Category: spiritual blessings

Heir by Position, Pauper by Practice #10

Wednesday, January 14, 2026

“Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ” (Galatians 4:7 KJV).

Saints, we in Christ are spiritual winners and heirs by position, but we can choose to be spiritual losers and paupers by practice!

Grace is all that Father God is able and willing to do for us sinners through Christ’s finished crosswork. Our spiritual riches or blessings in Christ resulting from grace include: forgiveness (sin-debt cleared or sent away), justification (imputed righteousness, given a right standing before God), sanctification (being set apart unto God’s purposes), eternal life (given God’s very life), and redemption (purchased, or bought back, and freed).

A “pauper” is a very poor person, one lacking sufficient money to live normally and comfortably. Though the flesh (Adam) attempts to live the Christian life, it does not, cannot, and never will. Religious works can never substitute Christ’s life: only Christ can live His life. Living in the energy of the flesh is spiritual pauperism, for no spiritual riches can be derived from it. “O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you? This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?” (Galatians 3:1-3). Can we in our own strength improve the Holy Spirit’s work in us? No! Do our feeble efforts “perfect” (complete, finish) the Christian life? No!

Read the verses following today’s Scripture: “Howbeit then, when ye knew not God, ye did service unto them which by nature are no gods. But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage?” (Galatians 4:8,9). Like we, the Galatians before they came to faith in Christ were slaves to sin (Satan, idols, et cetera). Yet, as believers, they were still opposed to God’s work, ignoring Grace to receive the “weak and beggarly” Law system (like heathenism, a system of spiritual immaturity, spiritual poverty, and spiritual inability). Though members of the Body of Christ, they had confused themselves with the nation Israel….

I Just Wanted to Get Away! #22

Wednesday, October 1, 2025

“And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself” (Genesis 3:10 KJV).

Will sinners “get away” from accountability before God?

Since Christ’s merits on Calvary have been imputed (reckoned) to their accounts, believers should not fear the penalty of sin (Hell and the Lake of Fire). Yet, if they fail to apply by faith the resources Father God gave them in Christ, they will be under the power of sin (not enjoying victorious Christian living). Such disruption of Christian growth and development is courtesy of false teachers, whose doctrine is worthless in God’s sight. The classic example of this is throwing away Grace and returning to the Law—as the Galatians.

Remember, the Law is an “all-or-nothing” system. “For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written [Deuteronomy 27:26], Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them. But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith” (Galatians 3:10,11). “For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all” (James 2:10). To introduce the Law system into the Grace life is to destroy the Grace life: “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. I do not frustrate [hinder] the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain [to no purpose]” (Galatians 2:20,21).

Teachers who place believers under Law today (when they are under Grace) emphasis human works (self-righteousness) at the expense of God’s righteousness: “For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works” (2 Corinthians 11:13-15). Such false teachers, “whose end shall be according to their works,” will not “get away” from accountability before God….

A Father’s Gift #10

Saturday, August 24, 2024

“He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?” (Romans 8:32 KJV).

Let us learn about Father’s gift….

“But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him” (2 Corinthians 11:3,4). This is yet another cautioning regarding how Satan’s evil world system insidiously seduces us from God’s current revelation to man. The Devil, most cunningly in Genesis 3:1-6, encouraged Adam and Eve to move from what the LORD God had told them. They were in unbelief, not content with their God-given identity.

See 1 Corinthians 10:1-15. There, we are reminded of ancient Israel’s failure to walk in the national identity and provisions the LORD had granted them when He brought them out of Egypt. Actually, in their unbelief, they remembered their Egyptian “comforts” (Numbers 11:4-9) and wished to return to them instead of live in God’s land (Numbers 14:1-10)! Again, we should learn how Satan works and not render ourselves vulnerable to his stratagems by being ignorant of them. The Devil knows how to use our sin nature to his advantage, but it is only our fault when we give in to him because we failed to know and/or trust God’s words to us.

Recalling Matthew 4:1-11 and Luke 4:1-13, we will recognize how Satan could not motivate the Lord Jesus Christ to question Father God’s words to Him. Jesus was not deceived, for He remembered Father’s words: no matter what Satan said or did, Jesus would not be drawn from them. Likewise, when we remember God’s words to and about us, Paul’s epistles of Romans through Philemon, we recognize our identity in Christ. Satan therefore cannot master or fool us. Remember the pitiful story with which we opened this devotionals arc—the father, the son, and the sports car. We ought to be thankful of what Father God has given us in Christ, and not throw tantrums because we are too childish to recognize His generosity!

A Father’s Gift #9

Friday, August 23, 2024

“He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?” (Romans 8:32 KJV).

Let us learn about Father’s gift….

Now, 2 Corinthians chapter 4: “[1] Therefore seeing we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we faint not; [2] But have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully; but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God. [3] But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: [4] In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them. [5] For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus’ sake. [6] For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. [7] But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.”

Verse 2 warns about people in ministry who “handle the word of God deceitfully [dishonestly].” They do not discard the Scriptures; they simply misuse them and led people astray with those perverted verses. Verses 3 and 4 teach how Satan, the god (ruler) of this world, exploits false doctrine or works-religion to blind non-Christian people—but he keeps even believers in the dark if they refuse God’s light. In verse 7, we have a treasure in earthen vessels (Christ living His life in and through our physical body; see verses 10,11). We will have God’s mighty power in our lives… provided we have His words and not man’s wisdom. See 1 Corinthians 2:4,5: “And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man’s wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power: That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.”

Let us summarize and conclude this devotionals arc….

A Father’s Gift #8

Thursday, August 22, 2024

“He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?” (Romans 8:32 KJV).

Let us learn about Father’s gift….

Read Colossians 2:3-9: “[3] In whom [Christ, verse 2] are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. [4] And this I say, lest any man should beguile you with enticing words. [5] For though I be absent in the flesh, yet am I with you in the spirit, joying and beholding your order, and the stedfastness of your faith in Christ. [6] As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him: [7] Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving. [8] Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. [9] For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.”

In Christ, we find all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge (verse 3). However, someone can trick us with nice-sounding words, offering us counterfeit wisdom and knowledge to replace God’s wisdom and knowledge (verse 4). Paul recognizes the Colossian saints, mature believers, need to continue with their stedfastness (stability) of their faith in Christ (verse 5). Having received Christ Jesus the Lord by faith, they are to walk in Him similarly—by faith (verse 6). They should be rooted and built up in Him, growing and being edified or strengthened in sound Bible doctrine, Christians who have been taught, filled with gratitude to God (verse 7). How they should guard against love of human wisdom, empty lies, manmade religious tradition, legalism and works-religion—which do not align with Christ (verse 8)! In Christ dwells all the fullness of the Godhead physically—God in human flesh (verse 9).

Now, Colossians 2:10: “And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power:….” We lack nothing in Christ (today’s Scripture)—but Satan’s evil world system would have us believe we need something outside of Christ (and His words to us, preserved in Scripture). Maybe it is an experience, a feeling, a ritual, a rite, a ceremony… a distraction….

A Father’s Gift #7

Wednesday, August 21, 2024

“He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?” (Romans 8:32 KJV).

Let us learn about Father’s gift….

Reading through Paul’s 13 epistles, Romans to Philemon, we can assemble a list of at least 120 spiritual blessings that we have in the Lord Jesus Christ (yes, I counted!). These are free to us by God’s grace, all that He can do (and is willing to do) for us through Christ’s finished crosswork.

For example, we need our sins sent away—and that is our “forgiveness” through Jesus Christ (Ephesians 1:7; Ephesians 4:32; Colossians 1:14; Colossians 2:13; Colossians 3:13). Yet, we are frequently taught in religion that God will not forgive sins unless we confess them directly to Him in prayer or to some religious leader. First John 1:9 has been ripped from its dispensational, Israeli context! Or, we need acceptance—what we have in God’s beloved Son (Ephesians 1:6). Still, religious tradition dictates we had better endure (persevere!) in holy living and good works or God will not let us into Heaven because we have “lost our salvation.” Legalistic, or Law-based, verses are isolated from their Jewish contexts (Hebrews 6:4-6; Hebrews 10:26-31; James 2:14-26; et cetera). As another example, we need eternal life—and in Christ we have God’s life, communion with Him, thereby avoiding spiritual death and second death in Hell and the Lake of Fire. Nevertheless, religion pressures us to eat holy meals, join denominations, participate in water baptisms, to receive eternal life. Statements are carelessly pulled from John 6:52-58, Mark 16:16, Acts 2:38… more failure to rightly divide the word of truth (2 Timothy 2:15).

These are just three of the hundreds of ingenious ways Satan deceives people with false doctrine in “church” (not penitentiaries, skeptics’ conventions, science classrooms, or nightclubs!). We dare not forget Colossians 2:8: “Beware [Watch out!!!] lest any man spoil [rob, steal from!] you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.” There is no more lethal weapon of the Devil than spiritual error—doctrinal perversion, works-religion, man’s wisdom, and the like.

Let us now contemplate Paul’s communication to Colosse….

A Father’s Gift #6

Tuesday, August 20, 2024

“He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?” (Romans 8:32 KJV).

Let us learn about Father’s gift….

What is generally passed off as “biblical Christianity” is actually a clever blend of endless speculations, faulty assumptions, extensive Bible re-translations, and insidious traditions, with a hint of pure Bible (of course, for even the worst of lies contains some truth!). This widespread ignorance and unbelief—masquerading as “spirituality” and “progress”—has been circulating our planet for many, many, many centuries. Our Christian schools, churches, and homes are rife with it. Talk with people. Read books. Listen to sermons. It is obvious why our church members have few convictions, many doubts, and infinite questions! We have not learned about Father’s gift to us, and not been thankful in having it in the first place.

Friends, if we are not mindful of God’s current dealings with man, and simply “name and claim” (or, better, “take and fake!”) whatever Bible verses that appeal to us, then we are only making it that much harder for ourselves to know and do God’s will. If we are more skilled in the commandments of men than the Word of God rightly divided, then we have not submitted to the Holy Spirit’s teaching ministry, and we are just as useful to God as the Devil’s ministers. It is true. Believe it.

Definitely, it is no secret that religion makes robots. These church members are servants to men, slaves to denominational programs. They are not thinking for themselves or questioning anything—they are simply repeating what they have heard for years and years. We cannot expect to serve the Lord by sitting under such teaching and mastering such a curriculum. Their ignorance is the means whereby they (and we) are indoctrinated not to be thankful for the Lord Jesus Christ’s finished crosswork and the spiritual benefits we thereby have received. They have been robbed of such clarity that it is mind-boggling. Many of us have come from such backgrounds and assemblies, and we would be utter fools to return there and continue as if nothing were wrong with their theology.

Again, let us learn about Father’s gift….

A Father’s Gift #5

Monday, August 19, 2024

“He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?” (Romans 8:32 KJV).

Let us learn about Father’s gift….

Observe some primary cross-references to today’s Scripture. “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ” (Ephesians 1:3). “For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich” (2 Corinthians 8:9). “But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19). “But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom [spiritual sense to apply God’s knowledge to life], and righteousness [right standing before God], and sanctification [setting apart unto God’s purposes], and redemption [purchase out of sin’s slave-market]: That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord” (1 Corinthians 1:30,31).

When Father God gave His Son to be offered or sacrificed for our sins on Calvary’s cruel cross, He made a way to bless us so as to reverse the spiritual curses we naturally inherited from Adam. Romans 5:12-21 should be read, carefully noting the comparisons and contrasts between Adam and Christ. In Adam, there are death (physical and spiritual), judgment, and condemnation. This is the category of non-Christians—sinners. However, in Christ, there are life (resurrection and spiritual), righteousness, and justification. This is the group of believers—saints. We either have Adam as our federal head, or Christ as our federal head. What is true of Adam is true of all in Adam, and what is true of Christ is true of all in Christ.

“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). The “old things” are the traits we had in Adam, whereas the “new things” are the qualities we have in Christ. As “new creature[s] in Christ,” we should have a corresponding mindset and lifestyle, thinking and conducting ourselves with Father’s gift in view….

A Father’s Gift #4

Sunday, August 18, 2024

“He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?” (Romans 8:32 KJV).

Let us learn about Father’s gift….

Friend, please be sure you realize the full effect of today’s Scripture. Read it again: “He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?” Father God did not spare His own Son—He did not hold Him back from harm or keep Him from death. Prior verses in the epistle to the Romans already dealt with the nature of that dreadful event.

“Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation [fully-satisfying payment or sacrifice for sin] through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;…” (Romans 3:24,25). “For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:6-8).

If God was willing to (and did!) give up the Lord Jesus Christ, His beloved Son, to die for our sins on Calvary’s cruel cross, will He withhold anything else from us? In other words, if He handed over Heaven’s Best for our eternal benefit, will He not with Christ (Heaven’s Best) also freely give us all things? He will—He has! It is such a terrible shame that millions upon millions upon millions upon millions upon millions upon millions upon millions upon millions upon millions upon millions upon millions upon millions upon millions of church members through these last 20 centuries have begged God for this and for that, and they have totally overlooked today’s Scripture. They are so pitifully ignorant of what God has given them—or they are so pitifully ungrateful for what they know He has given them.

Let us see just what these “all things” are….

A Father’s Gift #3

Saturday, August 17, 2024

“He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?” (Romans 8:32 KJV).

Let us learn about Father’s gift….

There are some 4,200 religions worldwide. In “Christianity” alone, anywhere from 33,000 to 38,000 denominations exist. These conflicting groups surfaced for a variety of reasons—following the theological speculations of a single man or woman, holding to a specific rite or ritual or ceremony, emphasizing one obscure or misapplied Bible verse or another, blending this system with that system (repeat, repeat, and repeat). Even though “scholarship” and amusement abound, there is very little spiritual knowledge, spiritual wisdom, and spiritual understanding. Instead of victory over sin, maturity and light have been defeated!

It is really an unfortunate fact that some genuine Christian people in ministry will keep polluting the Church the Body of Christ with false doctrine until their physical death. They know their traditions of men are not the pure Word of God, but they will not forsake them because that means becoming an outcast of the denominational system (social club!) and being subsequently labeled “divisive,” “troublemaker,” or “church-splitter” (see John 9:20-23). They fully recognize they are doing the Devil’s work, but, for fear of losing the praise of men, they have elected not to stop (John 12:42,43). Since the flesh reigns supreme in their minds and hearts, they have quenched or hindered the Holy Spirit (1 Thessalonians 5:19). Their conscience is seared with a hot iron, so their doctrines of devils do not bother them in even the slightest way (1 Timothy 4:1,2).

However, as soon as physical death relocates these saints to Heaven, God with great force straightens them out and their denominational confusion and secularism (worldliness) disappear. For the first time ever, they finally understand and enjoy the Bible—the very understanding and enjoyment they could have had on Earth going back decades, if only they had swallowed their pride and did more Bible study than theology study! In today’s Scripture, Father God in our behalf has wrought a mighty work at Calvary, but, unless we take the time to see it, we will not truly appreciate Father’s gift as we should….