Dead to Sin, Alive to God

What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. For one who has died has been set free from sin. Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace. (Romans 6:1-14 ESV)

Will Baptism Save Me?

Some believe that we are saved by water baptism. This is not the case. Baptism is a symbol of our commitment to God. It is a public proclamation of our salvation. 1 Peter 3:16 says:

Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you (not the removal of the filth of the flesh, but the pledge of a good conscience toward God) through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

We are saved by grace through faith (Eph. 2: 8,9). Yet we are commanded to be baptized in Acts 2:38. We should obey this, but not confuse the process of salvation and sanctification. Ephesians 2: 8,9 tells us:

For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God's gift-not from works, so that no one can boast.

11 Things To Do For God in 2013

1. Witness to at least one person per day in one way or another.
2. Read the Bible every single day. This is food for our spirit, not to mention an increase in knowledge.
3. Write some notes down after reading the Bible. This helps to remember what you've read. Remember that the amount you read per day shouldn't worry you, but I would suggest at least one whole chapter of a book until the book is finished, so that you understand the context.
4. Pray consistently. There is not a set number of times you should pray, but I suggest praying when you wake up, pray for your food, pray when you're bored, pray when your in your car at a stop light, pray before going to bed.
5. Ask God to help you understand your spiritual gift and for the wisdom to use it. If you don't know what your spiritual gift is, pray and crack that Bible open!
6. Be a spiritual leader in your family. Lead by example, but be assertive in explaining why you live the way you do. 
7. At least once a week, choose a subject to study and sit down for 30 minutes, an hour or so, or whatever it takes, to get a good understanding and clarification on what that subject is. Use different versions of the bible, concordances, bible dictionaries, books by writers like John MacArthur, audio like that of Todd Friel, Paul Washer and Ray Comfort (just suggestions).
8. If you are experiencing issues with temptations, regardless of what type, get rid of things that can make it easier to be tempted to "fall" into sin. If we give in to sin, after a while, we no longer fall, but live in a pattern of sin. This would be called "diving" into sin. At this point, we'll need to examine ourselves to make sure we are saved.
9. Speaking of such, examine ourselves daily to ensure we have repented and placed our trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. He saves us. We cannot save ourselves. 
10. Be conscious of your surroundings, temptations, foul talk or dirty jokes, magazine covers at the grocery store line, giving in to peer pressure, and one last thing:
11. Ensure you have no idols in your life. It's easy to make an idol out of things we use and enjoy: technology (computers, smartphones, video games) cars, guns, vehicles, vanity, or our employment. It's okay to like these things and make good use of them for the glory of the Lord, but if we love them too much and give them more time than we give the Lord, we've made them an idol, and now we have issues. Remember the first commandment?

Please consider these thoughts and have a great 2013!

Sam

Do you live by sight, or do you live by faith?

Just came back from church. It was a great service. We had a guest speaker by the name of Will Franklin Graham. The name sounds familiar, doesn't it? This is the grandson of the famous and well-loved Billy Graham and the oldest son of Franklin Graham.

Graham opened his Bible to read from 1 Samuel, 1:1-20, which speaks of Samuel's mother, Hannah. She had been barren and could not have children. She was living in misery, until she stopped "living by sight" and started "living by faith". Thereafter, she left the sanctuary with joy, even though her problems at home still lingered. She later gave birth to her son, Samuel, and dedicated him to the Lord.  

It's really something to chew on today - Do we live by sight, or do we live by faith? Do we have joy, or do we have misery eating away at us and taking over our lives?

God bless.

What have I done?

Time flies. Before you know it, half your life is over. Then you think, "What have I done for the Lord?"

Live every day as if it were your last. Time is short. Very short.

True Repentance - How do we get there?

Pslalm 119:1-16 speaks about what we must strive to do.

You must:

• Walk in the way of the Lord. Live a habitual pattern of obeying the Word of God.
• Seek God with your whole heart, which is complete commitment to the Lord.
• Keep God's precepts. Passionately desire to obey His word.
• Keep his statutes, having your eyes fixed on all his commandments.
• Praise Him with an upright heart.
• Learn his righteous rules.

How can you keep your ways pure?

• Guard your heart according to his word.
• Seek him, keep his commandments always.
• Memorize scripture. This helps you to avoid sin.
• Always keep God and His commandments in your mind. 
• Try to memorize the ten commandments. Watch this video by Living Waters. It really helps!
• Delight in God's admonitions and do not forget them.
• Pray consistently. (Psalm 116:2)

Don't forget to watch the video!

Does God Hear Us?

Psalm 116:2 says,

"Because he inclined his ear to me,therefore I will call on him as long as I live.".    -ESV