Want to succeed in this life? Then do this......

Have you ever been arrested for believing in Jesus? It sounds like something that will occur in the last days, and that it probably will. However, Peter and John were arrested in Jerusalem for believing in Jesus in the first century. They were thrown in Jail after a crippled beggar was healed and these two apostles of Jesus began to preach that there was salvation in no other name under heaven but Jesus. The religious leaders then brought Peter and John before them to inquire of what name they were doing these things in and to warn them to stop. However, they were amazed at the confidence that Peter and John displayed before them as they defended the cause of Christ, "...and understood that they were uneducated and untrained....and began to recognize them as having been with Jesus." Now this is crazy. Shouldn't Peter and John be amazed at the confidence of these great religious leaders? How is it that the greatest religious leaders of the day are amazed at the confidence of these two uneducated and untrained fishermen? The answer and only answer that can make it true for us today is one thing, they had been with Jesus. I had a mentor tell me years ago that the only way to successfully walk out the christian life is time with Jesus daily. Jesus tells us, "Anyone who wishes to be my disciple must take up his cross, deny himself and follow me daily." There is nothing that can take the place of some peace and quiet from this crazy world spent in prayer, speaking with the one who loves us more than any other. He is good and all good things come from Him. So I encourage you to spend time with Jesus, today and everyday!

"All we have to fear is fear itself"

What is fear? The definition, "a distressing emotion aroused by impending danger, evil, pain, etc," calls fear an emotion. However, the Bible tells us in 2 Timothy 1:7, "God hath not given us the spirit of fear but of power and of love and of a sound mind." The Bible calls fear a spirit. What is that all about? I believe that all human behavior is spiritually based. Much of the behavior we see before us is based in fear. A spirit that all of us have had to deal with at one time in our lives or another. So what do we do with fear? We fight fear with faith and that is why God gave us 2 Timothy 1:7. The Word of God as explained in Ephesians 6 is the sword of truth given to us to fight the lies of the enemy. You see we are to walk by the Holy Spirit which provides us power to live successfully, love for ourselves, others and God, and a sound mind when the world is going crazy. He did not give us the spirit of fear but the Holy Spirit which is the Spirit of truth. Whenever you are tempted to fear you have to pick up the sword of truth and slice the lie apart by faith. The truth is that God is in control and He is able to protect at all times. There is no reason to fear for our Heavenly Father knows all things and will provide all we need. When my children started driving. I was tempted to fear that they would be in an accident. The enemy would throw all kinds of fearful and negative thoughts my way trying to get me to buy into the lie and fear. However, I would fight it with the word, especially 2 Timothy 1:7, speaking with my mouth, "God has not given us the spirit of fear...." And I would go back to sleep, knowing that only God can protect my children and that He is faithful and worthy to be trusted. Jesus tells us, "You shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free." We were given the Bible for a reason and that is that we would know the truth and live successfully. So, as Jesus often said, "FEAR NOT..."

A 3:16 verse that you need to know!

Memorizing scripture, besides prayer, is probably the single most important thing a christian can do. David said, "I have hid your word in my heart that I might not sin against thee!" In Hebrews 4:12, the Bible tells us, "For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart." When Jesus was tempted in the desert, He used the word of God to combat the lies and schemes of the Devil. So likewise, if we are to be successful in our walk as believers we will need to know the word. I am sure you have heard the more famous 3:16 verse, John 3:16, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life." And of course that is a very important verse. However, there is another 3:16 verse that is very good to know and that is 2 Timothy 3:16, "All scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness." This is one of the first verses I memorized when I was eighteen years old. It lays out some very important truths that the believer will need as he learns to walk by the Spirit of God. The first truth, "All scripture is inspired by God...," is so very important as we have seen many suggest that the Bible is a book of fables and not to be taken literally. However, right here we see that all scripture is inspired by God. The Greek word that is translated inspired by God is theopnuestos which means "God breathed." So all scripture came right from God's mouth. Next we find that the Word is profitable. In Proverbs, written by the wisest man that ever lived Solomon, we see that God gives wisdom and with wisdom man can live successfully. Understanding God's word and walking in His ways is the only way to be successful in this life, truly successful. Then we also see that the Word is profitable for teaching which tells us what we need to know. That it is profitable for reproof which tells us when we are doing wrong. And the Word also corrects us or tells us what is the right thing to do. When we know the Word and walk by it then we will walk righteously. I thank the Lord that He has given us His word to help us know Him and know how to walk humbly with Him in this life. So, I would encourage you to memorize scripture, hide it in your heart, and it will help you succeed in this life!