Working Out Our Own Salvation Part 2

"Wherefore, my beloved, as ye (you) have obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling." - (Philippians 2:12 KJV)

Happy Thriving Thursday and Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Last time, in Working Out Our Own Salvation Part 1, I mentioned on how some people are focused on others and not themselves. I also talked about salvation and 10 steps to receive it. We're going to quickly review the first-half of these five steps, so we can continue with the second-half:

Step 1: Humility.

Step 2: Acknowledging we're sinners.

Step 3: Repenting for our sins.

Step 4: Surrendering our hearts over to Jesus.

Step 5: Believing Jesus has died for our sins.

And here is the second-half in receiving salvation:

Step 6: Forgetting what we "think" we know, or what we have already learned about God by others telling us about their experiences with Him. (It can be positive or negative.) Don't get me wrong. It's fine about hearing others' testimonies on knowing God for themselves. It's a beautiful thing and that's what draws people to know God even more. However, God desires for us to know Him for ourselves. There's nothing like developing a personal relationship with our Heavenly Father. There’s nothing like it. (I'm saying this with a smile on my face, that's how truly awesome being close to God is.)

Step 7: Sincerely hungering and thirsting for God by admitting we want to learn about His Ways. How do we learn about God's ways? We simply read God's Word for ourselves, so we won't be deceived. Every person you meet, who says they are of God, isn't always of Him. The LORD, Himself, will reveal to you if this spirit is from Him or not. Apples don't come from an orange tree, and oranges don't come from an apple tree.

Step 8: Praying to God daily. I want you to know it's not the quantity of time, which makes your relationship with God essential, but it's the quality of your time, which delivers you into all truth about Him.

Step 9: Praising God for all He has done in your life. Counting your blessings is vital. Hey, you're alive. That's enough to praise Him right there, in spite of going through an imperfect situation.

Step 10: Worshipping God wholeheartedly. Worship is a personal and profound adoration toward God of how much He means to you. Once you enter worship mode, this is where God reveals Himself to you in the most dynamic way. It’s a beautiful thing when we relish in His sweet, loving Presence. That's how wonderful God is. He gives you peace, even when you have storms all around you. Yes, His Peace passes all human understanding, which comes from God and God alone.

And once you receive His Peace, everything around you won’t matter because you have assurance that God's in control, and He won't abandon you or lose patience with you because you're feeling lonely. He's not insensitive like we, as people, tend to be at times. 1 Peter 5:7 reminds us to cast all our cares on Him, because He cares for us.

These were the necessary steps I did for myself on knowing God personally. If I hadn't taken these steps, I wouldn't be right where I am, today, to tell you how much I love Him with all my heart, mind, and soul. And I still apply these steps in my life because it humbly reminds me that I can easily fall into temptation and sin.

But thank you, Jesus, we have an Advocate who pardons our sins by forgiving us and tossing them into the sea of forgetfulness. When we acknowledge our errors and don't make excuses for our ways, He actually sees sincerity and remorse in our hearts, and this is where He does a new work in us, so we'll become more like Him.

Before we condemn others about their weaknesses, it's good to remember we're not perfect. I'm learning that cold-hearted and arrogant people are the most uncompassionate and least understanding people I know. They make harsh and irrational judgments about you, like there is something with you and not them. If this resonates with you, and you're reflecting on people, in your life, behaving this way toward you, then you know exactly what I mean. People, who fall into this category, don't listen to what you're saying. They have ears, but they're not hearing you. They're spiritual radars are dull and this is because someone did that to them. You can believe some people are the way they are, because of what was done to them. It's sad, but true. And then, they pass this venomous behavior to innocent people, who genuinely care about them, and this is how the vicious cycle begins. This is the main reason why the world is the way it is. We're so cruel to each other and the way we're behaving toward each other is alarming and deadly.
 

It's the content in our hearts what makes us clean or unclean—not being poor, homeless, or a failure. Our actions define who we are. This is a very important lesson to remember. People will not remember us for fame or fortune, but for the life we lived on Earth. The seeds we sow, whether it’s pleasure (good) or pain (evil), people will remember us by our deeds.

These 10 steps, I listed above to you, are here to help us stay on the right-track of working out our own salvation. These steps will also allow God to show us revelations about the very questions we have about people and our situations.

The girl who e-mailed me admitted to me when God showed her essential truths about her situations, she sees what is of God and what isn't. My friends, she is on the right-track to knowing God for herself, the way God created her. We're all unique. None of us communicate to God in the same manner, when we’re praying to Him. That's what makes us extremely special in His Eyes. He sees beyond our faults and meets our needs. If I were temperamental and self-absorbed with the girl who e-mails me about her progress of growing in God, she probably would have given up on God altogether. And this self-absorbed behavior is what pushes people away from God instead of going to Him.

That's why it irks me when some people in the world call themselves Christians, giving real Christians, like me, a bad name. I don't believe in hypocrisy or false prophecy. If you're going to be a non-believer, be one. If you're going to be a believer, go all the way. There is no half-stepping with God—it's either one or the other. Yes, there are times where we will feel divided because it's a part of life, but division shouldn't be consistent throughout our lives. This leads to being unstable in our ways.

And how you'll truly know who belongs to God and who doesn't, it's through the fruit we bear. "Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye (you) shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit." - (Matthew 7:15-18 KJV)

Basically, in plain English, we're either one or the other, and we can't display good actions, knowing deep down we perform evil ones instead, when we think no one is watching and vice versa. The truth of who we really are always comes out, no matter how hard we try to conceal it.

No, we can't judge anybody on things they do, when it’s evident that we make mistakes, too. Our judgment is not accurate by what we "think" we "see." Only God and that person know the whole story. So, before we say someone is desperate for attention, they need prayer, or they don't have certain "requirements" to be a Christian. We must, first, reflect what's in our hearts. What's rooting in our spirits when we're making wrongful statements about people? Is this coming from God's perspective or our perspective?

Here's God Perspective on a person who feels unloved and they are seeking attention in the wrong places: My child is hurting. Something or someone has made him or her react this way. He or she has experienced turmoil—he or she doesn't know who is really for or against him or her. I'm going to lift him or her up in prayer.

And this is how one would pray: Father, I ask You to help deliver ___________(person's name), and shower Your love on him or her right now. Bless him or her to overcome this struggle of needing acceptance. Bless him or her to see how valuable he or she is in Your Sight. Deliver him or her out of the hands of his or her enemies, who are wrongfully speaking evil against him or her. Show him or her how to effectively communicate where others are receptive, so You are glorified, and for others to understand him or her better. In Jesus' Name. Amen.

And here's our tainted perspective on the situation: Oh, this person is so desperate or hopeless. It doesn't make any sense what they're doing. They need prayer or help. Something is wrong with that person. What a loser! I would never act like that. I have my stuff together. I’m successful and this person is a failure. I have friends while this person is friendless. This person doesn't have a strong relationship with God. They have no spiritual insight. They need the Holy Spirit like I do.

If you're laughing at how I'm stating this, I'm just showing you, through example, how bad this really sounds and what judging someone sounds like! I don't know one person who hasn't come across a judging, cynical and critical hypocrite. I know it's somewhat blunt, but let's call it for what it is. How is God glorified in the second perspective? How does it encourage the hurting soul, who is in need of prayer? You see where I'm going with this? If so, I'm glad. This means you're growing gracefully in God along with me. We're in this together. My desire is to see you have a bountiful relationship with God, so no one will deter you from God's Truth. We must worship Him in Spirit and in Truth. "God is a Spirit: and they that worship must worship him in spirit and in truth." - (John 4:24 KJV)

Prayer: Father, I feel so isolated and trapped. I believe no one understands me. Lord, only You know that I'm doing the best I can with knowing You for myself. But it's hard dealing with people who don't understand me, even when they think they do. Continue to create in me a clean heart and renew a right spirit within me. I need Your help through Your Holy Spirit, because it's hard to do on my own. I know now that it's my salvation is what keeps me redeemed through Jesus, who saved me. I know I don't have all the answers, but Lord, I'm grateful with the revelations You show me whenever I pray to You. Father, forgive us, for we know not what we do. Thank You for caring about me when no one else does. Thank You for setting me free from my oppressors and haters. Thank You for dealing with them, on how harshly they're acting toward me and misconstruing who I am. Thank You for saving them, in advance, and blessing them to get to know Jesus as their personal Savior. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

If you believe in this prayer, you are redeemed and set free. Yes, we need deliverance daily, but in order to get deliverance, we must confess what we have done or how we feel inside on what others have done to us. And when we keep our hearts right before the Lord, praying according to God's Spirit and Truth, and not with our fleshly thoughts, He will hear our prayers. He will forgive us when we hurt others or ourselves and those who hurt us. Jesus loves you very much and I do, too! Until next time, be blessed.

 

Working Out Our Own Salvation Part 1

"Wherefore, my beloved, as ye (you) have obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling." - (Philippians 2:12 KJV)

 

Happy Super Sunday!!!

 

I'm blessed to be alive and to be loved so much by my Heavenly Father because He genuinely cares for me. I honestly didn't know what to write, but after reading an e-mail from one of my readers, her experience prompted me to write this. It's extremely vital that we must focus on our flaws, instead of pointing out one’s struggles through mean-spirited and snide comments.

 

I find this scripture to be fitting because I’m astounded how people only want to do certain deeds when others are in their presence. Here’s a question to ask: But what if nobody is in our presence, will we still do what’s right? That's where our actions really count. It defines who we actually are. We tend to fabricate a show of what we "think" people want to see. When the truth is, we're not like our self-made alter egos.

 

Working out our own salvation becomes our lifestyles, once we totally surrender our lives to Christ.  Working on individual salvation is crucial because when we read God's Word, it keeps our spirits in-check. It assists us to see what we need work in and where we're maturing in our walk with God.

 

This reader's story touched my heart profoundly, when she mentioned about my post Two Areas in Deliverance really hit home with her about people understanding us and not making us feel bad because we're spiritually lacking. And I knew right there that God wants me to speak what reaches the hearts of many, who are striving to live better on a day-to-day basis.

 

It's mean-spirited or arrogant, self-righteous folks who give people, like you and me, the ax, because we're being honest of how we feel. And it's completely wrong for the other party to not consider what you and I are saying. I'm only speaking what His Holy Spirit is revealing to me.

 

Many people "think" they get the meaning of trying to owe God, but here's what they're missing wholeheartedly. Good deeds are fine, but they aren't the official seal, which gets us into Heaven. It's our salvation, which is our ticket to Heaven. He's seeking for those who truly believe in Him.

 

There are 10 steps in (and of course more, but I’m listing 10 steps for now) receiving salvation. This will be a two-part devotion, there’s so much information God poured in my heart; I have to divide them. I will gladly share these steps from my personal experience of why God is so effective in my life.

 

Here's the most important step:

 

Step 1: Humility. Just to be clear, humility is not associated with weakness whatsoever. Humility is submitting our ways to God, setting aside our pride, self-absorbed knowledge, and attitude toward life, and to everyone else. It's a process to break what needs to be broken, so we can become better and not bitter. When we walk in humility, we're coming out of darkness and walking into the light, and it’s in our darkness where God illuminates His light in our lives. Humility gently teaches us that we can't go far in life by being set in our hideous ways, especially when it doesn't glorify God or encourage others who need healing for their souls. It's our motives in our hearts, which makes us altogether lovely or altogether crass.

 

Step 2: Acknowledging we're sinners. This means we're coming to terms that we're at the end of ourselves. We quickly learn after doing things our way for a while, we keep failing to try God's way, which is the key to constant deliverance from being in bondage.

 

Step 3: Repenting for our sins. After we repent for our sins, this is where we're submitting our erroneous ways over to Jesus. For it's hard to keep a pure heart and deliver pure actions on our own. It's His Holy Spirit, which leads us into all truth.

 

Step 4: Surrendering our hearts over to Jesus through believing He's Our Savior and Redeemer. Salvation is the key to redemption. God's unlimited merciful grace is what helps make our salvation stronger in Him by having a relationship with Him and continually confessing what's in our hearts to Him. Once we confess our faults, God really is faithful and just to forgive us for our sins.

 

Step 5: Believing Jesus has died for our sins, so we aren't perished or condemned, but to be saved by His mercy, grace, and unadulterated love for us. It's our belief is what makes us save. Not religious doctrines, speaking in tongues (Satan can mock speaking in an unknown language to make us think it's from God, when it isn't. As you grow in your walk with God, He will give you His Spiritual Discernment to know what's of Him and what isn't! That's where humbling ourselves come in), and not having haughty "spiritual" knowledge of God. Heavenly spiritual gifts come after we're saved. This is a sure sign we're growing in God.

 

I know this message ended quickly, but I promise you there’s more in part two. Please come back for this insightful conclusion, for your soul will be blessed. And if not, I pray God will open your heart in understanding Him and knowing Him personally for yourself. I pray the first-half of these steps are gently guiding you into His love, truth, peace, mercy and grace. My earnest desire is to assist those who desperately need a touch from Jesus. Jesus heals, delivers, and sets the captives free. I’m carrying on the legacy He left here to bless those in need.

 

Prayer: Father, I thank You for showing me Your ways in receiving my salvation so far. I hunger and thirst for Your pure love for me. Save me from myself, so I won’t harshly judge others, when I need to work out things, which aren’t right in me. Continue to create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. I long to have a heart like Yours. Thank You for today's message and bless me to grow gracefully in You. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

 

If you believe in this prayer, you’re definitely on your way to learning more about this Wonderful, Loving God I serve. He truly is amazing, if you give Him a chance. He is Worthy to be Praised! Jesus is our Mediator between God and us because He knows what’s it is like to be human and what we're struggling with (smiling). I love you and Jesus loves you, too. Until next time, be blessed.

 

Two Categories in Deliverance

"Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the LORD delivereth him (her) out of them all." - (Psalms 34:19 KJV)

 

Happy Wonderful Wednesday!!!

 

In spite of Hurricane Sandy devastating the East Coast, I asked God what would He like for me to say to His People this week. And it's strange because I was speaking with my sister Tiffany about two categories of deliverance, which the Lord dropped in my spirit. Here are the two categories: 1. Struggles. 2. Trouble. The Lord reminded me as long as I'm living on Earth, I am constantly going to need deliverance. And until God perfects His work in me of whom He wants me to be, that's when I know He'll welcome me in to Heaven saying, "Well done, thy good and faithful servant." Boy, what a day that will be when I see Jesus welcoming me home.

 

But I want to discuss about deliverance because there are many of us who desperately needs it. I don't know one person who doesn't need deliverance, when he or she actually does.

 

Struggles: This category falls under our shortcomings when we slip every now-and-then. It's important to recognize our struggles because it will help us become free of falling into constant trouble. Struggles can be addictions of any sort, and they don’t necessarily have to be addressed with alcohol or drugs. That's one way of looking at struggles. But here's another way of perceiving struggles. They can be associated with addictions in pornography, profanity, doubt, worry, fear, low self-esteem, anger, self-righteousness, wrongful judging, eating disorders, overeating, hoarding, overspending, lust, comparisons, perfection, obsession, sex, cheating, masturbation, holding grudges, etc. Forgive me, if I have forgotten any more struggles. However, this is a clue to help us understand ourselves better on why we do the things we do, or what trigger us to fall into these struggles.

 

It also helps us in becoming less judgmental and more understanding about who others are and we are as well. If any of these struggles I listed up here or not, grasp at your heart. You're reading the right message today.

 

So many are deceived to believe this saying, "Once your saved, you're always saved." Don't buy into that lie for one second. With just giving our lives to Christ, alone, is the first step, but it's staying saved is what makes it a challenge. I'm speaking to those who get what I'm saying here. Living in denial of thinking we hit the mark every time is not realistic and it's a pitfall to quickly fall into temptation of any form.

 

Our own righteousnesses, they are filthy rags. But when we're washed under God's righteousness and He declares us as righteous, no one can condemn or judge us, even though they try hard to, but it won't work because no weapon formed against us shall prosper. And even if the weapon succeeded, you better believe that scheme is bound to explode and cause dire consequences.

 

When we have people who are listening to us and understanding us, they totally get us and never make us feel bad because we're lacking spiritually. Those are the type of people you want to be around. Most people, whom I come across with, can easily talk to me about their problems, and it's because I have three simple codes I live by: listening, understanding, and not judging. Hey, we all make mistakes because we're human. We're not invincible. And that is the truth.

 

Once we listen, I mean really listen, we begin to understand others and ourselves more clearly, and our hearts will soften and we are more compassionate to those around us. We need more compassion. We must see needs and not faults. I always do my best to see a person's needs and not his or her faults, because I know we all need someone who gets us completely and still loves us unconditionally.

 

Now, there are some people, who won't receive us at all, no matter how hard we try to make the relationship work, some people believe we're constantly in the wrong, and they're not wrong—at all! And it's a sad way to live, if I'm being honest. I actually feel sorry for these types of people, who believe they're always right, or in the right, and what they don't realize is they're cutting off their blessings and relationships, which God wants to accomplish in their lives.

 

We can't have this mindset to disassociate ourselves with others simply because we don't like the way they look, or view life differently from us, or when they're gently and lovingly pointing out our errors, which can destroy us wholeheartedly, if we're not careful! We can't be impatient with others when they make slip-ups. And if God didn't do it to us, why should we do it to others? And that's something we must consider.

 

Trouble: Trouble is a situation that happens beyond our control, which causes us distress. Hurricane Sandy is a great example. There were some people who actually believed that Hurricane Sandy was going to be like Hurricane Irene. This is the ultimate reason why we shouldn't assume! And this is when trouble occurs; it's due to assumption. There's nothing worse than assuming, because when we assume, we're not making an accurate assessment about situations, and we usually wind up looking crazy, and others are hurt through having their reputations ruined for something they didn't do, just because we assume.

 

Trouble is finances, family related issues, a friendship ending, health failing, losing homes and cars, spreading rumors, recession, losing businesses, an untimely death, etc. And this type of trouble gets the best of us when our stress levels are extremely high. It causes us to judge our predicaments poorly because we're going by how we feel and not claiming life over our dead situations. Life happens.

 

But what happens when our struggles and trouble become one?

 

I know what you're thinking: "How is that possible?"

 

You can believe our struggles can easily turn into our trouble. When we don't get a hold over our struggles behind closed doors, they become exposed when it affects others around us, and not just ourselves. Our struggles turn into diseases, which blow out of proportion because we get to a place where no one can tell us anything. We know everything and we don't consider how they're feeling anymore. Our hearts grow hard and we don't even recognize who we are anymore.

 

We don't want to get to that place, and once we enter that place, we wind up living lonely. I want to be clear this kind of loneliness is not the same form of loneliness when God is taking you to a new level in your life, and He wants to bless you because He wants to use you for His Glory.

 

The wrong form of loneliness, I’m referring to, isolates us from those who really cares about us. When our addictions/struggles overtake us, we're not the same people we used to be, because we tend to shut everyone out who is simply trying to us help or understand us.

 

And how do we set ourselves free from our struggles and trouble?

 

By confessing to God about what we're feeling inside.

 

By constantly seeking God to show us what we're struggling in.

 

By praying about everything. Nothing should be overlooked or be considered as a promise for tomorrow, for nothing is promised.

 

And by correcting our mistakes once God brings to our attention of where we made error.

 

It's important to remember we take responsibility for our actions. When we are held accountable for our actions, this is the time to reconsider of what's really important. Small things always lead to big things. Every detail counts. It makes our outcome for what it is.

 

We can't always go by what we see, for things are not what they appear to be. There's always more to a circumstance than what meets the eye. We will know the truth and the truth will set us free. And once we ask God for His Perspective along with His Wisdom and Guidance, we can overcome anything with His Help, for God specializes in the impossible and turning it into possible.

 

Prayer: Lord, I surrender my struggles over to you right now. I ask You to help me recognize my weaknesses and strengthen me in them. Deliver me out of every struggle I encounter, so I can be closer to You in every way. Burn out anything in me that's not of You and bless me to have more of Your Spirit in everything I do, so You are glorified. Lord, I'm also facing trouble. I'm asking You to help recognize whether it's of my own doing or it's just an enemy attack. And if it's of my own doing, bless me to correct my mistakes. Lord, mend destroyed relationships, which are beyond repair. And if I'm in the wrong, open my eyes so I see clearly what I have done to hurt others. Open their hearts with Your compassion to let me in and forgive me. And if they’re in the wrong, I ask You, in Jesus' Name, to open their eyes and convict their spirits to make the wrong right. Help them in their struggles as well, so it won't lead them into unwanted trouble. Give them Your strength to acknowledge their ways and apologize to others or me, they hurt along the way. Restore broken relationships in their lives as well, so You are glorified. I know I will never be perfect, but I thank You for delivering me and setting me free. I believe by faith it's done. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

 

If you believe in this prayer, may God restore you and bless you in every trouble and struggle you're facing. May He bless you to grow in His Grace and to walk in His Love, so you are able to love others freely with His Love. Jesus loves you very much and I do, too. Until next time, be blessed.