Hardening brings calamity (Pro 28:14; Pro 29:1)Hardening is rebellion (Heb.3:7,8)Causes of Hardening1. Loftiness, Pride (Dan 5:20)2. Licentiousness; or taking God's grace and mercy for granted (Ex 8:15; Rom.2:1-4)3. Lawlessness (Mat 24:12)4. Lusts (2Pet 2:18)5. Lies (1Tim.4:1-3), Demonic deception.6. Last days (2Tim.3, 2Pet 3:3, Jude 18)7. Lord hardens those who love lies (2Thess 2:11,12; Exo 4:21)Heb 3:7,8 Harden not your heartsWhat kind of heart needed:1. A heart broken over sins in repentance (Psa 51:17). Depth of sorrow over sin reflects...
Mourning and Repentance - Matthew 5:4
Matt.5:4 - "Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted."Repentance involves mourning and death. One mourns because he is dead to God because of his sins. And, the depth of mourning and sorrow over the sins determines the depth of repentance. Many people are still not delivered from sin, because they have not mourned enough, they have not mourned genuinely. Deep inside they still somehow cherish that besetting sin from which they have not turned away. They may say, "I hate that sin"; however, when the occasion comes they realize that...
Love (1Cor. 13)
1Cor.13:4 "Love is patient." There are two kinds of patience: the patience of law and the patience of love. The patience of law says, "I have to be patient" but fails after some time. The patience of love doesn't say "I have to be patient," because it is already patient. The patience of law struggles hard trying to keep patience, but breaks down sooner because it tries to be what it is not. The patience of love doesn't strive because it is already patient. The patience of law feels excited after it has been patient for a while, but then falls to...
Guarding the Vulnerable Points Against Satanic Advantage
BODYHunger (Matt.4:1-4; Phil.3:19; 1Cor.6:19)Sleep (Matt.26:41)Incontinence/Sex (1Cor.7:5; 1Tim.5:14,15; 1Cor.6:19; 1Thess.4:7)Infirmity (2Cor.12:7)etc...Solution: Assert that the physical need is not primary; God's will is (Matt.4:5).Assert that the Grace of Christ is sufficient (2Cor.12:8)Be wise about your weakness (1Cor.7:1-5)Abstain/flee from fleshly lusts (1Pet.2:11; 2Tim.2:22)Discipline body (1Cor.9:27)SOULAnger (Eph.4:26,27)Pride (1Tim.3:6)Sorrow (2Cor.2:7-11)Fear (Lk.22:31)Worry (1Pet.5:7,8)etc...Solution:Pray for each other (Lk.22:31,32;...
The Lord is my Strength - Exodus 15:2
Exo.15:2 "The Lord is my strength." (Exo.15:2)Usually, Christians who feel they are weak are weak because they feel. they look to their feelings for strength than looking up to God. But, when one experiences the power of God in his life, he doesn't consider his weakness anymore; for he has experienced God, he has experienced streng...
Purity: 5 Effects, 3 Aspects (Matt 5:8)
Matt.5:8 - Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God.Psa 24:3-5 - Who will ascend... He who has Clean Hands and Pure HeartPsa 51:10 - Create in me a pure heart.. v.11. Cast me not away from Presence..5 Effects of Purity:1. Pure Humility. Prov.22:11 - pure heart.. speech gracious.. will have the king for his friend. Purity of heart and Humility go together.2. Pure Eyes. Tit.1:15 - to the pure all things are pure.....3. Pure Love. 1Tim.1:5 - Pure love can only come from pure heart, good conscience and sincere faith. (1Pet.1:22)4. Pure...
Regeneration: Baptismal, Decisional, or Constitutional?
Infant Baptism is still practiced in many churches with the hope that it saves the infant from original sin.THE THEOLOGY OF NEW BIRTH OR REGENERATIONThe term “born again” has been a central term among Evangelicals and the Pentecostal/Charismatics. However, it has also generated a number of controversies among Christians who desire to understand the nature of their salvation in Christ. In this paper, we will try to highlight and evaluate some of the...
Fashion Worries - Matt 6:28-30
Matt 6:28-30 "And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin...If that is how God clothes the grass of the field..., will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?In a sinful world, human conscience identifies nakedness with shame; but, when the conscience gets seared, nakedness is paraded with pride. It was God who covered Adam and Eve when they fell into sin and tried to cover their nakedness by sewing leaves together. But, God gave them a better clothing, something that would cover...
Giving to the One Who Asks - Matthew 5:42
Matt. 5:42 "Give to him who asks you, and from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away." It doesn't mean giving to the chronic borrower, who lacks a sense of responsibility, who borrows but never has the ethical sense of returning back. The chronic borrower is reckless and irresponsible, and wishes to make others pay for what he wants to freely enjoy. To pay for his desires is to increase chaos and havoc in the world of economy. Our rule is verse 48: "you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect." In the same manner...
Origin of the Names of the Months
January is named after the Roman god Janus, the god of beginnings and transitions.February is named after the Roman god Februus, the god of purification and the underworld.March is named after the Roman god Mars, the god of war and also the agricultural guardian.April seems to be derived from aperire, which means “to open”, probably since the buds opened in this month. However, it may also have come from the name of the goddess Aphrodite (Aphrusor Apru as in Etruscan), the Greek equivalent of Venus.May is named after Maiesta, the Roman goddess...
5 Entanglements that Christ Came to Deliver Us From
5 Human Entanglements that Christ Came To Deliver Us From
WHAT THEY DO
- They complicate life - Matt.23:4 "They tie up heavy loads and put them on men's shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them. (Mat 23:4 NIV)
- They violate God's commandments - Mark 7:8,9 - Set aside commandments for traditions
- They fossilize spirituality - Col.2:23 - False customs that have no value for the spirit.
- They hinder change - old wineskins can't hold new wine (Mat.9:17)
- They worsen the convert - (Mat.23:15)
Entanglements:
1....
Hindrances to Fruitfulness
1. Lack of Repentance (Luke 3:8-9)2. Lack of Spiritual Wisdom and Understanding (Col.1:9-10; Psa.19:7)3. Lack of Right Fellowship--Walking in the Light (Eph.5:11-16)4. Lack of Godliness with Contentment (Matt.13:22; 1Tim.6:6-10)5. Lack of Partaking in the Divine Nature (2Pet.1:3-...
5 Facts About the Resurrection
1. Christ is the ground and basis of our resurrection - The Firstfruits (Lev.23:10,11; 1Cor.15:20). - No longer "dust to dust" but "out of dust" (Dan.12:2).2. There cannot be a physical resurrection unless there has been a spiritual resurrection first (1Cor.15:36; Rom.6:3ff; Rom.8:9-11; Eph.2:1-6; Col.3:1,2)3. Resurrection is not a restoration of the same body. It is the creation of a new body (1Cor.15:42; Rom.8:19-23; Phil.3:20)4. Resurrection of the just will be at the time of Christ's second coming (1Thess.4:16)5. The wicked will also be resurrected...
Power of the Blood of Jesus
It is the blood of the new covenant (Heb.10:29)It is the blood that raised Jesus from the dead, because His life cannot end (Heb.13:20; 7:16)It is the blood that is all-sufficient forever (Heb.9:25-28)The Power of the Blood of Jesus1. To cleanse us of all sin (1Jn.1:7; Rev.1:5)2. To cleanse our conscience of dead works (Heb.9:14; 1Jn.3:19)3. To justify (Rom.5:9; 8:1)4. To redeem (Eph.1:7; Heb.9:12; Rev.5:9; 1Pet.1:18,19; 1Cor.1:20)5. To sanctify, set apart, as holy for the Master's use (Heb.13:12; 10:29)6. To make peace (Col.1:20; Eph.2:13)7. To...
The Doubter - James 1:6
James 1:6 - "He who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind." (James 1:6)A doubtful person lacks stability and direction; he is indecisive, inconsistent, and inconclusive. He quickly changes his mind, gets confused, and is governed by fears. He needs confirmation and assurance from others and is unable to listen to the invisible God. He walks by sight and not by faith and so is deceived easily. He may get excited at God's Word, but goes out and forgets it; because he cannot retain the Word, nor can the Word retain him. He...
7 Important Ingredients of a Fulfilled Life from the 7 Sayings of Jesus on the Cross
1. Luke 23:34: Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do. Peace........-Hitler "For the sake of freedom and democracy, never again fascism; millions of dead remind us"Could u forgive him? Corrie ten Boom- Forgiveness is available,Jewish proverb, forgiveness is like the sea, anyone can go and bath in it..- but it must be receivedProdigal Son...... Forgiven, so forgive. unmerciful servant.... forgive, or will not be forgiven2. Luke 23:43: Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise. Hope.....powerful wordCan man live...
The Golden Rule - Matthew 7:12
Matt. 7:12 "Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.When Jesus said that we must do to others what we want them do to us, He taught us the way of action against the way of avoidance. He didn't say, 'Don't do to others what you don't want them do to you'; on the other hand, He emphasized on what we must be doing. Anyone can avoid. The dead don't harm anyone; we are not called to an isolation, avoidance lifestyle. But, we are called into the path of action, compassion, kindness, forgiveness,...
Essence of Atonement
I wonder what made humans hate the Son of God so much that they wanted Him to die the most agonizing and excruciating death of all--the death of the cross. In fact, the word "excruciating" itself comes from the word "crux" (cross) depicting the intensity and indescribability of the agony. But, the essence of atonement doesn't lie in humans crucifying the Son of God; it lies in the Son of God allowing humans to crucify Him. He allowed humans to do...
