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Dealing with fear is an uncomfortable situation and a common ailment of being human. Whenever the unexpected happens, when the thing most dreaded becomes a reality, or when the unthinkable and unimaginable event occurs, we will experience fear. It may last for just a moment or it may linger uncomfortably around the door of our heart, trying to force its way into our beings. It desires to remain there as a permanent irritating resident. The true dilemma we face is not, “will fear show up?” The real question is “what do we do with the fear we encounter? The Bible assures believers that God is always in attendance and His promised presence should be the blanket that covers and smothers every “breath” of fear. He has promised that all who trust in Him will not be ashamed. I am so grateful that I have a God I can lean on in difficult times. His promises secure my heart and settle my mind with peace, especially in the event of a fearful situation. Truly, He is the God of all peace and He enables His people to face adversity with strength and assurance of victory! Those who rest in Him will not be put to shame!
Philippians 4:7 - And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
Proverbs 23:22
Hearken unto thy father that begat thee, and despise not thy mother when she is old.
Never forget that God’s Word is only for God’s people, for no one else can live according to His Word, because no one else has His Spirit, and only by His Spirit comes the Truth of God’s Word. God has promised that honoring one’s parents is the first commandment with promise (Ephesians 6:2). There is no such thing as honoring our Heavenly Father if there is no honor for our parents, and the honoring of our parents is our hearkening unto them as they guide us according to the Word of God!
Even when they are old, we are never to despise our parents, as they are the one’s God used to bring us into this world, and the one’s God used to guide us along the Way. Again, we are speaking of God’s people here, so we know the Way in which we speak is referring to Jesus Christ (John 14:6), and the Way of His sacrifice (Hebrews 10:20)!
Seeking God in His Word and experiencing Him through faith in the sacrifice of Christ!
“and the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold Satan has desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat: But I have prayed for you, that your faith fail not: and when you are converted, strengthen your brethren (Lk. 22:31-32).
Simon Peter now faces the greatest trial of his life. It is primarily because of his boasting, as evidenced in 22:33. It seems that Satan had asked permission to tempt Peter and had evidently been given permission. Such permission, however, was not to please Satan, not at all, but rather as a lesson for Simon Peter. Satan can only do what the Lord allows him to do.
The Lord said to Peter, “I have prayed for you, that your faith fail not.” We must ever realize that every attack by Satan against us, whether it’s in the realm of the physical, financial, domestic, or spiritual, is always but for one purpose, and that is to completely destroy our faith, or at least seriously weaken it. Satan’s attack is always delivered against Faith, for if that fails, all fail.
So Satan said to Eve, “Has God said?” When that doubt had done its work, he boldly added, “You shall not surely die.”
Jesus told Peter that He would pray for him. He never said anything like that concerning Judas. He knew there was no hope for Judas, and He also knew that Peter would pull through.
The appointed time contemplated in this prayer was not the moment of Peter’s denial, but the dark moment of despair when he went out and wept bitterly. Then Satan, no doubt, must have whispered to him: “You have committed spiritual suicide. Now are you mine!” But the Lord’s look (22:31) was the means that upheld his faith, and so Christ’s prayer was answered, as all such like prayers are always answered!
Jesus said, “And when you are converted, strengthen your brethren” (22:32). The word “converted,” as used here, does not mean to get saved again, as it normally does, but rather “to come back to the right way.” Peter most definitely would do that; then he was also able to “strengthen his brethren.”
Did Peter fall?
No! He failed, but he did not fall. To “fall” is to lose faith, thereby to quit believing. This is what happened to many of the Hebrew Believers, which occasioned Paul to write the Book of Hebrews (Heb. 6:4-6; 10:26-29). They had quit believing in Christ and the Cross.
As long as one keeps believing in Christ, and what Christ did at the Cross, while there might be failure, there will not be a Fall.”
—Donnie Swaggart (taken from the “Word for Every Day”) Donnie Swaggart
Choosing to walk with Christ, is an internal choice and an eternal decision. Faith rises up in the inner man in response to truth that has been proclaimed to us. It may come by means of a sermon, it may travel to one through a song, or may arrive by way of the reading of God’s Word. When a person senses faith to believe that Christ died for our sins, and then acknowledges themselves as a sinner, they should immediately respond and accept Jesus as Lord and Savior. The moment that they do, the miracle of regeneration takes place. They are transformed into a new creation in Christ Jesus. The Holy Spirit takes up residence within them. The soul and the spirit of that person is wondrously equipped to carry out an ongoing relationship with the living God. The power of sin is broken. Past sins are forgiven and cast as far away as the East is from the West. And one day when the journey on this earth is over, they will enter into the presence of God to live forever and ever. So the choice that you make concerning Christ is an internal choice that will continue to bring benefits into your life for all eternity.
Psalm 84:10 For a day in thy courts is better than a thousand. I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness.
Proverbs 23:23
Buy the truth, and sell it not; also wisdom, and instruction, and understanding.
Buying the Truth simply means to procure the Truth, to own the Truth for oneself, to acquire and to possess the Truth for oneself. Because we know that money, nor all the riches of the world can not purchase even one soul (Mark 8:36), we must realize that the only thing that spends in God’s Way is faith. Faith is not what most teach, nor what you will read in 99.9% of books that are sold today on that subject. For a man to have faith in God, he must have faith in God’s Son whom he sent to die on the cross for their sins. Until their faith is placed there, it isn’t considered biblical faith in the eyes of God.
Faith is simply someone who is believing with the heart unto righteousness (Romans 10:10), which means they are TRUSTING God’s Word in its proper context which is righteousness (Proverbs 8:8), and righteousness is only revealed in the gospel (Message of Christ and Him crucified) (Romans 1:16-17). Faith in anything other than God’s Word in this context is not faith at all in the eyes of God, at least not that which He will honor with Grace, which is Him working in our lives.
Those who desire Truth will also desire wisdom, instruction and understanding, all of which take place in one’s life as they fight to maintain their faith in The Christ of the Bible and His Way, which is the Way of the Cross.
Seeking God in His Word and experiencing Him through faith in the sacrifice of Christ!
“and He came out, and went, as He was wont, to the Mount of Olives; and His Disciples also followed Him (Lk. 22:39).
Here in the Passion of Christ is the great lesson of surrender taught. It comes, in essence, in three stages. They are:
“The place of surrender”: The Scripture said, “And when He was at the place, He said unto them, Pray that you enter not into temptation” (22:40).
1. Before a Believer can surrender totally to the Lord Jesus Christ, he has to first come to the “place of surrender.” There is a Gethsemane for every Believer. The problem of self-will is acute in the hearts and lives of all, even the best of Christians. There is only one way for self-will to be conquered, and that is for the person to come to the “place” where they understand that the Cross of Christ is the only answer.
Jesus died on the Cross, not only to save us from sin, but also to save us from “self.”
2. “The price of surrender”: What is the price? Jesus tells us what it is.
He said, “Father, if You be willing, remove this cup from Me: nevertheless not My Will, but Yours, be done” (22:42).
The price of surrender is our personal wills being swallowed up in the sweet Will of God. The Cross is the only means by which the will of the individual can properly acquiesce to the Will of God. If the Believer attempts to pay the price himself, instead of looking to the One Who has already paid the price, this will only breed self-righteousness. Making the Cross the Object of one’s Faith, and the Cross alone, will have the effect of us looking to Christ, and only Christ!
3. “The peace of surrender”: Once that surrender was made, “There appeared an Angel unto Him from Heaven, strengthening Him” (22:43).
This didn’t mean that the struggle grew less intense, for, in fact, it increased; however, the extra strength provided by the Angel was sufficient. Angels also ministered to Him in the Temptation (Mk. 1:13).
All want the “peace of surrender,” which is a peace that passes all understanding, but many do not want to come to the “place” or pay the “price.” There is, however, no other way! (Jn. 14:27).”
—Donnie Swaggart (taken from the “Word for Every Day”) Donnie Swaggart
One of the works of the Holy Spirit, who resides in the heart of every truly Born again believer, is to bring assurance of salvation. The scriptures teach us that the third person of the triune God-head moves inside every believer upon conversion. As we soon discover, the adversary of our soul, Satan, will try to confuse us with his lies. But one of the works of the indwelling Holy Spirit is to lead believers into all truth. One of Satan’s most poignant lies is to try to convince the believer that her or she is not saved. These lies are most effective right after the Christian stumbles, they fail God, or they sin. Then, coupled with the sense of guilt that arrives with failure, comes an all out effort to eliminate the security we have in Christ. I am not a believer in unconditional eternal security. I am a believer in eternal security, that which is maintained by faith. As long as the believer continues to believe, he or she is secure. We do not lose our salvation over an act, we lose our salvation by losing our faith. The Holy Spirit is there to assure us at all times that we are secured in Christ through the agency of faith alone.
Romans 8:16 - The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:
Proverbs 24:1
Be not thou envious against evil men, neither desire to be with them.
Many times God has had to remind His people of this very thing because the world is full of lustful things, but they all lead to death as they pull us away from the Lord. Remember it was Cain’s lineage that was the first to have music, instruments, cattle businesses, weapons of war, NOT God’s people. I know we have heard the phrase all of our lives that says, “It takes all kinds to make the world go round”, but it is not true. It only takes God’s people to make the world go round. God proved it when He removed through the great flood everyone and everything that wasn’t attached to Him through faith in the sacrifice of His promised Redeemer. It is the church that contains the Light in this world, and is the very salt, which means that which preserves.
Not only does the Lord say to His people NOT to envy sinners, but also NOT to desire to be with them. This is where the temptation exists. We begin by telling ourselves that we will not partake of their evil, but that we will only hang out with them, but God says NOT to do this, and only through faith in the cross of Jesus Christ, and the power of His Holy Spirit will we be able to find ourselves living in obedience to His Word.
Seeking God in His Word and experiencing Him through faith in the sacrifice of Christ!
“and He said to them all, If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me” (Lk. 9:23).
In this short Passage, we have before us that which the Lord expects in our proposed serving Him and service to Him. There are three things that must be done. They are:
1. The individual must deny himself: Self-denial, which is demanded here, is not asceticism, as many think. Incidentally, asceticism is the denial of all things which are pleasurable or comfortable, etc. So, many think if they make things abnormally hard for themselves, then this denotes some type of holiness, etc. It doesn’t!
The denial of self of which Jesus here spoke refers to one denying one’s own strength, ability, and prowess, i.e., “the flesh.” This is, in fact, one of the greatest hindrances to the Child of God. The Believer attempts to do for himself that which he cannot do, and which, in fact, the Lord has already done.
2. Take up the Cross: As many people misunderstand self-denial, they also misunderstand the taking up of the Cross. Most think it refers to suffering. In fact, it does. It is not, however, the suffering of the individual that here is demanded, but rather the Suffering of Christ.
The idea, as here presented, pertains to the Believer understanding that Christ is the Source and the Cross is the means; consequently, we are speaking of the benefits of the Cross; such benefits include everything man lost in the Fall. That’s what Jesus meant by taking up the Cross. That is altogether different from what most people think. Taking up the Cross is the understanding that everything we receive from the Lord comes by way of the Cross.
3. Daily: The idea lends toward a daily renewal of Faith. It is somewhat like the Manna of old. There would be a fresh supply each day; the Children of Israel were to enjoy what was given that day, and trust the Lord for the next day.
Satan is ever vigilant. That’s the reason we have to watch and pray. We must not take the great Redemption process for granted. We must every day make the decision to look solely to Christ, which means to trust Him for what He did for us at the Cross, and Him Alone!”
—Donnie Swaggart (taken from the “Word for Every Day”) Donnie Swaggart
Jesus told His disciples that He planned on making them “fishers of men.” This meant that Jesus’ ministry was all about saving to the uttermost those who would accept Him as Messiah and Savior. For those who would believe in Him, they could expect His provision, His help, His guidance, as well as His loving correction. There is never any indication that Jesus ever intended to ”throw back” any of those whom He would “catch” with His gospel net. I am glad that He looks at me as a “keeper,” one He has future plans for. Any good fisherman understands that the joy of catching is always followed by the responsibility of cleaning. Jesus did not just come to catch me and save me from my sin but it was always His intention to continually sanctify me of all filthiness of flesh and spirit. So continue to believe today that even though we might not understand everything that is going on around us, our relationship with Christ is secure. As we cling to Him by faith and trust exclusively in His finished work on Calvary, He promises to make us what we need to become. He will not quit until the total cleansing that is needed in our lives is accomplished by grace through faith!
Matthew 4:19 - And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.
Proverbs 24:2
For their heart studieth destruction, and their lips talk of mischief....
The Lord explains as to why the child of God should not envy the evil man, nor desire to be around them. Because their hearts are evil and they only study destruction, and their lips only speak of mischief. Remember that before one is born again, even what the community may call the nicest man, God sees every action as evil because it is only the evil nature that can operate before being born again.
Until one is born again through faith in Jesus Christ and His atoning work on the cross, they are evil and can only do evil in the eyes of God. The good news is that anyone can believe in Christ and receive a new heart and spirit, and be able to serve God in newness of Spirit.
Seeking God in His Word and experiencing Him through faith in the sacrifice of Christ!
“and he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when You come into Your Kingdom. And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto you, Today shall you be with Me in Paradise (Lk. 23:42-43).
The conversion of the thief is peculiar to Luke. It is one of the most remarkable conversions in the Bible. In one flash of light, the Holy Spirit revealed Christ to him and taught him of the Lord’s future Kingdom of Glory, though, at the moment, He was hanging in shame and agony on the tree.
The thief did not ask for any physical relief to his pain, but only for a remembrance in the future Kingdom. They were in the same condemnation — he justly, but the Lord only as a Sin Offering — and He prayed that they might be together in the same Glory. So the Precious Blood, then flowing for his sins, cleansed him so effectually that it made him at that moment as fit to enter Paradise as Christ Himself.
The Divine Nature of the thief’s Repentance was evidenced
by six steps:
1. His concern about his companion (23:40).
2. His confession of his own sinfulness (23:41).
3. His confession of Christ’s innocence (23:41).
4. His faith in Christ’s Power and willingness to save
him — he called him Lord, and declared his belief that He
had a Kingdom (23:42).
5. He prayed to Him (23:42).
6. He asked for no great thing, but only to be remembered; this was humility.
The thief’s short prayer embodied a great creed; he believed:
A. That his soul lived after death;
B. That the world to come would be one of felicity or misery;
C. That a Crucified Jew was the Lord of Glory;
D. That His future Kingdom was better than this present world;
E. That Christ intended to have pardoned sinners in that Kingdom;
F. That He would receive into it the truly penitent;
G. That the key of that Kingdom was hanging at Christ’s girdle, though He Himself was hanging naked on the Tree; and,
H. That by resting his soul for eternal Salvation upon this dying Saviour, he had that Kingdom assured to him.
The thief’s spiritual intelligence seemed to exceed that of most all of the Apostles prior to Pentecost.
Near the Cross of the dying thief stood the Apostle John, the Virgin Mary, her sister, Mary the wife of Cleophas, and Mary Magdalene. But to none of these exalted Saints did the malefactor turn for help. He turned from them and prayed directly to Jesus, with nothing and nobody between his sin-stained soul and the sin-atoning Saviour.
He did not cry, “Oh Holy Mother of God! Refuge of sinners, pray for me! I put my whole trust and confidence in the power of your intercession.” Nor did he appeal to her sister, as being the Holy Aunt of God, nor to John, as being the Beloved Apostle of God. Had he trusted any one of these great Saints, he would have perished, for Salvation is in Christ and in none other. He is the One and only refuge of sinners (Acts 4:12).”
—Donnie Swaggart (taken from the “Word for Every Day”) Donnie Swaggart
