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9-23-14 Faith

9/23/2014

So then faith cometh by hearing,and hearing by the word of God.
Romans 10:17

Faith is an individual issue, a resultant byproduct of exposure to the Word of God. It can only be based upon, rooted and grounded in the eternal soil of the Scriptures. When the Word of God reaches the heart of a man, his righteous response to God is in repentance toward God for his sin and in personal faith toward the substitutionary death of Christ on the cross of Calvary.

Scripture encourages me to examine myself, to see whether I truly am in the faith. I must recognize that, even as a born again believer, whatever is not of faith is sin. Therefore, each thought, deed and word need to be scrutinized before the heart of God.

As I take the shield of faith in the believer’s armor, found in Ephesians 6, I am able to quench the fiery darts of the wicked. As I flee lusts and follow righteousness, I will find my battle with Satan being won by the Victor, Jesus Christ, the Righteous.

I must constantly look unto Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith. He, in His greatest trial, endured the cross, despising the shame...for the joy that was set before Him. Today He is set down at the right hand of the throne of God where He prays for me.

The matter of faith is a personal matter of believing God and responding to Him. Faith in the shed blood of Christ changes my eternal destiny, causes me to look differently at life, gives me the resurrection power of the Holy Spirit, opens my eyes of understanding to the Scriptures, makes the privilege of prayer a reality in my life, brings peace and equips me for a life and ministry that glorifies God. As I strive to share my faith in God with others, it is never to have personal dominion over their faith, but to be a helper of their joy, understanding that for all of us, it is by faith that we stand.

May God help me today to accurately and clearly demonstrate my faith in Christ.

(C) 1992, 2014 N.A.Collins
Limited copy permission for one personal file copy

9-17-14 Strength

9/17/2014

Many times in my life, I have faced difficulties and trials that seem greater than I can bear. However, as a blood‑bought believers, I know that God has promised me, as His child, to never allow more testing or trials than I can bear. His promise, in 1 Corinthians 10:13, based on His own perfect faithfulness, is that if the testing seems greater than I could handle, He will make a way of escape for me—as I handle the trial biblically. In that way, He enables us, by His grace, to bear the trial.

In my own human understanding, I do not comprehend the depth of the riches of God’s heart, mind, will and purpose for our lives. But I DO know that I can trust Him implicitly without question or reservation. It is this kind of childlike faith in my great God that brings to me the personal awareness of His perfect peace even amidst great burdens. When I establish my confidence upon His character and nature, as revealed in His inerrant Word, I know the full measure of His grace and peace in our hour of need. I violate His purpose and plan when i, by the demonstration of my independent self-will and autonomous spirit, chart out a course that is in opposition to the divine design of God.

It is when I am humanly weak, faint and without strength, that God wants to show Himself strong on my behalf. As I demonstrate faith and confidence in Him, His grace is shown to be all sufficient, and His glory is manifested to a lost and dying world. It is for this reason that the apostle Paul, in his second letter to the Corinthians (2 Corinthians 12:9-10), gave the following summary of his practical perspective on suffering:

“And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.”

Today, I want to live out "the joy of the Lord is my strength." (Nehemiah 8:10)

(C) 1992, 2014 N.A. Collins
Limited Copy Permission to one personal file copy

9-10-14 The Brevity of Life

9/10/2014

Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.
James 4:14

The book of Ecclesiastes reminds me that there is a time to be born, and a time to die; it teaches me that the living know that they shall die. As I learn more about the heart, mind, will and purpose of God from His Word, it becomes very evident that He is teaching me to view life from His eternal perspective. Time, as I know it, is fleeting; it passes away as quickly as the grass of the field.

God knows the end from the beginning, and in His providence and sovereignty, He is at work in every aspect of my life to call and conform me to Himself. When I cease to remember His perspective from eternity past to eternity future, my expectations are shattered and my hope is diminished. However, God wants me to bring my thoughts captive to His Word / will, and establish both my expectations and hopes on His infallible Word.

He has taught me that mankind is of only a few days, in the light of eternity. Those few days are, at best, full of trouble. I know, based on John 16:33, that in this world I will have tribulation, but God says i am to be of good cheer because He has overcome the world. Psalm 90:12 reminds me to number my days, that I might apply my heart unto wisdom. He wants me to take stock of my days, understanding that life is short and eternity is certain. It is only in making an accurate assessment of my life in this manner, that I will truly apply my heart unto wisdom.

Wisdom is simply weaving what I know about God’s character and nature, as revealed in the Person of Jesus Christ, into the fabric of my life. God tells me that the world system passes away, but the one who does the will of God lives forever. What do I know about Jesus Christ in His holiness, His love, His ways of order or His forgiveness? Have I begun to take steps to bring my life into conformity to Christlikeness in those areas? May God help me today to do so.

(C) 1992, 2014 N.A.Collins
Limited copy permission for one personal file copy

9-3-14 The Privilege of Prayer

9/3/2014

Pray without ceasing.
1 Thessalonians 5:17

When the two-faceted requirement for salvation has been accomplished, in that i have come to God in repentance and faith, God gives me the wonderful privilege of entering into His presence by the vehicle of prayer. The ceaseless process of doing so is actually commanded in the Word of God and is accomplished on my behalf by the intercessory work of Christ and the ministry of the indwelling Holy Spirit.

The biblical alternative for worry is prayer offered up in His will with the accompanying habit of bringing every thought into obedience to Christ. My praying needs to be scriptural praying, that is, in line with the Word of God if I am to be assured that my desires are in line with the design of God. A continuous and free-flowing prayer life, based on the Word of God will produce a life that is in constant meditation on the Word with a prayer life of communion with God that is wholly dependent upon the heart of God as revealed in Scripture. Every statement to God, or request from Him, must be according to His revealed will.

Good interpersonal relationships with others involves my taking even my persecutors to the throne of God for His working out His pleasure in their lives for His eternal glory and for their eternal good. For me to fail to pray for others is to sin against God. Before ever confronting an area of difficulty, I should talk to God about them, according to His will, so that He works in their life. When He gives opportunity, I will be able to talk to them about the very things I've been praying about. It is only then that I will have the joy of seeing them respond to the Word of God, in response to the Spirit of God, and I can then praise God.

What, according to God's Word, can short-circuit an effective prayer life for me, as a believer? God clearly answers that question for me. It is two-fold, being 1) sin, according to Psalm 66:18, and 2) selfishness, according to
James 4:3.

What a blessing to have open communication with the God of the Universe, the Savior of my soul!

May God help me to keep my focus on Him, resisting and rejecting sin and selfishness, so that He is pleased
and others are profited by my life.

(C) 1992, 2014 N.A. Collins
Limited copy permission for one personal file copy

9-23-14 Faith

9-17-14 Strength

9-10-14 The Brevity of Life

9-3-14 The Privilege of Prayer

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