God if you give me that new car I promise never to tell a lie again. This statement says many things. First it cannot even be considered a prayer. It is a trade according to the individual’s desires. It desires a tangible object and feels it must give a pay back. Another flaw is that it is impossible to keep this promise. It is also trying to put the control in our hands. It is saying I will control God’s decision on this by what I plan to do to repay him.
It is pride speaking because it is saying that we think God needs us and our promises for Him to give us what we want. This is not a prayer of worship, praise, faith or love for God. It is a prayer that God will not hear. This is not a Christian prayer but a prayer of the world. A Christian knows that there is no way to ever pay God back for anything. A Christian knows that God desires our praise honor and worship. God is not interested in our promises of the future that we cannot keep. He is interested in our obedience to Him now.
When we make a promise of returning the favor to God we are saying that we desire to do just one thing back for God but the rest of our life will be lived according to our plan and not to God’s plan. God’s plan is that we are obedient in all things. This is not for our salvation but to gain the best God has to offer to us. Christ has paid for our salvation.
Christ never insisted on having authority as we do. If He did we would have to be subject to His demands for us. We would not have a will of our own. Christ allowed us the freedom to mock, scourge and spit in his face. He completely obeyed His Father. He knew exactly what was going to happen to Him. He allowed men—us to put Him (God) on the cross. He had absolute authority over us and He gave it up. He allows us to make our decisions and empty promises to Him. But when we recognize who He truly is by the Holy Spirit and His absolute authority over us we come to faith and repentance and desire to be obedient to His authority. Christ did not stay in the tomb but was bodily resurrected and He walks with us daily. He keeps His promises but we do not have that ability. He does because he is perfect. We cannot because we are not perfect.
We are by nature never worthy of Christ’s love. Only by His grace are we worthy and when we come to Him in humility we are filled with His love. There is always a part of me that is very unworthy and this part refuses to bow to Christ’s authority over me. This is the sin that still lives in me. This is a condition that I cannot fix and make it go away. But by Christ’s submission to the Father it too is gone by the grace of God when I have faith in Christ’s sacrifice. By Grace through faith we are saved. Not by works. Promises are a work. We are to submit to the Son and honor, praise and worship Him above all else.
To grow in faith we will experience God’s very best. Our hearts will be filled with His love, comfort, joy and peace. God will increase our wisdom as we study His word, go to church, and learn from more mature Christians. When we find someone more leaned then we are we are to hang on every word. However, intellect is not the goal. Faith is always the goal and by our knowledge of God’s Word our faith will mature. As we grow we desire to obey God. If we do it out of pay back or duty it is not His Grace working in our heart but our desire to do something toward our own salvation. And we can do nothing to be saved. Only by the Holy Spirit can we come to the knowledge of this truth. Love is God’s greatest commandment. It replaces the old law. We are to love God first and then others. In doing this we are obeying God. When we look on obedience in this way we are full of God’s Grace.
Christ obeyed the Father because they are equal. “I and the Father are one.” He did not have to obey to become the Son. He is the Son of God. Love is His motivation to obedience. Love for the Father and love for us. Our motivation should be the same. When we pray it is not making a deal with God, it is loving God and desiring His perfect will in our lives. There is no love in deals because it is conditional. Love is giving without expecting anything in return. That is how God loves us. We are not worthy of His love but He loves us anyway, not because of our appearance or our performance but because it is His nature. Don’t make deals with God, it won’t work. It is empty promises. Faith in Christ brings God’s perfect forgiveness and God’s perfect love into our lives. We are saved by Grace through faith in Jesus Christ (Eph.2:5). This is God’s perfect promise to us.
You can reach Nancy at:
Crossing the GAP
PO Box 384
Marshall, IL 62441
]]>Lust
http://www.nancysgallery.com/weekly articles/index.php?entry=entry070416-175321
By
Nancy Howe
Lust means I must have it now. We usually think of lust in the context of sex but there can be lust for many things—even in our walk with God. In Numbers 11:34 we see the Israelites craving good food. The desire was not wrong. But if it turns into greed it is lust. And lust can affect your perspective on everything else. A desire can turn to lust very easily. We can claim to be in love but in many cases it is lust. Here are some ways to tell where your heart is. Love is patient—lust requires immediate satisfaction. Love is kind—lust is harsh. Love does not demand its own way—lust does. When we pray, how is your heart and mind set? Is it a demand of God and is it wanting your answer from Him immediately? If this is the condition of your heart then it is not a prayer to God. This is a lust and a demand for your own personal gain. We are to first seek God and than He will give us our hearts desire. When we demand and our focus is on our own personal needs—this is not after God’s heart. It is on ourselves. To go after God’s heart our focus must be on God. The condition of our heart must be in love with God. God’s love is directed out toward others. It is not selfish. We are to be the same. Because we are sinful this is very hard to do at times. Only God can give us this unconditional love that we are to show others. When our heart is in this state we will benefit in many ways. We will benefit from the joy and peace that God puts in our heart. We will experience His comfort. We will see His love at work in our lives and in others lives that we reach out to. Our focus is steadfast on Him who gives all good things to those who love Him.
We are to love God above everything and everyone else and that includes ourselves. To do this we must repent of our self-righteousness and the “me” syndrome. Our eyes must always rest on God and His goodness and His righteousness and not on ourselves. When our first love is for God he will fill all our needs.
If we are seeking things for ourselves then we are not seeking God. When we seek God first He gives us the answers to our prayers. They may not be the answers we were expecting or desire but they are the ones that are best for us. He is our loving father and He will only give us good gifts. He knows the future and He knows what is best for us.
We may want to ask ourselves—what do my prayers consist of? Are they filled with a personal desire, or are they filled with praise of the glory of God? Are they filled with humility or pride? Are they filled with love for God first and it reaches out to others? Are they repentant and filled with the desire to only do God’s will? Do you pray your prayers in faith or are there seeds of doubt in your heart. When we do not receive an answer from God or it is different than what we desired we may have a tendency to blame God. But we can always be assured that God always answers all prayers for His glory and for our good.
The first purpose of prayer is to praise honor and worship God and not to hold on to our desires and demands for worldly things. When we feel like God has rejected us and our prayers-- this does not come from God but from ourselves. We are always to blame for it. We cannot blame God for we have failed Him again with our selfish and self-centered desires. We are to praise and honor God in all things even when the answers are not what we had in mind.
We look for God’s mighty hand to do miracles and wonders and we look in the wrong way and places. We desire earth shaking evidence and he is always doing them in every day life. Most miss them. Many are so preoccupied with lust for things and experiences that that they miss God at work in their lives. We are all guilty at times.
No matter where we are—we are to do His will. We are to obey Him. Whatever is close to us—where we live, who we are, are all a part of God’s plan in our lives. Ask Him to show you what He wants you to do with this? It may very well be in a suffering situation. It is still to God’s glory when we look at the cross of suffering. God desires us to be His personal loving children and He desires that we obey Him. He desires our praise. When we fail He is there to catch us. On the cross Christ took all of our sins which allows us to have forgiveness of sins. He took them all into Him self because of His great love for us. This is a free gift from God. We are saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. How great is your faith? How great is your love for Him? Our lust for God should be a total commitment and not just bits and pieces. When it is total we will do His will and He will give us the desires of His heart. When we are humble and obey God our desires will fit what God desires for us. The lust in our heart will only be for God. We will only want all of Him and we want all of Him right now, however God will make us wait and give us our growth in His own time. Patience is one of God’s lessons but that lesson is for another time.
You can reach Nancy at:
Crossing the GAP
PO Box 384
Marshall, IL 62441
]]>The Mirror
http://www.nancysgallery.com/weekly articles/index.php?entry=entry070409-174335
By
Nancy Howe
You look in the mirror and what do you see? Is your nose too big and your chin to prominent? Maybe there are wrinkles that you did not see yesterday. Are there laugh lines or frown lines? Look deeper—do you see Christ in the mirror with you? Are you a reflection of Him? Our body and soul are a reflection of who we are to others. The only way for others to see who we truly are is by how we act and how we respond to situations that occur in our life. Our words can either sooth or destroy others. Our bodies are an active unit that is always a witness to who we are to others. When our actions are a contradiction to our words we present a very distorted view of who we are. When we look in that mirror do we see anger, hatred, distrust, unrest, loneliness, defeat, heartache or pain? And our words are saying, “I love Jesus.” This is very confusing to not only the believer but to the unbeliever. Our actions should say along with our words-- love, compassion, trust, joy and peace when we are a Christian. What we see in a mirror is what others see in us. Our actions will speak louder than our words.
What do you live for? Make a list and read them over to see what is most important in your life? We are usually controlled by the most important thing in our lives. Maybe it is our job, a person, a sport, or it may be an experience that has happened to us. Or maybe our disappointment in something has changed our lives and is now in control of our very being. What you see in your life as important is what others also see. Have you experienced Christ? If so can people see him in you? Are you a mirror of Christ? When we are truly filled with the Spirit of God we are transformed. We are the mirror of Christ’s character. If others cannot see Christ in our character we have not truly experienced him. Most of us have a tendency to stifle God’s Spirit. This is done by stifling God’s presence in our lives. It can be worry or wanting to experience something that is not God pleasing. So much of the time it is our desire to satisfy ourselves. Our emotions may also play a very big part in stifling God’s Spirit.
When we come to faith we have a complete turn around. We personally do not do the turning. God works this miracle in us. It is not a concept of -I will try to do better- but it is something that we do not have any control over. God does it in us. This is when we have received the Holy Spirit and He does the transformation in us and for us. We see our sins for what they are and we experience a deep sorrow and remorse. We come to repentance. We turn from our old ways and again it is not by our own will but the Holy Spirit turns us to His ways. Our life has changed. We are now a witness for Christ. Are you a witness for Christ? Can people see a difference in your desires, goals and life style? This is a strong witness to Christ when people see a huge difference in us. When we are put down for this change by unbelievers it is a strong testimony and we know that we are right with God. Paul only lived for one thing and that was to be a witness. He preached judgment to unbelievers and salvation to those that came to faith. And he did not let anything sway him in any other direction. He carried the cross and suffered greatly for his faith in Christ’s Name. And he saw it as victory and he saw it as a privilege to be able to do this for Christ. Paul is a very strong witness of who and how we should be. You can see Christ in the mirror when you see Paul.
As we grow in our faith we will also fall flat on our face. We look in the mirror and we must ask ourselves- why did I do that thing that God says not to do. We sin every day and that is a part of our character. We are born in sin and because of this our sinful flesh is always at odds with our divine nature. We can not in our own flesh do anything about it. We must put on the full armor of Christ daily. This armor is staying in God’s Word. To win a race we must stay in shape. To win battles of life we must stay in God’s Word. We must have daily prayer and worship. We cannot win this daily battle by anything that we have done or will do. It has been won for us on the cross. All of these sins that we still do were taken to the cross. Christ took them from us when he suffered and died in our place. We are free of them and even though we are free of them we must come to Christ with a contrite heart and repent daily. To put on the armor is to grow in our faith and we strive to live the life that God desires for us to live. He has given us the awesome job of taking His message to the world. And so we are to be a witness to Christ just as Paul was a witness. What do you see in your mirror? What do others see in your mirror?
You can reach Nancy:
Crossing the GAP
PO Box 384
Marshall, IL 62441
]]>Its Finished
http://www.nancysgallery.com/weekly articles/index.php?entry=entry070402-124438
By
Nancy Howe
I recently talked with some family members about religion. They are of the understanding that all religions are the same and they cannot understand what all of the fuss is about if we all believe the same. And I agree that all religions are basically the same. They base their salvation on their good works. Their belief is that they will go to heaven if they live the kind of life that their particular faith dictates to them. In most cases they are trying to out weigh their sins with their works. They have no way to erase their sins. They carry them and the guilt of them to their grave. They live by the law. This is a religion.
There are so many people that go to Christian denominations and they to only have a religion. They have many good qualities but it is not a substitute for faith in Christ. They do their good works but if they do not trust in Christ for forgiveness of their sins their works are filthy rags (Is. 64:6). Their good works are out of gratitude and love for Christ and not for salvation. They still have their sins. Going to a Christian church does not change the fact that they only have a religion.
How about getting rid of our sins totally? How about having the guilt gone with the sins? Sins and guilt is what takes our joy, peace and contentment. But if they are not there we can have joy, peace and contentment. This is not a religion, this is Christianity. Christianity does good works BECAUSE we are saved—NOT to be saved (Titus 3:5). All other religions are legalist. There is no love in the law (Rom.4:15). We must always strive to be good enough and do enough when we base our salvation on the law. God says man must obey the whole law—we can never sin one time or we are lost (Gal. 5:3; James 2:10). How will anyone know when they have done enough and can anyone ever be good enough? Christianity is a response to Christ’s love and His sacrifice for us. Love fulfills the law (Rom.13:10).
We have Grace. Grace is the underserved love and forgiveness from God for all of our sins. We are no longer under the law (Rom. 6:14). Grace is given to all that will receive it (II Cor. 9:14). We cannot earn it (Gal.2:16). It is free. God’s grace is deeper than anyone’s sins. It is our inheritance (Matt. 19:29; Eph. 1:14; I Pet.1:4). By grace through faith we are saved (Eph. 2:8). And we can do nothing to inherit something (Eph. 2:8, 9). God’s grace is sufficient for us (II Cor. 12:9; Rom. 3:24; 5:15).
God created man in His image—perfect. God did not want a robot so he gave us our freedom to choose. Adam and Eve chose sin over God. They wanted God’s job of being god. We are still doing that. This separates us from God (I Kings 8:46). We have inherited this sinful nature from Adam. God wanted to bring us back to Himself because of His great love for all of mankind. But there was no way that man could redeem himself from his sins (Rom.3:10). How can imperfection become perfection by his own desires and work? There is no way this can happen. You see sin is a disease of the soul and heart. If we have cancer we cannot by our own will and desire make it go away. And by the same token we cannot make our sins go away simply because we do not want them any more. We are born in sin (Rom. 3:23) it is a part of our make up. We do not have a choice about it. God had to do it all Himself. God became flesh and dwelt among us (John 14:9; 1:14; Col. 1:15, 16; 2:9). Christ fulfilled all of His laws in our place (Rom.10:4; Matt. 5:17-18). Christ never stopped being God (John 1:1-5; 1:14; 10:38; Col.1:15-19; I Tim.3:16; I John 5:20). Christ is true man and true God. It is by faith that we know this (Heb. 12:2; I John 5:10). Human reason denies it. Only by the Spirit of God can we see who Christ is and what He has done for mankind (John 7:39; Eph. 2:6-9). The truth is in the knowledge of who Christ is and the truth will set you free (John 8:31, 32). Christ accepted full responsibility for our sins (IICor.5:21). He took all of the punishment that we should have taken. He took all of the guilt that we should experience. He took all of the pain that we should suffer. He took it all into Himself (I Pet. 2:24). He was the victim and He was the perpetrator. He became the thief, the liar, the child molester, the killer, the sex offender. Christ became all things in our behalf (John 1:29). Christ took all of that to the cross. And He died a horrible death. The worst part was not the physical part. The worst part was the spiritual part. God and Christ were separated for the first time in all of eternity. Christ had taken all of the sins of the world. And He cried out, “My God, My God why have you forsaken me?” And when Christ had done all of this for you and for me He breathed His last (Rom. 6:23). Before he died He said, “It is finished.” And that is the truth. It is finished. Our sins are forgiven (Mk.2:7; Lk.1:77; Acts 10:43; 13:38). Our salvation is sealed by the blood of Christ (Eph.1:7; Heb.9:22). We do not have to do anything for this free gift except to NOT turn away from it. Believe and you will be saved (Mk. 16:16; John 3:17). He loves us beyond our understanding. Salvation is given to us freely, no stings. No good works. Just faith in what Christ did in our place and we are saved by this faith (John 14:6). And on the third day Christ rose from the dead victorious. This says that our bodies will also rise from the dead victorious for all those that believe on His Name (Acts 2:21; Rom.10:13). Our souls go to be with Christ the second we draw our last breath but our bodies will have to remain here until Christ returns for us on resurrection day. (Rom. 7:4-6; John 5:28, 29)
IT IS TRULY FINISHED! We are truly free from the wages of our sins. Happy Easter my friends!
You can reach Nancy at:
Crossing the GAP
PO Box 384
Marshall, IL 62441
]]>