There is only one who has the power to deliver us: to overcome our sinful nature and the wrath it deserves. It is only by Jesus that we can be saved. I will then trust in Him and the means He has provided for our growth. He has promised to conform me to His image. I cannot do it alone; I cannot do it at all, but with God, all things are possible.

I thought I could do it alone, but I found out I could not do it at all. Every time I fell, I would get up and promise myself it would be the last time. I would find the point of weakness, put a fence around it, and promise to stay away, but the fences had holes. A little more willpower, a few new strategies, or a new ascetic practice, none of it was of any value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh.
It was like trying to strangle myself with the power of my own two hands: it could not be done. Either self-preservation would kick in, and I would stop, or if I managed to make any progress, as the strength of my flesh would start to die, so would the very strength I needed to finish the job. You cannot subdue the flesh by operating in its power.
Someone else must do it.
Read More
Related Posts:

The believer who puts God first and is not afraid to lose the honor of this world to glorify his God will enjoy him forever. They will receive a Kingdom that cannot be shaken and find their glory in Jesus Christ—the greatest glory known to man.

We have all likely learned lessons by considering Israel’s defeat at Ai in Joshua chapter 7. However, a small detail in their eventual victory over the city in chapter 8 sheds light on two important truths. When the people went against Jericho, they were to take no spoil. Everything was to be destroyed except the gold and silver, which were to go into the treasury of the Lord. This requirement was the very command that Achan violated, which got 36 men killed at Ai and eventually himself.
Achan took the things devoted to destruction in Jericho, which made Israel devoted to destruction themselves, but once Achan was put to death and sin’s just penalty was met, the Lord was with Israel once again. They had been consecrated, and he would go with them and hand Ai over to them.
Here is one of the most instructive things about the defeat of Ai concerning Achan’s sin. When the Lord gives victory to Israel over Ai, the Lord permits them to take spoil for themselves (Joshua 8:2). It makes Achan’s sin even more tragic to think that if he had been patient, not only would he have gotten the spoil he desired, but more of it than he stole from Jericho. There are at least two lessons to learn from this.
The first lesson is that the first-fruits belong to the Lord. This theme of first-fruits runs throughout scripture.
Read More
Related Posts:

Success breeds the desire for more success. If God does not show us our weaknesses, we begin to think that earthly attainment is what we need to be happy. We start to believe that this is what life is about, and without it, contentment starts to disappear. In weakness, Christ calls out to us and says, “do not find your joy in the good or the bad times; find it in me. I am your salvation.” 

And he [Samson] was very thirsty, and he called upon the Lord and said, “You have granted this great salvation by the hand of your servant, and shall I now die of thirst and fall into the hands of the uncircumcised?” Judges 15:18
Many times, when God has strengthened us and given us a victory, we will soon find ourselves confounded by our weakness. That is why this passage about Samson is so encouraging. Here is a man who, by the strength of God, defeated many of the enemies of Israel and then, moments later, finds himself about to die from the lack of something as simple as water.
When God gives us victory in doing His work, it is easy to see ourselves as stronger than we are. So, the Lord often allows situations to arise that keep us dependent upon Him. We often thank the Lord for His grace in times of triumph, but how often do we forget to thank Him for our times of defeat? If all things work for the good of those who love Him, then grace comes in many forms. It comes in strength, but it also comes in weakness.
Read More
Related Posts:

On the fourteenth day of the month, the sacrificial lamb was presented and killed, and they put the blood on the doorpost to remember that the Angel of Death passed over them (Joshua 5:10-11). In Christ, the wages of sin, which is death, will pass us by because Jesus paid the debt for us on the cross. The manna ceased the day after they ate the produce of the land (Joshua 5:12). They went from having their basic needs met to feasting. Jesus is Our Daily Bread from heaven (John 6:32-33). He gives us what we need each day, but in the heavenly land, we will feast (Revelation 19:9).

Shortly after Israel entered the promised land by crossing the Jordan River, five significant events happened while they camped in the plains of Jericho. These historical events are also pictures of our salvation in Christ Jesus.
First, the Amorite and Canaanite kings, the enemies of the people of God, heard how the Lord had dried up the Jordan so Israel could enter the land. When they heard this, their hearts melted. There was no longer any spirit in them (Joshua 5:1). When Christ died on the cross for our sins and rose on the third day, he disarmed the spiritual rulers and authorities and put them to open shame (Colossians 2:15). Even death lost its sting (1 Corinthians 15:55).
Second, God commanded Joshua to have all the men circumcised. All the adult men who left Egypt in the exodus had died in the wilderness. All the men with him now were born in the wilderness, and there had been no circumcision along the way (Joshua 5:2-8). Physical circumcision is a symbol of the circumcision of the heart (Jeremiah 4:4). The flesh is removed as we are set apart as his children (Romans 2:29). It is a picture of our new birth in Christ Jesus (Colossians 2:11).
Read More
Related Posts:

Moses’s sin and mortality made it so he could not finish the job he had spent most of the latter years of his life working toward. We are not all that different. The Lord has given us all work to do in this life and for his Kingdom. Though we may all do a decent job sometimes, we all struggle with our own sinfulness. And even though we are justified in Christ Jesus, we too will someday face death.

God’s promises to Moses came true, but only after his death. This truth should encourage us because God’s promises to us do not die when we die. Joshua chapter one opens by telling us that Moses was dead and Joshua was to take over and lead the people into the promised land. Moses had worked for 40-plus years leading the people. The Lord had even promised Moses that the people would enter their rest, but Moses never saw it.
Through the work of the Lord, Moses’s leadership was awe-inspiring, and he was extremely humble on top of it all. However, one day, he sinned against the Lord and struck the rock instead of speaking to it so that the Lord could provide water for his people. It may seem like a little thing to us, but it was a direct affront to God. Because of this, God said Moses would not go into the land with the people.
Read More
Related Posts:

The next time you think sin is getting the best of you and you want to turn back, remember you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. Through the Holy Spirit, never forget the saints gone by, and remember Jesus himself, who went willingly to the cross and shed his blood for your salvation.

Some aspects of biblical truth run so contrary to culture that even many in the church find them extreme. Take, for example, the author of Hebrews’ admonition to his readers about resisting sin. He had already told them that without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness of sin. In saying this, he was talking about justification, but in chapter 12, he uses a similar phrase concerning sanctification. He says, “In your struggle against sin, you have not resisted to the point of shedding your blood” (Heb. 12:4).
We know that standing for Christ can sometimes be difficult, and the temptation to back away presents itself when opposition and adversity come at us. The problem is that we are rarely as strong as we think, and we tend to want to shrink back under the lightest of difficulties. This tendency to timidity is why, after listing many great Saints in the Old Testament in Chapter 11, some who even gave their lives, the author tells us not to turn back even if it means our own flesh is torn apart.
The author of Hebrews says this concerning our struggle with sin. What does this mean? How do we struggle with sin?
Read More
Related Posts:

The one who believes God’s moral standards can be known, that they are not above the struggles with sin, and believes that reproof is an act of love, will be able to avoid the judging Christ is speaking of in this passage.

It is difficult to think of a verse more misused than “Do not Judge” (Matt. 7:1). The number of times it has been used to censure Godly reproof would be impossible to count. If you are in the habit of reading the Word of God and upholding Godly standards, then you have most likely had this verse thrown your way while commenting on some behavior or trend of which God disapproves.
To many people, this verse means that no one is ever allowed to reprove or correct someone’s behavior or beliefs. If you speak, even in love, against things like sexual deviancy, drunkenness, or false religious beliefs, then according to these people, you are judgmental and therefore violating Christ’s command. Of course, they are making a judgment about you, which means if their interpretation is correct, they are also being judgmental in their reproof of you. If they believe correcting people is judgmental, they should stop correcting judgmental people.
With only a tiny amount of exegesis, we will see that Christ is not saying it is always inappropriate to correct someone with the word of God. In fact, this is something Scripture commands us to do, and reproof and correction are two proper uses of God’s word. 2 Timothy 3:16 says, “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.”
So what is Christ telling us when he commands us not to judge? He is telling us of people who correct others but do not hold themselves to the same standard.
Read More
Related Posts:

Humility is a gift from God. We are unable to humble ourselves without the Lord’s work in our lives. If we could, we would quickly boast about it. If we recognize our dependence upon him, it is because the Holy Spirit has humbled us by bringing us to salvation. What a precious gift this is.

Pride is a form of insanity because it is not based in reality. When we grow haughty of our accomplishments, we forget who gave us the gifts we used to achieve them. We also forget who gave us our lungs and the clean air we inhaled as we succeeded. The absurdity of boasting in our might is astounding. The fact that God can humble us without any effort proves how little strength we actually possess.
King Nebuchadnezzar was a man of great power who ruled over Babylon. He even took Israel captive. However, on two occasions, all it took to make him tremble were God-given dreams. The second dream showed him as a mighty tree that was then cut down.
Shortly after this dream, he was walking on his palace roof, looking at his kingdom, and said, “Is this not great Babylon, which I have built by my own power?” At that moment, a voice fell from heaven and said, “King Nebuchadnezzar, to you, it is spoken: the kingdom has departed you, and you shall be driven away from man, and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field” (Daniel 4:31-32).
Read More
Related Posts:

Yes, we still show up every Sunday. Yes, we still sing the songs. We still listen to the preaching. We may even take notes. We may still work in the church, but as we do it, there does not seem to be much life in it. We do all the right things, but we do them in a dragging condition because the power of the Holy Spirit is absent.

Spiritual drowsiness is something with which all Christian struggle. When Paul tells us to “wake from sleep” in Romans 13:11, we know he is speaking to Christians. He sounds the alarm because our “salvation is nearer than when we first believed.” What are some signs that we, as Christians, are spiritually sleepy? Here are four.
1. A Diminishing Interest in the Things of God
The first sign is that we begin to grow uninterested in the things of God. Maybe you are in this situation. Perhaps you can remember when you used to read the word of God and the promises used to jump off the page and move you. Maybe there was a time when you longed to listen to Christian music as much as possible because it stirred your soul with joy. Maybe you hungered to go to church to listen to good preaching, but even that was not enough. During the week, you would find sermons and teachings, depending on how long you have been a Christian, on cassette, CD, or a podcast and listen to them. Though this was your reality at one point, you now find them dull. Sign number one that we are drowsy is that we have a diminishing interest in the things of God, where in many cases, we used to have a substantial passion for them.
2. We Long for Something of the World More than God
Since our focus is not on the things of the Lord, we find that our focus tends to move toward the things of the world. There is something worldly that we are passionate about, a little bit more than God.
Read More
Related Posts:

The fires of hell are powerless against those in Christ because Jesus has already extinguished its fury for us. He took the wrath of God in our place and rose in power. We may face the fires of this life, but the fires of the wrath of God will never touch us. It has no power over our bodies or souls, and not even the smell of it will be able to cling to us. Death has lost its sting (1 Corinthians 15:55-57).

“The fire had not any power over the bodies of those men” (Daniel 3:27). These are the words spoken of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego while in the fiery furnace. It is a common truth; fire has power over bodies when the two come into contact, but not so in this case. The fire could not even singe their hair or burn their clothes. Unlike when you spend time near a campfire, they did not even have the smell of smoke on them. This event teaches us many things, but here are four encouragements to keep in mind.
1. God is sovereign over the laws of nature. Contrary to what many people think, God not only created the laws of nature, but he can also alter them at any time. He can walk on water, heal the sick, and raise the dead.
Read More
Related Posts: