Bible Thread

[tatertot]

The Bible says pray without stopping. Obviously we can't pray outloud all day every day. But we can be in a spirit of prayer always. When you go about your day keep the lord in your mind. Just like you pray silently the lord knows your heart

2 things popped into my head;

1.) I pray pretty much always alone and I use the self talk approach… like I’m doing now… I’m talking in silence inside my head these very words I am typing. Should I speak my prayer aloud? Should I pray in front of people? I am not ashamed of my faith in God but I am very private when it comes to myself. Have I been doing this wrong?

2.) summer is coming and I want to avoid weekend work… can I get religious exemption? Wasn’t konah condemned to death by stoning For working on the sabbath? And should this always apply to working for my wife on the house on the weekends?

Ps. I’m kidding on number 2 obviously… we must find laughter in these dark days. I’m almost certain there is scripture that backs up the fact that laughter is good for one’s spirit!

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

One thing I'm still growing in as a Christian is the concept of what a relationship with Christ looks like. Someone somewhere said it's similar to how you have a friendship with other people. What do you do? You chat with them, you intentionally spend time with them, etc... It's the same with our walk with the Lord. So throughout the day, I believe it's incredibly important to talk with God. Even just little things like, "Lord please help me be kind to this difficult coworker...", "please give my wife the energy to make it through her busy day."

@Milford King - I'd encourage you, and others, to also emulate Christ in how he prayed. His example is laid out in Matt 6:9-15. It provides an excellent framework for some key points to focus on when you engage God in prayer (usually when you have more time, like during your personal devotion). Here's two quick examples:

 

[doichtoro]

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

One thing I'm still growing in as a Christian is the concept of what a relationship with Christ looks like. Someone somewhere said it's similar to how you have a friendship with other people. What do you do? You chat with them, you intentionally spend time with them, etc... It's the same with our walk with the Lord. So throughout the day, I believe it's incredibly important to talk with God. Even just little things like, "Lord please help me be kind to this difficult coworker...", "please give my wife the energy to make it through her busy day."

@Milford King - I'd encourage you, and others, to also emulate Christ in how he prayed. His example is laid out in Matt 6:9-15. It provides an excellent framework for some key points to focus on when you engage God in prayer (usually when you have more time, like during your personal devotion). Here's two quick examples:

The Lord's prayer is an excellent start and provides a template to follow. Note that in the Lord's prayer you're not praying to a buddy. It's not informal or loose. There is a structure that is honoring to the Lord. You are approaching a King, not your bro. As you develop into Christian maturity your prayers should take on a mature tone as well. If you're new, just express yourself as you can. As you mature your prayer life should mature as well as you realize who you're addressing.

Consider one more point of maturity. Are you honoring God's law? Are you keeping His commandments? Why should God answer the prayer of a degenerate? He doesn't owe you anything. The God of the Bible is a God of covenants. If you keep his covenants you will be blessed. If not you will be cursed. Consider Deut 28:

1 If you fully obey the LORD your God and carefully follow all his commands I give you today, the LORD your God will set you high above all the nations on earth. 2 All these blessings will come upon you and accompany you if you obey the LORD your God:

The next 12 verses describe those blessings, then...

14 Do not turn aside from any of the commands I give you today, to the right or to the left, following other gods and serving them. 15 However, if you do not obey the LORD your God and do not carefully follow all his commands and decrees I am giving you today, all these curses will come upon you and overtake you:

Then follows a list of similar curses for not keeping God's commands. God is not a cosmic Santa. If you want to be blessed you will keep His commands. If you live like a degenerate you're showing that you don't love God and are not his child. Don't be surprised what happens to you.

 

[so1970]

Proverbs 15:29. The Lord is far from the wicked but hears the prayer of the righteous

 

[Multislacking]

I don't think that there is a right or wrong way to pray...per se. God hears your sighing....He knows what is in your heart. He knows what is troubling you. Obviously, God is not a genie here to grant our wishes and demands. I don't see anything wrong with an open discussion prayer. Those are the ones I've had the best answers to.

There was a time that I was growing spiritually by leaps and bounds. Whatever opportunities or obstacles I met in life, I was stepping out in faith and trusting that God was leading me somewhere. Most of the things were for my own spiritual development, but often involved helping other people. But I'd hit an obstacle that was pretty big and I wasn't sure if I was being tested or what the situation was exactly. And when I say big, it felt like one of our kid's salvation was on the line....that kind of big. It was all the wife and I had talked about for weeks. And our dilemma had a time limit. There was a specific event that was going to occur, and we felt like we were screwed if we let it happen. It was the day of the event and I had attended bible study by myself (which was normal at that time). I'd left bible study and had a half hour drive home. On the way home, I began an open discussion with God. It was loud on my end. Not disrespectful, but loud. I shouted that I didn't know if I was suppose to step up or step aside, but whichever way was His will, that is what I would do. But I needed a sign, because I was 100% clueless what I was supposed to do. There was an instantaneous answer. I can't begin to describe it. I went from screaming tearful rage and confusion to absolute peace. Absolute peace. In that exact moment, I knew He was in control and things were going according to His will. I knew He was handling it and I didn't need to do anything. Sometimes God wants us to step aside instead of stepping up.

The interesting part was getting home and trying to explain all that to the wife who was as worked up about it as I had been. He must have given me the words, because I never heard another negative comment from her about it.

Psalms 46:10
"Be still, and know that I am God"

 

[doichtoro]

Proverbs 15:29. The Lord is far from the wicked but hears the prayer of the righteous

Nice reference

I don't think that there is a right or wrong way to pray...per se. God hears your sighing....He knows what is in your heart. He knows what is troubling you. Obviously, God is not a genie here to grant our wishes and demands. I don't see anything wrong with an open discussion prayer. Those are the ones I've had the best answers to.

There was a time that I was growing spiritually by leaps and bounds. Whatever opportunities or obstacles I met in life, I was stepping out in faith and trusting that God was leading me somewhere. Most of the things were for my own spiritual development, but often involved helping other people. But I'd hit an obstacle that was pretty big and I wasn't sure if I was being tested or what the situation was exactly. And when I say big, it felt like one of our kid's salvation was on the line....that kind of big. It was all the wife and I had talked about for weeks. And our dilemma had a time limit. There was a specific event that was going to occur, and we felt like we were screwed if we let it happen. It was the day of the event and I had attended bible study by myself (which was normal at that time). I'd left bible study and had a half hour drive home. On the way home, I began an open discussion with God. It was loud on my end. Not disrespectful, but loud. I shouted that I didn't know if I was suppose to step up or step aside, but whichever way was His will, that is what I would do. But I needed a sign, because I was 100% clueless what I was supposed to do. There was an instantaneous answer. I can't begin to describe it. I went from screaming tearful rage and confusion to absolute peace. Absolute peace. In that exact moment, I knew He was in control and things were going according to His will. I knew He was handling it and I didn't need to do anything. Sometimes God wants us to step aside instead of stepping up.

The interesting part was getting home and trying to explain all that to the wife who was as worked up about it as I had been. He must have given me the words, because I never heard another negative comment from her about it.

Psalms 46:10
"Be still, and know that I am God"

In Matthew 6 Jesus does seem to indicate that there is a way to pray and a way not to.
Matt 6:5-13
“And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. “And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

 

[Multislacking]

Nice reference

In Matthew 6 Jesus does seem to indicate that there is a way to pray and a way not to.
Matt 6:5-13
“And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. “And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

There are certainly those who "pray for appearances". Empty words without feeling. Both the ones who feel the need to be seen/heard and those who just repeat something 100 times for the sake of repeating it. You can also point back to the chants to false gods for the repetitive prayers. I don't think there is anything wrong with a mother who would pray for her children every day. Even though it might be the same basic prayer. It all goes back to the intent of the heart. Why is someone doing it?

 

[HFO4]

Proverbs 15:29. The Lord is far from the wicked but hears the prayer of the righteous

2 Corinthians 5:21 For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him!

Your post made me remember this scripture SO once we have relationship with Jesus, we are made righteous and no longer wicked, even more so we are seated in heavenly places dead to sin, alive In Christ, thats my understanding, how about you guys understanding?

 

[so1970]

Has anyone noticed that you can watch a video of almost anything uninterrupted, but when you start praying or reading your Bible your mind starts to wander? That's because the devil knows that if he can get you distracted then you won't be able to worship God or learn the word to tell others. Remember an educated prayed up man of God is a deadly weapon in the kingdom work

 

[Multislacking]

Has anyone noticed that you can watch a video of almost anything uninterrupted, but when you start praying or reading your Bible your mind starts to wander? That's because the devil knows that if he can get you distracted then you won't be able to worship God or learn the word to tell others. Remember an educated prayed up man of God is a deadly weapon in the kingdom work

I get interrupted 24x7. But you're right. If you try to "buckle down" and "do better" with something....other things come flying out of left field. The part that sucks...it will usually be loved ones that suddenly become stumbling blocks.

 

[HFO4]

Has anyone noticed that you can watch a video of almost anything uninterrupted, but when you start praying or reading your Bible your mind starts to wander? That's because the devil knows that if he can get you distracted then you won't be able to worship God or learn the word to tell others. Remember an educated prayed up man of God is a deadly weapon in the kingdom work

I get interrupted 24x7. But you're right. If you try to "buckle down" and "do better" with something....other things come flying out of left field. The part that sucks...it will usually be loved ones that suddenly become stumbling blocks.

yes indeed. Or all of a sudden I get insanely tired

 

[Multislacking]

2 Corinthians 5:21 For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him!

Your post made me remember this scripture SO once we have relationship with Jesus, we are made righteous and no longer wicked, even more so we are seated in heavenly places dead to sin, alive In Christ, thats my understanding, how about you guys understanding?

I dunno. I struggle with the right thing to do almost every day. What do you do when have nothing left in the gas tank and someone needs help? Sin is a pretty big encompassing concept that goes beyond the "Big 10". What if you have a spouse that makes you absolutely miserable? You can't control what someone else does or how they make you feel. I can think of some pretty messed up scenarios that will really make you question being "dead to sin". How are victims of child molesters/abusers to "honor their father and mother" that make their life a living hell every night? We're treading water in an ocean of sin every day. And if you believe scripture, you KNOW it is getting worse every day. It will finally get so bad that God will have to step in and put a stop to it.

Ugh...I'm probably not the one to be giving motivational speeches right now. Where's Monte at?

 

[heavyiron]

2 Corinthians 5:21 For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him!

Your post made me remember this scripture SO once we have relationship with Jesus, we are made righteous and no longer wicked, even more so we are seated in heavenly places dead to sin, alive In Christ, thats my understanding, how about you guys understanding?

That is talking about our identity in Christ. The Father sees us as positionally righteous not because of anything we do but because of the work Christ has done on our behalf. Probably one of the more powerful doctrines in scripture is our identity in Christ. When you believe in the death, burial and resurrection of Christ as payment for sin the Father declares you righteous, justified and alive. So what should our response be? Glorify Him.

 

[doichtoro]

2 Corinthians 5:21 For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him!

Your post made me remember this scripture SO once we have relationship with Jesus, we are made righteous and no longer wicked, even more so we are seated in heavenly places dead to sin, alive In Christ, thats my understanding, how about you guys understanding?

The righteousness here is referring to justification. Those who are justified are legally declared not guilty before God. However, we still sin and do not behave righteously. Throughout our lives we are being sanctified, the process by which we come to be what we have been declared. Justification is the work of God alone:

Ephesians 2:
8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast.

Sanctification is a process where we work with the Holy Spirit to deal with latent sin In our lives.

1 Peter 1
13 Therefore, with minds that are alert and fully sober, set your hope on the grace to be brought to you when Jesus Christ is revealed at his coming. 14 As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. 15 But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; 16 for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy."

 

[HFO4]

I dunno. I struggle with the right thing to do almost every day. What do you do when have nothing left in the gas tank and someone needs help? Sin is a pretty big encompassing concept that goes beyond the "Big 10". What if you have a spouse that makes you absolutely miserable? You can't control what someone else does or how they make you feel. I can think of some pretty messed up scenarios that will really make you question being "dead to sin". How are victims of child molesters/abusers to "honor their father and mother" that make their life a living hell every night? We're treading water in an ocean of sin every day. And if you believe scripture, you KNOW it is getting worse every day. It will finally get so bad that God will have to step in and put a stop to it.

Ugh...I'm probably not the one to be giving motivational speeches right now. Where's Monte at?

That is talking about our identity in Christ. The Father sees us as positionally righteous not because of anything we do but because of the work Christ has done on our behalf. Probably one of the more powerful doctrines in scripture is our identity in Christ. When you believe in the death, burial and resurrection of Christ as payment for sin the Father declares you righteous, justified and alive. So what should our response be? Glorify Him.

The righteousness here is referring to justification. Those who are justified are legally declared not guilty before God. However, we still sin and do not behave righteously. Throughout our lives we are being sanctified, the process by which we come to be what we have been declared. Justification is the work of God alone:

Ephesians 2:
8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast.

Sanctification is a process where we work with the Holy Spirit to deal with latent sin In our lives.

1 Peter 1
13 Therefore, with minds that are alert and fully sober, set your hope on the grace to be brought to you when Jesus Christ is revealed at his coming. 14 As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. 15 But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; 16 for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy."

Thank you guys for replying.

I believe we are saying the same thing, I am going to study these passages before I say anything else.

 

[tatertot]

Eph 2. "This is not your own doing, it's a gift of God"

Most law-abiding people when trust that they're "good enough" to make it to heaven. Or maybe they trust in their religion to save them. The problem is that we can never be good enough to earn God's favor or merit or salvation. It's only through repentance of sin, and faith in Christ that His righteousness is imputed (given) to us and we are Justified before God.
We all have a natural tendencies to drift toward performance-based relationship with God. But the scriptures remind us that we're saved by grace, through faith in Christ, and it's not by our own works.

I've also been reading through Isaiah, and chapter 48 is a gold mine. Here's some verses that really stood out:

11 ... My glory I will not give to another.
God alone is worth of worship. All other "gods" are false. Not Allah, Buddah, Mohammad, Baal, etc...

12 ...I am he; I am the first, and I am the last.
God is eternal.

14 ..he shall perform his purpose on Babylon
God is sovereign. He raises up wicked nations like Babylon to accomplish His purposes.

16 ...And now the Lord God has sent me, and his Spirit.
This is an interesting reference in the Old Testament perhaps to the Holy Spirit. Which we know more about as He's more fully revealed in the New Testament.

18 Oh that you had paid attention to my commandments! Then your peace would have been like a river, and your righteousness like the waves of the sea;
Throughout the Bible, especialy Old Testament, we see a pattern of blessing for obedience, and curse for disobedience. Since Christ came, we are now under grace, however, we should still seek to honor God's commandments out of a love for Him!

22 “There is no peace,” says the Lord, “for the wicked.”
The Bible has no hope for those who reject Christ.

 

[so1970]

Colossians 3:23 -25 And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men ,knowing that from the lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord christ . But he who does wrong will be repaid for what he has done, and there is no partiality

 

[Multislacking]

There probably wouldn't be anybody left, buuuut...

 

[tatertot]

Jerry Bridges talked about how we ought to treat the Scriptures. God did not give us His Word simply to increase our knowledge, but as a guide to how we are to conduct our lives. So when reading the Bible, look for specific application to your life and situations.

Some verses that have been on my mind that I pray God helps me apply to my specific situations are:

Romans 12:18 - 'If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.'
Philippians 2:14 - 'Do all things without grumbling or disputing,'
Ecclesiastes 7:9 - 'Be not quick in your spirit to become angry, for anger lodges in the heart of fools.'


How about you?

 

[JD70]

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

One thing I'm still growing in as a Christian is the concept of what a relationship with Christ looks like. Someone somewhere said it's similar to how you have a friendship with other people. What do you do? You chat with them, you intentionally spend time with them, etc... It's the same with our walk with the Lord. So throughout the day, I believe it's incredibly important to talk with God. Even just little things like, "Lord please help me be kind to this difficult coworker...", "please give my wife the energy to make it through her busy day."

@Milford King - I'd encourage you, and others, to also emulate Christ in how he prayed. His example is laid out in Matt 6:9-15. It provides an excellent framework for some key points to focus on when you engage God in prayer (usually when you have more time, like during your personal devotion). Here's two quick examples:

Wow man you are following some strong Bible teachers! Than you and thank God that Jesus still gives sight to the blind and raises the dead, as we all once were.
It's hard to not copy/paste this whole book but spiritually we were as dead as Lazurus until God called and saved us. We were condemned blind dead slaves but Christ set us free and paid for it Himself.

And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest. But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;
Ephesians 2:1‭-‬8 NASB1995

 

[JD70]

That is talking about our identity in Christ. The Father sees us as positionally righteous not because of anything we do but because of the work Christ has done on our behalf. Probably one of the more powerful doctrines in scripture is our identity in Christ. When you believe in the death, burial and resurrection of Christ as payment for sin the Father declares you righteous, justified and alive. So what should our response be? Glorify Him.

Amen right Heavy. God literally credits Jesus's righteousness to us and credited our unrighteousness onto Christ on the cross. He's the only sacrifice perfect enough to take away all sin of all who believe, forever. We can't be as perfect as Jesus yet grow into His likeness, progressively, and love obeying Him (loving others) more and start hating sin. Love what I used to hate and hate what I used to love. The real battle starts at rebirth. It's a good and better life

 

[tatertot]

Wow man you are following some strong Bible teachers! Than you and thank God that Jesus still gives sight to the blind and raises the dead, as we all once were.
It's hard to not copy/paste this whole book but spiritually we were as dead as Lazurus until God called and saved us. We were condemned blind dead slaves but Christ set us free and paid for it Himself.

And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest. But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;
Ephesians 2:1‭-‬8 NASB1995

Thanks for the encouragement, man It's only by God's grace that any of us see our need for Him. For we were truly spiritually dead, rebellious enemies and haters of God. But thanks be to him that through Christ we can be redeemed, forgiven all our sins, and given new hearts and life!

Ephesians is such a solid book. One of my favorite sections in chapter 2 is, "But God".... Paul just gave us a ton of bad news about who we are, and how doomed we are... and then he introduces the grace of mercy of God through Jesus Christ. Hallelujah, what a Savior!

Ezekiel 36:26-27
"And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules."

 

[heavyiron]

Our identity - how God see's believers

A few decades ago, I was reading about our identity in Christ, and it dawned on me just how utterly packed the Pauline letters were with this doctrine. I decided to read several of Paul's letters and extract the identity verses. I will use Ephesians chapter 1 to give an example. Bold below are my notes from a quick read today.

1 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God,

To the saints who are in Ephesus, and faithful in Christ Jesus:

We are saints and faithful

2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, 4 just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, 5 having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, 6 to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He [a]made us accepted in the Beloved.

We are blessed with every spiritual blessing in heaven, in Christ. We are chosen, holy and without blame, we are predestined and adopted as sons, we are accepted by God.

7 In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace 8 which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and [b]prudence, 9 having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself, 10 that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, [c]both which are in heaven and which are on earth—in Him. 11 In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will, 12 that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory.

We are redeemed, we are forgiven, we are given grace, we are loved, we have an inheritance, we are one in Christ

13 In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, 14 who[d] is the [e]guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.

We have heard truth, we are saved, we are sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, we have a guarantee of inheritance and redemption. ​

15 Therefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, 16 do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers: 17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, 18 the eyes of your [f]understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, 19 and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power 20 which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all principality[g] and [h]power and [i]might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come.

We are given wisdom and revelation and knowledge and understanding of Him.

22 And He put all things under His feet and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, 23 which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.

We are His body - the body of Christ, the Church.

Once you go through the entire letter you can then take your identity notes and put them altogether in a list to read out loud. It's an overwhelming exercise to see what Christ has made believers. It's our true identity. It's how God see's us in Christ. Do you believe Him?

We are saints and faithful

We are blessed with every spiritual blessing in heaven, in Christ. We are chosen, holy and without blame, we are predestined and adopted as sons, we are accepted by God.

We are redeemed, we are forgiven, we are given grace, we are loved, we have an inheritance, we are one in Christ

We have heard truth, we are saved, we are sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, we have a guarantee of inheritance and redemption. ​

We are given wisdom and revelation and knowledge and understanding of Him.

We are His body - the body of Christ, the Church.

 

[JD70]

There's a good little book about Ephesians that I've read at least twice. A very good pastor/teacher of a huge church near me was helping me overcome an addiction to porn and suggested it years ago. "Sit, Walk, Stand" by Watchman Nee. It has nothing to do with porn but everything to do with what Heavy was talking about here in Paul's letter to the Ephesian church, our identity in Jesus. We have to know who we are to act like it, and have to act like it to remember who we are like James also said, below.

But be doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. Because if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man looking at his own face in a mirror. For he looks at himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. But the one who looks intently into the perfect law of freedom and perseveres in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but one who does good works — this person will be blessed in what he does.
James 1:22‭-‬25 HCSB

Nobody's perfect, but Christians are being made holy and are different than the world, than how we were. We have a real firm hope and assurance without doubt because it's by God's grace and does not hinge on our puny works. And remember, we can't do any works to earn grace but after we have a new heart and spirit by grace then we love others as Christ loved and loves us. Getting that backwards screws the whole thing up! We're always obeying a master- either sin which is hell or God which is the good life (here and later)

 

[Multislacking]

Luke 9

46 Then a dispute arose among them as to which of them would be greatest. 47 And Jesus, perceiving the thought of their heart, took a little child and set him by Him, 48 and said to them, “Whoever receives this little child in My name receives Me; and whoever receives Me receives Him who sent Me. For he who is least among you all will be great.”

Luke 22

24 Now there was also a dispute among them, as to which of them should be considered the greatest. 25 And He said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them, and those who exercise authority over them are called ‘benefactors.’ 26 But not so among you; on the contrary, he who is greatest among you, let him be as the younger, and he who governs as he who serves. 27 For who is greater, he who sits at the table, or he who serves? Is it not he who sits at the table? Yet I am among you as the One who serves.

 

[heavyiron]

Evidence of an intelligent designer. ie God

'Dark matter' of human genome finally decoded, sequencing entirety of human DNA

Scientists have been trying to locate the final pieces of the human genome for nearly 20 years, coming close to decoding it but never fully succeeding. Until now.

www.9news.com

 

[heavyiron]

Prophecy Update | April 2022 | Signs of the Times​

 

[E.J.D]

The Lord shall preserve you from all evil; He shall preserve your soul. The Lord shall preserve your going out and your coming in From this time forth, and even forevermore.
Psalm 121:7-8

As in water face reflects face, So a man’s heart reveals the man.
Proverbs 27:19

And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ.
Colossians 3:23-24

 

[Multislacking]

Watch: WWE’s ‘The Undertaker’ Thanks Wife for Leading Him to Jesus During Hall of Fame Speech

How wonderful.

resistthemainstream.org

Watch: WWE’s ‘The Undertaker’ Thanks Wife for Leading Him to Jesus During Hall of Fame Speech​

 

[tatertot]

I read Isaiah 53 yesterday which is a wonderful passage prophesying Christ's coming to earth and what He'll do for His people. I'd encourage everyone to read it multiple times..

One section that really stood out was vs 11 - "he shall bear their iniquities"
Christ, the King of the Universe, has bore the sins of everyone who will repent and believe in Him. He came down from his Heavenly throne, humbled himself and served people who would betray him and kill him.
He knew suffering, grief, pain and rejection. But He bore the iniquities of sinners like us because He loves us.

The great exchange. It's a free gift of God. He transfers our sins to His Son, Jesus, and transfers Jesus' perfect righteousness to us, so we are forgiven, redeemed, and adopted and sons and daughters of the Most High King.

What a wonderful Gospel.

 

[Milford King]

Lol… even the “prince of darkness” crams for the final exam, eh?