I believe in speaking the Word of Life over our lives! Always! But we should never have more faith in our faith, than in our Jesus!
And this blog is not about our eternal salvation either, it is about how to remain steadfast in our faith in Jesus in this ole world of woe; with all its sickness, sin, and sorrows. And it seems to be growing in woe!
The sickness, sin, and sorrows of this world are not good.
God is good!
There is a thief out their trying to steal, kill and destroy our faith. Take our joy.
The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. ~Jesus Christ John 10:10
We must never glorify sickness.
We must never play with sin.
We must never wallow in the sorrows of this world.
We must always be believing in the goodness of God!
Jesus Christ has come to show us the goodness of God. If we believe the Gospel, we can see the goodness of God and hold on to it!
When faced with sin, we can keep our eyes on the righteousness of Christ. When faced with the sorrows of this world, we can keep our eyes on the joy of our Lord.
When faced with the sicknesses of this world, we can keep our eyes on the healing power of God.
And by faith, we can apply the blood of Jesus Christ over the door of our house (family)! We can believe for our salvation. And we can believe for the salvation of our family. We abide within. We abide in Him.
There is good reason the Bible constantly encourages us to be steadfast in, and hold on to our faith! Especially, in these last days, for there is a spirit of antichrist and apostasy out there that we must always be on guard against.
We must always be exercising our spiritual muscle!
The Spirit makes it clear that as time goes on, some are going to give up on the faith and chase after demonic illusions put forth by professional liars. These liars have lied so well and for so long that they’ve lost their capacity for truth. . .You’ve been raised on the Message of the faith and have followed sound teaching. Now pass on this counsel to the followers of Jesus there, and you’ll be a good servant of Jesus. Stay clear of silly stories that get dressed up as religion. Exercise daily in God—no spiritual flabbiness, please! Workouts in the gymnasium are useful, but a disciplined life in God is far more so, making you fit both today and forever. . . From 1 Timothy 4:1-10 Message
God is always with us. May we always be with Him, in thought and action.
When all is going well, and we’re feeling well, it is not so difficult to have faith! We feel positive. We feel strong. We feel confident. But when a hardship comes, or we are feeling ill, it is so much more difficult. When our human strength is gone, we will need to be able to draw from the goodness of God! That would be our faith in Jesus! This blog is about how we should always be nurturing our faith in Jesus and how we must always be remaining in the strength of our Lord, so if we do become mentally or physically weak, we can gain strength from the strength we have in Jesus! Now God is God, and we are not. And God can help us even if we do not build our faith up. Yes, He can. But If we are not always working out our faith in Jesus, when hard times come, we may have a much harder time of it. God is telling us over and over in His Word to keep the faith, for a reason!
Read on about some of the things we should always be doing to keep the faith. And I am using the word, always on purpose. And when you see the word, always, think of words like;
Daily, Constantly, Faithfully, Habitually,
We must always be holding on to the courage we have because of our faith in Jesus and be encouraging others in their faith as well.We must always be speaking to one another about what God has said, while there is still time to do so, so that none of us will become hardened against God, and blinded by the glamor of sin.
But Christ, God’s faithful Son, is in complete charge of God’s house. And we Christians are God’s house—he lives in us!—if we keep up our courage firm to the end, and our joy and our trust in the Lord.
And since Christ is so much superior, the Holy Spirit warns us to listen to him, to be careful to hear his voice today and not let our hearts become set against him, as the people of Israel did. They steeled themselves against his love and complained against him in the desert while he was testing them. But God was patient with them forty years, though they tried his patience sorely; he kept right on doing his mighty miracles for them to see.“But,” God says, “I was very angry with them, for their hearts were always looking somewhere else instead of up to me, and they never found the paths I wanted them to follow.”
Then God, full of this anger against them, bound himself with an oath that he would never let them come to his place of rest.
Beware then of your own hearts, dear brothers, lest you find that they, too, are evil and unbelieving and are leading you away from the living God. Speak to each other about these things every day while there is still time so that none of you will become hardened against God, being blinded by the glamorof sin.For if we are faithful to the end, trusting God just as we did when we first became Christians, we will share in all that belongs to Christ.
Hebrews 3:6-14 TLB
We must always be holding on to our confession of faith, nourishing our faith in Jesus, so when sickness, sin, or the sorrows of this world comes, we will be more likely to run to Jesus!
Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need. Hebrews 4:14-16
Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;) And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is ; but exhorting one another : and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching. Hebrews 10:22-25 KJV
Jesus always stayed near to His Father and in time of temptation, Jesus prayed to His Father. As should we!
And he came out, and went, as he was wont, to the mount of Olives; and his disciples also followed him. And when he was at the place, he said unto them, Pray that ye enter not into temptation. And he was withdrawn from them about a stone's cast, and kneeled down, and prayed, Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done. And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him. And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly:and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground. And when he rose up from prayer, and was come to his disciples, he found them sleeping for sorrow, And said unto them, Why sleep ye? rise and pray, lest ye enter into temptation. Luke 22:39-46 KJV
We must always be in pursuit of what is good.
We must follow and hold fast to that which is good, among ourselves, and among all people.
Always rejoicing
Always praying
Always giving thanks
Always obeying the Spirit
Always respecting prophesy that is proved
Always shunning evil
See that no one pays back evil for evil, but always try to do good to each other and to everyone else. Always be joyful. Always keep on praying. No matter what happens, always be thankful, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.
Do not smother the Holy Spirit. Do not scoff at those who prophesy, but test everything that is said to be sure it is true, and if it is, then accept it. Keep away from every kind of evil. 1 Thessalonians 5:15-22 TLB
We must always be humble and vigilant and steadfast in the faith we have in Jesus because we have an adversary out there that we must
resist, and we can only resist by our faith in Jesus!
Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.
Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world.1 Peter 5:6-9 NKJV
We must always be patient in difficulties and temptations so that our, being more like Jesus, can grow.
Dear brothers, is your life full of difficulties and temptations? Then be happy, for when the way is rough, your patience has a chance to grow. So let it grow, and don’t try to squirm out of your problems. For when your patience is finally in full bloom, then you will be ready for anything, strong in character, full and complete.James 1:2-4 TLB
We must always be seeking and serving; loving only One Master in this life.
No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Matthew 6:24,33 KJV
We must always be staying aware of warped philosophies and things that go against God’s truth.
The world is unprincipled. It’s dog-eat-dog out there! The world doesn’t fight fair. But we don’t live or fight our battles that way—never have and never will. The tools of our trade aren’t for marketing or manipulation, but they are for demolishing that entire massively corrupt culture. We use our powerful God-tools for smashing warped philosophies, tearing down barriers erected against the truth of God, fitting every loose thought and emotion and impulse into the structure of life shaped by Christ. Our tools are ready at hand for clearing the ground of every obstruction and building lives of obedience into maturity.2 Corinthians 10:3-5 Message
Therefore, brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle. 2 Thessalonians 2:15 KJV
Hold fast the form of sound words, which thou hast heard of me, in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus. That good thing which was committed unto thee keep by the Holy Ghost which dwelleth in us. 2 Timothy 1:13-14 KJV
Now, Timothy, my son, here is my command to you: Fight well in the Lord’s battles, just as the Lord told us through his prophets that you would. Cling tightly to your faith in Christ and always keep your conscience clear, doing what you know is right. For some people have disobeyed their consciences and have deliberately done what they knew was wrong. It isn’t surprising that soon they lost their faith in Christ after defying God like that.
1 Timothy 1:18-19 TLB
We must always be living our lives to Christ conformity, not to cultural conformity.
So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you. Romans 12:1-2 Message
We must always remain repentant! Remaining repentant brings good things to us. Godly sorrow is the only sorrow we crave.
Now I rejoice, not that you were made sorry, but that your sorrow led to repentance. For you were made sorry in a godly manner, that you might suffer loss from us in nothing. For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death. For observe this very thing, that you sorrowed in a godly manner:
What diligence it produced in you,
what clearing of yourselves,
what indignation,
what fear,
what vehement desire,
what zeal,
what vindication!
In all things you proved yourselves to be clear in this matter.
2 Corinthians 7:9-11 NKJV
We must always be keeping our eyes on Jesus!
Since we have such a huge crowd of men of faith watching us from the grandstands, let us strip off anything that slows us down or holds us back, and especially those sins that wrap themselves so tightly around our feet and trip us up; and let us run with patience the particular race that God has set before us.
Keep your eyes on Jesus, our leader and instructor. He was willing to die a shameful death on the cross because of the joy he knew would be his afterwards; and now he sits in the place of honor by the throne of God.
If you want to keep from becoming fainthearted and weary, think about his patience as sinful men did such terrible things to him. After all, you have never yet struggled against sin and temptation until you sweat great drops of blood. Hebrews 12:1-4 TLB
We must always be ready with the power that comes from God, to stand against the wiles of the devil.
Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith,wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints; Ephesians 6:11-18 KJV
We must always be diligent in following the steps of the faithful.
And we are anxious that you keep right on loving others as long as life lasts, so that you will get your full reward.
Then, knowing what lies ahead for you, you won’t become bored with being a Christian nor become spiritually dull and indifferent, but you will be anxious to follow the example of those who receive all that God has promised them because of their strong faith and patience. Hebrews 6:11-12 TLB
We must always be expectant of the Day of God, and growing in grace and understanding of our Savior, Jesus Christ, so we do not fall from our steadfastness in Him, and so we will not be led away with the error of the wicked.
Since everything here today might well be gone tomorrow, do you see how essential it is to live a holy life? Daily expect the Day of God, eager for its arrival. The galaxies will burn up and the elements melt down that day—but we’ll hardly notice. We’ll be looking the other way, ready for the promised new heavens and the promised new earth, all landscaped with righteousness.
So, my dear friends, since this is what you have to look forward to, do your very best to be found living at your best, in purity and peace. Interpret our Master’s patient restraint for what it is: salvation. Our good brother Paul, who was given much wisdom in these matters, refers to this in all his letters, and has written you essentially the same thing. Some things Paul writes are difficult to understand. Irresponsible people who don’t know what they are talking about twist them every which way. They do it to the rest of the Scriptures, too, destroying themselves as they do it.
But you, friends, are well-warned. Be on guard lest you lose your footing and get swept off your feet by these lawless and loose-talking teachers. Grow in grace and understanding of our Master and Savior, Jesus Christ. Glory to the Master, now and forever! Yes! 2 Peter 3:11-18 Message
We must always be staying wide awake in prayer and always be doing the Lord’s work til He comes.
Everything in the world is about to be wrapped up, so take nothing for granted. Stay wide-awake in prayer. Most of all, love each other as if your life depended on it. Love makes up for practically anything. Be quick to give a meal to the hungry, a bed to the homeless—cheerfully. Be generous with the different things God gave you, passing them around so all get in on it: if words, let it be God’s words; if help, let it be God’s hearty help. That way, God’s bright presence will be evident in everything through Jesus, and he’ll get all the credit as the One mighty in everything—encores to the end of time. Oh, yes! 1 Peter 4:7-11 Message
Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord. 1 Corinthians 15:58 KJV
We must always be building up ourselves on our most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost, keeping ourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life!
How that they told you there should be mockers in the last time, who should walk after their own ungodly lusts. These be they who separate themselves, sensual, having not the Spirit. But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost, Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. Jude 1:18-21 KJV
PRAYER
Father, God, You are always with us. May we always be with You, in thought and in action, by our faith in Jesus. May we always hold fast to our faith in Jesus and encourage others in the faith as well. May we encourage one another in Your Word daily, so our hearts will always be soft toward You, and we will never want to sin against You. May we always be building each other up on this most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost, keeping ourselves in Your love oh God. May we always stay near to You as Jesus did so that in times of trials and temptation, we will pray as we should. May we always be in pursuit of what is good. May we always be humble,vigilant and steadfast in the faith we have in Jesus because we have an adversary out there that we must resist! May we always be ready with the power that comes only from You God, to stand against the wiles of the devil. May we always be patient in difficulties and temptations so our, being more like Jesus, can grow. May we never, ever compromise the Word of Truth Jesus has given us to help us. Help us live our lives to Christ conformity, and not to cultural conformity. Help us stay repentant at all times! May we always be expectant of the Day of our Lord, growing in grace and understanding of our Savior, Jesus Christ, so we will not fall from our steadfastness in Him, and so we will not be led away with the error of the wicked. May we always stay wide awake in prayer and always be doing our Lord’s work til He comes. Thank You for sending Jesus to us so we can walk in faith of Your goodness in this ole world of woe! In Jesus’ Name we pray, Amen