Which truth will make you free?

You’ve heard it over and over, the truth shall make you free.  I’ve heard it on TV programs. I’ve even heard unsaved, non-believers say it. But what does it really mean? Does the truth itself make you free? Let’s go to God’s Word and find out.

John 8:32 (KJV) 32  And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

This is Jesus speaking, saying that the truth shall make you free. But, hold on. There’s a danger in taking something out of context. So, let’s back up to the previous verse.

 

John 8:31-32 (KJV) 31  Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;
32  And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

Notice that Jesus said  if you continue in His Word, you shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free.  But that’s still not all there is to it.

For example, if you’re in debt and someone deposits money into your bank account, are you debt free? No! You still have to withdraw the money and pay off your debts. You have your part to do. Just knowing something is not what makes you free. What makes you free, is walking in the truth that you know. 

Jesus said that we are to abide and continue in His Word. How do you do that? By doing what the Word says to do. That’s your part. It’s in the doing of the Word that makes you free, not just knowing it.

Here’s a classic example. Knowing that Jesus paid the price for your sins so you don’t have to go to hell, but have a home in Heaven, does not get you saved. You have to do something with that knowledge – believe in your heart and confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord. Just knowing about salvation does not get you saved!

Another thing is that Jesus is the Word of God and when you believe and act on the Word, then Jesus makes you free. And you are free indeed! 

John 8:36 (KJV) 36  If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.

— Pamela

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We don’t know everything!

It should be obvious that we don’t know everything, so why do we think we have to know everything? We don’t understand all there is about electricity but we still use lamps, microwaves, and ACs in our homes. Not understanding how they all work, doesn’t stop us from using them. Right? We even fly in planes and to our amazement, they get off the ground!

So what’s the point? Too many times people try to figure out HOW God is going to answer their prayer requests before they step out in faith. This might not seem like a bad thing but the down side is that if they can’t figure it out, then they “think” that God can’t do it!

Since when does our mind even compare to the awesome wisdom of God? There’s a whole realm – the spirit realm – that our minds can’t wrap around. We live in the physical realm, where our senses dominate. But God lives and operates out of the spirit realm, which is way beyond our minds. (Remember, God is a Spirit and that’s how we contact Him – spirit to Spirit.)

Romans 8:7 (KJV) 7  Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.

You don’t have to know how God is going to do what you have asked Him to do before you can use your faith to receive the promises He’s given. Trying to figure it all out before you will believe is called reasoning. And the drawback to reasoning is that the more you reason, the farther away from the supernatural you go. That’s not good and that’s not faith!

Galatians 5:16 (KJV) 16  This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.

Walking by your reasoning is walking in the flesh – your five physical senses. Walking by your flesh is being carnally minded and that leads to death. But to be spiritually minded is to walk by faith in God and His Word and follow the leading of the Holy Spirit. That’s life and peace.

Romans 8:6 (KJV) 6  For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. 

So, just as you don’t have to know how electricity works to partake of its benefits, so it is with faith in the Word of God and His promises. His Word always works!

1 Kings 8:56b (KJV)
56  … there hath not failed one word of all his good promise, which he promised by the hand of Moses his servant.

Pamela

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Blessing is Already Here!

 

First of all, let me make a shocking statement: Everything we’ll ever need on planet earth has already been provided by our Heavenly Father! Wow! Really? Yes, really. It might not seem like it’s true, but it is nonetheless. Let’s go to God’s Word and find out the truth. Remember, our experiences don’t prove or negate the Word of God. God’s Word is true, now and always, regardless of anyone’s experience.

2 Peter 1:3-4 (KJV) 3  According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:
4  Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

Ephesians 1:3 (KJV) 3  Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:

Here we see that God has not only blessed us with all spiritual blessings in Christ, but He has also given us all things that pertain to life and godliness through the knowledge of Him – Jesus.

Notice that all these blessings have already been given to us – past tense. But, they’ve been given through the knowledge of the Jesus, Who is the Word of God.  Everything we need is in the God’s Word and has already been given. Our part is to receive. Remember, there’s a God-part and a man-part.

So, how do we receive? By our faith! We can’t get away from faith. That’s the way we please God and access all the blessings that He’s already given.

Walking by faith and not by sight has to be learned because our natural inclination is to follow the flesh, which does not get us the promises of God. Being led by the flesh is called being carnal and that leads to death. But, being spiritually  minded, by following the Word, leads to life and peace.

Romans 8:5-8 (KJV) 5  For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.
6  For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.
7  Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.
8  So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.

 

Being led by your five physical senses is being led by your flesh and that will not get the promises of God to manifest in your life. Even though all things that we will ever need have already been given, they’re not in the physical realm but in the spirit realm. And the way we access the spirit realm to bring what we need into the physical realm is by our faith!

Romans 10:17 (KJV) 17  So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

Keep growing and developing your faith so that you can partake of all the blessings the Lord has provided for you.

 

Pamela

 

Even horses have good sense!

My husband told me an interesting story that happened years ago when he lived in upstate NY. He, his father, and brother went to a horse auction where his father purchased four beautiful horses.

When they arrived home, they drove up to the barn, opened the door, and turned on the lights. Having set up the ramp for the horses to exit, they then opened the door of the truck. But, much to their surprise, instead of walking down the ramp to the barn, the horses leaped over everyone and took off into the dark of night!

Well, as you can imagine, everyone was quite upset, even the truck driver, as he had never before seen that happen.

What to do? Everyone was exhausted from the days’ activities and decided the best thing to do was go to bed and get some rest. Trying to corral runaway horses in the middle of the night didn’t seem like the better part of wisdom.

So, Jim’s father put out some oats, left the barn door open and the lights on, hoping the horses would find their way back.

In the morning, lo and behold, all four horses had returned, safe, sound, and content to be where they should be. They followed the light and found their way home.

So, what’s the lesson here? Jesus is the Word of God, the Son of God, the Light of the world, and the Bright and Morning Star. When we follow the Light of the world, Jesus, by following His Word, we too  will arrive at the place we’re to be.

Even sunflowers follow the sun throughout the day. We follow the Son!  There’s a message here for all to see. If you aren’t following Jesus, the Light of the world, the only other thing out there is darkness. Which will you follow?

John 8:12 (KJV)
12  Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.

Deuteronomy 30:19 (KJV)
19  I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:

Pamela

How many sins will keep you out of Heaven?

Which sins are the really bad ones – adultery, murder, theft? What about lying, gossip, criticism, and judging others? H-m-m . . . let’s see what God has to say.

James 2:10 (KJV)
10  For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.

The Law has to do with what God has commanded us to do. In James we see that if we commit just one sin,we’re guilty of all sins. That’s why Jesus went to the Cross because we couldn’t be perfect and sinless. Only He could and is.

Every sin we commit makes us guilty of all sins. That’s what God said. So what do we do? I’m glad you asked because that’s not the problem.

It’s not our various sins that keep us out of Heaven because Jesus paid the price for those sins. In fact, He paid the price for everyone’s sins – past, present, and future. But, we have to receive what He did or we’re still in our sins. It’s not automatic that everyone gets saved. It’s a choice, an individual choice.

Now, back to the original question: How many sins will keep you out of Heaven? The answer is: one! But you have to know which one it is. There’s only one sin that will keep you out of Heaven and  send you to hell: the sin of not accepting Jesus as your Lord and Savior!

It was never God’s intention that humans go to hell. He wants everyone to get saved.

2 Peter 3:9 (KJV)
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.

Once you’re born-again, you’ve become a new creation, not just a new and improved version of your old self! And even though the penalty for sins has been paid, you still need to repent when you sin. You need to live a life that’s pleasing to the Lord. And you can do it! 

— Pamela

 

 

 

 

There’s no such thing as a worried bird!

Worry! Doesn’t everybody worry? Isn’t that what a good parent does? No, and you shouldn’t! Worry is fear and just as fear is deadly, so is worry. It can literally paralyze your faith, making it inoperative and you’ll get no results because you’re focusing on the wrong things. 

Worry means you’re not trusting God and His Word. It’s a choice and you can do it. You’re not a slave to worry. If you’re born-again, you have the Holy Spirit to help you.

Even birds have enough sense not to worry because God takes care of them. Our Heavenly Father loves us and has so provided  everything we’ll ever need. We need to believe and receive! That’s where our faith comes in and gets the promises.

Matthew 6:26 (KJV)
26  Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?
Matthew 10:31 (KJV)
31  Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows.
2 Peter 1:3-4 (KJV)
3  According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:
4  Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. [When we receive the promises, we partake of God’s own divine nature.]

So, just how do you stop the worry? That’s an easy answer: you stop feeding it and replace it with the promises of God. Bind the worry thoughts and command them to leave in the Name of Jesus. You can’t worry about the problem and meditate on the promises at the same time.

Speaking the Word  out loud will eventually displace the worry thoughts. And though you might have to attack those thoughts minute by minute at first, you will get the victory if you keep at it. Your whole faith walk depends on it.

By not feeding the worry with thoughts about the problem, you’ll starve it and it’ll wither and die. Speaking the truth of God’s Word will feed your faith and override the worry, setting you free.

John 8:32 (KJV)
32  And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

— Pamela

Attitude Affects Altitude

As Christians, we’re always endeavoring to come up higher in our walk with the Lord, to another level of faith, growing and developing in the things of God.

But, sometimes, it seems we’ve reached a plateau, a stand still. What’s the problem? It could be any number of things, but my solution is to look for the simple answer first. [It’s like working on an appliance – check the plug first! Who woulda thought!]

Much of the time, the problem is as simple as an attitude change – a check-up from the neck up! Our attitude determines our altitude – just how far we’ll go with God. This is one thing we can definitely change. We have control over our attitude. It’s a choice. I call it a “course correction.”

,Just like the course of a huge ship is changed by the rudder, we can change our course by changing our rudder – our attitude. We do this by our words.

Your circumstances don’t have to dictate your attitude. You don’t have to be grumpy. You can be cheerful in spite of the circumstances. You’re in control, and it’s all done by words – your words!

It’s a decision – your decision to  have a good attitude. Once you do that, even though the circumstances haven’t changed yet, you’ll feel a lot better and be able to hear from the Lord about what to do next.

A good attitude makes all the difference!

Philippians 4:8-9 (KJV)  8  Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.
9  Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.

Pamela

Are You a Faither?

Faithers – who are they and how do you become one?

Faithers (my word) are those who walk by faith and not by sight (II Corinthians 5:7).  They’re the ones that Hebrews 11 speaks of – the heroes of faith, the ones who will eternally be in the Hall of Faith.

 

2 Corinthians 5:7 (KJV) 7  (For we walk by faith, not by sight:)

So, how can we become faithers? How do we walk in the faith of Abraham, Moses, and Joshua? By walking in God’s Word! 

Remember  Romans 10:17 (KJV) 17  So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

You first have to develop your faith  by planting the Word of God in your heart: hear, study, meditate, confess, and act on the Word. That’s how you plant it into your heart (spirit) where it can grow by continuing to hear, study, meditate, confess and act on it.

Don’t be discouraged because you think everyone else has more faith then you do. We all start out the same – one lump, one measure.

Romans 12:3b (KJV)   … according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.

What we do with our measure determines how much we grow and develop in our faith. Becoming a faith giant is do-able for everyone who puts forth the effort. And the rewards are beyond measure. Go for it!

Hebrews 11:6a (KJV) 6  But without faith it is impossible to please him:

Pamela

You’ll never walk on water, if you don’t get out of the boat!

Why don’t we see more results when we pray? Why do we think we have to have the whole plan before we do what God wants us to do? I realize that if you don’t start, you’ll never finish, but there’s more here that I want to talk about.

Are you a risk-taker or a risk-avoider? If we’re honest, we really like our comfort zones. But we also want to have strong, mountain-moving faith that speaks to problems and annihilates them.

Mark 11:23 (KJV) 23  For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.
 

You can have that kind of faith but it involves risks – risks to believe that what God has said in His Word will really work for you.

Let’s look at Matt. 14:

Matthew 14:28-31 (KJV)  28  And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water.
29  And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus.
30  But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me.
31  And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?

When the disciples saw Jesus walking on the water, the only one who called out to Him was Peter: “Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water.” I wonder if Peter really even thought about what he was saying. If Jesus answered him, he would actually have to get out of the boat and go to Jesus, which meant walking on the water! Even though Peter was a fisherman, you can be sure that he never tried walking on the water.

So, Jesus said, “Come!” and out of the boat Peter jumped, walking toward Jesus. Wow! Things were great as long as he stayed focused on Jesus. But, Peter got distracted by the wind and waves, the circumstances, and began to sink! “Help, Lord!” Jesus immediately reached out His hand to rescue Peter.

But, even though Peter didn’t do everything perfectly, he still was the only one who had enough faith to get out of the boat!

We need to learn from Peter’s adventure.  As long as we keep our eyes on the Lord, things are great. We need to stay alert and focused on God’s Word, not getting distracted by the circumstances that are glaring at us. In one hour things can change!

When you’re standing on God’s Word in faith for His promises to come to pass, don’t let your physical senses or surrounding circumstances distract you. Take the risk, get out of the boat, and walk on the water, believing that God will do exactly what He said He would do in His word.

Pamela

If You Want the Dog, Don’t Call the Cat!

Of course, if you want the dog, you don’t call for the cat! But, do you really know what that means?  Let me say it another way: If you want to get well, don’t keep speaking sickness. If you want to get out of debt, don’t keep saying that you don’t have enough finances.

Yes, you might be battling a sickness and yes, you might not have enough money, but continuing to confess that day after day, won’t get you what you really desire – to get well and be able to pay your bills!

Negative words will not get the promises of God to manifest in your life. There’s no redeeming value in confessing what you already have. This only serves to establish those things you don’t want.

Mark 11:23 (KJV)
23  For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.

Notice that what you say is what you get. You might not believe that you can have what you say, but you’re already doing that – having what you say when you confess things you don’t want: “I never have enough money.” “Things never work out for me.” “Just when I seem to get ahead, something always happens.”

These are just some of the negative things people say frequently and then wonder why they actually happen! Now you know. Of course, it’s not just saying things one time that causes them to happen. What you say over and over and over will eventually get into your heart and that’s when you’re in trouble.

But not so with God’s Word. Confessing the Word over and over and over will eventually get it into your heart. And when that happens, God’s promises will manifest in your life.

Check up on yourself. What have you been saying? Is it what you want or is there a need to re-program your speaking? As they say, measure twice, cut once. Hm-m-m? How does that fit here?

Simply, think about what you’re about to say longer than you normally would. Is it what you want?  If not, keep your mouth shut! When you can trust your mouth to say the right thing, then speak.

Watching the words you speak might sound hard to do but it isn’t. It just takes practice and patience. Go for it. You can do it! And you’ll be so glad you did.

— Pamela