'Brandon Tipsword' Tagged Posts (Page 3)
THE UNPROSPERITY GOSPEL
There is a “gospel” being taught that does not require you to deal with your sin. In fact, they rarely if ever mention the word sin. They say God wants to bless you as if God is their servant. This false gospel teaches a worldly prosperity that tells you to “believe God for things you want and you will get it.” However, the man that does not deal with his sin will never prosper in regards to the riches of heaven. It is the man that confesses and forsakes his sin that is truly blessed. Psalm 32:1-2 ……..Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man unto whom the LORD imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile.
SORROW WITH HOPE
In these verses I see three reasons why we can trust that the bodies of every believer that has died will be resurrected at the rapture. First, Jesus rose from the dead proving once and for all that he is who He said He was. Second, God who cannot lie said so and it is recorded in His word. Third, God is not relying upon someone else to receive us, He is coming himself! Therefore, we have great hope and comfort knowing that one day all saints will be reunited in the air to be with the Lord forever.
WHEN LIFE DOESN’T MAKE SENSE
Have you ever said, “How can this be?” Perhaps you have tried to do right and it seems like things are not working out. Maybe the more you try to live for God the more difficult things become. Well, you are not alone. However, we must remember to trust the LORD with all our hearts; meaning our minds are stayed on Christ, our emotions controlled by the Holy Spirit, and our wills committed to following the Father even when we do not understand. When we lean unto our own understanding our minds become troubled, our emotions can fly out of control, and temptations to follow our flesh increase. We must commit to trusting God in all of the issues of life.
RICH IN MERCY
of approximately $179B. You could say his bank account is overflowing. However, our God is overflowing with something much more needful to every man and woman, mercy. Without God’s mercy we would be without hope. God is not stingy with his mercy. The problem is that many people do not believe they need mercy. So we complain and groan in trials as if some injustice has happened to us. The truth is that each and everyone of us deserves the wrath of God because we have accumulated a debt of sin that we have no hope or ability to repay. But God who is rich in mercy paid the debt on our behalf by sending his son to die a merciless death on a cross. God deserves our gratitude for His generosity of mercy.
PRAYING IN THE MORNING
The psalmist here demonstrates a person that starts his day by turning his focus onto God. Prayer is an act of faith demonstrating our dependence upon the Lord. It is also an act of worship where we can praise God and thank Him for all that he does. What a great way to start the day!
SELF OPPOSITION
When man rejects truth it is to his own detriment. He is opposing himself. In other words, we are our own greatest enemy. The greatest opposition one can have against himself is to reject Jesus Christ as Lord and savior in unbelief. However, for the Christian we also oppose ourselves when we refuse to follow Christ in obedience to the truth. The first will realize how great his error is at the great white throne judgment (Rev. 20:11-15). The latter will know at the judgment seat of Christ (Rom. 14:10-12). That is why we should approach those rejecting truth with humility as we ourselves are not immune to temptation nor will we escape the judgment seat (Gal. 6:1).
A GREAT CONTRADICTION
This portion of the Psalm by King David contrasts the wrath of proud men to the longsuffering of an all knowing God. It is a great contradiction for man to benefit from the longsuffering of God and not show it one to another. It is especially egregious for believers who know the longsuffering of God to not offer the same to other believers. Regardless of this contradiction we must remember the greatest contradiction in human history is that Jesus the savior of the world was crucified by man, otherwise, we are likely to faint in our minds (Heb. 12:3).
THE LOVE COMMANDMENT
Jesus showed by example what love truly is. By laying down his life for us he demonstrated that greatest emptying of one self for others. He commands us to show the same type of love for others. Godly love is a self-sacrificial giving of ourselves for the benefit of others. The commandment is for all Christians to all Christians. On this Valentine’s Day and every day after, let’s surrender to His commandment.
A BITTER DWELLING PLACE
Sometimes in life we find ourselves in a bitter dwelling place drinking bitter water. When we do we must not stay there continuing to drink from a well that will make us spiritually sick. Rather, we must go to the cross of Calvary setting our eyes upon Jesus and begin drinking from the spring of living water that gives life and restores spiritual health.
KEEP GOING
Do you ever feel like giving up? When you are serving the Lord you are certain to face opposition. It is easy to get discouraged and want to give up because you are not seeing the fruit. However, this verse tells us that it is worth it to keep going. In “due season” or at the right time you will reap the harvest if you do not give up.