way. Psalm 119:128

THE SUM OF YOUR WORD IS TRUTH, and every one of your righteous rules endures forever. Psalm 119:160

 

[Lyfe]

In scripture Jesus is referred to as the great physician. I think there are many people out there who make the mistake of thinking that the health and well being of their soul will be dependent on church attendance somewhere. God definitely calls us to fellowship and wants to position us in a place where our spiritual giftings can be utilized, a community of other brothers and sisters(family) in Christ where there are guides and voices of encouragement,but the problem is when we come under the pretense that mere church attendance or church life is an accurate reflection of what God is acctually calling us to.

Gods primary desire is to give us something. The knowledge and revelation of himself along with a restored connection to himself. He is calling us to fellowship and sonship. He desires a relationship with us. He wants you to seek him to talk to him as if he is a father or really good friend, everyday! Its by this and through the knowldge of God and a restored connection to the source of light and life that a person is made whole and complete.

If we have been led to believe that through the gospel we are merely being called to a church rather than the great physician himself then our understanding flawed.

We must acknowledge that God has appointed Jesus to us as the healer and primary counselor for every living being. God has made him to be all sufficient for every human need and desire. He is the healer, the comforter, the deliverer, the spiritual sustenance for our soul and its through him by the communion of the holy spirit that we receive all the spiritual blessings that God desires to freely give us. People have been lied to and deceived their whole life about who God is by the Father of lies. God delights in steadfast love. In scripture it says he holds out his hand all the day long to a rebellious people. It's the heavenly father's good pleasure to give the kingdom and to bring someone into communion with him through the holy spirit!

2 Corinthians 5:18-19
English Standard Version
18 All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; 19 that is, in Christ God was reconciling[a] the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.

Luke 12:32
English Standard Version
32 “Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.

2 Corinthians 13:4
The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and THE COMMUNION OF THE HOLY GHOST, be with you all. Amen.

 

[Lyfe]

Amos 5:14
English Standard Version
14 Seek good, and not evil,
that you may live;
and so the Lord, the God of hosts, will be with you,
as you have said.

1 Corinthians 10:21-22
English Standard Version
21 You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. You cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons. 22 Shall we provoke the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than he?

Amos 3:3
King James Version
3 Can two walk together, except they be agreed?

James 4:8-10
English Standard Version
8 Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.

Hosea 14:2
English Standard Version
2 Take with you words
and return to the Lord;
say to him,
“Take away all iniquity;
accept what is good,

Isaiah 55:6-7
King James Version
6 Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near:

7 Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.

2 Peter 3:9
King James Version
9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

Amos 5:4
"Seek me and live"

 

[Lyfe]

2 Chronicles 7:14
English Standard Version
14 if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.

Romans 8:13
English Standard Version
13 For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.

Galatians 5:19-21
English Standard Version
19 Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, 21 envy,[a] drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

Acts 3:26
Amplified Bible
26 It was for you first of all that God raised up His Servant and Son [Jesus], and sent Him to bless you by turning every one of you from your wicked ways.”

Matthew 1:21
English Standard Version
21 Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”

Hosea 12:6
English Standard Version
“So you, BY THE HELP OF YOUR GOD, return, hold fast to love and justice, and wait continually for your God.”

Romans 10:9-13
English Standard Version
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. 10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. 11 For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” 12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. 13 For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

 

[Lyfe]

God has said in his word that at the end of the age he is going to separate the wheat from the tares, the sheep from the goats, the good fish from the bad ones, the godly from the ungodly. There are many people out there who are so hardened by sin and the world that they no longer feel the conviction of the holy spirit to renounce their wicked ways and come unto to God. They cast all of his words behind their back every time they are presented with the gospels message of repentance and turning. If the holy spirit is tugging at your heart then turn to God in prayer and ask for his help by seeking his face, acknowledge and confess your sins to him and call upon the name of Jesus for salvation and deliverance. He is the only one who has the power to affect true transformation within the human heart and recreate it after the likeness of God's. Sin perverted man at the fall, but God brings divine restitution through Christ.

Jesus said that unless a man is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God. He will tell many he never knew them and cast them out of his presence as they cry out to him for mercy, but by then it will be too late, because they chose rebellion and to harden their heart in their earthly life. We only come to truly know God by coming to him and by being born again, by becoming a part of him through the holy spirit. God reveals in his word that he does not partner up with the wicked. He desires that nobody should perish and extends his hand to them. He calls them to turn and come unto him to be reborn and be made new for restored fellowship, but he is also just and will not pervert justice by acquitting people who only ignore and pervert his word. God's intent is to heal and restore, but also to destroy every deviation from his original design and everything that's been tainted and corrupted by sin sin since the fall of man! He KNOWS who are truly his.

Psalm 50:5-6
English Standard Version
5 “GATHER TO ME MY FAITHFUL ONES,
who made a covenant with me by sacrifice!”
6 The heavens declare his righteousness,
for God himself is judge! Selah

Psalm 50:16-21
English Standard Version
16 BUT TO THE WICKED GOD SAYS:
“What right have you to recite my statutes
or take my covenant on your lips?
17 For you hate discipline,
and you cast my words behind you.
18 If you see a thief, you are pleased with him,
and you keep company with adulterers.

19 “You give your mouth free rein for evil,
and your tongue frames deceit.
20 You sit and speak against your brother;
you slander your own mother's son.
21 These things you have done, and I have been silent;
you thought that I[a] was one like yourself.
But now I rebuke you and lay the charge before you.

 

[Lyfe]

True peace and joy comes from maintaining a right heart toward God(through Christ). It is acknowledging your sin and going to him with your anger, bitterness, pride, and frustrations and asking him to cleanse you and rid your heart of these things that poison it! He will heal you and The Joy Of The Lord through the indwelling holy spirit will be your strength!

But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from THE HEART, and this defiles a person. Matthew 15:18

Let us lift up OUR HEARTS and hands to God in heaven: Lamentations 3:42

Create in me a CLEAN HEART, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Psalm 51:10

Cleanse out THE OLD LEAVEN that you may be a new lump, as you really are unleavened. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. 1 Corinthians 5:7

Let us therefore celebrate the festival, not with THE OLD LEAVEN, the leaven of malice and evil, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. 1 Corinthians 5:8

GUARD YOUR HEART more than anything else, because the source of your life flows from it. Proverbs 4:23

My [only] sacrifice [acceptable] to God is a broken spirit; A broken and CONTRITE HEART [broken with sorrow for sin, thoroughly penitent], such, O God, You will not despise. Psalm 51:17

Philippians 4:6-7
English Standard Version
6 do not be anxious about anything, but IN EVERYTHING BY PRAYER and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, WILL GUARD YOUR HEARTS and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Isaiah 26:3
English Standard Version
3 You keep him in perfect peace
whose mind is stayed on you,
because he trusts in you.

1 Peter 5:8-9
English Standard Version
8 BE SOBER-MINDED; BE WATCHFUL. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 9 Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world.

Above all, lift up the [protective] shield of faith with which you can EXTINGUISH ALL THE FLAMING ARROWS of the evil one. Ephesians 6:16

 

[Lyfe]

Job 29 is such a powerful passage. It's my belief that God wants to take us and make us like Job within our communities(through the power of Christ)! What a beautiful thing, but oh how we fall short! Only God can make our righteousness shine like it did through Job! How beautiful is the glorious picture of the new man we are meant to be in Christ!

Job 29
English Standard Version

29 And Job again took up his discourse, and said:
2 “Oh, that I were as in the months of old,
as in the days when God watched over me,
3 when his lamp shone upon my head,
and by his light I walked through darkness,
4 as I was in my prime,[a]
when the friendship of God was upon my tent,
5 when the Almighty was yet with me,
when my children were all around me,
6 when my steps were washed with butter,
and the rock poured out for me streams of oil!
7 When I went out to the gate of the city,
when I prepared my seat in the square,
8 the young men saw me and withdrew,
and the aged rose and stood;
9 the princes refrained from talking
and laid their hand on their mouth;
10 the voice of the nobles was hushed,
and their tongue stuck to the roof of their mouth.
11 When the ear heard, it called me blessed,
and when the eye saw, it approved,
12 because I delivered the poor who cried for help,
and the fatherless who had none to help him.
13 The blessing of him who was about to perish came upon me,
and I caused the widow's heart to sing for joy.
14 I put on righteousness, and it clothed me;
my justice was like a robe and a turban.
15 I was eyes to the blind
and feet to the lame.
16 I was a father to the needy,
and I searched out the cause of him whom I did not know.
17 I broke the fangs of the unrighteous
and made him drop his prey from his teeth.
18 Then I thought, ‘I shall die in my nest,
and I shall multiply my days as the sand,
19 my roots spread out to the waters,
with the dew all night on my branches,
20 my glory fresh with me,
and my bow ever new in my hand.’
21 “Men listened to me and waited
and kept silence for my counsel.
22 After I spoke they did not speak again,
and my word dropped upon them.
23 They waited for me as for the rain,
and they opened their mouths as for the spring rain.
24 I smiled on them when they had no confidence,
and the light of my face they did not cast down.
25 I chose their way and sat as chief,
and I lived like a king among his troops,
like one who comforts mourners.