God is UNCHANGING, What a Blessing that is!

November 22, 2022November 22, 2022 nofearlindaLeave a comment

November 22, 2022

Our passage today comes from Hebrews. The author of Hebrews is talking about the unshakable nature of God’s kingdom. Hebrews 12: 28-29 gives us the conclusion the author reaches and what our response to the unsinkability of God should be. “Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, ²⁹for our God is a consuming fire.

Is your response to the Immutability of God, his unchanging character and will, one of gratitude? Can you imagine if God was changeable? We could never be assured that He would not change His mind about our salvation! How do we know that God would not change what He desires from us? His purity, goodness and truth would also come into question. In the Old Testament we see the Israelites and other pagan nations worshipping idols. They never knew what would please their gods, how they would react, what they wanted or what they would or even could do. Psalm 96:5 reminds us that idols do not create anything. ” For all the gods of the peoples are worthless idols, but the Lord made the heavens.”

The author of Hebrews wants to remind us that God is immutable, and therefore worthy of all our worship. He is a consuming fire! The picture of fire is one that appears repeatedly in the Bible. God appeared to Moses in a burning bush that was not consumed (Exodus 3:5), a pillar of fire to moved the Israelites at night in the desert (Exodus 13:21), the Lord consumed the offering on Mt Carmel with fire (1 Kings 18:38) and the Holy Spirit descended upon believers with tongues of fire (Acts 2:3). Fire is a picture of pure energy and power, that is our Sovereign God!

I am so thankful that God is unchanging and I can depend upon Him to keep all his promises. I have several verses that remind me of God’s unchanging character that I can claim with assurance. James 1:17 “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.” and Hebrews 13:8 “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.’ We can place our faith in our unchangeable God.

A truth to claim with thanksgiving: I am sealed by the Holy Spirit. God’s all consuming fire that was manifested to the early believers as tongues of fire. It showed the presence of His Holy Spirit descending upon the believer. We can know His power within us today. That same power of fire and energy indwells each believer and seals us or guarantees our faith. Ephesians 1:13-14 “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, ¹⁴who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.” He guarantees our salvation and inheritance in heaven by His Holy Spirit! 2 Corinthians 1:21-22 “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, ¹⁴who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.” God did this for us so we would know His love and promises are true. It is reaffirmed in 2 Corinthians 5:5 also “He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee.”

What a wonderful gift God has given us by telling us we do not have to worry about His kingdom as it is unshakeable. We can rest assured that He is unchanging. His consuming Holy Spirit will indwell us and hold us for all eternity. That is some guarantee!!

Linda

I AM… the Alpha and the Omega

October 11, 2019 nofearlindaLeave a comment

Jesus used this phrase to identify himself three times in the New Testament book of Revelation. As John opens his revelation about Jesus Christ, Jesus appears returning in the clouds and says, “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.” Revelation 1:8 Alpha and Omega are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet and would signify the beginning of all things and the end of all things. The designation of ‘who is and who was and who is to come’ tells us Jesus was with God in the beginning of creation and will be with us in the future. He is the Almighty God. He is all knowing (omniscient), ever present (omnipresent) and all powerful (omnipotent). Only God is all these and He began all creation and will be there at the end.

At then end of Revelation, these words appear again in John’s vision. After the description of the New Jerusalem in Revelation 21:6 “He said to me: “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life.” Jesus, himself, will see to the creation of heaven and the new city of Jerusalem. In that city the water of life will be given freely to all who dwell there. What a glorious promise for us about our future home.

Lastly, Jesus reveals to John that He will be returning soon in Revelation 22:12-13 ““Look, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to each person according to what they have done. ¹³I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.” Here Jesus specifically says He was there at the the of beginning of creation and He will be there at the end of times.

What a powerful God we serve that from the beginning of time and creation to the end He will be unchanging and faithful. Hebrews 13:8 tell us “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” He created all things and will see them through to the end of all time. He is unchanging in His character and purposes so we can rely upon Him. I love Hebrews 10:23 “Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.” We can cling to the promises in God’s Word that He is unchanging and faithful. He will see to us in the future just as He has done in the past. Praise God!

Linda

Promises, do you know any to claim?

March 30, 2019 nofearlindaLeave a comment

Because Jesus died on the cross and rose from the dead, I have very great and precious promises I can claim for my life. The verse I chose as the theme verse for my book Promises for Dynamic Living shows us exactly how blessed with promises we are. 2 Peter 1:3-4

³His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. ⁴Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.

Jesus promises He has given us everything, absolutely everything we need for a godly life because we know Him through faith. The promises He has included in His Word should be extremely precious to us as the promises help us to be one in the Spirit with Him and live a life that is above the corruption of this world. I find this simple truth encouraging. Satan wants us to believe there are things missing from our lives that only the world can provide. Christ says, “NO!!”, I have given you everything you need. Satan wants us to believe that the world is fulfilling and will lead to a good life. Christ says, “NO!!”, the way of the world leads to destruction and away from godly living.

So what exactly has Jesus provided for us in His promises? As you study the scriptures, you find that we are promised many things- comfort, love, salvation, hope, peace, joy, understanding of godly things, fellowship with God the Father and Son, infilling of the Holy Spirit, eternal life….. the list goes on. Each of these are promised by our faithful loving God. Hebrews 13:8 tells us^“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” unchanging God God and His truth is unchanging from the creation of everything until now-God does not change and will not change. We can count on this. So all the things God promises in His Word from the beginning are still true and unchanging. Hebrew 6:17-19a further confirms God’s mind for us. ¹⁷Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of his purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised, he confirmed it with an oath. ¹⁸God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope set before us may be greatly encouraged.¹⁹We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure.

How can the truths of 2 Peter 1:3-4 effect our lives? If we take Jesus at His Word and believe in His great and precious promises, we will live abundant lives that are filled by His Holy Spirit. He wants us to lead godly lives that are anchored in His hope.

Linda

Suggestion: Take the challenge today and look into His Word- seek His precious promises and then claim them in your life. Need help finding promises? Here are a few to get you started: Nahum 1:7, Philippians 4:19, Lamentations 3:21-23, James 4:7-8a, Deuteronomy 31:6. Or for a longer list you could get a copy of my book Promises for Dynamic Living. In it you will find 70 different promises from God’s Word explained in a devotional format. Each promise is meant for you as God desires to enrich and lead you towards greater godliness in Christ.

Dynamic-FrontCover-150

Get a copy in paperback or eBook form-available on my website from my publisher or Amazon. My new edition now has questions for group Bible Study included. Order it today.

Unchanging God Holds us Steady

January 8, 2019 nofearlindaLeave a comment

How do you do with change? Making resolutions for change are very common this time of year. It is a hope within us that with a new year we can have a new beginning, a redo, or a fresh start. Psalm 102:25-28 came to mind as a place to reflect on change. “Of old you laid the foundation of the earth,
    and the heavens are the work of your hands.
²⁶They will perish, but you will remain;
    they will all wear out like a garment.
You will change them like a robe, and they will pass away,
²⁷    but you are the same, and your years have no end.
²⁸The children of your servants shall dwell secure;
    their offspring shall be established before you.”

We can rest assured that God’s plans for you and me have not changed since the foundation of the world. Psalm 33:11 “But the plans of the Lord stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations.” Our heart attitudes, desires, plans and schemes change from year to year but God is unchanging. Knowing that God does not change His plans, love, mercy, compassion, guidance, help…in the ever changing world that surrounds us gives us hope.

It is good to plan and try to incorporate change into our lives like spending more time in prayer, studying and reading God’s Word, exercising, eating healthy, spending more time with family, working on projects to help others, etc. All of those can be good things to help us reach a world in great need of a Savior. Ponder these words from Proverbs 19:20, 21 and 23 today as you pray about plans and change in the New Year.

Listen to advice and accept discipline,
and at the end you will be counted among the wise.

²¹Many are the plans in a person’s heart,
but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.

²³The fear of the Lord leads to life;

then one rests content, untouched by trouble.

May God bless you today with a renewed spirit of love and devotion to our unchanging God.

Linda

A New Spirit for the New Year

January 1, 2019 nofearlinda1 Comment

Happy New Year! I can’t believe 2018 is done and we are ready to embark on 2019. At this time of year we wonder what the year will bring- changes in places, people, relationships and even jobs. It is a good time to take a closer look at our relationship with God and reevaluate our commitment and devotion to Him. God never changes. Hebrews 13:8 tells us, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” Psalm 33:11, “But the plans of the Lord stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations.” James 1:17, “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” These are just a few verses that reassure us that God is immutable and never changes. Knowing that fact about God, we can look more closely at ourselves, our attitudes and actions.

How do I remain faithful to a faithful God? God reassured the children of Israel when they were taken into captivity in Babylon that He would be their sanctuary. He alone would hold them steady in faith. 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,” God promises to put a new spirit within us and remove our heart of stone- attitudes of rebellion, faithlessness, unbelief, despair, rejection…. God can and will remove those from you and give you a NEW SPIRIT for the New Year. He will give you a heart that is loving, compassionate, believing, and filled with hope. How do you get this new heart and spirit? In Christ alone our hope is found. 1 John 5:11-12 describe our hope. “And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. ¹²Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.” Belief in Jesus, commitment to Him in gratitude and service is a place to begin. Repentance of past sins and asking forgiveness brings us to our knees and realigns our hearts with Him.

Celebrate your life in Christ, your hope in Christ and be assured that God will give you a new heart and a new spirit to live triumphantly in Him this year! 2019 Bring it on! We’re ready with a repentant heart looking to our Savior.