Category: indwelling Holy Spirit

Living Defensively #6

Friday, August 30, 2024

“See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise,…” (Ephesians 5:15 KJV).

What is the sense of “walk circumspectly” here?

To reiterate, today’s Scripture directs us to “walk circumspectly,” or walk having an awareness of our surroundings. We should not walk as “fools” (silly people, those without common sense or judgment) but as “wise” individuals (filled with God’s wisdom instead of man’s wisdom). “Let the word of Christ [the Scriptures rightly divided] dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord” (Colossians 3:16).

Further explanation is supplied in Ephesians: “Redeeming the time, because the days are evil” (Ephesians 5:16, the verse following today’s Scripture) is “buying back the time” that Satan has stolen from God and used for his own glory instead of our Creator’s glory. Galatians 1:4 speaks of “this present evil world.” Satan is “the god [ruler] of this world” (2 Corinthians 4:4), and he even bragged of this might in Matthew 4:8,9 and Luke 4:5-7. “Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time” (Colossians 4:5) is about being sensible in front of unbelievers—the very people who are of this world and who love this world because it belongs to their spiritual father, Satan (John 8:44; 1 John 2:15-17). “Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:…” (Ephesians 2:2).

As believers in Jesus Christ, we need to make wise use of our time—not fritter it away or waste it on that which disagrees with sound Bible doctrine. Either Christ is being formed in us (Galatians 4:19), or He is not. We are either carbon copies of our denominations, cults, sects; or we are filled with the life of Jesus Christ because we are walking after, minding the things of, the indwelling Holy Spirit (see Romans 8:1-17). Either we are walking defensively or walking recklessly, driving warily or driving irresponsibly, living maturely or living childishly. It truly is the difference between God’s life and Satan’s life, safety and injury….

An Ambassador Turns 36!

Wednesday, August 7, 2024 🎂

“Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee” (1 Timothy 4:16 KJV).

As of today, I have enjoyed 36 years of earthly life; therefore, permit me to share a few words of advice to celebrate the occasion!

Perhaps I have grown a little wiser in the year I have grown a little older. What I have learned during 18 years of ministry—exactly half my life now—is to be vigilant as to getting too attached to anyone or anything. We will encounter in life people who will edify us (build us up spiritually) and people who will destroy us (tear us down spiritually). Our family members, friends, and even our favorite pastor or seminary professor or Bible teacher will likely serve in both capacities at some point. Friends and brethren, beware of traitors and willing tools of the Devil, and keep your eyes focused exclusively on the Lord Jesus Christ (rather than on them).

Recently, I have been reflecting on all those professing believers who once were part of our ministry through these many years, but did not endure (tolerate) sound doctrine and thus fell away into willful blindness and ignorance. They grew older, but not wiser, and this is precisely what we are to avoid by drawing on the indwelling Holy Spirit’s power. We have to continue—“continue!!”—in grace doctrine if it is to make a difference in our lives (today’s Scripture). Acknowledging the doctrine once is not enough. It is a constant renewing of the mind, “day by day” (2 Corinthians 4:16).

Notice again how we are to continue (“continue!!”) in sound Bible doctrine: “But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them; And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works” (2 Timothy 3:14-17). Let us remember this every birthday! 🙂

Mother: A Virtuous Woman

Sunday, May 12, 2024

“Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies” (Proverbs 31:10 KJV).

Today is Mother’s Day, so we dedicate this devotional to godly women (specifically mothers). I especially dedicate this to the virtuous woman who has been in my life for almost 36 years… my mom!

Today’s Scripture is the first verse of the Bible’s “Virtuous Woman” passage (Proverbs 31:10-31). King Solomon explained that the virtuous woman:

  • has a husband who safely trusts in her (verses 11,12).
  • is not lazy, but is strong because she works to feed and clothe her family and herself (verses 13-19,21,22,24,25,27).
  • pities the poor and needy (verse 20).
  • has a husband who is well-known because of her godly lifestyle (verse 23).
  • opens her mouth with wisdom, and speaks kindly and lovingly (verse 26).
  • has children and a husband who praise her (verse 28).
  • excels in what she does (verse 29).
  • has works that praise her (verse 31).

Verse 30 explains the virtuous woman is “a woman that feareth the LORD.”

The Apostle Paul wrote that godly women should: not slander/gossip, not be controlled by alcohol and emotions (sober minded), be teachers of good things, love their husbands and children, be cautious and modest, maintain the home, be “good,” and should obey (respect) their husbands… “that the word of God be not blasphemed” (Titus 2:3-5). A Christian woman, especially a mother, should be a virtuous woman in beliefs as well as in deed. She needs to set an example for her children (especially her daughters).

A Christian woman and/or Christian mother places her faith in this sound Bible doctrine, the indwelling Holy Spirit will then take that doctrine and transform her for God’s glory (1 Thessalonians 2:13). Her mind will be renewed by sound Bible doctrine, and that will transform her outward activity (Romans 12:1,2).

Are you a Christian woman or Christian mother who desires to be the woman God intends you to be in Christ Jesus? Place your faith in this sound Bible doctrine, and God will take care of the rest!

HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY TO OUR READERS WHO ARE MOTHERS!

*Adapted from a larger Bible study with the same name. The Bible study can be read here or watched here.

Archived: “What does the Bible say about motherhood?”

Scrooges and Christians

Saturday, December 16, 2023

“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17 KJV).

To the old identity, we say, “Bah, Humbug!” To the new, we say, “God has blessed us, everyone in Christ.”

Other than Jesus Christ’s conception and birth as found in the Holy Bible, there is one other classic story associated with Christmastime. British author Charles Dickens’ 1843 book, A Christmas Carol, focuses on the transformation of Ebenezer Scrooge (the novella has some Christian influence).

From the onset, Scrooge is a wealthy, miserable, mean, stingy, and selfish old man. His employee, Bob Cratchit, is underpaid (yet, strangely, Ebenezer observes, Cratchit is cheerful). Scrooge refuses to donate to charities collecting for the destitute—to him, Christmastime is a time for others to “pick his pocket.” He even refuses to attend his nephew’s Christmas party. What a miser!

Through visitations by four Spirits—his deceased business partner, Jacob Marley; and the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Christmas Present, and Christmas Future—Scrooge is forced to realize what a thoroughly rotten man he is. Once confronted with his future, the awful events that lie ahead, he asks for another chance to make things right (which, thankfully, he receives and does!). The Scrooge at the end of the book is drastically different from the Scrooge at the beginning. Scrooge is now loving, warm, cheerful, and generous—he is a brand-new man.

Bible-believing Christians recognize parallels between Dickens’ work and the Holy Scriptures. The sinner starts off rotten, a rebel from birth—selfish, miserable, and mean. When he or she comes to realize that pitiful condition he or she is in, and comes by simple faith in Jesus Christ’s finished crosswork as sufficient payment for their sins, God gives him or her a new identity (today’s Scripture). That identity is designed to influence subsequent actions. Scrooge did not simply change his outward activity; he had a change in heart first. This Christmas, let us be submissive to God’s Holy Spirit working in our hearts, as He uses sound Bible doctrine to manifest in our behavior our identity in Christ, that we be not Scrooges.

Hark! The Herald Angels Sing #5

Thursday, December 7, 2023

“For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead: And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again. Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more. Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new” (2 Corinthians 5:14-17 KJV).

The final verse of the classic Christmas carol highlights today’s Scripture.

“Adam’s likeness, Lord, efface,
Stamp Thine image in its place:
Second Adam from above,
Reinstate us in Thy love.
Let us Thee, though lost, regain,
Thee, the Life, the inner man:
O, to all Thyself impart,
Formed in each believing heart.
Hark! The herald angels sing,
Glory to the newborn King!”

Religion has done an excellent job (wrongly) teaching us that God likes to rehabilitate humans—that He wants to make us quit doing certain things (“fleshly”) and make us start doing other things (“churchy”). What a very shallow, and actually a false, perception. God wants to do much more than what we could ever do by ourselves.

For good works to reign in our lives, God has to kill us! As sinners, in Adam, we are dead in our trespasses and sins, no life in ourselves (see today’s Scripture). Nothing we can do in our own strength will ever change our (sinful) nature in Adam. However, God offers us death to Adam and a new identity through Christ at Calvary. When we trust that Jesus Christ died for our sins, in God’s mind, we died to sin, too. Christ did not simply die for us but as us. Romans chapters 5 through 8 describe the victory is in Christ, not in Adam or in ourselves. Success is by the power of the Holy Ghost working with the grace doctrines we study and believe, not in our struggles to do right. And so, “Christ [is] formed in [us]” (Galatians 4:19).

Something about which the angels cannot sing, but we can, should, and do! 🙂

Ignorance Preferred—and Granted!

Tuesday, November 21, 2023

“But if any man be ignorant, let him be ignorant” (1 Corinthians 14:38 KJV).

If ignorance is preferred, it must be granted!

Recently, a Christian coworker in ministry told me how he has been reaching a long-time friend with the Gospel of Grace. For nearly three years now, he has shared Bible verses with her—to no avail. She maintains she does not understand what he is trying to teach her. Also, she relentlessly expresses her desire to stay in her works-religion cult. He asked me why the Holy Spirit is not working to open her eyes and cause her to see her need for Jesus Christ. In fact, he is frustrated with the whole matter, even contemplating breaking off contact with her.

The Scriptures are very simple, friends. If we have trusted the Lord Jesus Christ as our personal Saviour, the Holy Spirit lives in us. “What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?” (1 Corinthians 6:19). We carry the Holy Ghost around with us, and, as we walk by faith in God’s words to us (Romans through Philemon), He Himself works in us. How silly we are if we wonder if God ever “opens the eyes” of those we reach!

Furthermore, when we share His inspired words with others—the Scriptures the Holy Spirit wrote—He will illuminate those souls. “Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ” (Ephesians 3:4). “Consider what I say; and the Lord give thee understanding in all things” (2 Timothy 2:7). If we want to know the truth, we will know it. The Holy Spirit gives us light and comprehension through His words, but we must be willing to let our eyes be opened and be willing to keep them opened. If the will to learn is absent, if the desire to be corrected is lacking, what is left is willful ignorance. It is not that the Holy Spirit failed to work, but rather the audience consciously refused His work. We must (!!!) respect free will!

Mother: A Virtuous Woman

Sunday, May 14, 2023

“Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies” (Proverbs 31:10 KJV).

Today is Mother’s Day, so we dedicate this devotional to godly women (specifically mothers). I especially dedicate this to the virtuous woman who has been in my life for almost 35 years… my mom!

Today’s Scripture is the first verse of the Bible’s “Virtuous Woman” passage (Proverbs 31:10-31). King Solomon explained that the virtuous woman:

  • has a husband who safely trusts in her (verses 11,12).
  • is not lazy, but is strong because she works to feed and clothe her family and herself (verses 13-19,21,22,24,25,27).
  • pities the poor and needy (verse 20).
  • has a husband who is well-known because of her godly lifestyle (verse 23).
  • opens her mouth with wisdom, and speaks kindly and lovingly (verse 26).
  • has children and a husband who praise her (verse 28).
  • excels in what she does (verse 29).
  • has works that praise her (verse 31).

Verse 30 explains the virtuous woman is “a woman that feareth the LORD.”

The Apostle Paul wrote that godly women should: not slander/gossip, not be controlled by alcohol and emotions (sober minded), be teachers of good things, love their husbands and children, be cautious and modest, maintain the home, be “good,” and should obey (respect) their husbands… “that the word of God be not blasphemed” (Titus 2:3-5). A Christian woman, especially a mother, should be a virtuous woman in beliefs as well as in deed. She needs to set an example for her children (especially her daughters).

A Christian woman and/or Christian mother places her faith in this sound Bible doctrine, the indwelling Holy Spirit will then take that doctrine and transform her for God’s glory (1 Thessalonians 2:13). Her mind will be renewed by sound Bible doctrine, and that will transform her outward activity (Romans 12:1,2).

Are you a Christian woman or Christian mother who desires to be the woman God intends you to be in Christ Jesus? Place your faith in this sound Bible doctrine, and God will take care of the rest!

HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY TO OUR READERS WHO ARE MOTHERS!

*Adapted from a larger Bible study with the same name. The Bible study can be read here or watched here.

Archived: “What does the Bible say about motherhood?”

I Have Finished the Work! #7

Thursday, March 16, 2023

“I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do” (John 17:4 KJV).

Could we say this at the end of our life, at the conclusion of our ministry?

“If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection [mind, focus, regard] on things above, not on things on the earth” (Colossians 3:1,2). We must have this renewed mind (laid out in the first two chapters), or sin will master us. Remember Paul’s dilemma in Romans chapter 7.

“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God” (Romans 12:1,2).

Ephesians 4:17-24: “This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind, Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart: Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness. But ye have not so learned Christ; If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus: That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.”

“For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe” (1 Thessalonians 2:13). When we by faith let the Holy Spirit use the Word of God rightly divided to work in us, the very life of Jesus Christ is on display!

Comatose! #5

Monday, February 27, 2023

“Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light” (Ephesians 5:14 KJV).

“Wake up!,” screams the Holy Spirit to today’s comatose professing church!

In Matthew 13:25, “the enemy” labored “while men slept.” Verse 39 identifies this “enemy” as “the devil.” The sleeping, of course, is not physical but spiritual. When people are spiritually oblivious, napping in the spiritual realm, they become more susceptible to Satan’s will. A saint not walking in the light of God’s words to him or her will fall into the spiritual trap of functional death, the Christian life not functioning (see today’s Scripture). Also, any lost people refusing to believe God’s words to them—they are content in being lost—they too will be vulnerable to Satanic deception (remaining lost). The context of the verses in Matthew chapter 13 is the Little Flock receiving and believing the Gospel of the Kingdom, God’s work (genuine), and lost Israel refusing and disbelieving the Gospel of the Kingdom, Satan’s work (counterfeit).

Satan’s evil world system is still in force now, misleading lost and saved alike, following the patterns already laid out in Scripture. It had duped the Corinthian saints (spiritual immaturity, heresies and sects, fornication, abusing spiritual gifts, petty lawsuits, mockery of the Lord’s Supper, et cetera), the Galatian saints (legalism, denominationalism, works-religion), the Ephesian saints (various sins and silly deeds delineated in Ephesians 4:17–5:21), and so on. In the verses following today’s Scripture, we read: “[15] See then that ye walk circumspectly [looking around, carefully, alertly], not as fools, but as wise, [16] Redeeming the time, because the days are evil. [17] Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is. [18] And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;….”

If there is no renewed mind, thinking like a mature grace saint (Romans 12:1,2), we will be “fools… unwise… [not] understanding what the will of the Lord is.” Since the vast majority of the professing church has never paid much attention to the warnings the Holy Spirit issued 2,000 years ago, there is no filling of the Holy Spirit, and therefore no real spiritual fruit and meaningful Christian influence on the world. Like with Israel of old, a spiritual coma incapacitates….

Comatose! #3

Saturday, February 25, 2023

“Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light” (Ephesians 5:14 KJV).

“Wake up!,” screams the Holy Spirit to today’s comatose professing church!

Never are we Christians called to be sinless in this life, for until “the day of redemption” (Ephesians 4:30) or “the redemption of our [physical] body” (Romans 8:23), we will be in these fallen bodies of flesh that are biologically related to Adam. When we want to walk contrary to our identity in Jesus Christ, we will “Quench [hinder, extinguish]… the Spirit” (1 Thessalonians 5:19) and we will “grieve [sadden, pain, hurt]… the Spirit” (Ephesians 4:30). For a believer in Christ to sin is one thing, for him or her to sin in private is another, but for the Christian to flaunt sinful conduct in front of the eyes of the lost world is something else entirely!

When we have Christian pastors sharing obscene jokes in the pulpit or on social media (and I have seen and heard it), church members assembling and wearing vulgar attire during services (and I have seen and heard it), Christians engaged in public drunkenness (and I have seen and heard it), it should never surprise us when people snicker at the Bible and have no desire to hear anything about “Jesus.”

Christians have habitually complained about the evils in the world—but how many of them have shared the Gospel of Grace even once to rescue some poor unsaved soul from that same evil world system? Would they know enough of the Scriptures to teach so much as a children’s Sunday School class? Yet, they are the very individuals whining about “delinquent youth” and “ignorant young people!” They disparage the science professors who teach humanism in the name of “higher education,” but what sound Bible doctrine have these Christians taught their kids?

Instead of organizing concerts and potluck suppers, re-translating the Bible, scheming to raise money so as to fund denominational programs, preachers and teachers need to be laboring to impart doctrinal life to their practically dead church members and students. As the Lord Jesus stated, “…the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life” (John 6:63). Here is the key to recovering from a spiritual coma….