Hmmm….”dead faith.” It doesn’t sound like a kind of faith I would like to be attached to. How about you? Would you rather say that you have a faith that is alive or would you rather say; “ahhh, my faith is dead”?
This portion of scripture uses as an example Abraham, who God said his faith was complete because of what he did.
Now I’m not suggesting that we are saved by works. The bible is clear that it is only by our faith in the death, burial and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ that we are saved from the wrath of a just and holy God.
Lets say Abraham had dead faith. Lets say Abraham said, “O Sovereign Lord, I believe in you, I hear your voice, but, but I am so comfortable here where I am, and I’m afraid to go to the land of Canaan, I’m afraid of what others might think, or I’m afraid I can’t do it.” Whoa, what would the ramifications of that be? Not that God’s plan wouldn’t have been completed because of Abraham’s “dead faith.” God would have found someone else who was faithful to accomplish His work, or maybe he would have sent a big reptile with similar results like that of Jonah’s big fish. The point is, biblical faith is active, not passive. Are you involved in the work of the Lord? Are you willing to act on God’s truth? Are you willing to get involved in church (there is plenty to do), with your next door neighbor or with a co-worker?
By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heir with him of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God. Hebrews 11:8-10 Why didn’t Abraham take the land? He certainly had military might (Genesis 14). Why didn’t he just buy it up as he was a very wealthy man (see Genesis 13)? It’s because the God who told him to go to the land also told him that he would give him the land. The coin of faith has another side, one side is the side of our taking action, the other side is the willingness to allow God to perform His will through us, in His power, for His glory. We do not take matters into our own hands, but as we obey, we allow God to perform His will though us.
So, if you are hearing from God to get involved somewhere, don’t sit on your hands. Take a step forward in faith, knowing the Lord will give you everything you need to accomplish that which He has asked you to do, because you will be doing it in His strength, not yours, and He and only He will get the glory. Do we not want to glorify our God? Vertical focus, not horizontal!

A point was made that perked my attention. When we think about the word “blessing” we think about good things in our lives. But Jesus defined blessings as something bad that happens to us that reveals something good about God. The bible says blessed are the poor in spirit, blessed are those who mourn, blessed are you when you are persecuted and rejected. How can that be good??

Are we so used to the good life that we expect, look forward to or anticipate nothing but straight, bump-free roads? Paul’s thinking was in the other direction. I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death Philippians 3:10 ~ And of this gospel I was appointed a herald and an apostle and a teacher. That is why I am suffering as I am. Yet I am not ashamed, because I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him for that day. 2 Timothy 1:11-12 ~ If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us 2 Timothy 2:12 ~ In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted 2 Timothy 3:12 As Christians, in the life here on earth, we are promised grief, pain, suffering and death. Paul’s effort was to enter into sharing Christ’s sufferings. To the Corinthians, Paul wrote; But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 Paul isn’t saying here that we should go out and look for situations that will bring suffering (emotional, physical or spiritual) into our lives, but he is saying that we can expect it, and when life gets hard for what ever reason, we should rejoice when it does, because it means that the strength that is in Christ is being manifested through the weaknesses that is in us. The word “delight” means to choose, to do willingly, or to think it good. It’s a choice we make, a matter of the will through the strength of God.

A point that finally brought me to the realization that I had to share this was the statement; “if it is allowed by a sovereign God, Paul says it has a sovereign purpose.” Suffering is a part of our sanctification and it’s ok to ask the Lord to take it away, but we need to realize that God may sometimes say no, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”

When God gets the glory, we are blessed. Whether through loss or gain, only a close fellowship with a Living Savior can bring meaning to life’s afflictions, calamities and pressures. Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. 2 Corinthians 1:3-4

So we all are mentors as we walk this life with loved ones, neighbors, co-workers and fellow believers. Life is a constant state of mentoring, making decisions that affect ourselves and those around us.

Vertical focus, not horizontal!

My thoughts during a “down moment” brought me to the song My Hope Is In The Lord and I realized (again) that I was putting my hope in the future, on getting a job.

What a great hymn!

My hope is in the Lord
Who gave Himself for me
And paid the price
Of all my sin at Calvary.

My Lord is a God of hope. May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13

I was bought with a price. You were bought at a price I Cor 7:23a

For me He died;
For me He lives,
And everlasting life
And light He freely gives.

He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. II Cor. 5:21

No merit of my own
His anger to suppress
My only hope is found
In Jesus’ righteousness.

As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath. But because of his great love for us, God who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. Ephesians 2:1-5

And now for me He stands
Before the Father’s throne
He shows His wounded hands
And names me as His own.

Christ Jesus is He who died, more than that, who was raised to life – is at the right hand of God, and is also interceding for us. Romans 8:34

For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory. Romans 8:15-17

His grace has planned it all
Tis mine but to believe
And recognize His work of love
And Christ receive.

Thank you Lord, I needed that reminder. You are in control, you are all I need.

Vertical focus, not horizontal!

“Covetousness” means desiring something other than God in the wrong way. But what does that mean—“in the wrong way”?

The reason this matters is both vertical and horizontal. Idolatry will destroy our relationship with God. And it will destroy our relationships with people.

All human relational problems—from marriage and family to friendship to neighbors to classmates to colleagues—all of them are rooted in various forms of idolatry, that is, wanting things other than God in wrong ways.

So here is my effort to think biblically about what those wrong ways are. What makes an enjoyment idolatrous? What turns a desire into covetousness, which is idolatry?

1. Enjoyment is becoming idolatrous when it is forbidden by God. For example, adultery and fornication and stealing and lying are forbidden by God. Some people at some times feel that these are pleasurable, or else we would not do them. No one sins out of duty. But such pleasure is a sign of idolatry.
2. Enjoyment is becoming idolatrous when it is disproportionate to the worth of what is desired. Great desire for non-great things is a sign that we are beginning to make those things idols.
3. Enjoyment is becoming idolatrous when it is not permeated with gratitude. When our enjoyment of something tends to make us not think of God, it is moving toward idolatry. But if the enjoyment gives rise to the feeling of gratefulness to God, we are being protected from idolatry. The grateful feeling that we don’t deserve this gift or this enjoyment, but have it freely from God’s grace, is evidence that idolatry is being checked.
4. Enjoyment is becoming idolatrous when it does not see in God’s gift that God himself is more to be desired than the gift. If the gift is not awakening a sense that God, the Giver, is better than the gift, it is becoming an idol.
5. Enjoyment is becoming idolatrous when it is starting to feel like a right, and our delight is becoming a demand. It may be that the delight is right. It may be that another person ought to give you this delight. It may be right to tell them this. But when all this rises to the level of angry demands, idolatry is rising.
6. Enjoyment is becoming idolatrous when it draws us away from our duties. When we find ourselves spending time pursuing an enjoyment, knowing that other things, or people, should be getting our attention, we are moving into idolatry.
7. Enjoyment is becoming idolatrous when it awakens a sense of pride that we can experience this delight while others can’t. This is especially true of delights in religious things, like prayer and Bible reading and ministry. It is wonderful to enjoy holy things. It idolatrous to feel proud that we can.
8. Enjoyment is becoming idolatrous when it is oblivious or callous to the needs and desires of others. Holy enjoyment is aware of others’ needs and may temporarily leave a good pleasure to help another person have it. One might leave private prayer to be the answer to someone else’s.
9. Enjoyment is becoming idolatrous when it does not desire that Christ be magnified as supremely desirable through the enjoyment. Enjoying anything but Christ (like his good gifts) runs the inevitable risk of magnifying the gift over the Giver. One evidence that idolatry is not happening is the earnest desire that this not happen.
10. Enjoyment is becoming idolatrous when it is not working a deeper capacity for holy delight. We are sinners still. It is idolatrous to be content with sin. So we desire transformation. Some enjoyments shrink our capacities of holy joy. Others enlarge them. Some go either way, depending on how we think about them. When we don’t care if an enjoyment is making us more holy, we are moving into idolatry.
11. Enjoyment is becoming idolatrous when its loss ruins our trust in the goodness of God. There can be sorrow at loss without being idolatrous. But when the sorrow threatens our confidence in God, it signals that the thing lost was becoming an idol.
12. Enjoyment is becoming idolatrous when its loss paralyzes us emotionally so that we can’t relate lovingly to other people. This is the horizontal effect of losing confidence in God. Again: Great sorrow is no sure sign of idolatry. Jesus had great sorrow. But when desire is denied, and the effect is the emotional inability to do what God calls us to do, the warning signs of idolatry are flashing.

For myself and for you, I pray the admonition of 1 John 5:21, “Little children, keep yourselves from idols.”

By John Piper. © Desiring God. Website: desiringGod.org

I came upon this verse; Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift you as wheat. Luke 22:31 It is obvious that one of Satan’s desires is to separate us from the love of our Lord by using  the circumstances of our lives. If we focus horizontally and start thinking that we are going through our trials by ourselves and get all “poor me”, Satan has the victory. And, as Paul uses the word “separate” in the Romans 8 passage, he describes several earthly scenarios that bring to the table more than say…..something like having a bad hair day. But, right now in our bubble it can mean recession, joblessness, family/marriage problems, sickness, and even an uncertain future in an increasingly violent and perverse world.

So in all these things, how can I be more than a victor? Well, after some searching I found out that the NIV translation which I use is somewhat misleading. The NAS translation says; “But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us.” which uses a compound Greek word meaning to over conquer or to conquer completely without any real threat to personal life or health. Ah-ha! There it is again! It is He that does it not me, me, me. When I am in control there is trouble and chaos. When God is in control, our troubles are conquered completely and there is peace.

The comparison of God in control and me, myself and I in control, reminded me of when I was in the Navy stationed in the Philippines at a weather facility. A typhoon (what they call a hurricane over there) was going to pass directly over our base. We (some friends and I) spent a couple of hours outside behind a small block building amid the chaos and noise as we watched debris fly by. It was humbling as I stood behind the shelter of this small block building, thinking if I stepped out into the wind, my life could be instantly snuffed out. Then in amazement, as the eye of the storm approached, the wind disappeared and our world became almost eerily quiet. And just like you might see in a movie, there were a flock of birds flying overhead in a beautiful, peaceful  blue sky.

So, to be more than a conquer, means that we are not limited by what stands in our way and we have power beyond the limits that Satan has. He is limited in his power and what he can do, but we are not limited as to what we can do through Jesus Christ. When calamity comes, the wicked are brought down, but even in death the righteous have a refuge. Proverbs 14:32 We are also beyond the limit of death.  Those who are in Christ are not limited to just this life but we transcend this life with a new eternal life in Heaven. The work is done, our hope is in Jesus. What an encouragement!

Vertical focus, not horizontal!

But what does “flesh” mean? Not my skin. Not my body. That can be an instrument of righteousness (Romans 6:13). The “works of the flesh” are things like idolatry and strife, and anger and envy (Galatians 5:20f.) — attitudes, not just immoral acts of the body. The closest thing to a Biblical definition of the flesh is Romans 8:7-8, “The mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, indeed it cannot; and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.”

So the flesh is the old “me” who used to rebel against God. In the flesh I was hostile and insubordinate. I hated the thought of admitting I was sick with sin. I defied the idea that my greatest need was a Good Physician to make me well. In the flesh I trusted my wisdom not God’s. So nothing I did in the flesh could please God, because “without faith it is impossible to please God” (Hebrews 11:6). And the flesh does nothing from faith.

So “the flesh” is the old self-reliant, faithless me. This is what died when God saved me. God clamped the arteries on my old unbelieving heart of stone. And when it died He took it out and gave me a new heart (Ezekiel 36:26).

What’s the difference between this new heart that lives and the old one that died? The answer is given in Galatians 2:20. It says, “I have been crucified with Christ. . . and the life I now live, I LIVE BY FAITH in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me.” The old heart that died trusted in itself; the new heart banks on Christ every day.

This is the answer to our first question: How do dead people do battle with sin? They do battle with sin by trusting the Son of God. They are dead to Satan’s lie, which goes like this: ‘You will be happier if you trust your own ideas about how to be happy instead of trusting the counsel and the promises of Christ.” Christians have died to that deceit. So the way they fight Satan is by trusting that the paths and promises of Christ are better than Satan’s.- This way of doing battle with sin is called the “fight of faith” (1 Timothy 6:12; 2 Timothy 4:7). The victories of this fight are called the “works of faith” (1 Thessalonians 1:3; 2 Thessalonians 1:11). And in this warfare Christians “become holy by faith” (Acts 26:18; 2 Thessalonians 2:13).

Let’s think then about this fight of faith. It is not like war games with rubber bullets. Eternity is at stake. Romans 8:13 is a key verse: “If you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body you will live.” This is written to professing Christians, and the point is that our eternal life hangs on our battle with sin.

It does not mean that we earn eternal life by killing sin. No, it is “by the Spirit” that we fight. He will get the glory, not us. Nor does Romans 8:13 mean that we fight with an anxious sense of uncertainty about winning. On the contrary, even as we fight we have confidence that “He who began a good work in us will complete it at the day of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:6). Nor does Romans 8:13 mean that we must be perfect now in our victory over sin. Paul renounces the claim to perfection (Philippians 3:12).

The demand in Romans 8:13 is not sinlessness but mortal combat with sin. This is utterly essential in the Christian life. Otherwise we give no evidence that the flesh has been crucified. And if the flesh has not been crucified we do not belong to Christ (Galatians 5:24). The stakes in this battle are very high. We are not playing war games. The outcome is heaven or hell.

How then do dead people “put to death the (sinful) deeds of the body”? We have answered, “By faith!” But just what does this mean? How do you fight sin with faith?

Suppose I am tempted to lust. Some sexual image pops into my brain and beckons me to pursue it. The way this temptation gets its power is by persuading me to believe that I will be happier if I follow it. The power of all temptation is the prospect that it will make me happier. No one sins out of a sense of duty when what they really want is to do right.

So what should I do? Some people would say, “Remember God’s command to be holy (1 Peter 1:16) and exercise your will to obey because he is God!” But something crucial is missing from this advice, namely, FAITH. A lot of people strive for moral improvement who cannot say, “The life I live I live BY FAITH” (Galatians 2:20). A lot of people try to love who don’t realize that, “What counts is FAITH working through love” (Galatians 5:6).

The fight against lust (or greed or fear or any other temptation) is a fight of faith. Otherwise the result is legalism. I’ll try to explain how we fight sin with faith.

When the temptation to lust comes, Romans 8:13 says, “If you kill it by the Spirit you will live.” By the Spirit! What does that mean? Out of all the armor God gives us to fight Satan, only one piece is used for killing — the sword. It is called the sword OF THE SPIRIT (Ephesians 6:17). So when Paul says, “Kill sin by the Spirit,” I take that to mean, Depend on the Spirit, especially his sword.

What is the sword of the Spirit? It’s the Word of God (Ephesians 6:17). Here’s where faith comes in. “Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God” (Romans 10:17). The Word of God cuts through the fog of Satan’s lies and shows me where true and lasting happiness is to be found. And so the Word helps me stop trusting in the potential of sin to make me happy, and instead entices me to trust in God’s promise of joy (Psalm 16:11).

I wonder how many believers today realize that faith is not merely believing that Christ died for our sins. Faith is also being confident that His way is better than sin. His will is more wise. His help is more sure. His promises more precious. And his reward more satisfying. Faith begins with a backward look at the cross, but it lives with a forward look at the promises. Abraham grew strong in his FAITH … fully convinced that God was able to do what He had PROMISED” (Romans 4:20f.). “Faith is the assurance of things HOPED for” (Hebrews 11:1).

When faith has the upper hand in my heart I am satisfied with Christ and his promises. This is what Jesus meant when he said, “He who BELIEVES in me shall NEVER THIRST” (John 6:35). If my thirst for joy and meaning and passion are satisfied by the presence and promises of Christ, the power of sin is broken. We do not yield to the offer of sandwich meat when we can see the steak sizzling on the grill.

The fight of faith is the fight to stay satisfied with God. “By faith Moses. . . forsook the fleeting pleasures of sin … He looked to the reward” (Hebrews 11:24-26). Faith is not content with “fleeting pleasures.” It is ravenous for joy. And the Word of God says, “In God’s presence is fullness of joy, and in his right hand are pleasures forevermore” (Psalm 16:11). So faith will not be sidetracked into sin. It will not give up so easily in its quest for maximum joy.

The role of God’s Word is to feed faith’s appetite for God. And in doing this it weans my heart away from the deceptive taste of lust. At first lust begins to trick me into feeling that I would really miss out on some great satisfaction if I followed the path of purity. But then I take up the sword of the Spirit and begin to fight. I read that it is better to gouge out my eye than to lust (Matthew 5:29). I read that if I think about things that are pure and lovely and excellent the peace of God will be with me (Philippians 4:8f.). I read that setting the mind on the flesh brings death, but setting the mind on the Spirit brings life and peace (Romans 8:6).

And as I pray for my faith to be satisfied with God’s life and peace, the sword of the Spirit carves the sugar coating off the poison of lust. I see it for what it is. And by the grace of God, its alluring power is broken.

This is the way dead people do battle with sin. This is what it means to be a Christian. We are dead in the sense that the old unbelieving self (the flesh) has died. In its place there is a new creation. What makes it new is FAITH. Not just a backward-looking belief in the death of Jesus, but a forward-looking belief in the promises of Jesus. Not just being sure of what he did do, but also being satisfied with what he will do.

With all eternity hanging in the balance, we fight the fight of faith. Our chief enemy is the lie that says sin will make our future happier. Our chief weapon is the Truth that says God will make our future happier. And faith is the victory that overcomes the lie, because faith is satisfied with God.

The challenge before us then is not merely to do what God says because He is God, but to desire what God says because he is good. The challenge is not merely to pursue righteousness, but to prefer righteousness. The challenge is to get up in the morning and prayerfully meditate on the Scriptures until we experience joy and peace in believing “the precious and very great promises” of God (Romans 15:13; 2 Peter 1:4). With this joy set before us the commandments of God will not be burdensome (1 John 5:3) and the compensation of sin will appear too brief and too shallow to lure us.

By John Piper. © Desiring God. Website: desiringGod.org

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.  For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.  And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified. What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us?  He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all–how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?  Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies.  Who is he that condemns? 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.  Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?  As it is written: “For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”  No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.  For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers,  neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.  Romans 8:28-39 Every true believer will be glorified and absolutely nothing can stop this. We are protected in God’s care and love and are assured that God will ultimately perfect us.

In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God’s will. Romans 8:26-27 Prayer, true prayer, involves submission to the will of God. It is the cry of the believer’s heart to his heavenly Father to do what is right and best. If I am God’s child, if truly I know him and trust him, I want what he has purposed. I bow to him, surrendering my will to his will, my desires to his purpose, my pleasure to his glory, knowing that his will is best. We can be assured that the Holy Spirit prays within us with groanings too deep for words.

Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.  Hebrews 4:16 We can find mercy and grace in the time of need at the throne of grace. Don’t go elsewhere…..go to God in prayer.

If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. James 1:5 Without finding fault, God imparts wisdom to us if we ask!

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints. Ephesians 6:10-18 God promises us courage and victory.

If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. John 15:7 God answers prayer.

I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you. Do not be like the horse or the mule,  which have no understanding but must be controlled by bit and bridle or they will not come to you. Psalms 32:8-9 Our Lord promises to guide us.

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7 How many of us are too busy with the stress’s of life to stop and bow before our Father in prayer and petition? God promises us peace of mind when we come to Him.

Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. II Corinthians 12:8-10 We may not always know what is best in our lives for the glory of God and for the good of our own souls. His grace is adequate (more than enough) for our every need and through our weakness God’s strength is revealed.

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. Matthew 11:28-29 Trusting in God brings rest and peace for our soul’s. He encourages us by telling us that he is a gentle and humble provider.

Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said,
“Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you. So we say with confidence, ”The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?” Hebrews 13:5-6 He will never abandon us and will be with us always!

But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior,  Titus 3:4-6 The act of salvation through Jesus Christ is an accomplished fact. It has nothing to do with anything we have done or can do.

For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline. So do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord, or ashamed of me his prisoner. But join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God, II Timothy 1:7-8 If God through the Holy Spirit woo’s people to Him, then He will connect us with seekers, and empowers us as we witness. The Holy Spirit then convicts people after we witness. God has given us a spirit of power, love and self-discipline (courage). God does the work, we are the messenger.

In conclusion, I’d like to quote a paragraph from writer Bob DeWaay. “Dear Christian reader, consider the fact that Paul lamented his own inability to keep the 10th commandment. [Romans 7] Consider that his answer to the importance of the human will was the gracious work of the Holy Spirit. That being the case, the only thing that makes sense is to do whatever promotes the work of the Spirit—and thereby mortify the flesh rather than feed it. What makes sense is to put yourself under the means of grace in faith, and by God’s magnificent promises be diligent to see that Christian virtues as described in the Bible are developing. God’s promise to you is that they will, by His grace. And even better than that, He promises you that you will be glorified and conformed to the image of Christ.”

Vertical focus, not horizontal!