The Changing Season!


Truly the light is sweet, and a pleasant
thing it is for the eyes to behold the sun.
(Ecc. 11:7)

beach woman sunrise silhouette

Many of us enjoy seeing the last days of winter give over to the bright rays of the approaching spring sunshine. The degrees in the weather begin to climb and there is often anticipation in the air! Things become renewed and revived. All forms of life begin to emerge and grow because spring has come around again.

God has given the four seasons and we become accustom to their changes, but God has other seasons, as well. These seasons often do not normally coincide with the natural changes in the seasons that we are used to. These are the seasons in our lives. They are outlined in Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 and we need to learn them well! If we study them, we can better understand God’s plan and timing for our lives.

Through every season that God brings in our lives, there should be a systematic study and meditation on His word. Those who will commit to study will also be established like a tree. In contrast to a natural tree — whatever season we find ourselves in…our leaves will not die or even wither (Ps. 1:1-6). Unlike the reasonably predictable changes in the four natural seasons (Matt. 16:2-3, Gen. 8:22) — our fruit can suddenly become ripe at any time, even during times we do not anticipate. God suddenly uses us for His glory (II Tim. 2:21) during any given opportunity or season (Ps. 1:3)! We can be used by God during spring, summer, or fall. His plan for us is to still produce fruit even during the winter of our lives (Ps. 92:12-15, Ps. 71:18).

We are all familiar with the words of a famous song, “everything must change, nothing stays the same”. We should make as much preparation as we can for unexpected changes in seasons — whatever that season may bring.

The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon. They that are planted in the house of the LORD shall flourish in the courts of our God.
They shall still bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be full of sap and green: To shew that the LORD is upright; he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him.
(Ps 92:12-15 – ERV Version)

0 CommentsLeave a comment

“Sincerity: Our Great Weapon” (Ephesians 6:14)


ICEA – “Church At Study”

“SUBJECTIVE TRUTH (Ps. 51:6)…MEANING SINCERITY,
INTEGRITY,  UPRIGHTNESS, HONESTY AND SIMILAR WORDS…
ARE GREAT WEAPONS AGAINST THE DEVIL’S WILES!
UNDERSTANDING THIS WILL KEEP YOU FROM
MANY AVENUES OF DECEIT THE ENEMY
WANTS TO TAKE YOU DOWN!”

SINCERITY: OUR GREAT WEAPON (Eph. 6:14)

SINCERITY is one of the greatest weapons we have against our enemy — Satan! Not only does the word TRUTH, in Ephesians 6:14 refer to having knowledge of the word of God, but (a little known fact is) the GREATER MEANING refers to the Christians’ SINCERITY and moral conduct.

Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with
TRUTH and having on the breastplate of righteousness.
(Eph. 6:14)

The biblical meaning of SINCERITY is…real; not feigned; pure; honest; without blame; truthfulness and integrity…having lack of deceit and trickery. This is not mainstream teaching on this verse, but it appears that this is what the Apostle Paul intended. Here are some different translations to try to prove this point:

AMPLIFIED BIBLE:
So stand firm and hold your ground, having
tightened the wide band of truth (personal integrity, moral courage)
around your waist and having put on the breastplate of
righteousness (an upright heart).

The Amplified Bible uses the actual words “personal integrity” and “moral courage” as phrases similar to the word TRUTH.

WYCLIFFE BIBLE:
Therefore stand ye, and be girded about your loins
in soothfastness [Therefore stand ye, girded about your loins in
soothfastness], and clothed with the habergeon of rightwiseness.

The Wycliffe Bible has translated the word “truth” as “soothfastness.” The origin of “soothfastness” is Old English. It means truthful, trustworthy, honest, righteous, sincere, genuine, and just.

The study above seems to shed more light on the meaning of “truth” found in Ephesians 6:14. The author of this article suggests verse 14 declares not so much a working knowledge and execution of the word of God, but readers are to be clothed or “girded” with the qualities aforementioned!

A BIBLE FOOTNOTE ON EPHESIANS 6:14

The footnote in the Ryrie Bible referring to Ephesians 6:14 reads:
Truth holds everything together and refers to the believer’s integrity.
Breastplate of righteousness. Righteousness practiced by the believer to protect the chest and heart from Satan.

OTHER BIBLICAL REFERENCES REFERRING TO
SUBJECTIVE TRUTH

Well-known teacher and author, John MacArthur refers to our verse and chapter of “truth” under consideration (Eph. 6:14) as an “attitude of truthfulness.” He distinguishes this truth from other definitions of truth (found in the Bible) which refer to one having an understanding of biblical knowledge. You may read his article by clicking on the following text:  http://www.gty.org/resources/bible-qna/BQ040612/how-do-believers-gird-themselves-with-truthfulness  or visit “Grace to You” website at: http://www.gty.org.

Henry Alford: Truth — not truth objective, which is rather the “word of God” below, ver. 17, but: ‘truthfulness,’ subjective truth: to be understood however as based upon the faith and standing of a Christian. (The New Testament for English Readers Online).
(The New Testament for English Readers: Containing the Authorized Version. By Henry Alford.)

THE SINCERITY OF NATHANAEL

Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and saith of him,
Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!
(John 1:47)

We understand the type of man Nathanael had matured into, by studying Jesus’ statement, that Nathanael was “…a man without deceit.” Nathanael had somehow become uncontaminated by the evils of his day. He did not allow his surroundings to negatively shape his being and his character. He was not a conformist. He had a heart of gold. His eye was single and he was full of light (Matt. 6:22-23). Thank God the psalmist said…IN HIS HASTE…that all men are liars (Ps. 116:11). There are men, like Nathanael, who are not liars, neither practice deceit and craft. Nathanael was an honest and sincere man when it came to his relationships with others.

THE SINCERITY OF PAUL

For our rejoicing is this, the testimony of our conscience,
that in simplicity and godly SINCERITY, not with fleshly
wisdom, but by the grace of God,  we have had
our conversation in the world, and
more abundantly to you-ward.
(II Cor. 1:12)

This verse seems clear. It appears straight-forward. Paul used the words “our” rejoicing. While writing…Paul reflected on the history of his life and the life of those leaders who ministered to the Corinthians. They could rejoice because they had clear conscience. Their record among the Corinthians was sincerity. Their record among unbelievers and unsaved was sincerity, as well. What a testimony! What moral conduct! Not much for Satan to work with!

TRUTH – AS THE WORD OF GOD

If we are looking in context of Ephesian 6:10-18 for an objective and offensive working knowledge of TRUTH (the Word of God)…against Satan; you will find it in verse 17. It reads:

And take…the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

Our Lord Jesus used “the Sword” to confront and defeat Satan early in His ministry by proclaiming to him…”It is written…!” This is the definition of TRUTH that many are familiar with today, which is fighting Satan with the Word of God.

It is true that Christians need to know the word of God while engaging with satanic attacks! The author is not attempting to minimize this great offensive weapon of truth. Nevertheless, the focus of this article defines truth (from Eph. 6:14) as the Christians’ sincerity and moral character. Moral character is such an integral part of the Christians amour that almost the entirety of this article is devoted to extracting the meaning from this one verse.

FINAL THOUGHT

Anything other than biblical sincerity will leave the child of God vulnerable. The belt that is supposed to be girded is loose. The enemy knows that this part of our armor is lacking and he will attack this vulnerability. We must not allow ourselves to yield to compromising situations or the demons who do Satan’s bidding will seek to overthrow and eventually defeat us with fatal blows.

PRAYER

“Lord, may we come to see the importance of sincerity and moral character as weapons, tightly fastened…used in our struggle against the powers of darkness. Help us…also…to strive lawfully, that in the end, we may be victorious, having withstood every opponent. In Jesus name. Amen!”

HOMEWORK

Do a Bible search on the words “sincere” and “sincerity”.

 

0 CommentsLeave a comment

A FEW Scriptures are All You Need!


“It is written…”

In Matthew chapter 4, Satan tempted Jesus in the wilderness on three occasions. The Lord quoted a scripture for each occasion. Each scripture was successful to overcome every temptation.

There are over 31,000 verses in the bible. Only one appropriate scripture at any given time is needed to overcome the temptation of Satan. Knowing, quoting, and believing the scripture we quote can mean the difference between having victory over the devil and falling to his temptations!

It is extremely important to know that man does not live by bread alone. He needs to know and have trust in every word that God has promised! Jesus relied on every word of God. He knew God would sustain Him and feed Him in the wilderness. He refused to turn stones into bread. Instead, when tempted, He believed and quoted one scripture that caused Satan to change his method of temptation. Each time Jesus was tempted, He quoted the appropriate scripture to stand against and defeat Satan!

Let’s be like Jesus and let the word of God dwell in us richly…! (Col. 3:16)

0 CommentsLeave a comment

Are You Changing with the Times?


And he…shall think to change times and laws.
(Dan. 7:25)

hourglass-3257906_1920.png

TIMES HAVE CHANGED!

The times are swiftly changing! Along with the changing times…we all have made changes that have, in some way, affected our lives. Hopefully, the changes you have made have been positive. It is becoming increasingly harder for some Christians to make wholesome and godly changes because of the decreasing worldly-acceptable standards that surround us (I John 2:15).

TRADITIONS ARE CHANGING!

As we enter into another holiday season, there has been a noticeable change in the look and feel of this time of year! The holiday cheer in the lives of many have all but been extinguished due to the economy and unemployment situations. As a result, the glitter of this time of year has greatly declined. We clearly see that when people don’t consume products and purchase as many gifts, retail stores don’t feel as cheerful and have a way of diminishing their inventory and Christmas-related displays. As people walk through malls and retail stores the feel of Christmas is not quite the same. In addition…people are not giving as many gifts. So…the “traditional” Christmas (as many of us are accustomed to seeing), with all of its marketing cheer, has lost much of its meaning.

CHRISTMAS IS SHINING THROUGH!

There has been a change in Christmas! This change may have come for the good. Instead of giving and getting gifts, this should be a time when our attention can be mostly centered on the One who was born into a dark world that still needs change! At His birth, there were no trinkets and glitter, but a host of angels lit up the black night and sung the first Christmas chorus — “Christ the Saviour is born!”

Overall, there is definitely a change in how Americans do Christmas, and yet, with this decrease of materialism, have you made any changes? Have you become depressed or indifferent because someone stole your Christmas, or are you more aware of the truer meaning of Christmas?

WILL YOU MAKE ANY CHANGES?

As seasons and times change, masses of people will continue to make changes for the worst — scriptures declare that (Matt. 24:12, Rev. 2:1-5)! What changes will you make — if any — as times change (II Tim. 3:1-5)? How will you allow times to change you?

See the information below and get some idea of where you currently stand (II Cor. 13:5).

Many things are changing, but here are
some things that should never change:

  • Keep yourself in the love of God and always wait for Christ’s return (Jude 1:21)
  • Continually be filled with the Spirit (Acts 4:29-31, 13:52, Eph. 5:8)
  • Live holy lives, that go against worldly standards (Heb. 12:14)
  • Don’t ever forget to show mercy and have truthful and loyal ways (Prov. 3:3)
  • Don’t forsake the love for family. (In the following
    verses, “natural affection” refers to love for family,
    relatives, and acquaintances – Rom. 1:31, II Tim. 3:30.)
  • Don’t stop gathering together for church (Heb. 10:25)
  • Don’t give up on living peaceful with others (Heb. 12:14)
  • Don’t leave off praying to God (I Sam. 12:23, Luke 18:1)
  • Hold on to sound teaching, as you have been taught
    (Eph. 4:21, Col. 2:7, II Thes. 2:15, Tit. 1:9)
  • Be led personally with direction from God’s Word (Ps. 119:105)
  • Don’t return to your former lifestyle (Heb. 6:4-6, II Pet. 2:22)
  • Never forget to add to your faith (II Pet. 1:5-9)
0 CommentsLeave a comment

It’s Not Just a Christmas or Easter Story: Fear, Anxiety, Death, and an Open Grave!


And the angel of the Lord suddenly stood
before them, and the glory of the Lord shone
around them; and they were terribly frightened.

Luke 2:9 (NASB)

pexels-photo-111755.jpeg

ICEA – “Church at Study”

Luke 2:9 is part of an account of foretelling our Lord’s birth. It explains the fearful nature of men who came in contact with the supernatural and the unknown. Two other Bible translations state: “fear came on them” and; “they were filled with great fear”. A third translation seems to stand out: stating they were simply “terrified”. Likewise, as humans, we often can be fearful of coming in contact with the supernatural. We are earthy…but we also have the capacity to be influenced by spirit, because God has given us a spirit (Job 32:8). God is a Spirit (Jn. 4:24). Angels are spirits (Heb. 1:13-14) and demons are spirits, also. There are spirit powers in realms around us. These “messengers” (whether good or bad) have the ability to influence our thinking. When coming in contact with satanic powers, the struggle in our spirits and minds can be so intense! The Bible compares the struggle to…wrestling…not with flesh, but wrestling with spiritual foes. We read where Jesus wrestled with satanic power, as He was led by the Spirit to be tempted by the devil. We also see Jesus… (Heb. 2.9) who was made “a little lower than the angels” for the suffering of death…that He by the grace of God should experience death for every man. He not only experienced death, but (vs 14) destroyed him that had the power over death, that is the devil. And this is GOOD NEWS, because in time past (vs 15), many under the law were terrified at the thought and consequences of death but He has come and given us an understanding that death has no sting and the grave has no victory over those whose lives are preserved in Christ Jesus! So, we don’t have to live daily lives of fear. He was born, died, and rose from the grave to save us from the consequences of sin and adverse spiritual powers! Praise God that we live a life through the Spirit… springing up to eternal life!

The popular gospel artist, Cece Winans sung “but there is still a war that rages….” So…while we wait for eternal life, there are two main areas our Lord wants to preserve during every struggle: our hearts and our minds (Phil. 4:6-7). These are two main areas mankind’s enemy often attempts to attack and defeat with terror. God doesn’t want us terrified by our adversary because there is One who ever lives and we can live victorious lives through Him!

 

 

0 CommentsLeave a comment