Christian Living
1 [Standing on the promises that cannot fail! When the howling storms of doubt and fear assail. By the living Word of God I shall prevail. Standing on the promises of God.... Standing on the promises of Christ, the Lord. Bound to Him eternally by love’s strong cord. Overcoming daily with the Spirit’s sword, standing on the promises of God... Standing on the promises I cannot fall, Listening every moment to the Spirit’s call, Resting in my savior as my All in All, standing on the promises of God]
2 What is it that you rely on? What is it that you put your full trust in, if anything? When you have to make a significant decision, how do you know what to do? Do you lean on common sense and worldy advice? Do you let other people’s opinions influence you? Do you allow fear to push you away from something scary? Do you go with the flow and do what’s popular? Do you do what feels right at the time? Do you ever think about this? Are these questions making you uncomfortable? :)
3 I will tell you my answer. I usually do one of these things depending on the circumstance. We’re all human and struggle with the same things, but we still need to do our best to be more like Christ with help from the Holy Spirit. I probably didn’t think about this much until I read a chapter from the Purpose-Driven Life about what drives me. (I hope this doesn’t end up sounding too much like that)
4 Look what happened to people in the Bible when they didn’t live by God’s promises and commands. Concern of what people wanted influenced Aaron to help the Israelistes make an idol to worship, King Saul to disobey the Lord and lose his throne, and Pilate to give in to injustice and crucify the Son of God (altough he did try to prevent it and God would have still made it happen some way). Actions based on feelings and lust pushed Samson to marry a Philistine woman who betrayed him and caused him to lose his sight and strength temporarily, and then commit suicide. Bad advice led King Rehoboam to treat his people injustly which caused Adoniram to get stoned and part of Israel “to be in rebellion against the house of David to this day.” Fear caused Peter to deny the Lord three times, and anger to cut off a man’s ear. Jealousy made Joseph’s brothers sell him into slavery (for good at the end though), Cain to kill his innocent brother, and the High Priests want to crucify Jesus. Pride, the worst of all, made the most beautiful angel Lucifer get cast out of Heaven to earth where he seduced mankind with power, then man’s pride and curiosity unleasheda terrible, painful curse across the world that has lasted to this day. We could go on through the whole Bible like this and continue for hours after we finish it.
5 What were these people thinking when they did these things? Were they just stupid? Probably not, but their actions definitely were. If you think that you could never do any bad stuff like that, it’s time for a reality check. The Bible states that all of us are capable of commiting any sin, and it’s 100% true, buddy. Take me for example. Stealing isn't a big temptation for me, and I think I’ve only stolen a few small items in my life, but who knows? Some day that could change. One night I might spot a nice new car in a parking lot with the keys still in the ignition, feel tempted to take it for a ride, stare at it until my brain snaps and suddenly this bad boy could end up on the TV show Cops! That would be embarrassing and hard to forget. Especially since my dad is a police officer. X_X (dead face)
6 Here are some quotes we may have heard side-by-side with Bible verses that disprove them with victorious truth (it’s so much fun to squash lies with truth):
“Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me.” (I doubt anyone believes this anymore)
>A man that beareth false witness against his neighbour is a maul, and a sword, and a sharp arrow. Proverbs 25:18
“What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.” (sin city has a lie for a slogan)
But if ye will not do so, behold, ye have sinned against the LORD: and be sure your sin will find you out. Numbers 32:23
“The only things that are certain are death and taxes.” (sounds wise at first)
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. John 3:16
... and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen. Matthew 28:20
And thousands more
“Witches aren’t real. There’s no such thing.”
But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death. Revelation 21:28
“Ignorance is bliss.” (Did Jesus say blessed are the ignorant?)
My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children. Hosea 4:6
“A little fun won’t kill you.”
Verily, I say unto you, a little fun will kill you. II Opinions 102:5 (sorry, I couldn’t help myself)
(Can you think of any more good ones?)
7 Far too often I will listen to the devil’s “advice” to me and believe his discouraging garbage of deceit. “I’m a failure to God and He doesn’t love me. I’m weird and shy and will never overcome my difficulties. I’ll be stuck in one place forever and never reach my dreams. I’ll never feel like I fit in. I’ll never get a girlfriend because of my eccentric personality and mental disability. Following God will be boring and too much work. I’m going to have these health problems my whole life and never get better. I’m no good. I’m no good. I’m no good.” Then eventually I’ll blink and say to myself, “Hey, why am I listening to you, Satan? You’re a stinkin’ liar and you don’t care about me! God, help me to listen carefully and believe your voice of truth and nothing else.”
8 What happened to the people who did believe God’s promises and live by them? Check out Hebrews chapter 11--the hall of faith--and see for yourself. People believed God’s crazy-sounding instructions enough to act on what they couldn’t see, and their faith greatly benefited them and other people and glorified the Lord. When we learn to trust God and believe in His amazing love, it’s easier to believe His words of truth and unleash His power, love, and all that is good and right. It’s funny how this elementary stuff is so easy to understand and yet so difficult to do. Walking is an easy task for some people. Walking on stormy water... is another thing.
9 Jesus told a parable about two men who built houses: a foolish man that hastily built his on sand and a wise man that slowly and carefully built his on a foundation of rock. Maybe you’ve heard this before, but I’ll tell the rest in case you haven’t heard it. One day, when the men didn’t expect it, a terrible storm blew against all of the houses in the area. The house on the rock shook but held strong through the night; the house on the sand toppled over like a house of cards. Why did the foolish man build his house on something so unstable? Maybe he was lazy or a bad builder, or just wanted a good beach view.
10 No matter how foolish this man was, he is not nearly as foolish as we would be to build our lives on wordly wisdom or personal opinions. While a house can be rebuilt, our lives can be ruined and blown to pieces when they aren’t built on a strong foundation. God's word is the only thing we can always completely count on every single time. Nothing else works. Things like our feelings are unstable as shifting sand and will often mislead us. But God's Word is more solid and steady than anything else in the world. No storm of any power or magnitude can shake this rock. No manmade weapon of any kind can make it budge an inch. It's something I have to relearn over and over, but I have seen that it is true and Jesus has never failed me yet. He will not fail you either.
11 Here’s something mindboggling to think about. Let’s ask ourselves... how did this universe get here? God made it, right? How did He make it? With a magic wand? With some fancy hand gestures? An unguarded sneeze? No, He actually spoke it into existence! (That’s what uni-verse means) We’re talking the whole enchilada, amigo! Along with that, He shaped our bodies out of dust and breathed His breath into them to give us life. So all of life came out of HIS MOUTH! That was only the beginning. Then He spoke to His people and told them how to live in peace, and if they listenend and obeyed they had life to the fullest. However, His chosen people often didn’t listen very well, so He shut His mouth for awhile to get their attention. When they finally wised up and were dying to hear again, He sent His Word—the very thing that brought everything into existence—in the form of a human who rocked the world with love and changed history for all eternity. What is my point here? God’s words have always brought life (in one form or another) to those who listened to them. Every single time! Doesn’t it make sense that if we do the same thing, we’ll also have the same results? God loves us and wants us to love Him back. Love + listening = life.
12 Let us allow God to transform us by renewing our mind (the way we think and what we think about), talk with him, and soak up his Word every day and study it like a treasure map or a final college exam. The Basic Instruction Before Leaving Earth are more priceless than any treasure on this planet, and much more beneficial to us than any other book that will ever be written. Pick up your Bible and just think about what you’re holding in your hands. God’s love letter to you, written by many different authors over thousands of years, filled with the greatest secrets and truths man will ever know. Find the truth, and then test it, know it, live it, and share it with everyone.
[Standing, standing, standing on the promises of God my Savior. Standing, standing, I’m standing on the promises of God.] Music from hymn "Standing on the Promises"
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