TODAY'S WORD 09 MAY 2014: WHICH ONE: INSURANCE OR ASSURANCE?

I have asked people before about their relationship with the Lord and I hear replies like. I think I will go to heaven. I hope I will go. I want to go. But I am here to tell you today that it is the desire of God. Not hope, not wish, but know where you are in your relationship with God. So today for those of you who are not sure of the answer then my prayer is that you will know Him. “How will I know?” So let me give you some things so that you will have the assurance that you have or you can be saved.
There was a time I can remember when I was growing up in church singing a song called “Somebody touched me”. And in this song they would sing, “happened on a Monday somebody touched me”; and they would repeat each day of the week and you would stand up on the day that you were saved. And the last verse would say, “Happened on someday, somebody touched me”. That verse was the one that I would stand up and sing.
When the Pharisee Nicodemus came to Jesus one night, Jesus told him that you must be born again to see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus being confused thought He was talking about a physical birth. But just like you know your birthday, you know that one day your mom gave birth to you. You didn’t think you were born, you didn’t hope you were born; you know it. And everyone here has a physical birthday, and everyone must have a Spiritual birthday as well. 1 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.
How do you know that you have been saved? There will be difference in your life. Now as I shared with you, at the age of ten I was not an ax murderer, but I can assure you that I knew that difference between right and wrong. But my difference was not as much of an outward difference but an inward one.
But there will be a difference. You cannot receive the Holy Spirit and not have a change. That is the reason that when someone walks down the aisle and says the words, and then leaves and never comes back to church and go out and lives like the dickens, then I would question the sincerity of the conversation. They might have said the words, but they never received the words.
Now just because you get saved does not make you exempt from sin, we all stumble and fall. But we will no longer be able to sin and not feel guilty about it, because we have the Holy Spirit living in our lives. There will be evidence of that change.
How do I have assurance of my Salvation? Even though our works does not save us, our works are the evidence of our Salvation. 1 John 4:15-16 Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him.

If you have been saved then you will want to do things, (works) because you love Him and you want to please Him. And one the ways you can do that is by getting baptized. All through the New Testament, we read about when someone accepted Christ that they would almost immediately get baptized. Now baptism does not save you nor is it a requirement to be saved. The thief on the cross did not come down and get baptized, but yet Jesus told him, “Today you will be with Me in Paradise”. Baptism is an outward sign of an inward change.

You see if you can remember the time that Jesus came into your heart and life and there has been a change in your life, not that you will not sin but there will be evidence of that change, the you have no reason to doubt your relationship with Christ. Jesus said in John 6:37 All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out. And when you come to Jesus with ASSURANCE that you are a child of God, then become a ‘shouting Christian’ rather than a ‘doubting Christian’.

Do you know Him today? Do you have assurance or are you relying on your insurance? Will you come to Him today?

TODAY'S WORD 08 MAY 2014: WHICH ONE: INSURANCE OR ASSURANCE?

Do you have “Assurance” or “Insurance”? I battled with this word when I joined Insurance Company. Both words sound very similar and have similar meanings. One of the definitions of both is a guaranty. Assurance is a guaranty of your word and Insurance is a guaranty of payment. The same, yet different.

I have assurance that if certain people tell me that they will do something that I don’t have to worry about it. Their word is all I need. This is a quality that we all should have, especially those of us who profess to be Christians. And I have insurance; lots of insurance. I have life insurance, car insurance, house insurance(yet to be completed), and health insurance. They guaranty me compensation if anything were to happen to my possessions or my family or me. But the one huge difference is that assurance is not based on anything I do. Insurance has everything to do with what I do. Insurance was only good as long as I paid my premiums. And like a good neighbor, the only way that the insurance company will be there for you, is if you pay the bill. If you don’t pay your bill, then your insurance will be cancelled.

Therefore, do you have “Assurance” or “Insurance”? Do you have assurance that if you died today that you would end up in Heaven with our Lord and Savior or do you have insurance, thinking that as long as you do the right things that you will end up in Heaven.

Let me answer the insurance question first. I read recently that according to a survey taken in 2001, only 30% of the people surveyed believed that there is nothing we can do to earn your salvation. That means that 70% of the people surveyed thought you could get to heaven on your own. And in that same survey, 50% of professed Christians believe that they have to be good or have to do something to earn their way to heaven.

Reminds me about a story I heard about a boy named Billy. Little Billy, caught in mischief, was asked by his mother, "How do you expect to get into heaven?" He thought for a moment and then said, "Well, I’ll just run in and out and keep slamming the door until they say, ’For heaven’s sake, either come in or stay out.’ Then I’ll go in."

We cannot do anything to earn our way to heaven. Like you have heard me say before, there will be a lot of good people who will not make it to heaven. And I think that is where a lot of people make the mistake. They think that all I have to do is live my life the best I can by doing the right things and being the best person that I can be. But that is not what the Bible says. Ephesians 2:8-9 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is a gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.

There is nothing you can do. You can pay your premiums with your good works all you want, but that’s not going to get earn your way into heaven. There is only one way to get to heaven. And Jesus paid that premium in full by giving His life on the cross for our sins. When Jesus tells His disciples that He is going away to prepare a place for them and Thomas ask Him how do we get to this place? How do we get to Heaven? And Jesus replied in John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”
...to be continued

TODAY'S WORD 23 APRIL 2014:PRAYER CHANGES THINGS

Matthew 7:7
I read a book which tell a story of a young boy who wanted $100 very badly in USA. He prayed for a long time, but nothing happened. Undaunted by the lack of response, he wrote a letter to God presenting his request once again.

When the postal authorities received the letter addressed to “God, USA,” not knowing what else to do, they decided to deliver it to the President. Mr. President was interested in the letter enough to instruct his secretary to send the little boy $5. He thought this amount might be enough to encourage such a young boy.  And indeed, the little boy was delighted with the $5 bill. He sat down immediately to write a thank-you note to God. This too was forwarded to the President. It read: “Dear God, Thank you very much for sending the money. However, I noticed that for some reason you sent it through Washington DC and those guys deducted $95 in taxes!” While I can’t claim that this story is true, you have to give the little boy credit for persistence in putting his prayers before God, and his faithfulness in believing that it was man, and not God, who had messed up the answer.

Our prayer lives have a tendency to cycle. Sometimes we are good at praying, laying our requests at God’s throne and listening and waiting for His answers. At other times, it is more the case that our prayer lives are dead or dying. We don’t pray with the faith or persistence of that little boy, and we don’t have his faith that God will answer.

For some of us that is because we’ve never really come before God in honest prayer. For others, it is because our prayer garden needs some weeding and watering to remove the complacency and nourish our souls. If we can turn our prayer life around, I believe we will see that prayer changes things.

Whatever your current situation is, Jesus has some words of encouragement for you today. 

Peace be unto you

TODAY'S WORD 22 APRIL 2014:PRAYER

Prayer:

There is no weapon formed against prayer that can neutralize it. Some things can delay answers to prayer, but nothing can stop the full purpose of God. "Though it tarry, wait for it."

The first requirement in prayer is to believe.

-Believe that God is and that "he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him."

-Believe that God is alive and therefore has power-not only for Peter's deliverance, but for ours.

-Believe that God is love and that He cares for His own.

-Believe that God is power and therefore no power can stand against Him.

-Believe that God is truth and therefore cannot lie.

-Believe that God is kind and that He will never abdicate His throne or fail in His promise.

Reflecting on the story of Peter, I am rebuked, humiliated, chagrined, stung. Why? Because there are some great modern saints, Watchman Nee for one, who for years have suffered and been held captive by communists and others. Many of the saints today are shut up in prison.

Such perils to other members of the Body demand concern, concentration, and consecration to a committed plan of prayer on their behalf. I fear that prayer has not been made to God without ceasing for these suffering kinsmen.

We Christians are in captivity on many levels today personal, domestic, church, and missionary enterprise. But fetters break and dungeons fall when prayer is made by the church unto God-

-Prayer without ceasing;

-Prayer that might shatter our status quo;

-Prayer that drains us of every other interest;

-Prayer that excites us by its immense possibilities;

-Prayer that sees God as the One that rules on high, almighty to save;

-Prayer that laughs at impossibilities and cries, "It shall be done";

-Prayer that sees all things beneath His feet;

-Prayer that is motivated with desire for God's glory.

The praying of the believer can become a ritual. The place of prayer is more than a dumping ground for all our anxieties, frets, and fears. The place of prayer is not a place to drop a shopping list before the throne of a God with endless supplies and limitless power.

I believe the place of prayer is not only a place where I lose my burdens, but also a place where I get a burden. He shares my burden and I share His burden. "My yoke is easy and my burden is light." To know that burden, we must hear the voice of the Spirit. To hear that voice, we must be still and know that He is God.

Happy Easter. 

TODAY'S WORD 17 APRIL 2014: I HAVE A CHANCE....

John3:16

Jesus came into the world to save the world and the things that Jesus went through were more than you and I will ever go through.

Jesus was beaten until his flesh was coming off of his body. Jesus was beaten for the sins of humankind. Jesus was nailed to the cross after he was beaten until exhaustion. He was even tested to come off the cross, but he did not. Jesus stayed on the cross to die for our sins. Before Jesus died he said "Father forgive them for they know not what they do. Jesus laid in the tomb 2 nights and 3 days, but early on the third day Jesus rose with all power in his hands. Jesus rose to go back to heaven to prepare a place for you and I. It is because of these selfless acts of Jesus Christ that you and I have a chance of eternal life in heaven!

You and I have a chance to finish strong. We have a chance to make heaven.

Peace be unto you

TODAY'S WORD 16 APRIL 2014: TIME TO CHANGE II

Philippians 4:12-4:14 

Today, I want us to consider one of the principles that will help us to keep the process of spiritual life-change alive in our lives. 

Lay Claim to the Promises

Our first step in life-change is not doing something, but believing something. I’m really not thinking of any specific promise; rather, I’m suggesting that we need faith in God and His promises. Hebrews 11:6 says, “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” And so, we must know and trust God, believing that He exists and that He rewards. We must believe that all things are possible with God (Matthew 19:26). We must believe that through Christ’s death and resurrection, and our participation in it through baptism, our old self was crucified and that we have been freed from sin (Rom. 6:6-7). We must believe that we can do all things through Christ who gives us strength (Phil. 4:13). And we must believe that Jesus our faithful high priest sympathizes with our weaknesses, and offers us mercy and help in our time of need (Heb. 4:15-16). There are literally hundreds or thousands of promises that God has given us, and the process of life-change begins as we claim those promises and act upon them. To experience life-change, we have to think for a change. The mind is the place where Satan attacks us with doubt and deception. But as Paul wrote in 2 Cor. 10:5, we must “take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” Paul also has taught us that we are transformed by the renewing of the mind (Rom. 12:2). In Phil. 3:12-14, Paul declares, “Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”

Do you hear what Paul is saying there? He is claiming for his life that for which Christ has accomplished. He is believing it and acting according to it. So, that’s what we have to do as well. The first step to freedom is believing that freedom and power really exist as God’s promises. We’ve got to win the battle of the mind, and lay claim to the promises.

Let me refer your to the Church album “AROGOSOGO” track 4 “I AM PRESS FORWARD” It is a track I love and it will bless your life.

Peace be unto you