How to Grow in Faith

 Garbage in, garbage out.

What you consume daily wires your brain. Your beliefs and standards are shaped by what you take in the most. This can either lift you and help you grow closer to God, or it can tear you down and create a division between you and God. This is why what you feed, or what you take in, and spend time with matters.

This is the new series that we will begin today, entitled “How to Grow in Faith.” Let us pray.

Heavenly Father, we come before you today with loving hearts and thankfulness for all that you have given us, from life to life everlasting. Your Word declares this. “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness." We read this in your Word.

“For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.” Romans 8:5-8

We desire to please you, Father. We yearn for knowledge to grow in our faith and to overcome worldly desires. Please grant us the ability to see, hear, and understand what you wish us to know about you, your Word, and your ways. We ask this in Yeshua’s holy name. Amen.

How do you overcome the world, and how can a newborn child of God grow in faith, knowledge, and wisdom? This is what we will discuss.

1- Having the right mind.
2- Praying and talking to God.
3- Turning away from the world's ways.
4- Keeping company with like-minded folks.
5- Gathering together in His name.

Let’s start today with having the right mind. How do you do this? Stop feeding it worldly nonsense. Here is a good place to start. (Holding up the Bible.) This is the Bible. This is the Word of the everlasting God.

Forget what the World tells you is right and wrong, grey, or acceptable. Start learning what God says. The world is a world of flesh, and the things therein are for the flesh. It is opposed to God or anything spiritual. As Paul wrote to the Churches in Rome in Romans 12:2

"And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God."

The world will lie to you. It will tell you that this “book” is just like any other “religious book.” They were all written by men and are filled with contradictions. It is not. There are NO contradictions. There are misunderstands, differing points of view, or misinterpretations. But no contradictions.

“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,” 2 Timothy 3:16

OK, OK, but what makes it different from, say, the Qur'an, the Mahabharata, Torah, or the Book of Mormon?

There are many differences. However, there is one that makes it final. There are 1,239 prophecies in the Old Testament and 578 prophecies in the New Testament for a total of 1,817. This is according to “The Encyclopedia of Biblical Prophecy” by J. Barton Payne. If the Bible contains numerous predictions and they are found to be false, then we can conclude that the Bible itself is false. However, since about 26 percent of the Bible consists of prophecies, any predictions that have been proven correct would support the claim that the Bible is true.

Here are some examples. The general prophecy is that Babylon would rule over Judah for 70 years, as stated in Jeremiah 25:11-12. During this period, Babylon took many Jews captive, destroyed Jerusalem, and devastated the Temple. This domination of the Jews ended in 539 BC when Cyrus, a leader of the Persians and Medes, conquered Babylon, thus bringing an end to the empire. This event was foretold in Isaiah 45:1. Additionally, Jeremiah 49:15-20 and Ezekiel 25:12-14 both predict that the lush and beautiful land of Edom, which is now part of Jordan, would become a desert and wasteland.

Israel itself can be seen as a prophecy fulfilled. The Israel we know today, including the exact location and construction sequence of Jerusalem's nine suburbs, was predicted by the prophet Jeremiah about 2,600 years ago. Jeremiah 31:38-40; Ezekiel 37:21-22.

Additionally, Isaiah 66:7-8 describes this happening in a single day. This rebirth of Israel became a reality in 1948, once again occurring in just one day, and the construction of the nine suburbs has progressed exactly in the locations and sequence foretold. 

Then you have Jesus Himself. Who is he? Where does He come from? How does He live? How does He die? Even the rise from the dead? These are all in the Bible, some thousands of years, some hundreds of years before Jesus was even born. In extreme detail. Turn to Isaiah 53. We are going to read the whole thing. Ready?

“Who has believed what he has heard from us?
And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?

For he grew up before him like a young plant,
And like a root out of dry ground;
He had no form or majesty that we should look at Him,
And no beauty that we should desire Him.

He was despised and rejected by men,
A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief;
And as one from whom men hide their faces,
He was despised, and we esteemed him not.

Surely he has borne our griefs
And carried our sorrows;
Yet we esteemed him stricken,
Smitten by God and afflicted.

But he was pierced for our transgressions;
He was crushed for our iniquities;
Upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,
And with his wounds we are healed.

All we like sheep have gone astray;
We have turned--everyone--to his own way;
And the LORD has laid on him
The iniquity of us all.

He was oppressed, and he was afflicted,
Yet he opened not his mouth;
Like a lamb that is led to the slaughter,
And like a sheep that before its shearers is silent,
So he opened not his mouth.

By oppression and judgment, he was taken away;
And as for his generation,
Who considered that he was cut off from the land of the living,
Stricken for the transgression of my people?

And they made his grave with the wicked
And with a rich man in his death,
Although he had done no violence,
And there was no deceit in his mouth.

Yet it was the will of the LORD to crush him;
He has put him to grief;
When his soul makes an offering for guilt,
He shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days;
The will of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.

Out of the anguish of his soul, he shall see and be satisfied;
By his knowledge shall the righteous one,
My servant, make many to be accounted righteous,
And he shall bear their iniquities.

Therefore, I will divide him a portion with the many,
And he shall divide the spoil with the strong,
Because he poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors; 

Yet he bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors.” Isaiah 53

Sounds like Isaiah is describing Jesus? Right? However, this was written some 700 years before Jesus was born to Mary. As a matter of fact, Jesus is in the entire Bible. Yes, the Old Testament as well as the New. Without Jesus, there is no Bible. No other “religious book” can say this. Others are written telling stories of their leaders, teachers, and messiahs. But the Bible IS Jesus. Therein lies the difference. Jesus IS the Bible. He IS The Word of God. He was with God, is with God, and IS God. There is no Bible, New or Old Testament, without Jesus.

Here is something that some have a hard time understanding. Jesus was there in the beginning.

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made.” John 1:1-3

"All things were made by him;" The Word is a Him??? "and without him was not anything made that was made." "Without HIM, was NOTHING Made." Then, a little bit later, John makes it clear.

"And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth." John 1:14.

Jesus even tells us directly that the Bible is all about Him.

"And the Father himself, who has sent me, has borne witness of me. You have neither heard his voice at any time nor seen his form. And you have not his word abiding in you: for whom he has sent, him you believe not. Search the scriptures; for in them you think you have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me. And you will not come to me, that you might have life." John 5:37-40

What is Jesus saying here? He is saying, you, the religious folks, look to the Bible for salvation, yet reject Him Himself. He said you can't do that. Why? Because all Scripture points to Him. He is saying that if you reject Him, then you must reject the very Word of God because HE is the Word of God. He, Jesus, is the Word of God in the flesh. The Bible is the very Word of God, who is Jesus in the flesh. Are you following??

You have to feed your spirit this. The Word of God. If you do not, you will fill it with the junk of the world. Always remember that thoughts lead to actions. When you start to think about something, play it over and over again in that movie theater of the mind, you allow the good or the temptation to take hold. 

Let's say you were an alcoholic. Or a smoker. Or someone who used to look at porn. You give it up. You want to remain free of this bondage in your life. God sets you free from it. Yet, you see a commercial, or a movie, or a pretty young thing walking down the street, and it puts an image in your head. Does that make you revert to it? No. How you choose to deal with it is what matters.

You could immediately reject that thought, cast it out of your head. Or, you can dwell on it. Remember how much fun you think you had when you were doing these things. You remember the taste, the feelings, the "good times" with friends or whatever, that you can associate with them.

I smoked for like 35 years. I quit in 2016. Kinda had to. I was in the hospital with pneumonia and the flu. I was on death's door. Do I regret quitting? Never. Do I still have "Smoking Dreams" 10 years later? Yup. I can still taste it, smell it, and yes, from time to time, I still crave it. 

Your mind may start convincing you that you’ve been good, suggesting there’s nothing wrong with having just one cigarette or one beer. After all, many people smoke and drink every day. Some of your friends still do. You might think there’s no harm in looking at just one picture since no one will find out. But once you give in, it’s easy for that one moment to lead to another, putting you right back where you started.

Just like there’s a saying about feeding your body—“garbage in, garbage out”—the same applies to your mind and spirit. What are you nourishing them with? The quality of what you put in will determine what you get out. If you plant tomato seeds, you can’t expect to harvest watermelons, right? Similarly, if you consume a lot of candy, you can’t expect to be healthy. If you feed your mind and spirit with drugs, alcohol, pornography, and negativity, how can you expect to grow in faith in a holy God? It just doesn't work that way.

Again, you have a choice as a child of God. A choice that the world does not have. For the world is against God. They are not of God. Therefore, they obey the things of the flesh and make manifest the works of the flesh, for they know no better. However, by spending time reading this, the Holy Word of God, you do know better, and you do know there is a far better way. His way.

I know, a little long today. Join us next time, as we will discuss the fact that God wants to have a one-on-one relationship with you. He wants you to pray, AKA, talk to Him, always.

The email, if you wish to contact me, is truthbygod1@gmail.com

May the comfort of the Holy Spirit and the peace of our Lord Jesus be with you all. May God bless and be with you always.

Until next time, be blessed, be a blessing, and Jesus is Lord!

The Well

Is your Well full?

What is a Well? A big hole in the ground. Some, as in this imagine, have a bucket attached. Some, you need to bring something with you. When they are empty, they are nothing more than a big hole in the ground. However, when they are full, they are Life saving, Life sustaining, source of Water.

Did you ever think about this? Probably not so much. We flip a handle and water comes out. Gone are the days of going outside and cranking up the Water from the ground. But what if you flip that handle, and nothing happens? Oh no. No Water. You learn quickly, that, that of which you take for granted, Water, is so very important to you in so many ways..

Did you know that YOU are a Well? In the Old Testament, we read Passages like this..

"The words of a man's mouth are deep waters; The fountain of wisdom is a bubbling brook." {Proverbs 18:4}

And this..

"Therefore you will joyously draw water From the springs of salvation." {Isaiah 12:3}

Jesus tells us HE is the Well of Living Water..

"Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life." {John 4:13-14}

Jesus used this terminology of Water, and Bread, to illustrate that without Him, we will Spiritually Starve and Die. He also said this...

"He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water." {John 7:38}

Now remember, when we are Adopted into the Family of God, Jesus told us that the Holy Spirit will descend upon us, and live in us. He also said that as we marvel at the Works He did, we should know that WE, will do greater...Wait, Greater than Jesus? That is what He said...

"Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father." {John 14:12}

See, we are nothing more than a big Hole in the Ground. If we are filled up, then we are also a source of Life saving, Life sustaining, Water. Spiritual Water. The Gospel, The Word of God. The Truth according to God. When you are filled, you are Holy, and Pure. You are a Well that people will learn to come to to draw from.

This is why it is so very important to fill up. To go when it is raining Living Waters. Go into Prayer. Go into the Word. Go to Church. Fill up. Be also consciousness of this, it is what comes out of you mouth, that either Defiles you, or Justifies you. Jesus said this..

"Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man." {Matthew 15:11}

Why?

"But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man." {Matthew 15:18}

King Solomon even wrote,

"Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof." {Proverbs 18:21}

We as Children of God, have power. It is in the Tongue, and comes out our Mouths. Ever hear the Phrase Garbage in, Garbage out? It is true. If all you do is Watch the latest TV Shows, or do the latest App. Or spend all your time doing anything, this is what will be first on your Mind. In your Heart. and coming out your Mouth. This is what you will be talking about and sharing with everyone..

"Did you see that show? Little Suzy dies and Billy was sleeping with Jenny." "Did you see my picture on Social Media of my Dinner Last night?" {I still do not get that one.} "Did you catch a spiny butted flopping Fish?? I caught three of them."

You are going to Die. What happens when you die? "Huh? No no no. I ain't got time for that. I'm on the trail of a Blue Spotted Bayowl." You are already dead. "Great, leave me alone then.."

See, if the Well runs dry, or, it is never filled, or, if it is filled with the wrong stuff, it will NEVER produce anything Positive. It will NOT be a source of Life saving, Life sustaining, Water. Spiritual Water. The only way you can give out, is if you have something to give out. You need to make sure that you keep your Well filled. Not only filled, but filled with the right stuff..

Do you know Jesus as your Savior? Have you been adopted into the Family of God? If not, say this Prayer. Right now. Wherever you may be. Say it in your own words, and do not doubt in your heart. God will hear you. He will send the Spirit of Life to you. Let us Pray..

"Oh heavenly Father, Lord God. I am a sinner. I know this. I know there is nothing I can do to change that. But I know you can. I accept Jesus's sacrifice for me. I repent my sins. Please send the Spirit of Adoption into my life. Help me to get to know the real you. Save me. Please. In the name of Jesus, Amen!"

That's it. It really is that simple. Now go tell someone what you have just done. "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved." {Romans 10:9} You need to find a Church that God leads you to, and be Baptized the way Jesus said to be. You are now a Child of God. A new Creature. You "have put off the old man with his deeds, and have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him." {Colossians 3:10}

If you want to tell me, or comment, question, give testimonials, or just say "Hi," the Email is opntalk@gmail.com

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen. {2 Corinthians 13}

Until next time, be Blessed, be a Blessing, and Jesus IS Lord..

Feeding Your Spirit To Grow

True Faith Means Continued Growth

Have you eaten today? Did you have a big Breakfast? Or did you have a huge Dinner last night. So you are good right? You do not need to eat again. Right? Good luck with that.. No, you really do need to eat again. If you do not, all that energy and nourishment that you put into yourself , will be spent, and if not filled up again, your body will shut down and die..

Just like your physical body will starve and shut down with the lack of food, your Spiritual Body needs food continuously or it will shut down and die. Remember when Jesus was being tempted by the Devil? The very first temptation was physical.

"If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread."

Remember, Jesus had not eaten in 40 days. What was Jesus's response?

"It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God."

You can read of this exchange in Matthew 4.. What Jesus is talking about here is that Life is more than physical food. When Jesus was telling us about our needs will be met {Matthew 6:26} He said this..

"Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?"

Just like you when you were an infant, you have to start out with the Milk. You are not ready for solid food yet. You need to understand that Jesus is Lord. You need to understand that He came and died for you. Yet rather, that He resurrected to overcome Death, Hell, and the Grave, so that you do not have to. You need to understand John 3:16. You need to understand the Love of God. You need to believe..

"That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved." {Romans 10:9}

You need to understand the Basics. As Jesus told us...

"He that believeth on me, believeth not on me, but on him that sent me. And he that seeth me seeth him that sent me. I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness. And if any man hear my words, and believe not, I judge him not: for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world. He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day." {John 12:44-48}

You see, you are not going to eat a Steak fresh out of the Womb. You are not going to understand some of the Mysteries of the Word, and of God, right from day one that you are Born again. But just like the fact you grow physically, you start eating food of more substance, you need to eat Spiritual Food of more Substance. Paul put's it this way..

"We have much to say about this, but it is hard to explain because you are slow to learn. In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God's word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil." {Hebrews 5:11-14}

Paul is saying to them, you should know this. But we cannot talk to you about these things because you will never understand them. He said, instead of them being Sowers of the Seed, Teachers of Truth, and Showers of the Way, they need someone to teach them the Basics. He even list some of them.

"Repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God, instruction about baptisms, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment." {Hebrews 6:1-2}

Paul warns that if we, as Children of God, fail to grow, fail to continue to learn, we can fall into a trap. We fail to lay for ourselves a solid foundation, we can be misled and fall away from God's Plan and Purpose for our lives. If we, as Children of God, fall away from the Truth, he warns us, that we will be worse off than them who have never been Saved. Paul puts it like this..

"It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age, if they fall away, to be brought back to repentance, because to their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace."{Hebrews 6:4-6}

If there was any doubt, Paul later states this...

"For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins,"{Hebrews 10:26,29}

Then this...

"Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?"

Wait, Are you saying that you can lose your Salvation? Well, some say "Once Saved always Saved." But then we would not have Free Will. Right? If you come to me, and say, please adopt me into your family. I agree. However, I tell you to be a part of my family, I will require from you the same as I would require from all my children. If you are a faithful and good Child, you, as with all my children, will inherit part of my vast estate and fortune.

However, you have Free Will. Lets say you decide to stop coming to my house. You decide to go off and do your own thing. You decide to forsake me and my family. That is totally your choice. By doing this though, you are disqualifying yourself from all my blessings and promises. I can not bless you, help you, or even love you, if you are no longer with me. As in all things, the choice is yours.

This is why it is so very important, I believe now more than ever, for you to feed your Spirit EVERY DAY. If you feed from The Word, your Spirit will grow older, stronger, and wiser. Jesus warned us that...

"For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect." {Matthew 24:24}

We will discuss this more in detail next time. The bottom line is, our Spirit needs food to grow, become strong, and stay healthy. Just like our Bodies, if we fill our Spirit with Junk Food, it will not be as healthy as it would with a Healthy diet. Garbage in, garbage out. You must Read God's Word. You must Pray. You must go a Church that God leads you to and become an active member. Not just a Pew Warmer. But an active member.

As you grow, you will need Spiritual Food of more substance and Spiritual Benefit. Instead of Milk, you will be eating Steak and Potatoes. However, do not forget this fact, if you do not feed your Spirit, you will not, nor can ever, grow. Your Spirit will never grow, mature, and become healthy. Do not starve your Spirit. It would not be a good thing..

Have you been Born Again? Do you know Jesus as your Savior? Have you been adopted into the Family of God? If not, say this Prayer. Right now. Wherever you may be. Say it in your own words, and do not doubt in your heart. God will hear you. He will send the Spirit of Life to you. Let us Pray..

"Oh heavenly Father, Lord God. I am a sinner. I know this. I know there is nothing I can do to change that. But I know you can. I accept Jesus's sacrifice for me. I repent my sins. Please send the Spirit of Adoption into my life. Help me to get to know the real you. Save me. Please. In the name of Jesus, Amen!"

That's it. It really is that simple. Now go tell someone what you have just done. "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved." {Romans 10:9} You need to find a Church that God leads you to, and be Baptized the way Jesus said to be. You are now a Child of God. A new Creature. You "have put off the old man with his deeds, and have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him." {Colossians 3:10}

If you want to tell me, or comment, question, give testimonials, or just say "Hi," the Email is opntalk@gmail.com

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen. {2 Corinthians 13}

Until next time, be Blessed, be a Blessing, and Jesus IS Lord..