January 2018 "Dearly Beloved" Articles
Dearly Beloved 1/31/18 "You Are in His Heart"
You Are in His Heart
Since our Father reveals such marvelous, tender, loving truths to us about how He feels about us, it is truly remarkable that people do not listen to Him and believe what He thinks about them.
He begins the book of Romans addressing us as “beloved of God, called to be saints [holy ones].” When we are in love with someone our thoughts about them dominate not only our minds, but the very depths of our being, our heart. Our Father thinks of us as His beloved. The word “beloved” is also translated as dear at other places. We are His dearly beloved and He called us to be His holy ones.
I Corinthians begins, “to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours: grace and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.” He set us apart as His inheritance. We are what He gets out of salvation. We are His purchased possession in Christ Jesus. We are His saints; His holy ones.
Read more ...Dearly Beloved 1/30/18 "Has He Changed His Mind?"
Has He Changed His Mind?
Dearly beloved of God our Father, God is the same as He was in the beginning. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
Isaiah 46:9 and 10: “Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me, Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure:”
God says He is God; there is none else. He says that He revealed the end from the beginning, and what He said will stand.
Read more ...Dearly Beloved 1/29/18 "The Life We Now Live"
The Life We Now Live
Dearly beloved, our life is the life of Christ, the life-giving spirit of Christ dwells in us. It is no longer I that lives, now Christ lives in me. The life that I now live in the flesh I live by believing concerning the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
All we are, and all we hope for comes from this life. Without the spirit of life in Christ Jesus we would yet be dead in sin, without God, without hope, and destined for the wrath to come. Without the spirit of life in Christ Jesus we would yet be guilty before God and still subject to Adam’s condemnation of death. Instead of having a hope of glory, only death and judgment would await us.
Thank God, we have the life-giving spirit of Christ in us! Now we are dead to sin and alive unto God through Christ Jesus our Lord. We are begotten of his spirit. He redeemed us by his work. He justified us from sin, being made a sin offering for us. In him, we are the righteousness of God. He sanctified us. We are holy and without blame, and unimpeachable in his sight. We will obtain the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Read more ...Dearly Beloved 1/28/18 "The Power of God for Salvation"
The Power of God for Salvation
Dearly beloved, the Word of God concerning Jesus Christ is the power of God for salvation. God the Father marked Jesus Christ out as His Son with power by raising him out from among the dead. The resurrection from the dead set him apart from all others.
On the one hand you have every person that is dead and corrupting in the grave, and on the other you have Jesus Christ, who God raised out from among the dead. The Scriptures teach that God has begotten him in the resurrection from the dead. I would say that marks him out rather distinctly, wouldn’t you?
Read more ...Dearly Beloved 1/27/18 "Speak to me Father"
Speak to me Father
Dearly beloved saint of the Most High God, the One True and Living God, the Father of the Lord Jesus Christ, and your Father, the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort; “Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Him! Oh, fear the Lord, you His saints! There is no want to those who fear Him.”
Do your burdens seem heavy, dearly beloved? Oh, speak to me Father and comfort my soul. “Cast all your cares on the Lord and He will sustain you.” “The young lions lack and suffer hunger; But those who seek the Lord shall not lack any good thing.” “Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all.” “Come unto Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” “Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and He saved them from their distress.”
Do you feel all alone? Father, speak to me. “The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart, and saves such as have a contrite spirit.” Oh Father, please don’t forsake me. "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”
Read more ...Dearly Belove 1/26/18 "Deliverance, Deliverance, Deliverance"
Deliverance, Deliverance, Deliverance
Dearly beloved, listen to the Father’s still small voice. “My child, be attentive to my words; incline your ear to my sayings. Do not let them escape from your sight; keep them within your heart. For they are life to those who find them, and healing to all their flesh.” You are His dearly beloved child; listen to Him.
He is for you who He has always been for His people; the date may have changed, but He has not. “Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress; he sent out his word and healed them, and delivered them from destruction. Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love, for his wonderful works to humankind.”
We worship the One True and Living God, the Almighty in power: In our every need, He is our sufficiency. “You shall worship the Lord your God, and I will bless your bread and your water; and I will take sickness away from among you.” He is the Lord that heals us.
Read more ...Dearly Beloved 1/25/18 "Welcome to the Kingdom"
Welcome to the Kingdom
Dearly beloved, Jesus came to provide the entrance into the kingdom of God.
“The law and the prophets were until John: since that time the Kingdom of God is preached, and every man presseth into it.”
After John the Baptist was imprisoned, Jesus came into Galilee preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.”
Throughout the gospel records Jesus taught about the kingdom of God and he explained how to gain entrance into it.
Read more ...Dearly Beloved 1/24/18 "Because He Is You Are"
Because He Is You Are
Dearly beloved, during his earthly ministry people knew Jesus as the son of man, the Lamb of God that gave his life for them, the Savior. God has made him even more than that today.
“This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses. Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the holy spirit, he hath shed forth this, which you now see and hear.”
After God raised Jesus from the dead, and he ascended into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God, he received the promise of the Father and he poured out the spirit. In Luke 24:49 Jesus said, “And, behold, I send the promise of My Father upon you: but tarry you in the city of Jerusalem, until you be endued with power from on high.” He became a life-giving spirit.
Read more ...Dearly Beloved 1/22/18 "Blessed Beyond Our Wildest Dreams"
Blessed Beyond Our Wildest Dreams
Dearly beloved, God our Father blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realm in Christ.
By the exceeding greatness of God’s power, which He energized in Christ when He raised him from the dead, He set Christ at His own right hand in the heavenly realm. By the same power, when we were dead in sins, He made us alive together with Christ, (by grace you are saved), and He raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly realm in Christ Jesus!
The word “together” ought to jump off the page when you read it. By the same exceeding great power that God energized in His Son, He did the same for us in him because of His great love for us!
Read more ...Dearly Beloved 1/21/18 "Are You a Citizen?"
Are You a Citizen?
Dearly beloved, we are another day closer to the return of Christ than when we first believed. We are going home!
Philippians 3:20 and 21: For our conversation [citizenship] is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.
Does God’s Word teach us that we are to look for death as our entrance into glory? We are to look for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. When he comes he will change our body of humiliation so that it will be conformed to be like his glorious body.
Read more ...Dearly Beloved 1/21/18 "The End of the Citizenship Debate"
The End of the Citizenship Debate
Dearly beloved, we are another day closer to the return of Christ than when we first believed. We are going home!
Philippians 3:20 and 21: For our conversation [citizenship] is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.
Does God’s Word teach us that we are to look for death as our entrance into glory? No; we are to look for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. When he comes he will change our body of humiliation so that it will be conformed to be like his glorious body.
Read more ...Dearly Beloved 1/20/18 "You Are Dearly Beloved"
Dearly Beloved
You are the beloved of God and beloved by the Lord Jesus Christ, you are dearly beloved, so listen to them and think of yourself as they think of you.
Jesus Christ was God’s beloved Son, and God says that He made us accepted in the Beloved. “Accepted” is charitoo in the Greek and is translated highly favored the only other place it is used in God’s Word. God highly favored us in the Beloved, His Son Jesus Christ. I’ll say; He blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realm in Christ.
God, our Father chose us in Christ. In him, we are holy and without blame before Him. In love, He planned for us to have sonship through Jesus Christ according to the good pleasure of His will. In Christ, we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace, which He abounded to us.
Read more ...Dearly Beloved 1/19/18 "Slaves of a Tyrant or Freemen?"
Slaves of a Tyrant or Freemen?
Dearly beloved, it is a shame that we live in a free country and yet so many live in bondage, slaves to the tyrant, Ignorance. God’s people are destroyed by him.
In a realm that so much is available concerning health care, blindness still appears to be an ever present concern. The “so-called” god of this world has blinded the thinking processes of them that believe not, if perhaps the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.
God is willing to give His spirit to people so they can receive spiritual wisdom and revelation knowledge from Him. He gave us His spirit and His Word to profit us. He wants to open the eyes of our understanding so that we know the good pleasure of His will in Christ. If we stay ignorant after He has revealed His will to us, it isn’t His fault.
Read more ...Dearly Beloved 1/18/18 "That's Slander!"
That’s Slander!
Dearly beloved, have you ever been lied about, and slandered? Me too, but it doesn’t compare to the lies and slander spread about the One True and Living God, my Heavenly Father.
First, let me set the record straight; God is light and there is no darkness in Him at all. If we are to know what He is like we ought to hear it firsthand from His own mouth because you cannot separate Him from His Word. We should not believe slanderous lies about him.
By the way, who is behind the lies and slander against God? The Lord Jesus Christ said that the devil, “Was a murderer from the beginning, and he does not stand in truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies.”
Read more ...Dearly Beloved 1/17/18 "Are You Grounded in Reality?"
Are You Grounded in Reality?
Dearly beloved of God, after we are born again of God’s spirit we must bring our minds in alignment with God’s divine nature that is born within us. God gave us great and precious promises so that we could become partakers of His divine nature. This is the reality.
The divine nature does not change our minds for us; we must change our own minds. It is our responsibility to feed our minds with information from the Word of God. The process of renewing our minds is what grounds us in the reality that is born within us.
Beloved, now we are the sons of God; do we think about ourselves this way, or does the old thinking of the flesh dominate our thinking processes? We must put on the mind of Christ if we are to be grounded in reality.
Read more ...Dearly Beloved 1/16/18 "Great Power and Profit"
Great Power and Profit
Dearly beloved, every believer in Christ receives the gift of holy spirit when they are born again [Acts 2:38]. In Christ, every believer receives the same spirit
[I Corinthians 1:6-8 and 12:4]; the spirit of sonship [Romans 8:15].
The Lord Jesus Christ said that a man had to be born again if he was to see and enter the kingdom of God; to be born of the spirit. A little later on, the gospel records that they that would believe on him would receive the spirit, but at that time the holy spirit was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.
After his resurrection from the dead, he said that he would send the promise of His Father upon them, and they would be endued with power from on high. He spoke of it as being baptized with the holy spirit in Acts 1, and he said that they would receive power when the holy spirit came upon them.
Read more ...Dearly Beloved 1/15/18 "Get Your "But" Out of God"
Get Your “But” out of God
Dearly beloved, have you ever spoken to someone about what God made available to them in Christ Jesus our Lord, only to have them reply, “Yes, but…”? They probably worshiped at the altar of a lesser god, and do not know the goodness of our God. Folks need to get their “but” out of God.
Our God is the Creator of the heavens and the earth, the Most Powerful God, God Almighty, the One True and Living God, the God who becomes what He will become, the God that became the God of the children of Israel, the God who is the Father of the Lord Jesus Christ; that God is our God and He says that He is our Father!
Think of how able He is! Think of the wisdom and power it took to create the heavens and the earth, and the laws that He put in place for its seamless operation, that perpetually work to preserve it for us. He is unlimited in wisdom and power!
Read more ...Dearly Beloved 1/13/18 "Let's Talk Immigration!"
Let’s Talk Immigration!
Dearly beloved, you may not know it, but I was an immigrant; but I am a legalized citizen now. In time past I walked according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now works in my former countrymen, the children of disobedience. By nature, I lived in times past in the lusts of my flesh and of my mind. I was a child of wrath like many others still are. I lived in the course of this world.
I was a stranger and foreigner, an alien who had no part in the commonwealth of Israel, and was a stranger from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world. At that time, I was without Christ, but he has now made me near.
Christ Jesus broke down the barrier that divided me from the citizens that had covenant promises and that kept me from citizenship. He gave me access by his spirit. Now, therefore, I am no more a stranger and foreigner, I am a fellow citizen with the saints, and a member of the household of God.
Read more ...Dearly Beloved 1/12/18 "The Plain Truth"
The Plain Truth
Dearly beloved of God, the plain truth is staring us in the face, but there is a force at work that is trying to eliminate it so that people do not know about it.
The plain truth is that God revealed Himself and His will to us by giving us His Word. The force that does not want us to know the truth is the so-called “god of this world”, who is the devil, or Satan. He does everything in his power to keep people from knowing and believing this plain truth.
The Word of God is to Christianity what the Constitution is to the United States of America. The Constitution is the document that governs our nation. It defines our rights and liberties. It stands above parties, personalities, would-be dictators, kings, and any other power that assaults our freedoms. The Constitution is the law of the land - not a person, or a party. As citizens we are ruled by this law. The Supreme Court was designed to protect the truth this document declares and thereby preserve our freedoms.
Read more ...Dearly Beloved 1/11/18 "How God Counts"
How God Counts
Dearly beloved, when we consider every verse in Romans that speaks of righteousness we find that it is God-given justification whereby in Christ we stand in the presence of God without any sense of sin, guilt or condemnation.
We are saved by believing in the Lord Jesus Christ and what he accomplished. Chapter four of Romans elaborates on believing and gives us Abraham’s example of believing what God said as the way of obtaining righteousness.
Romans 4:3: For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.
Abraham believed what God said to him and God counted his believing for righteousness.
Read more ...Dearly Beloved 1/10/18 "How Do You Judge?"
How Do You Judge?
Dearly beloved, judge yourself as God judges you in Christ. To judge yourself by any other standard is worthless. Take the Apostle Paul for example.
In the eyes of the religious world, he was up and coming. He had the right pedigree and religious education; he had been to the right schools, and sat at the feet of Gamaliel, one of the most renowned teachers of his day. He had all the trappings of power; he was a Pharisee of the Pharisees, a member of the Sanhedrin, the governing body of Israel, yet he was dead in sin.
Read more ...Dearly Beloved 1/9/18 "The Fountain of Living Waters"
The Fountain of Living Waters
Dearly beloved, if we remain ignorant after God has revealed His Word, we cannot blame Him for our ignorance. His Word gives us the revelation of what is available to us from Him.
When we have the God-breathed Word, we are standing in the presence of the Living God. God’s Word is our point of contact, our touchstone with the Almighty God. You cannot get any closer to God than His Word.
Simply put, the Word of God is the revelation of His Will to man.
If we will utilize the source that God provided us for our spiritual education, we will be in a position that He can teach us. If we will take Him at His Word, we can learn from the mouth of God Himself.
Read more ...Dearly Beloved 1/8/18 "Walking With Him"
Walking With Him
Dearly beloved of God, when we were born again of God’s spirit it established a relationship with God.
God became our Father when we were born of His spirit. We became His children, and now we are members of His family. The spirit of sonship endued us with power from on high. The spirit of Him that raised Jesus from the dead now dwells in us!
In His planning beforehand, He determined that all His children would be conformed to the image of His Son, so that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. God’s children are in Christ, conformed to his image (he became a life-giving spirit), and members of his body.
In Christ, we are justified, righteous, redeemed, and sanctified. We are complete in him, and blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realm in him. It is all in all of us. Our Father freely gives us all things with Christ. We will even be glorified together with him.
Read more ...Dearly Beloved 1/7/18 "Since and So"
Since and So
Dearly beloved, since we live in the spirit, so, let us also walk in the spirit. We live in the spirit because we are born again of God’s spirit, so we should walk in the spirit.
When a child is born in the natural realm, it is born with ability. The child also has rights in the family in which he is born. The same is true of the birth of the spirit.
Each of the children of God receive the spirit in the new birth. It is the gift of holy spirit. It is spirit life. It is the sonship spirit. If a person does not have this spirit from God, he is not His.
Our Father sealed us with His holy spirit; He sealed us for eternal life. We have the spirit of Him that raised Jesus from the dead dwelling in us now.
Read more ...Dearly Beloved 1/7/18 "Don't Marvel, Believe It"
Don’t Marvel, Believe It!
Dearly beloved, the Lord Jesus Christ made a startling statement to a Pharisee named Nicodemus, who was a member of the Sanhedrin, the governing body of Israel. He was a religious leader who became a follower of Jesus Christ.
John 3:3 and 4: “Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born?”
Nicodemus wanted to know how a full-grown man could be born when he was old. He did not grasp the truth the Lord set before him. The Lord continued to teach him so that he could understand.
John 3:5-7: “Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.”
Read more ...Dearly Beloved 1/5/18 "You Must Be Born Again"
You Must Be Born Again
Dearly beloved, why does a person have a need to be saved? Genesis 1-3 gives us the background information needed if we are to understand this. God formed Adam’s body, He gave him soul life (breath life, the life of the flesh), and He created Him in His own image, that of spirit.
The serpent, called the devil and Satan, was a powerful spirit being called a cherub; he deceived Eve. He talked her out of believing what God said and convinced her to listen to him instead.
He offered her the knowledge of evil and she ate of it and offered it to her husband. They died that very day as God said they would if they disobeyed his commandment.
What died that day? Adam went on to live a total of 930 years as a human being before he physically died. He lived as a natural man, having a body and soul life, but he no longer had spirit life.
Read more ...Dearly Beloved 1/4/18 "Challenges, Resources and Deliverance"
Challenges, Resources, and Deliverance
Dearly beloved, some days are more challenging than others, aren’t they? Despite the challenges we face, we must remember that our Father is the Most High God, the Almighty God, and He says that He is our sufficiency.
“And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work.”
He says that He is willing to abound toward us with His Divine favor, so that we can abound in doing His will. He is our sufficiency when it comes to finances. We plant financial seeds when we give, and He multiplies the seed sown. He will not open the windows of heaven and pour you out a blessing that there is not room enough to receive it. He says just prove Him.
Three times the Apostle Paul asked the Lord to remove the messenger of Satan that buffeted him. He replied, “My grace [My favor] is sufficient for you: for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” That is why he could say, “When I am weak, then I am powerful.” When Paul was challenged with unfavorable circumstances where did he turn for deliverance?
Read more ...Dearly Beloved 1/3/18 "What Was He Thinking?"
What Was He Thinking?
Dearly beloved, did you know that when God sent Jesus into the world He had you in mind? He not only sent Jesus to redeem and save us, He included us in his accomplishments. God determined that we would be “in Christ”. As a matter of fact, God uses the expression one hundred and sixty-four times in Paul’s letters.
Beloved of God, God included you in every one of his accomplishments. You have a standing before God in Christ. In the Church Epistles, God always designates our position and standing before Him as “in Christ” or “in Christ Jesus”. All that we are and what we have is in him.
Romans 8:1 AV
There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus.
Why is there “now no condemnation” to us? From God’s point of view, we now stand before Him in Christ Jesus and in his accomplishments. We are no longer associated with Adam and come under the condemnation he brought upon man. In Christ Jesus, we have a new standing before God. We stand before Him in Christ Jesus.
Read more ...Dearly Beloved 1/2/18 "Why?"
Why?
Dearly beloved, the Scriptures reveal what our Father thinks about us. He tells us over and over again. We are His pearls of great price, those like the woman’s lost heirloom of silver, His good seed, those who are born of His spirit, His children, His heirs, and joint-heirs with Christ, His dearly beloved.
He called us to obtain the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ. He called us when we were dead in sin, ungodly, and enemies of God. He sent His Son to save and redeem us. We are his purchased possession, which he purchased with his life.
Our Father poured out His love to us by giving us His holy spirit as a gift. He determined beforehand for us to be conformed to the image of His Son, so that he might be the firstborn among brethren. Now, in Christ, we are a kind of first fruits unto Him. Imagine that, beloved.
Read more ...Dearly Beloved 1/2/18 "Do It Now" by Berton Braley
Do It Now: by Berton Braley
If with pleasure you are viewing any work a man is doing,
If you like him or you love him, tell him now;
Don't withhold your approbation till the parson makes oration
And he lies with snowy lilies on his brow;
No matter how you shout it he won't really care about it;
He won't know how many teardrops you have shed;
If you think some praise is due him now's the time to slip it to him,
For he cannot read his tombstone when he's dead.
More than fame and more than money is the comment kind and sunny
And the hearty, warm approval of a friend.
For it gives to life a savor, and it makes you stronger, braver,
And it gives you heart and spirit to the end;
If he earns your praise — bestow it; if you like him let him know it;
Let the words of true encouragement be said;
Do not wait till life is over and he's underneath the clover,
For he cannot read his tombstone when he's dead.
Dearly Beloved 1/1/18 "Happy New Year!"
Happy New Year!
I hope this year brings more than just a new year, dearly beloved. I hope it brings the reality for which we were called.
The first two chapters of II Thessalonians reveal the two aspects of the Lord Jesus Christ’s coming.
The first is the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together up to him. This is when Christ will come to be glorified in his saints and admired in all them that believe. This is the departure, which is described in the context as that which restrains the man of sin from being revealed until it is taken out of the way.
Read more ...