Tag: Holy Spirit

Freedom comes from God

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On this day of remembrance for the sacrifices people made on 9/11 in New York, I was considering the name or attribute of Freedom for God. This name is most closely associated with the Holy Spirit and Jesus rather than God the Father. It is also linked to God’s Word. The idea of freedom in scripture is pointed towards our bondage to sin, sin nature that we received when Adam and Eve sinned and were put out of the Garden of Eden. Until that time man had communed and walked with God, but after eating from the tree of good and evil they were barred from the garden, so that they would no eat of the tree of life and thereby seal their fate of sinfulness for life. God made a way through Jesus for us to be reconciled to Him, and it is this plan that we study and seek to understand in the Bible. God’s plan is for us to be restored to communion with Him.

So how does one shed the bondage to sin? There is only 1 way. Faith in Jesus’ work on the cross as He died to take our sins away. Jesus tells us in John 14:6 “Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” This is explained in Romans 5:8 “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 8:34 “Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.” 2 Corinthians 5:14 “
For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died.”

Scripture is clear that belief in Jesus brings freedom. Jesus had a discussion in Johns 8:31-36 about this freedom. “To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. 32 Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” 33 They answered him, “We are Abraham’s descendants and have never been slaves of anyone. How can you say that we shall be set free?” 34 Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. 35 Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. 36 So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” Jesus promises that everyone who knows the Son will be freed from sins bondage and payment which is death and will receive eternal life. Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” I also love Galatians 5:1 “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.” In Luke 4:18 Jesus told the people that the Spirit of the Lord was in Him and that His mission was to bring freedom to all who were bound by sin. “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free.”

Christ brings freedom, represents freedom, for the believer, but so does the indwelling Holy Spirit. 2 Corinthians 3:17 “ Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” The Holy Spirit brings freedom through faith in Jesus into our lives!

The Word of God also brings freedom. Psalm 119:44-45 “I will always obey your law,
    for ever and ever. 45 I will walk about in freedom,  for I have sought out your precepts.” Living by and studying God’s Word leads us to greater freedom in Him. James also tells us in James 1:25 “But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do.” Looking, studying His Word brings blessing and freedom.

Even though I might not give God the name of freedom, I see it as a by product of knowing and believing in Jesus. Because Christ died on the cross and rose from the dead, I can know freedom from sin which allows me to commune with God and not worry about sin’s penalty which is death. That is FREEDOM indeed!

Linda

God as Our Guide, YES!

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One of my favorite verses is Isaiah 58:11. A friend pointed me to this verse and it sooths my soul as it speaks of God as our constant Guide in life. “And the Lord will guide you continually and satisfy your desire in scorched places
    and make your bones strong;
and you shall be like a watered garden,
    like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail.” I love the image and truth that His guidance leads me to places where He will fulfill my needs in spite of my circumstances and that I will perceive my existence as that of a well-watered garden. A well watered garden is one that is loved and cared for, nurtured in and out of season. My God treats me like that! God being my guide in life is one of the most profound characteristics of God. He takes a personal interest in His creation = that is me and you!

Here are some other verses that speak of God’s guidance in our lives. Psalm 25:4-5 “Make me to know your ways, O Lord; teach me your paths. 5 Lead me in your truth and teach me,
    for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all the day long.” As our guide, God teaches us and gives salvation to which my response is to patiently wait on God’s timing. Sometimes, not so patiently, but we know that God’s ways are not our ways and that His timing is different than ours. He sees the whole picture and knows where things are headed and in what order things need to happen. Psalm 32:8 adds another perspective, “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you.” We can be assured that God is watching and knows what is happening in our lives! Psalm 48:14 adds another assurance to God’s guidance. “that this is God, our God forever and ever. He will guide us forever.” We may not understand God’s timing but we can know that it is eternal and He will never stop being our guide.

Those verses were all from the Old Testament but God continues His role as guide in the New Testament. Jesus is our guide. He spoke of himself in the gospels and showed us ways to God that we could follow. He gave us 7 ‘I AM’s in the book of John, revealing aspects of himself that show His heart, love and guidance in our lives. John 6:35 “Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.” John 8:12 “Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” John 10:9 “I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture.” John 10:11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” John 11:25 “Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live,” John 14:6 “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 15:5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.” In these 7 I AM statements Jesus revealed himself in direct ways to guide us to Him so that we can abide in Him in faith. Which of these is most meaningful to you?

God also revealed Himself in the person of the Holy Spirit after Jesus’ return to heaven. Jesus told us about this in John 16:13 “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.”

Guide is an extremely important character trait for us to see in God. He assures us of this in both the Old and New Testaments and lets us know that it will continue until the end of time. God is forever and all His character attributes endure forever. Because Christ died on the cross and rose from the dead, I can be assured that God will guide me though His Word and Spirit until I come home to Him. I can rely upon Him and look to Him for guidance 24/7. Thanks be to God!

Linda

Elohim, Creator God

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Today’s name for God is Creator or Elohim. The Hebrew name carries with it the meaning of Creator God, all powerful and mighty not just one who is able to create. Creator God is seen throughout the Bible from Genesis to Revelation. God created the world in the beginning and He continues to create within us as He transforms us through His Holy Spirit.

Let’s start at the beginning and all that was created was created by God. Genesis 1:1 “ In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” Later in Psalm 19:1 the psalmist describes this work of God. “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.” Creation involved the physical world we see on earth and in the heavens above. Nehemiah also describes God’s creation in Nehemiah 9:6 “You are the Lord, you alone. You have made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them; and you preserve all of them; and the host of heaven worships you.” He reminds us of God’s power to not only create but to preserve and how those in heavens worship Him.

Paul goes a bit farther in Colossians 1:16 when he adds the dominions, rulers, thrones or authorities. God is creator of all the systems of earth and they are under his control, He is sovereign over all- creation man and beast. “For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him.” The sovereignty of God is important as God did not only create all things but they are under His direction and control. Consider Isaiah 45:7 “I form light and create darkness;  I make well-being and create calamity;
    I am the Lord, who does all these things.” and Acts 17:26 “And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place,” All that is or was made or will be made are done at God’s directions. That means God can and does use any power on earth to accomplish His will.

Let’s get more specific about creation and direct it towards man. Psalm 139:13-16 makes it clear that we are known to God even before we are born and are created by Him. “For you formed my inward parts;
    you knitted me together in my mother’s womb.
14 I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Wonderful are your works;
    my soul knows it very well.
15 My frame was not hidden from you,
when I was being made in secret,
    intricately woven in the depths of the earth.
16 Your eyes saw my unformed substance;
in your book were written, every one of them,
    the days that were formed for me,
    when as yet there was none of them.” It is humbling and comforting to know that God made me who I am and has a plan and a purpose for me. Jeremiah 29:11 always brings a smile to my face. “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.”

One of the plans and purposes God has for each of us is to know Him and His Son, Jesus. When we accept Jesus as God’s son and the work of redemption He performed on the cross, we become a child of God and have His spirit within us. Both David and Ezekiel spoke of this transformation before Christ came. Psalm 51:10 “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.” Ezekiel 11:19 “And I will give them one heart, and a new spirit I will put within them. I will remove the heart of stone from their flesh and give them a heart of flesh.” Faith in Jesus leads us to Ephesians 1:13 “In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit,” Knowing Christ brings a permanent sealing by the Holy Spirit into a new life in Him. We are new creations, 2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” Praise God!

Because Christ died on the cross and rose from the dead, I can have new life created within me, a new spirit from God. Thank you Jesus for making this possible. As Revelation 4:11 states, “Worthy are you, our Lord and God,
    to receive glory and honor and power,
for you created all things,
    and by your will they existed and were created.” Amen.

Linda

Intercessor God

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Today’s name of God describes a job God does and how He relates to us. He is our Intercessor. By definition an intercessor is one who prays, petitions or entreats favor for another. This is described in Romans as the job of the Holy Spirit towards us and in John we see Jesus interceding for us with the Father. What a privilege it is to know that we have an Intercessor God that loves and cares for us.

Romans 8:26-27 “Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.” How many times have you been stuck and not known what to pray in a situation? In those times we can take comfort from the fact that the Holy Spirit is ready and willing to present our prayers properly to God. When the Spirit intercedes, He presents requests that are aligned with God’s perfect will. It describes His praying for us as groanings to deep for words. He is involved in our prayers and even in our fumbling He presents them faultless before God. Thank you Holy Spirit!

In Hebrews 7:24-25 Jesus is described as our Great High Priest. “The former priests were many in number, because they were prevented by death from continuing in office, 24 but he holds his priesthood permanently, because he continues forever. 25 Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.” Jesus will hold that position permanently and lives to intercede on our behalf before God. There is no ending to his intercession as he is eternal and never tires.

I love the 17the chapter of the gospel of John as in that chapter Jesus prays for the disciple then and for all believers in the future. He shows His great love, care and concern for those who believe in Him. John 17:8-10 “For I have given them the words that you gave me, and they have received them and have come to know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me. 9 I am praying for them. I am not praying for the world but for those whom you have given me, for they are yours. 10 All mine are yours, and yours are mine, and I am glorified in them.  John continues in 15-19 “ I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 17 Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. 18 As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. 19 And for their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth.” Jesus wants us to know Him and when we do He lives to intercede on our behalf knowing the challenges we will face in this world before we join Him in eternity.

Because Christ died on the cross and rose from the dead, I can take comfort in knowing Jesus prayed for me and that the Holy Spirit is ready and willing to intercede for me each day. Be encouraged as God will hear your prayers no matter how inadequate they may seem. He will present them perfect before God with the intent of your heart. Keep on praying as Prayer Changes Things! If it didn’t, Jesus would not have prayed for us! Keep on praying!

Linda

The Lord is There

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The name Jehovah Shammah means The Lord is There. This is the ever present character of God. He never sleeps nor tires and is always there. In the book of Ezekiel, the prophet was given a vision of the future holy city that will reflect God’s glory and where God will dwell with us. Ezekiel 40:1-4 tells how this vision starts. “In the twenty-fifth year of our exile, at the beginning of the year, on the tenth day of the month, in the fourteenth year after the city was struck down, on that very day, the hand of the Lord was upon me, and he brought me to the city. 2 In visions of God he brought me to the land of Israel, and set me down on a very high mountain, on which was a structure like a city to the south. 3 When he brought me there, behold, there was a man whose appearance was like bronze, with a linen cord and a measuring reed in his hand. And he was standing in the gateway. 4 And the man said to me, “Son of man, look with your eyes, and hear with your ears, and set your heart upon all that I shall show you, for you were brought here in order that I might show it to you. Declare all that you see to the house of Israel.” In the next chapters Ezekiel sees the Temple, courts, gates, the altar, the feasts, division of the land and then in Ezekiel 48:35 “The circumference of the city shall be 18,000 cubits. And the name of the city from that time on shall be, The Lord Is There.”

It is significant that this passage is the only place where God is referred to as The Lord is There. Perhaps in heaven, in His holy City we can know for sure that that is where we will be for eternity. Until then, His spirit dwells with in us and we can say the Lord is here within me. Paul wrote to Timothy to encourage him in 2 Timothy 1:13-14 “ Follow the pattern of the sound words that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. 14 By the Holy Spirit who dwells within us, guard the good deposit entrusted to you.” God’s Spirit lives within us to transform and sanctify us. Be encouraged as we are sealed by the Holy Spirit and we belong to Him. Ephesians 1:13 “In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit.”

Because Christ died on the cross and rose from the dead, I can know I’m sealed, protected and indwelt by the Holy Spirit for eternity. I will always be where God is now and in the future to come! Thank you Jesus!

Linda

4th Sunday of Lent, A Matter of Learning

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What is God teaching you during this Lenten season? Are you worrying less and trusting Him more? Are you repenting more quickly and learning to recognize your sin? Each season of life brings new challenges and new ways to walk with Him. The psalmist here in Psalm 37:7-9 is in a season of waiting, maybe you can identify.

Psalm 37:7-9 “Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him;
    fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way,
    over the man who carries out evil devices! Do you need to wait and not fret over evil? 8 Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath!
    Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil. Do you need to hold yourself more in check?
9 For the evildoers shall be cut off,
    but those who wait for the Lord shall inherit the land. Do you trust God is in control?

Learning to walk with Jesus causes us to stop and listen to Him. Letting the Holy Spirit fill us and then allowing Him to help us practice self-control. Learn to let yourself lean into Jesus and trust Him for the outcome. I know this is easier said than done, but God has a plan and purpose for each of us, special things for us to do and we need to focus upon those things. Claim Jeremiah 29:11 -God has good plans for you! “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future” and -God has work for you to do Ephesians 2:10 “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”

Because Christ died on the cross and rose from the dead, I can walk with Jesus each day and be filled with His Holy Spirit to guide and direct me. He will lead me in His pathway if I listen to Him. Meditate on Psalm 37 and learn to Be Still before Him. Leaning into Jesus will bring results of the heart and mind.

Linda

What is the Source of All Things?

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I find this name for God more of a concept, our Source. God is creator of all things and is in all things too. The dictionary defines source as: the point of origin, the initiator, supplier, the fountain head. All of these meanings can be related to God as He is the beginning of all as He existed before creation. He initiated the creation of the universe and all that we know. He supplies all needs and is the living spring from which all things flow.

Here are some scriptures that match these meanings in amazing ways! Point of origin and initiator, John 1:3 “All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.” Colossians 1:16 “For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him.” Romans 11:36 “For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.” All of these describe our Creator God as the one who started it all and made everything as we know it! The true Source!

We all know God as the ultimate supplier or source. Philippians 4:16 “I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” and another way of saying this is, John 15:5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.” Apart from Him we can do nothing. With Him we can claim all things are possible, Mark 10:26-27 “And they were exceedingly astonished, and said to him, “Then who can be saved?” 27 Jesus looked at them and said, “With man it is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God.” 

Lastly, the beginning of a river is called its source. Jesus is the Source of our life giving water from God. John 7:38 “Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’” Revelation 7:17 speaks of this living water in heaven, “For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.” Jesus is the lamb of God and will be the source of living water in heaven!

In my second book Promises for Dynamic Living, I used 2 Peter 1:13 as my guiding verse. “His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence,” He has granted us divine power for living so we can glorify Him in our lives. Because Christ died on the cross and rose from the dead, I can know the Source of life, taste of His water, be under His care and know all things come through Him. He is the perfect source to provide for me both physically and spiritually. Is He your Source too? Know the Source by trusting in Jesus.

Linda

Promises for Dynamic Living is available on Amazon, Promises for Dynamics Living/LindaKnight or from my publisher, Certabooks.com

Who Can Make you Holy? Jesus

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Today’s name of God, Jehovah Mekoddishkem or The LORD Sanctifies is essential to our Christian theology. Since man’s sin in the garden we have been separated from God by our sin. God is holy and we are not because of our willfulness, rebellion and outright rejection of God. To make a way for man to be reconciled to Him, God provided the law to show the way of right living and the sacrifices to atone for the sins of the people. The sacrifices were only a temporary fix to the problem and were a picture of Christ to come. Jesus was the perfect holy sacrifice that through faith in His work on the cross and resurrection, we can be restored to a relationships with God. The name- The LORD Sanctifies describes God’s part in this to bring us back to Him. Leviticus 20:7-8 “Consecrate yourselves, therefore, and be holy, for I am the Lord your God. 8 Keep my statutes and do them; I am the Lord who sanctifies you.” Only Holy God can restore us and make us pure, sanctified, so we may come before Him.

The writer of Hebrews explains this a bit more and helps us to see Jesus as the atonement provided by God. Hebrews 10:10-14 “And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. 11 And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. 12 But when Chris had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, 13 waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet. 14 For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified. What thousands of sacrifices had not been able to accomplish permanently, Jesus did on the cross. Once was enough and it was accomplished, the way of forgiveness and the pathway back to communion with God was opened to us. Thank you Jesus!

Paul talks about our sanctification, which is a process of becoming more and more like Jesus. We are clean before God through the cleansing blood of Jesus but we live in a sinful world. 1 Thessalonians 4:3-8 “For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality; 4 that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, 5 not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God; 6 that no one transgress and wrong his brother in this matter, because the Lord is an avenger in all these things, as we told you beforehand and solemnly warned you. 7 For God has not called us for impurity, but in holiness. 8 Therefore whoever disregards this, disregards not man but God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you.“ Walking with Jesus grows as we mature in our faith and are more able to cast off sin and temptations that surround us in this world and focus on Him. We will never be free of sin until we are with Him, but we can become more and more like Jesus as we walk with Him.

Because Christ died on the cross and rose from the dead, Through faith in Jesus I can experience the process of sanctification by the Holy Spirit as I seek to live for Him. Paul says in 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24 that we can rely upon God for this process and trust in His faithfulness. “Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it.“

Linda

The Wonders of Having an Abba, Father

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“Abba” is the precious name we have for our beloved heavenly Father. It is like daddy, familiar and endearing to both father and son/daughter. Jesus used the term when praying to God at his hour of deepest need in the garden of Gethsemane. Mark 14:36 And he said, “Abba, Father, all things are possible for you. Remove this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.”

Later in Romans and Galatian the Apostle Paul uses the term “Abba, Father” for God in reference to our relationship with Him. Because we are believers and adopted into His family through our faith in Jesus, we can claim God as our Abba Father. Romans 8:14-16 “ For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. 15 For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” 16 The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,” He also references this in Galatians 4:6 “And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!”

So what difference does this name of God make to you and me? It establishes a close family tie between us and our heavenly father. He is our loving, eternal father who has provided for us in Jesus a way to be reconciled and redeemed. He has indwelt us with His Holy Spirit and provided for us freedom from the slavery of sin and a perfect and protected inheritance kept in heaven for us. Ephesians 1:13 tells us we are sealed by His Holy Spirit, “In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit,” He has provided eternal protection for us and I claim the truth of John 10:28 “I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.” whenever I am in doubt about my salvation. He has me and won’t let me go!

Whatever you earthly father was like- good, bad, indifferent or even cruel, your heavenly father is totally, pure, holy, just, righteous, open, and filled with steadfast eternal love for you! Because Christ died on the cross and rose from the dead, I can claim God as my Abba Father along with Jesus as we are family! Lean into God with Jesus and claim Him as your loving heavenly father, too!

Linda

God is all Truth in All Things

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One of the qualities we can always depend upon from God or about God is that He is TRUTH. God is truthful as the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. I love John 15:26 which describes God as the Spirit of Truth. “But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me.” Jesus wanted to reassure the disciples that he was not leaving them alone, but that His Spirit of truth, the Holy Spirit, would remain with them after he was gone. As believers we too can take heart in this as once we believe, God’s Holy Spirit comes to indwell us. Romans 8:9a reassures us of His presences with us, “You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you.” This indwelt state is where all believers find themselves! Praise God!

God the Father is filled with truth, as we see in John 4:24 “God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” Any worship of God must be done truthfully, God does not honor insincerity. He questioned the returning Israelites as to their sincerity of their worship practices in Zechariah 7:5-6 “Say to all the people of the land and the priests, ‘When you fasted and mourned in the fifth month and in the seventh, for these seventy years, was it for me that you fasted? 6 And when you eat and when you drink, do you not eat for yourselves and drink for yourselves?” God did not want them worshipping Him without their whole hearts being involved. Rote worship is not really worship and God sees it as untruthful.

Jesus is associated with truth in so many passages. John 1:14 describes him, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” Jesus was the embodiment of God’s truth which He came to earth to show us. In John 14:6 Jesus describes himself,  Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” Jesus was and is the truthful way to God, only in Him can we be reconciled to the Father. In John 17:17 Jesus prays for us that God would sanctify or consecrate us in His truth, “ Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.”

Jesus is also referred to as the Word in many passages. His Word stands for truth and is without error. Psalm 119:160 “The sum of your word is truth,  and every one of your righteous rules endures forever.” Not only was Jesus the way and truth but by believing in Him and His Word, He promises that we would be set free, John 8:31-32“ So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, 32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” The truth of the freedom of believing in Jesus speaks of our freedom from the burden of guilt brought on by sin, freedom from God’s wrath over sin and freedom of Spirit when we have His Spirit within us! Paul tells us in Galatians 5:1 “For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.” We need to guard our freedom and stay steadfastly connected to Jesus, walking with Him, studying the Word and fellowshipping with other believers.

Because Christ died on the cross and rose from the dead, I am pure from sin in Christ, filled with His Holy Spirit and free to live for Him, a life that will glorify Him each day. Knowing this, how does this motivate you to live pure and holy lives? We can take direction many places in scripture about godliness but I love this passage from Romans 12:9-13. It gives us a lot to aim for in our daily walk. “Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. 10 Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. 11 Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. 12 Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. 13 Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.“

Have a blessed day as you seek to walk in His truth.

Linda