Complacency vs. God's Teachings

One of the most dangerous places that we can come to in the body of Christ is the place when we believe that we have a full grasp of the Word of God. All of our lives we can spend listening to the teachers of scripture and accept their lessons and then God can send one in the midst of us to shift the whole paradigm of what we have always been taught. If we are complacent with what we know and think that all the knowledge we have, is all the knowledge we will ever need on the matter, we will surely miss God in the midst. The children of Israel experienced this when they were so caught up on the scriptures of Moses and the law that the very Son of God their Sheppard and King came to teach them and they rejected and tried to use their wisdom of scripture to prove Him to be a blasphemer. Jesus repeatedly told them “you don’t know my Father because if you did you would know me”!!! There were many times in the scriptures that the Jews would say that “this man doesn’t teach as one of the teachers of the law but as one who has authority”. Jesus said Himself that He never said anything that was of himself but only spoke what the Father gave Him to say. So He taught with the Authority of God because it was God that was teaching through Him. We have heard man’s teaching for so long that when God decides to show up in a place and teach we reject it because it is not what seems right to us. Be slow to speak and quick to listen, we have 2 ears and one mouth, which should prove that it is twice as important to listen as to speak. Always seek the Father and the Holy Spirit to bring revelation of scripture. Never be complacent when it comes to the Word of God and His teaching!!! Have a wonderful life of enjoying the pursuit of why you were created on purpose!!!!!

Matthew 7

Judging Others
1"Do not judge, or you too will be judged. 2For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.
3"Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? 4How can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? 5You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye.
6"Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and then turn and tear you to pieces.

Ask, Seek, Knock
7"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.
9"Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! 12So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.

The Narrow and Wide Gates
13"Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.

A Tree and Its Fruit
15"Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. 16By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. 19Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.
21"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' 23Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'

The Wise and Foolish Builders
24"Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. 26But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash."

28When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, 29because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law.

The Battle vs. Complacency

The Bible tells us to be sober and vigilant many times over. It even says in 1 Peter 5:8 to be vigilant and sober because the enemy is a roaring lion, walking about seeking whom he may devour. Too many times in our Christian journeys we get comfortable in a season of life were we enjoy blessings and believe that life is perfect. Then we get hit from the blind side with a terrible blow. We forget to raise our hands to the one who protects us daily and try to deal with the situation in our own power, because of our recent success. EVERYDAY is a battle and in a battle we are REQUIRED to wear the battle gear. We have to understand that the enemy knows that he has already lost the War and all that he can win are these individual battles. In our Father’s Love He has given us all that we need to have victory in all our daily battles. We must be sober to realize that we are more than conquers in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ alone. If we continue to allow the enemy to win the daily battles we will continue to be so burden by the fighting that we will not have focus on spreading the Gospel and doing God’s will. Today and every day until your call to glory put on your Armor to stand!!! Have a wonderful life of enjoying the pursuit of why you were created on purpose!!!!!


“The Charge” at www.thecharge-dcoutourier.blogspot.com

Ephesians 6

Children and Parents
1Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 2"Honor your father and mother"—which is the first commandment with a promise— 3"that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth."[a] 4Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.

Slaves and Masters
5Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ. 6Obey them not only to win their favor when their eye is on you, but like slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart. 7Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men, 8because you know that the Lord will reward everyone for whatever good he does, whether he is slave or free.
9And masters, treat your slaves in the same way. Do not threaten them, since you know that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no favoritism with him.

The Armor of God
10Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. 12For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.

Complacency for the Counterfeit!!!

The Accuser of the Saints continues to shoot fiery darts all around us to keep us from pressing forward into his gates to save the souls of so many that are still lost. Another reason why the body becomes complacent is because they give up their passion to press forward in God’s Will, for an established title or reputation. Imagine this, Jesus goes forth throughout Judea and Jerusalem healing the sick and casting out demons. The people are all speaking of His greatness and His impact in their area. He has the best teaching and preaching heard around Israel. Jesus Christ decides to set up a church and becomes the first Pastor of the first mega church known to man. While that might have been great, that would not have fulfilled God’s purpose for His life. We would still be separated from God because Jesus choose to take the affections of men and the cheer of the crowd over the call of His Father. In other words everything that is “good” is not sent from heaven!!! The enemy can send prosperity, fame, and gain just as our Father can. We cannot settle with just a title because men are pleased with our gifting and we have made a name for ourselves in the church or the community. We must continue to press towards the mark of our creation!!! If leaving that title behind and all those cheering folks are left with no answer but you are in the perfect Will of the Father, you will be in Great Company!!! Our Lord and Savior experienced the same life, He pressed toward the “God” thing and not the “Good” thing!!! Be Encouraged!!! Have a wonderful life of enjoying the pursuit of why you were created on purpose!!!!!

John 6

Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand
1Some time after this, Jesus crossed to the far shore of the Sea of Galilee (that is, the Sea of Tiberias), 2and a great crowd of people followed him because they saw the miraculous signs he had performed on the sick. 3Then Jesus went up on a mountainside and sat down with his disciples. 4The Jewish Passover Feast was near.
5When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward him, he said to Philip, "Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?" 6He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do.
7Philip answered him, "Eight months' wages[a] would not buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!"
8Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, spoke up, 9"Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?"
10Jesus said, "Have the people sit down." There was plenty of grass in that place, and the men sat down, about five thousand of them. 11Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish.
12When they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, "Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted." 13So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten.
14After the people saw the miraculous sign that Jesus did, they began to say, "Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world." 15Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by himself.

Complacency of Fellowship vs Godly Fellowship

As we know from the many examples we have in the Bible, most of the saints that have truly made an impact for God associated themselves around other saints that were running for God or with more seasoned saints that could pour wisdom into them according to the Word of God. One of the places that spirit of complacency enters in, is in a group of saints who trade the standard of God for the social climate of the group. The group settles for fellowship rather than the calling of their creation. We see in this group that eventually all the saints are brought to the same maturity level and the need for drawing deeper into the Word of God is replaced with the belief that the group “is” the standard. Most saints don’t realize they have settled into this scene of “Social Christiandom”, but here are some of the signs; first, if your gatherings are more about fun and games than having a heart for the Lord to show up in the midst of the atmosphere and take over, your heart maybe be settling for less. Secondly, if the conversations amongst the group are not edifying, encouraging, and spurring one another onto righteousness, you might be settling for something less. Lastly, if conversations are always polite and admonishment doesn’t take place, in that people can be corrected in love and brought back to the path of Christ in the midst of the relationships and falsehood is the attitude of the day, then you might have settled for something less. Most saints might say that, “we do not have to talk about God and the Bible every time we gather”, which may be fine for most, but which saint wouldn’t want to??? If we are the temples of the Holy Spirit and we Love God our Father more than anyone else on Earth, why wouldn’t He be on our tongues every time we gather with other saints and have the freedom to discuss Him in the open??? Does the company you keep press towards the mark of the High Calling of our Lord and Savior or have they become complacent and settled for just common fellowship??? Have a wonderful life of enjoying the pursuit of why you were created on purpose!!!!!

Ephesians 4

Unity in the Body of Christ
1As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. 2Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. 3Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. 4There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to one hope when you were called— 5one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.
7But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it. 8This is why it[a] says: "When he ascended on high,
he led captives in his train
and gave gifts to men."[b]
9(What does "he ascended" mean except that he also descended to the lower, earthly regions[c]? 10He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe.) 11It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, 12to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.
14Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. 15Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ. 16From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.

Living as Children of Light
17So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. 18They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. 19Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, with a continual lust for more.
20You, however, did not come to know Christ that way. 21Surely you heard of him and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. 22You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; 23to be made new in the attitude of your minds; 24and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.
25Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one body. 26"In your anger do not sin"[d]: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, 27and do not give the devil a foothold. 28He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with his own hands, that he may have something to share with those in need.
29Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. 30And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. 32Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

Pressing through Complacency!!!

As we are all connected in the Body of Christ, it is very dangerous for even one of us to become complacent in our walks. This unfortunately robes the body year after year of its impact on this secular world. We as children of the most High God, become satisfied with our state in life and our position of being counted as a saint. It is wonderful to appreciate the position we have been given in Christ and the fact that we glorify God for our salvation and our eternal hope in our home in the heavens. But we have a purpose here on earth and when we get to the place when we think we read enough or pray enough and that God is pleased were we are, that is the start of our fall. Our Christian journey’s can never come to a place when we feel as though we have made it or that we are ”good” where we are in our walks. Sadly, this is usually the time when Satan comes in and starts us on a slow slippery slide away from our purpose and our maturity in Christ. We simply stop running to meet the mark of our creation and we settle for a Christian social scene were more often than not an attitude of entitlement to the blessings of God is fostered and arrogance and hate for those still trapped in the world is formed. This religious spirit has crippled saint after saint and church after church. If we are not careful we will fall to the same trappings of the enemy and settle for something that is lower a than the standard of God!!! Today press forward in your race, have the mindset that the finish line is reaching glory!!! Have a wonderful life of enjoying the Word on purpose!!!!!

Philippians 3

No Confidence in the Flesh
1Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord! It is no trouble for me to write the same things to you again, and it is a safeguard for you.
2Watch out for those dogs, those men who do evil, those mutilators of the flesh. 3For it is we who are the circumcision, we who worship by the Spirit of God, who glory in Christ Jesus, and who put no confidence in the flesh— 4though I myself have reasons for such confidence. If anyone else thinks he has reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: 5circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; 6as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for legalistic righteousness, faultless.
7But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. 8What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ 9and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. 10I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.

Pressing on Toward the Goal
12Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 13Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
15All of us who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you. 16Only let us live up to what we have already attained.
17Join with others in following my example, brothers, and take note of those who live according to the pattern we gave you. 18For, as I have often told you before and now say again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. 19Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is on earthly things. 20But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.

God's Word Our Refuge!!!

Reading the Word of God for us is like a child reading a letter from his father. The Bible to us is the greatest manual we could ever read and learn from. It details our journey and all the trappings we will face along the way. It continues to encourage and inspire us to die daily for others as our risen Christ died for us. It allows us to discern the false prophets and teachers, which allows us to stay on the path that only God created us for. We draw strength through the testimonies of the Saints of old. If our Father didn’t provide us with His inspired Word and we were left alone to take this journey in this cold world, we surely would go crazy. When friends and family started and continue to turn their backs due to the transformation our Father takes us through, if it wasn’t for His Word and His Grace the pain would be too much to bare and we would have given up a long time ago. There is nothing else that keeps us sane, but the Word of God and our blessed assurance of our hope in our eternal life. When we think that we are walking on the ceiling, His word confirms that we are actually walking on the ground and everyone else is walking on the ceiling. Here by His Grace lays a 66 book love letter that we have access to. In other countries we would be killed or thrown in jail just by opening this book. Think about the passion other Saints have in those countries to follow the ways and teachings of Christ and how they just want more Bibles to spread the Good News to others. Today, let us all take the opportunity we have in our freedom (which is being stripped away daily and one day in our near future in this country, we may suffer with our other brothers and sisters in the persecution of jail, torture, and death) and open the Word and read of our Father’s Love for Us!!! Have a wonderful life of enjoying the Word on purpose!!!!!

Romans 15

1We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves. 2Each of us should please his neighbor for his good, to build him up. 3For even Christ did not please himself but, as it is written: "The insults of those who insult you have fallen on me."[a] 4For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.

5May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, 6so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

7Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God. 8For I tell you that Christ has become a servant of the Jews[b]on behalf of God's truth, to confirm the promises made to the patriarchs 9so that the Gentiles may glorify God for his mercy, as it is written:
"Therefore I will praise you among the Gentiles;
I will sing hymns to your name."[c]
10Again, it says,
"Rejoice, O Gentiles, with his people."[d]
11And again,
"Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles,
and sing praises to him, all you peoples."[e]
12And again, Isaiah says,
"The Root of Jesse will spring up,
one who will arise to rule over the nations;
the Gentiles will hope in him."[f]

13May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

The Word, Our Spiritual Nourishment!!!

We all know as the children of the Most High God the benefits of being in His Word, but from time to time we need a reminder. Jesus Christ Himself stated that “Man does not live on bread alone, but from every word that comes from the mouth of God”. The Word of God to us is more precious than the bread we eat to stay alive. Well, if we care that much for our natural flesh which as Paul said “produces no good thing”, how much more should we feed our Spirit, which is the gift from a Loving Father and came from the obedience of a Loving Son. We once thought that our lives were our own and we wanted to preserve this life to do our own will. Then we learned that we really cannot live our own lives, we either live in obedience unto the law of death which is unto Satan or unto the law of life which is unto God. We choose to either eat from the tree of “Life” which produces eternal life through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (which was the eating of his flesh) or from the tree of “The Knowledge of Good and Evil”, which as God said to Adam “You will surely die”. We know now that our temples are not our own and it was bought at a price for righteousness. Our bread eating today is to only keep the natural temple strong and able for the Holy Spirit to do the work of God, in and through us. If it is recommended to eat three meals a day to keep the natural body strong, how much more should the Spiritual body eat a day??? We all have to see the importance of feeding our Spirit Man, the only nourishment that can sustain Him is the Word of God!!! Have a wonderful life of enjoying the Word on purpose!!!!!

Psalm 119


89 Your word, O LORD, is eternal;
it stands firm in the heavens.

90 Your faithfulness continues through all generations;
you established the earth, and it endures.

91 Your laws endure to this day,
for all things serve you.

92 If your law had not been my delight,
I would have perished in my affliction.

93 I will never forget your precepts,
for by them you have preserved my life.

94 Save me, for I am yours;
I have sought out your precepts.

95 The wicked are waiting to destroy me,
but I will ponder your statutes.

96 To all perfection I see a limit;
but your commands are boundless.

97 Oh, how I love your law!
I meditate on it all day long.

98 Your commands make me wiser than my enemies,
for they are ever with me.

99 I have more insight than all my teachers,
for I meditate on your statutes.

100 I have more understanding than the elders,
for I obey your precepts.

101 I have kept my feet from every evil path
so that I might obey your word.

102 I have not departed from your laws,
for you yourself have taught me.

103 How sweet are your words to my taste,
sweeter than honey to my mouth!

104 I gain understanding from your precepts;
therefore I hate every wrong path.

105 Your word is a lamp to my feet
and a light for my path.

106 I have taken an oath and confirmed it,
that I will follow your righteous laws.

107 I have suffered much;
preserve my life, O LORD, according to your word.

108 Accept, O LORD, the willing praise of my mouth,
and teach me your laws.

109 Though I constantly take my life in my hands,
I will not forget your law.

110 The wicked have set a snare for me,
but I have not strayed from your precepts.

111 Your statutes are my heritage forever;
they are the joy of my heart.

112 My heart is set on keeping your decrees
to the very end.

The Living Word!!!

As we continue in our journey in Christ, we must continue to change our perspective that we once had for the Word of God. We once thought of the bible as the world did, this big book of crazy words that made no sense when we read it. Older people in our families or maybe teachers would tell us to read this book so we could learn about God. We were told that it was very important, but now that message is being lost in our society. Once we became a Christian we started trying to read out of obligation because our Pastors or Mentors told us is was important to learn about Jesus Christ. We may have struggled at first but with a passion to please God and the people around us we dove into the Word. The Holy Spirit has given us insight and we started to see many mysteries hidden in God’s Word that gave us wisdom for our walks. Sadly, in some season our fever for the Word of God became less and less as our lives became busier and busier. We know that we ought to be reading our Word daily and praying to God daily but we just don’t have the time. Just a thought to help with our perspectives. If you had the opportunity to sit down with Jesus Christ Himself today and just listen to him, or be present when He was out teaching the five thousand or when He was instructing Paul what to say to the gentiles, would you sit and listen??? Well we have that opportunity every day, if the disciple John was right when He said that “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God”, and later he stated that “The Word became flesh and dwelt amongst us”, then the very Word of God is the closet outside of prayer we get to fellowship with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!!! Our King is the Living Word and all that was created was created through Him. The whole bible speaks and testifies of His life and purpose and teachings. Our fellowship with the Word is a one to one correlation to our fellowship with Christ our Risen King. Today, did you take time to fellowship with Him??? Have a wonderful life of enjoying the Word on purpose!!!!!

John 1

The Word Became Flesh
1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2He was with God in the beginning.
3Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4In him was life, and that life was the light of men. 5The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood[a] it.
6There came a man who was sent from God; his name was John. 7He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all men might believe. 8He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. 9The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world.[b]
10He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. 11He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. 12Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— 13children born not of natural descent,[c] nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God.
14The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only,[d] who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
15John testifies concerning him. He cries out, saying, "This was he of whom I said, 'He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.' " 16From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another. 17For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only,[e][f]who is at the Father's side, has made him known.

John the Baptist Denies Being the Christ
19Now this was John's testimony when the Jews of Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask him who he was. 20He did not fail to confess, but confessed freely, "I am not the Christ.[g]"
21They asked him, "Then who are you? Are you Elijah?" He said, "I am not." "Are you the Prophet?" He answered, "No."
22Finally they said, "Who are you? Give us an answer to take back to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?"
23John replied in the words of Isaiah the prophet, "I am the voice of one calling in the desert, 'Make straight the way for the Lord.' "[h]
24Now some Pharisees who had been sent 25questioned him, "Why then do you baptize if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?"
26"I baptize with[i] water," John replied, "but among you stands one you do not know. 27He is the one who comes after me, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie."
28This all happened at Bethany on the other side of the Jordan, where John was baptizing.

Jesus the Lamb of God
29The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! 30This is the one I meant when I said, 'A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.' 31I myself did not know him, but the reason I came baptizing with water was that he might be revealed to Israel."
32Then John gave this testimony: "I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him. 33I would not have known him, except that the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, 'The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is he who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.' 34I have seen and I testify that this is the Son of God."

Jesus' First Disciples
35The next day John was there again with two of his disciples. 36When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, "Look, the Lamb of God!"
37When the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus. 38Turning around, Jesus saw them following and asked, "What do you want?" They said, "Rabbi" (which means Teacher), "where are you staying?"
39"Come," he replied, "and you will see." So they went and saw where he was staying, and spent that day with him. It was about the tenth hour.
40Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus. 41The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, "We have found the Messiah" (that is, the Christ). 42And he brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, "You are Simon son of John. You will be called Cephas" (which, when translated, is Peter[j]).

Jesus Calls Philip and Nathanael
43The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, he said to him, "Follow me."
44Philip, like Andrew and Peter, was from the town of Bethsaida. 45Philip found Nathanael and told him, "We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph."
46"Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?" Nathanael asked. "Come and see," said Philip.
47When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, "Here is a true Israelite, in whom there is nothing false."
48"How do you know me?" Nathanael asked. Jesus answered, "I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you."
49Then Nathanael declared, "Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel."
50Jesus said, "You believe[k] because I told you I saw you under the fig tree. You shall see greater things than that." 51He then added, "I tell you[l] the truth, you[m] shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man."

Joy in all Seasons

We know that the life we have on this side is just for a brief moment compared to the eternity we have waiting for us in Heaven. In a brief picture it’s like comparing the time we spent as an infant to the rest of our lives if we lived to be 100 years old. In a flash this life will be over and everything we did will be put on a weight, tried and measured by fire. Each season we have in this life is for a purpose and a reason, we are called to be the salt and light of the world. We are to preserve this world from decaying at a faster rate than it already is. We are to spread light to a dark world that has no hope. The pressing that we do in this life will not compare to the overwhelming beauty of the next. We are CHRIST, for He is in us and we are in Him and in Him we move and have our being!!! We can endure all seasons because our hope is sealed in a time of glory and a promise of a perfected body. No one took our savior’s life, but Jesus Christ laid it down for us to partake in the everlasting life, and our heavenly Father raised it again and made His name greater than any other name!!! No one can take our joy in any season, for our lives are temporal and this season of persecution or trail too shall pass, but the glory of God and our Hope in our Risen King shall last forever!!! While we wish to be on the other side with our Lord and Savior, it is as Paul said, it is beneficial for us to continue to press forward and to be the Salt and Light until the coming of our Savior!!! Have a wonderful life of enjoying seasons on purpose!!!!!

John 15

The Vine and the Branches
1"I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes[a] so that it will be even more fruitful. 3You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.
5"I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 6If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. 7If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. 8This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.
9"As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. 10If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love. 11I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. 12My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. 13Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. 14You are my friends if you do what I command. 15I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. 16You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. 17This is my command: Love each other.

The World Hates the Disciples
18"If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. 19If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. 20Remember the words I spoke to you: 'No servant is greater than his master.'[b] If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also. 21They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the One who sent me. 22If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin. Now, however, they have no excuse for their sin. 23He who hates me hates my Father as well. 24If I had not done among them what no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin. But now they have seen these miracles, and yet they have hated both me and my Father. 25But this is to fulfill what is written in their Law: 'They hated me without reason.'[c]
26"When the Counselor comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father, he will testify about me. 27And you also must testify, for you have been with me from the beginning.

God's Season

One of the most frustrating aspects in the Christian’s walk is trying to figure out what God is doing in our lives at any given time. We find ourselves wondering and spending much prayer time in trying to figure out why life is not going the way it ought to be or why God is not answering our prayers and giving us the success we want for an endeavor we are in. The problem that we experience is that we may be operating in the wrong season. If we are sowing when we are suppose to be harvesting we will continue to experience frustration and wonder why the Father is allowing such a difficult time in our lives. First we have to understand that we gave ourselves as a living sacrifice and our lives are no longer ours, but their the Lords. Therefore we are no longer on our time and agenda but now we are in His will and our lives should be hidden in Christ. We want to be in the favor of God, but we also want to live our own lives and do what we “will” to do. The mercy of God is that from time to time He allows us to do our own thing and He may even bless it if He chooses to, but you run the risk of His mercy. God has never the obligation of blessing something that is outside of His Will. He will always bless you when you are obedient to His Will and movement. We can experience His constant grace by understanding the season He has us in and responding properly to the Holy Spirit!!! Are you in the proper season of life according to God’s Will??? Have a wonderful life of seasons on purpose!!!!!

Psalm 1

1 Blessed is the man
who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked
or stand in the way of sinners
or sit in the seat of mockers.

2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD,
and on his law he meditates day and night.

3 He is like a tree planted by streams of water,
which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither.
Whatever he does prospers.

4 Not so the wicked!
They are like chaff
that the wind blows away.

5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.

6 For the LORD watches over the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked will perish.

Redemption's Purpose

The redemption of man was the grand plan of God before time in order to bring fallen man back into the righteous state in order to have a relationship with the Himself. This allows man to bring glory to God and be His representatives of His grace in the earth and a vessel for His Holy Spirit to do His perfect Will. We bring God worship and praise for the grace of our salvation and the redemptive work on the cross His son Jesus Christ performed. Our love for God and Jesus must be a mirror for the world to look into. They should see the beauty of a loving Father and obedient Son. Our part in God’s big picture is to show the world there is another choice and that we can choose life instead of death. We must be the mouth pieces willing to be used by the Father in order that we may save some. How do you glorify a loving Father today? Can the world tell that you have been redeemed by your lifestyle? Walk in the purpose of your redemption and hear those two beautiful words at the end of your life!!! “WELL DONE”!!! Have a wonderful life of redemption on purpose!!!!!

Titus 2

What Must Be Taught to Various Groups
1You must teach what is in accord with sound doctrine. 2Teach the older men to be temperate, worthy of respect, self-controlled, and sound in faith, in love and in endurance.
3Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. 4Then they can train the younger women to love their husbands and children, 5to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God.
6Similarly, encourage the young men to be self-controlled. 7In everything set them an example by doing what is good. In your teaching show integrity, seriousness 8and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned, so that those who oppose you may be ashamed because they have nothing bad to say about us.
9Teach slaves to be subject to their masters in everything, to try to please them, not to talk back to them, 10and not to steal from them, but to show that they can be fully trusted, so that in every way they will make the teaching about God our Savior attractive.
11For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. 12It teaches us to say "No" to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, 13while we wait for the blessed hope—the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, 14who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.
15These, then, are the things you should teach. Encourage and rebuke with all authority. Do not let anyone despise you.

Redemption into Humility!!!

Our redemption lies solely on the fact that we could never obtain God’s righteous standard without His help. This truth that first of all we never had the opportunity to fulfill the law as gentiles unless we tried to come under Judaism and follow all their rules and laws. Even if we had the opportunity as the Israelites did we still would not be able to stand in our own power which should continue to bring us to a humbled state before our God. Our eyes should be focused on a Loving God that decided not to leave us in the darkness, damned to an eternity in hell, but brought us into His marvelous light through the death and resurrection of His Son Jesus Christ, while we were still enemies. Sadly some of us walk around with this arrogance because of our new found life and the wisdom we have gained from God’s Word. We look down on those loved ones, friends, and neighbors who are still being conformed to this world. Jesus Christ himself who was God in the flesh saw himself as a servant and thought is not unfair to be lower than what His true nature was. Who are we to have a noise up to our fellow man?? Our charge is to be all things to all men so that we may save some through spreading of our gospel of reconciliation!!! Have a wonderful life of redemption on purpose!!!!!

Philippians 2

Imitating Christ's Humility
1If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, 2then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. 3Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. 4Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.
5Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: 6Who, being in very nature[a] God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, 7but made himself nothing, taking the very nature[b] of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death— even death on a cross! 9Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, 10that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Shining as Stars
12Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, 13for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.
14Do everything without complaining or arguing, 15so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe 16as you hold out[c] the word of life—in order that I may boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor for nothing. 17But even if I am being poured out like a drink offering on the sacrifice and service coming from your faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you. 18So you too should be glad and rejoice with me.

Christ Cost for Our Redemption

The Father looks out into the world at His children and sometimes with a tear, is grieved for the lives they have chosen once they accepted His Son. We have been given an awesome privilege to re-present Christ in the earth by allowing the Holy Spirit to move and use us according to the Father’s will. Most of us come to the Father for our own selfish reasons and once we receive what we came for we return to the ways of the world. Unfortunately, there are many children that start on the path with sincere hearts but after life those many difficult circumstances at them they too choose the comfort of the world instead of standing for Christ and His standard. We have to realize that we were bought with a price. Our redemption came at the price of another man’s life. We owe creditors for mortgages, cars, school, credit, and are faithful to pay them back. Yet our Savior gave up his life and our payments continue to be less and less or just stop all together because we don’t “see” a penalty as we do when we stop paying the electric and the lights get turned off. We need to realize that when we turn from the Father the light gets turned off as well, the light we are to show the world is no longer there and we are just adding to the darkness once again!!! Love the Lord and give yourself as a living sacrifice which is the reasonable act for your redemption. Have a wonderful life of redemption on purpose!!!!!

Romans 12

Living Sacrifices
1Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual[a] act of worship. 2Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
3For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you. 4Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, 5so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. 6We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man's gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his[b]faith. 7If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; 8if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.

1 Corinthians 6

Sexual Immorality
12"Everything is permissible for me"—but not everything is beneficial. "Everything is permissible for me"—but I will not be mastered by anything. 13"Food for the stomach and the stomach for food"—but God will destroy them both. The body is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. 14By his power God raised the Lord from the dead, and he will raise us also. 15Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ himself? Shall I then take the members of Christ and unite them with a prostitute? Never! 16Do you not know that he who unites himself with a prostitute is one with her in body? For it is said, "The two will become one flesh."[b] 17But he who unites himself with the Lord is one with him in spirit.
18Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a man commits are outside his body, but he who sins sexually sins against his own body. 19Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; 20you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.

Redemption in Christ!!!

Redemption defined by dictionary.com is an act of redeeming or the state of being redeemed, deliverance; rescue; or atonement for guilt; paying off, as of a mortgage, bond, or note. The completed work on the cross by our Lord and Savior redeemed us from the wages of sin which is death. When we go to work and leave at the end of the day there is a law that states that our employer owes us wages for those actions we committed. Therefore the scripture that says the wages of sin is death means that we have to die because the compensation for our sinful natures is death. This is the law of sinful nature. Jesus Christ was the only man who died in this world and had never sinned. He took on the sins of the world and when the law came to judge Him, the law for the first time found no sin in a man and therefore Jesus defeated the law. The same one that defeated this law now rests in all those who choose to have Him as their advocate and believe in His completed work. This is the redemption of man through Jesus Christ. The law has been broken and we have been set free by the atoning work of our Savior!!! If God is for us who can be against us!!! Have a wonderful life of redemption on purpose!!!!!

Romans 3

Righteousness Through Faith
21But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. 22This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, 23for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. 25God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement,[i] through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished— 26he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.
27Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded. On what principle? On that of observing the law? No, but on that of faith. 28For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from observing the law. 29Is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles too? Yes, of Gentiles too, 30since there is only one God, who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through that same faith. 31Do we, then, nullify the law by this faith? Not at all! Rather, we uphold the law.

Love is the Mark!!!

Love is the mark of the body of Christ. The maturity we are called to grow to in the Lord by the teaching and admonishing of the Holy Spirit, is to perfect the body in the area of love. We as God’s children are called to love Him, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, our neighbors, the saints in the body, the lost in the world, our enemies, our wives and husbands, our children, and ourselves. In order to be trained how to love so many different people in so many different situations we must allow the processing of the Holy Spirit to take place. Out of faith, hope, and love, love is the greatest according to the word of God. We know that it is impossible to please God without faith, so what does that say about love. If we had all of the spiritual gifts given by God and not love, we have nothing. Love is so vital to our testimony to the world and is the light that shines forth as a beacon for all that are in darkness and wants to come into the light. Operating in love only comes by operating in the spirit. We ourselves cannot love one another the way we ought to once we know the true article of love. Once we step away from our Lord and try to operate in this world in our own power and strength, we find ourselves right back to the same attitudes and frustration we once had while we were in the world. Love is so important to our Father and to please Him we must allow love to be processed and perfected in His will, in all of our lives!!! Have a wonderful life of love on purpose!!!!!

1 John 4

Test the Spirits
1Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. 2This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, 3but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.
4You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. 5They are from the world and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world, and the world listens to them. 6We are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us; but whoever is not from God does not listen to us. This is how we recognize the Spirit[a] of truth and the spirit of falsehood.
God's Love and Ours
7Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son[b] into the world that we might live through him. 10This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for[c] our sins. 11Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.
13We know that we live in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. 14And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. 15If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in him and he in God. 16And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.
God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. 17In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like him. 18There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.
19We love because he first loved us. 20If anyone says, "I love God," yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. 21And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother.