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Touching lives with the truth of God's Word.

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Location: Birmingham, Alabama, United States

Tuesday, July 25, 2006

Building Confidence

Such confidence as this is ours through Christ before God. Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God. He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant---not of the letter but the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. (2 Corinthians 3:4-6)
Confidently trusting the Lord is the only way to go. When our reliance is on God, we experience spiritual growth, personal achievement, peace, freedom, and joy. Our confidence in God is built through a process; meditating on His Word, knowing who He is, and drawing near to Him through prayer. Note! we can lose our confidence in Him by focusing on circumstance rather than Jesus; by allowing unconfessed sin in our life; and by heeding worldly advice.
Child of God as confident follows of Christ; it is not who we are, what we believe about ourselves, or what strengths and abilities we have that matter, but it is God's presence, His provision, and power that counts. My question is; how much do we trust Him? Is our confidence Christ-centered or self-centered? May I say developing a wholehearted trust and reliance on Jesus is what brings about Christ-centered confidence. You thank about that.
I can do everything through Him who gives me strength. (Philippians 4:13) Union with the living exalted Christ is the secret of being content and the source of our confidence, and abiding strength. Praise His Holy Name, amen.

Monday, July 10, 2006

HOPE OF GLORY

"We exult in hope of the glory of God. And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint." [Romans 5:2-5]
The security that every believer has in his or her salvation is founded on the fact that God is the author of their salvation, every aspect of it is solely the work of God, and therefore cannot be lost. The final work of God's great salvation is the ultimate glorification of every Christian: "Whom God foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the first born among many brethren; and whom He predestined, these He also called; and whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified" [Romans 8:29-30].
May I say, that Scripture teaches that salvation is anchored in the past because Christ made peace with God at Calvary for our sins, that it is anchored in the present because Christ continually intercedes for every believer and establishes our standing in grace. Note that in verses 2 through 5 Paul proclaims, salvation is also anchored in the future because God promises His children that one day they will be clothed with the glory of His Son.
The Greek word for "exult" in Romans 5:2 refers to jubilation and rejoicing. Every believer ought to rejoice in the future rather than fearing it, because Jesus Christ has secured our hope, in fact Christ is the guarantee of our hope because He Himself is our hope (1 Tim. 1:1). Don't miss what Paul says in Romans 5:3-5; Paul states in these verses, that our afflictions for Christ's sake produce increasing levels of spiritual maturity. That means we can rejoice in tribulations that come upon us because of our relationship to Christ. Child of God as you continue to pursue holiness, the more you will be persecuted and troubled, but the greater will be your hope as you see God sustain you by His all powerful grace. You think about that.