Tuesday, October 23, 2012

JESUS CAME TO SET THE CAPTIVES FREE!


If you have excepted the free gift of God's forgiveness and have made the very personal, yet public commitment to give your life over to Jesus Christ - then you are born-again (redeemed, saved, you know and are known by God). You have gone through the strait gate, which is Jesus, and have begun your precious journey down the narro
w way of the Christian life which the Bible says few ever find. If these things are true in your life, then I have a very powerful, important, life-changing truth for you from God: You are not a sinner saved by grace. You were a condemned sinner whom has been, is being, and will be saved by grace, and are now the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus.
 You are no longer "compelled to sin", but you still have the ability to sin (by choice). In your born-again spirit you have the very mind, character, feelings, and emotions of Jesus himself. And you can and will live a loving, holy, free life - to the extent you allow your soul (mind, will, emotions, personality) to learn and agree with God regarding who you really are now - according to His Word and the leading of the Holy Spirit. But, at every point you agree with the worldly, politically correct, selfish, lustful, erroneous ways and desires of your flesh...you will sin (whether in thought or deed).
  We as Christians have the responsibility of learning what truth is according to God, agreeing with and allowing Him to renew our minds through His Word (The Bible is God's revelation of Himself to His children, word for word, cover to cover). If God said it, that should settle it.
  The life of faith is a life of love, and humility. As Christians, the Holy Spirit is our single source of power to live this new life. He empowers us to love the unlovable, forgive the unforgivable, believe for the unbelievable, and to trust in a loving Father we have never seen and a conquering savior whom to the natural man seemed to be crushed and humiliated by His enemies.
  To the enemies of Christ the simplicity of the gospel, the talk of the cross, the resurrection of the dead, Jesus' precious redeeming blood, a tangible kingdom more real than the one we see, ministering angels, the power of the Holy Spirit, and the eternal hope of the life to come are all foolishness. But to those of us who know Him, these things are very real. Scientists may be able to count how many seeds are in an apple, but since they cannot tell me how many apples are in a seed...I will stay close to my loving Creator, who can.
  God loves you and has a perfect plan for your life which includes freedom from sin, and a real relationship with Him. Seek Him with your whole heart...the promise is 'you will find Him'. Jesus came to set the captives free - throw off your chains today.

-And Christians, please remember this: when you decide to condemn and criticize others for their sin, your motive is never one of love. It is correct to shed light into the life of a deceived or defiant person, but remember God loves that person and Jesus died for them. Unless you can hate the sin but love the person with the love of God, leave them alone. Do you spend time on your knees crying out to God on their behalf? Do you allow them to see God in and through your life? If not, then I doubt God has assigned you the task of fixing them. While it is possible you mean well, you must consider the effect of your judgment on that person. You will find it to be counter-productive. Remember that Jesus bore our shame, guilt, and condemnation on His body on the cross...so anytime you employ those same aspects of the curse; shame, guilt, condemnation - you will have a negative effect instead of a positive one. Make sure you are seeking to glorify God and to reconcile others to Him. It gives Him no glory for you to be right, but the other person not be reconciled. The Bible says to examine yourself to see if you are in the faith.-

I am praying for you...please pray for me too.
Love & Blessings,
Will

Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. ~ Matthew 7:14 KJV

I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. He will come in and go out, and find pasture. ~ John 10:9 NIV

Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. ~ John 14:6 NIV

For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. ~ John 1:17 KJV

and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. ~ John 8:32 ESV

I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh ~ Ezekiel 36:26

Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. ~
2 Corinthians 5:17

(Jesus said) And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive him, because it isn’t looking for him and doesn’t recognize him. But you know him, because he lives with you now and later will be in you. ~ John 14:16-17 NLT
"...you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." ~ Acts 1:8 NIV

For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. ~ Romans 8:14 NLT

For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; ~ Titus 2:11-12 KJV

For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace. ~ Romans 6:14 KJV

Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you. ~ 1 John 2:15 NLT

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, ~ 2 Timothy 3:16 NIV

Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test! ~
2 Corinthians 13:5 ESV