Wiped Away!

He canceled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross. In this way, he disarmed the spiritual rulers and authorities. He shamed them publicly by his victory over them on the cross.

— Colossians 2:14-15 (NLT)

Working at a police department, I see people coming in seeking an expungement of criminal case on their record. They have been acquitted, the case was dismissed or they were pardoned. They want all traces of the offense removed from public access and sealed.

At Calvary, the devil was soundly defeated. The devil does not want you to know it but he will be cast out. Jesus destroyed the one who had the power of death. Once we accept Jesus, Satan can longer hold our record against us. He can accuse us but the Righteous Judge sees us through the blood of Jesus and the finished work on the cross.

Our sin is wiped away when we put our faith in Jesus Christ. We no longer have to worry about our past. We have been justified. God has cast our sins into the sea of forgetfulness. Our slate has been wiped cleaned!

Don’t let the devil or anyone else hold your past against you or make you feel guilty about what you’ve done—you can stand knowing that your sins have been wiped away, you are redeemed!

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A Key to Witnessing

Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.

— Colossians 4:5-6

If you flip on the television you will quickly see that the culture today does not put much emphasis on one thing that is a key to witnessing and that is tact. On reality shows, the people seem not to think about what they say before they say it. Whatever comes up comes out. It's not just "reality" show, which are not real, everyday people just seem to have lost civility and tact. Someone defined it as, 'the art of making a point without making an enemy.

The message of the gospel offends. Its very core message is the stark reality of eternity. But as Christians, we don't have to be insensitive to those we approach with the gospel. You have probably seen or heard of someone telling an unbeliever that they were going to hell as they started off the conversation. This approach does not engage the unbeliever but puts them off.

Jesus knew how to talk to people. Although He knew what was in people's hearts, He knew how to engage them in conversation. When He approached the woman at the well in Samaria, He asked her a question. The important thing to do is to open up a dialogue. Listening to what they have to say can help guide you to where they are spiritually. As you continue to listen, you will have opportunities to share the gospel message with them.

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All The Way In

I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.

--John 15:5 (ESV)

Have you ever sat by the edge of the pool and watch others in the pool? You can smell the chlorine in the water, you can feel the moisture in the air; however, you have not experienced the water. What about sitting on the edge the pool with your feet in? Your feet are in, you feel the temperature but you are not all the way in. You still have not truly experienced being in the water. To truly experience being in the water, you must get all the way in—not just waist deep but all the way in.

To abide means to dwell, reside or live in a place. We cannot say that we are abiding in Jesus if we are on the outside observing. We cannot say that we are truly abiding if we only have our feet in. If we are going to dwell in Jesus, we must immerse ourselves in Him. Immersion requires full commitment. It is not get in and quickly get out. You must get in and stay in.

Just like the pool, to experience Jesus, we must be all the way in. Being in Christ Jesus is an entirely different experience than being in the world. There are benefits to being in Jesus. Jesus is say in this passage that if you dwell in him, you will bear much fruit.

You will produce those things that you were created to do. The plan that God has for you and the things He wants you to do can only be experience if you are all the way in. Make the commitment to be all the way in and see what God does!

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Locating the Exits

No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.

 –1 Corinthians 10:13

If you have ever been on a plane, the flight attendants go through their emergency procedures. The one thing they ask the passengers to do is to locate the two exits closest to their seats. They do this so that if an emergency occurs, the passengers won’t be searching for the exits they will be able to immediately proceed to the closest way of escape.

When temptation comes to believers, and it will come, we must know the way to escape that God has provided. Now temptation comes from the devil in a broad sense. The devil tempts us specifically in our area weakness or vulnerability. We must not entertain the temptation when it comes. We cannot say gaze upon it, we cannot hold on to it. We cannot do what Eve did in the garden; “…So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate.” So we must know, whether it is the off button on your TV remote, the close button on the computer’s web browser or the “end” button on your telephone, we must recognize the way of escape and proceed to our nearest exit.

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God Is Worth Our Trust!

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. --Proverbs 3:5-6

God continues to show himself faithful, but when things get tough, it is often so hard to trust Him, even though, He has a winning record. God cares about the smallest things that we do. While God has never let me down, it is sometimes hard to trust. Why is that? We trust the GPS to take us down paths of which we have never driven; we trust the cab driver to take us to destinations that we have never been; we trust airplanes, cruise ships, but we often doubt God. It is hard to trust Him when things are tough I know, but I will say that He will never let you down. I challenge you. I challenge myself, trust Him. He is the creator of the universe, the giver of life and salvation and He cares for you and He cares for me. Trust Him. God is worth our trust!

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Casting Cares in Confidence

Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. --1 Peter 5:6-7

Leaving your car with a valet at a restaurant requires a certain amount of trust. You trust the valet based on the connection with the restaurant you are patronizing. You are confident that they will take care of your vehicle. You would not exhibit that same confidence if someone just came up to you and said, 'I'll park your car for you.'

With God, we can be very confident with casting our cares on Him because He cares for us. He wants us to free of cares so that we can focus on what He wants us to do. If we are going to confident that He will take our cares, we must realize X things about Him.

We humble ourselves under His mighty hand because He is omnipotent. There is nothing in this life that we face that God cannot handle. It is easy to say He can handle it but our action must match the statement. Casting our cares on Him means that we turn it over to Him and leave them there.

We humble ourselves before Him because He is omniscience. He knows everything that you are going through. God is not surprised when you go through a trial or tribulation. Whatever you are going through; however, God will exalt you in due season because you have humbled yourself before Him. This 'due season' is not the by and by of song and folklore. This 'due season' is the specific time of the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. You will be exalted then because you humbled yourself. Those who did not humble themselves will not be exalted.

Lastly we humble ourselves before Him because He is omnipresent. God is always there He never leaves us or forsakes us but is a very present help in te time of trouble.

Be confident in casting your cares upon God because you know that He cares for you.

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A Little Knowledge...

Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth.

— 2 Timothy 2:15

Have you ever been in a conversation with someone talking about a subject that they apparently know very little about. Somehow, however, they speak with conviction and authority about the subject. You stand there and wonder if they really listen to what they are saying or if they read a headline to an article or the introduction to a book and that's all they needed to become an authority.

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Out of Death Comes Victory

Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live."--John 11:25 (ESV)

As I work with non-Christians on a daily basis, I engage some of them in conversations and ask them to consider the eternal question--"Where will you go after you die?" Some of them, knowing I am a Christian, will smile politely and move on without answering the question. I ask this question because we are all getting older and the question becomes front and center when some close to us or in our same age range dies. We came face to face with the uncomfortable reality that we all will die.

There is a familiar song whose title is Don't Cry For Me." Well even as Christians, we cry for our loved ones who die. It is apart of the greiving process. Jesus wept when His friend Lazarus died. We know that because there is life beyond the grave because of our faith in Jesus, we will see our loved one again. This is the added benefit of life after death. Because of what Jesus did on the cross, we have seen that--out of death comes victory.

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A Secure Place

You are my hiding place; You preserve me from trouble; You surround me with songs of deliverance. Selah

— Psalm 32:7

As a kid, did you ever hide under your bed or in the closet when you were afraid? In horror movies, victims are often found quivering in the bottom of the closet, under the bed or desk. When we faced dangerous and uncertain times, we want to get to a place where we feel more secure.

For Christians, God is that secure place where we can find safety and comfort. He wants to be there for us if we allow Him. He does not want us trying to find comfort in other people or things.

In Psalm 91:1, God is telling us that if we dwell in Him, then we will find safety and security in His shadow. In order to be in the shadow of something or someone you must be very close. Draw close to God, so you can dwell in His shelter and rest in His shadow.

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He Is The Only Way

Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me."

 - John 14:6

In a world that teaches, "do your own thing" or "just do you", this verse does not sit well with non-Christians. A lot of people want to claim God but deny the Son. If we hold fast to the teachings of scripture, we will sometimes be viewed as intolerant. Jesus said that He is the only way to the Father.

This is an invitation to anyone wants to seek God--if you want to know God, Jesus is the way. In Matthew 7:14, Jesus instructs us to choose the narrow gate. The way is hard and few will find it but it leads to life. Many will choose the wide gate because the way is easy. It, however, leads to destruction.

We need to share the truth in love. We must offer the message that will lead to life and not death. If people reject it, they don't reject us but Christ! Remember that He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life!

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Reach Out

"So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ."

 - Romans 10:7

God uses people to reach others for Christ. God could use any number of different methods to reach and individuals with the message of Jesus Christ. He could use an angel or speak directly to a person to share the message of salvation.

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And Now It's Christmas...

All the preparations are done. We bought all the gifts we needed. We decorated the tree, the house and the yard. Now we wait with great anticipation for Christmas Day to arrive. Will you get the gift you hoped they would buy? Will they like the gift you bought for them?

This season is, for many, about anticipation and expectation. Sometimes, however, people are disappointed at the end of the day even when they were so excited leading up to Christmas Day. Maybe sometimes you have been disappointed. Maybe you did not get the gift you expected. Someone's reaction to your gift wasn't what you expected. Maybe you feel the let down after all the work is done.

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Be At The Ready!

But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect,...

 - 1 Peter 3:15

To the world, being a Christian is peculiar. It is strange to place our faith in a God we cannot see. In a heaven that we have visited and a Saviour who was mocked and executed. But because we have placed Jesus has the head of our lives, and we understand the difference that He makes, we should always be ready to share with anyone why we have hope admist a dark and dying world.

With so many people willing to check out of this life, we need to share our hope with the hopeless. We may never comprehend the tragedy of a missed opportunity to share Jesus with an unbeliever. I encourage you to seek out opportunities to meet God where He is already working--responding to the question about the hope that you have! Be blessed.

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Known and Accepted

As human beings, we desire to experience two things--to be known and accepted. To be known however is a frightening thing for people because we believe if people really knew us they would not accept or love us. Because of this fear, we pretend to be someone that we are not. We wear masks and are not transparent because we may feel deep inside that we are not lovable. Have you ever felt like this?

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Are You Thankful?

...give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

--1 Thessalonians 5:18

Often we don't give much thought to the small things. We take for granted the small things. During this Thanksgiving season, let's be thankful for the small stuff as well as the big stuff in our lives. Comment on what you thankful for.

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The Purpose of Pruning

"I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. 2 Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit."

— John 15:1-2

Have you ever seen a gardener prune a plant. The garderner meticulously removes portions of the plant. The purpose of pruning the plant is the selective removal of branches, buds, or roots. This is done to maintain the plant's health and to increase the yield of flowers or fruit. It also is used to prepare a nursery specimen for transplanting.

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Courage for the Storm

“These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.”

— John 16:33

Checking the weather forecast is something that most people do so that they can be prepared for the conditions. Whether it requires an umbrella or a jacket, knowing what's ahead allows you to be prepared.

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Fostering Relationships

A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.

— Proverbs 17:17

Most of us don't use the term "friend" lightly. We know that to be a true friend requires loyalty, honesty and dependability. While we expect our friends to be all these things and more, the unspoken part of this is it requires investment in that friend.

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Add Some Flavor

"You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor?

— Matthew 5:13

I believe that we as Christians sometimes want to draw away and isolate ourselves. We want to get into our own subculture and not get involved in the world.

In this scripture, Jesus is telling His disciples that “You are the salt of the earth.” Now in those days, salt was very valuable.
It was used sometimes to pay wages of Roman Soldiers. The phrase, “worth their salt” was used to refer to soldiers who did their jobs well. Jesus was telling His disciples that they were very valuable and important.

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Keeping Company

Do not be deceived: “Bad company corrupts good morals.”

— 1 Corinthians 15:33

The old saying 'You are the company you keep' is supported by this passage. Paul is warning the church at Corinth about those who were denying the resurrection. Listening or hanging out with people with beliefs that are not biblical is something believers should avoid. You will eventually be affected by their belief system. Even if you don't accept it, it will affect your beliefs.

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