He That Hath An Ear, Let Him Hear.

As Christians, standing upon the promise that God has already provided the means for salvation, it is imperative to stand firm in our ways going in and going out. The Bible says, "God is not mocked, whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. If we sow to the flesh, we shall of the flesh - reap corruption. If we sow to the Spirit, we shall of the spirit  - reap eternal life." So how do we know we are sowing to the flesh? (1 John 2:15-16) provides a clue. It says, "Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world." Even though the Christian is in the world, he or she is not of the world, but is sowing to the Spirit. You can sow to the Spirit by being filled with the Spirit, speaking to yourself in songs and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord.

Let's look at how the deception of Satan caused sin to occur on the earth. In (Genesis 3:1-6), we find Adam and Eve in the Garden and the serpent saying to Eve, "Has God said that you shall not eat of every tree in the garden?" Then Eve replied," We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden; but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. And the serpent said to the woman, ye shall not surely die: for the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food (the lust of the flesh), and that it was pleasant to the eyes (the lust of the eyes), and a tree to be desire to make one wise (the pride of life), she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also to her husband with her and he did eat." Thus the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life actually originated with Satan in deceiving Eve.

The above passages paint a picture of how one Scripture (1 John 2:15-16), authenticates the other Scripture (Genesis 3:1-6). This provides another reason not to sow to the flesh because the Bible declares, "It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing." Thus, the best way to manage your flesh is to sow to your spirit-man and keep your eyes upon Jesus whereby resides the hope of your redemption. In so doing, we have this hope that one day, when we reach our destination, we may see Jesus who shall say to us, "Well done My good and faithful servant."

"Phenomenal New Books Interview"

     Interview from "The Phenomenal New Books Show"
         with host J. Sneebold and author T.R. Bosse.

                                             Click on link below:

                            https://vimeo.com/250558252

"Born-again" Through Wisdom

Proverbs 1:7 declares, "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom," and thereby from wisdom we also get understanding and knowledge. In a broader sense, Wisdom is the application of how the "Born-again" experience is realized.

1.) When we realize who God is and the power of His might, the fear of the Lord is ignited and initiated within our heart.

2.) By seeking out the attributes of God through His Word or the witness of His people, the beginning of Wisdom (the fear of the Lord) turns into a desire for more Wisdom. In the search for more of who God is provides us with the confrontation that God is not only just, but also a loving God who desires our love and fellowship in return.

3.) When we yield our love and fellowship over to God by making Jesus the Lord of our lives, it opens up a new and greater understanding of who God is. That understanding of God in return, stimulates us to continue to seek for an even greater understanding of who God is and His love for us. As Proverb 9:10 points out, "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of  wisdom and the knowledge of the Holy is understanding." Thus, understanding is gained through wisdom.

4.) Understanding of God then provides knowledge. When we have understanding of how something operates, we store that information into our database called the heart, and when a situation comes up concerning a specific situation, we recall our knowledge from the database that applies to that particular circumstance. So it is with understanding of God's Word. The more you study it, the more the Holy Spirit reveals to you and the more He reveals to you, the more you understand and therein knowledge is attained and retained.

Here we see how Wisdom, Knowledge and Understanding from the Book of Proverbs is activated in the "Born-again" experience as mentioned by Jesus in John 3:3, "Except a man be born again, he cannot see the Kingdom of God." Notice, you do not see the Kingdom of God by growing up into a church or by becoming a member of a church or merely stating that you are a Christian--you first must become "Born-again." We have other articles about becoming "Born-again" in this blog site.

In the above illustration, it must be mentioned that the secular mind cannot teach you the things of God, because they are foolishness to him as 1 Corinthians 2:14 clearly points out. When you seek out knowledge from a secular viewpoint, you are seeking knowledge from someone who has never received the wisdom, understanding and knowledge of who God is. In other words, the love of God has never permeated his heart because the world and the flesh remains embedded therein and not the Word and the Spirit. Without the fear of the Lord activating a desire to know who God is and knowledge of His Word, understanding cannot motivate the individual to become a "Born-again" believer in God's Kingdom. John 3:3, "Except a man be born again, he cannot see the Kingdom of God." You cannot see the wind, but you can fell it. Likewise, you cannot see the Spirit, but you can feel Him -- and it all begins by making Jesus Lord and believing in your heart that God raise that same Jesus from the dead. Yes, God has made it that simple for us

Have You Been Born-Again?

Jesus told us in John 3:3 that except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Jesus went on to explain the difference between being born of the flesh, and becoming born of the Spirit. Except a man is born of water, and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. Jesus makes the distinction between the fleshly birth of water to the spiritual birth of the Spirit. That concept is supported in John 6:63, whereby Jesus tells us that it is the spirit that quickeneth, the flesh profiteth nothing.

Being a Christian is not simply because your parents were one, or you walk into a church building, or do as other religions (Bud-hind-lums), where if you want to join them they tell you to see their priest or leader and he will write your name on a piece of paper. Christianity is a covenant with God (as Abraham made in the OT), this is a New Covenant with God through Jesus. Thus, when you invite Jesus into your life to be your Lord and Savior, you are in essence, making a covenant with Him.

Many say they have tried Christianity, but found it was not as they supposed. For that reason, they wind up making a covenant to bash Christianity as much as they can. All this came about because they did not keep their end of the covenant and now they place the blame upon God. What was the real reason that Christianity did not turn out as they supposed? It was simply because they made a one-sided covenant. A one-sided covenant never works. Isn't that like what some couples do when they get married - where they secretly say, "if I don't like her (or him) later, I will just divorce."

So how do we know the "Born-again" experience is real? There are no rituals or signing-up involved. Everything is done by faith and a free-will. When an individual makes a covenant relationship with God to make Jesus their Lord and Savior, that individual becomes born-again and the Spirit of God takes up residence in that person's heart. You have heard that the proof is in the puddin; in this case, the proof is in the heart. What better proof could one ask for? Do it now and prove it for yourself and ask Jesus into YOUR heart.