#...all our righteousness are as filthy rags...

[thewordfortheday]

Isaiah 64:6

We are all impure with sin. All our righteous deeds are nothing but filthy rags. Like autumn leaves, we wither and fall, and our sins sweep us away like the wind.

Most people think that somehow they are good enough and they deserve to go to heaven. They think that their good works will take them there, and reject the Salvation of the Lord Jesus Christ. 

We can never stand before a holy God in our own righteousness. When we repent of our sins and receive Jesus Christ as our Lord and Saviour, He will wash us with His precious blood and make us truly righteous. Only through the blood of Jesus can we enter into the presence of God.  Every other attempt at righteousness outside of Christ is futile, and God will look at that kind of righteousness as filthy rags.

The above verse does not mean, our righteous acts are filthy rags, but our righteous acts apart from Christ are filthy rags. 

In fact Ephesians 2:10 reads “For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” But the Bible is very clear, “ It is by grace you have been saved."

[craftingcreatures]

O strong nation! Great in your magnificence! What strength, what power, what wealth! You say, “We are the servants of the Highest God.” “His favour is upon us, because we are righteous.” “We are God’s people; we are a bastion of faith in a world of sin.”

But consider your works, O great nation. And know that your faith is ashes, Your righteousness as filthy rags. You, who deny the sick their healing, You, who deny the slave their deliverance, You, who take up the sword against the innocent. You think you are “good,” because of your piety, Because you abstain from drink, from crime, from pleasure. But go, and learn what this means: I will have mercy, and not sacrifice.

You think that all your wealth and power Gives you the right to decide what’s right and wrong. You think that because you are You, you must be right. And all who oppose you are an evil to be destroyed, And not only do you cause them to suffer, But you take great delight in their suffering. And because you are You, and You are Right, You cannot hear when someone calls you wrong.

You say, “We are holy”; But holiness comes from the mouth of God. And God did not say to kill your neighbour Or to build your empire on the broken backs of slaves Or, when your own folds were full, To slay the poor man’s beloved lamb.

You say, “We follow Christ”; But it was Christ who said, Love your neighbour. “They are our enemies!” You cry in protest, Holding a sword to your neighbour’s throat. Christ said, Love your enemies. “They hate us!” You cry in anger. Christ said, Do good to them that hate you. “They attacked us!” You cry in terror. Christ said, Turn the other cheek.

You say, “We follow God”; Go now, and learn what that truly means. For this God to whom you lift your bloodstained hands, He hears the blood of the innocent, crying out for justice. And the hands that shed innocent blood are an abomination to Him. Woe to you, scribes and pharisees! You hypocrites, you whitewashed tombs! Woe to you, who devour widows’ houses Then wipe your mouth, and say you’ve done no wrong!

O, Jerusalem, Jerusalem! City of the most High God! When will you turn to Him? He is the God who gives grace to the humble. He is the God who resists the proud. And this God, who you claim to worship, Did not come to reward those who believed they were right But to rescue those who knew they were wrong. Remember the priest and the publican, standing together in prayer; The priest, in hubris, praised himself. The “Man of God”, the example, the leader Pushed his neighbour down to lift himself up. But the publican saw himself and wept for his own weakness. And of the two, only one was justified.

The guilt of this nation is great. And I – I am not innocent. Though my heart moves in sympathy for the oppressed I, in my comfortable little life, Do not lift a finger to help. (There’s nothing I can do.) Do not raise my voice in protest. (What good would it do?) Do not give to those in need. (I have my own problems!) I have innumerable excuses and no excuse. And, though I know this, still my ways are not changed. I am too afraid. Too weak. Too far away.

But then I hear the Dear One speak: Fear not. I have forgiven your sins. I am with you and I will not forsake you. Rise up and follow me.

Lord, I am afraid. Perfect love casts out fear. Lord, I am weak. My strength is made perfect in your weakness. Lord, I do not know the way. I will lead you in paths of righteousness. Lord, it all feels so hopeless. Fear not, for I am with you.

Fear not, for I have overcome the world.

[albertfinch]

RESPONDING TO GOD

Some people think their calling is to sit in church and support someone else's vision.

While it's good to do all you can to encourage someone and support them – each of us has our own CALLING in Christ Jesus. And at the end of the road, Jesus is going to ask you, "What did you do with the anointing I put in your life?"

WHAT IS GOD SAYING TO YOU?

Everyone (all born-again believers) has the witness of the Spirit, or the anointing, within them. That's why the apostle John said, "You don't need any man to teach you, because the anointing (or the Anointed One) is within you," - 1 John 2:27.

Does that mean that we don't have teachers in the Church? No, of course not – there are teachers, pastors, prophets, apostles, and evangelists – all given to equip the Church.

But you have to listen to the anointing or witness of the Spirit within you to discern what God is saying to you personally.

For example, someone could come to your church and prophesy or teach or preach – but you have to discern what God is saying to you – even if there are just a couple of sentences that are for you personally.

Jesus said, "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God" (Matthew 4:4). Not every word you hear, nor every Bible verse you read, is proceeding a word for you today. What is God saying to you NOW?  Today?  This week?  The proceeding word imparts life and faith and has power to move you to the next thing that God has for you.

One thing is for sure – we have to move on. We have to continually discern what is He saying to us now (today) -- today's manna.

WHAT SHOULD BE YOUR RESPONSE TO GOD?

We can sit there forever in our comfort zone or we can rise up and say, "I'm going to go for it. I'm going to be all I can be in God."

What's in your heart?

Where do you want to go?

What is God’s purpose for your life? You only have one life to live down here on earth. What kind of life do you want to live?

A mundane, in-my comfort-zone, occasionally-stepping-out kind of life?

Or, an on-the-edge, exciting, what's-going-to-happen-next kind of life?

It is your Heavenly Father who is stirring you up. He made an awesome deposit in you. Jesus deposited His life in you. He is looking for a return on His deposit. His deposit will bring forth your DESTINY if you let it run its course.

WATCH OUT FOR THE DOGS THAT LAY AT THE DOOR OF YOUR DESTINY

There are dogs – religious spirits -- having a knowledge of God, but denying His power -- negative spirits -- that make God's people have to "qualify" to be used by God. But Jesus already qualified us 100%.

Dogs can also be jealous spirits in people that don't want you to go further than them. A good teacher or instructor is proud when a pupil begins to accomplish something.

Jesus has made you perfect in the sight of His Father. It is His righteousness that you are covered with – not your own. Jesus switched with you. He took your righteousness, which is like filthy rags, and took it to the Cross – then He gave you His robe of righteousness in exchange. What a great "swap"! Your rotten rags in exchange for the beauty and awesomeness and righteousness of the Mighty Son of God!

How awesome is that? To be clothed in the holiness and beauty of the perfect Son – Jesus.

Don't be afraid of the dogs (religious spirits) – Jesus has given you power over them. The dogs can only minister to you through lies – you have to choose not to believe those lies.

Now is the time to be all you can be in God – you don't have to qualify – you just have to learn how to yield to the anointing.

God sees a great big vision for you. He is not limited. He is not limited by your inability. He is released through your believing in His ability.

Don't let the dogs keep you from the doorway of your destiny. They are liars and thieves.

The dogs can howl and scream and bark all they want, but they can't touch you if know your Christ identity and what is your CALLING in Christ on your life.

Have a spirit of abandonment to the purposes of God. God wants to send the winds of the Spirit to take you where you are supposed to go – His plan and PURPOSE for your life.

ALBERT FINCH MINISTRY

[enlargemycoast3]

Being good and doing good things, alone do not qualify us as a Believer in Christ. People in the world (those without Christ) do good things everyday and yet they do not know nor have a relationship with Jesus. Today, many people in churches are taught that just being good will get us to heaven, but this is not biblical. Jesus went about doing good while on earth, but He knew Who He was (The Son of God) and where He was from. He was from the Father. The Father was in Him and He was in the Father and He was always about His Fathers business. (John 16,17, Luke 2:49)

Through this deceptive teaching, we now have breeded a society where “everyone’s saved” through being good and doing good deeds and not that from an active, ongoing relationship in Jesus. You can never be good enough or do good enough, for the word declares in (Luke 17:10) Though in doing all commanded to do, we are still unprofitable servants and have just done our duty. And (Isaiah 6:64)Our righteousness are as filthy rags to the Lord.

Our works and our “being good enough” standards will never be enough. Being good and doing great amazing things is not what constitutes us as Believers in Jesus. We are not saved by our works, good deeds, being good or being better. Only faith in Jesus.

(Philippians 3:7-11) 7But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. 8Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ 9and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; 10that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, 11if, by any means, I may attain[b] to the resurrection from the dead.

[childofchrist1983]

Sometimes, we compare ourselves to others to make ourselves feel better. We reason that as long as we’re not as bad as murderers, thieves, and child abusers, we’re basically okay. But God reminds us that all of us are a complete mess, subject to ruin, without His grace. Instead of looking to others to feel righteous, we must look to Father God Almighty and the LORD Jesus Christ to be made righteous. We must come before Him, acknowledging that we are a sinner in need of our LORD and Savior and His gift of salvation and redemption. The Truth of God and His righteousness reveals how unclean we truly are. But we desire to be made clean, and we know that only He can do that for us. Let us humbly ask the LORD God Almighty that He forgive us and wash away the filthy rags of our unrighteousness and clothe us in the new garments by His grace.

Thank Father God Almighty and the LORD Jesus Christ for securing a place for all true Christian believers as followers of Christ and spiritually reborn children of God in His eternal Kingdom. Each day, the sun rises and its light and warmth, and the Holy Bible gives us a glimpse of the promised eternity to come. May we continue to walk in the love and light of Christ with our heads held high and our eyes on the finish line. May we lead others to His Gospel Truth and to His light as well throughout this journey with Him. Let us all humble ourselves before God daily, asking Him to forgive us and to strength and teach us to view life through the lens of God and His promises. May He guard our hearts against Satan and the temptations of this world and our flesh. May He give us the peace to find full satisfaction in God and His peace and promises, so that we may live our lives daily in ways that honor and pleases Him. As we seek Him daily, may He reveal Himself to us through the words He has provided and use it to conform the desires of our heart to Him and His love and compassion and grace.

As true and spiritually reborn Christians, we love, trust and believe in Father God Almighty and the LORD Jesus Christ. We choose to keep Father God Almighty and the LORD Jesus Christ first in our hearts and lives and all other worldly desires behind us. He extends salvation to everyone, and we want to show the world the freedom, hope and peace they can have in accepting and following Him. We must ask Him to help us grow spiritually in our relationship with Him and strengthen us and the bonds of love that He has given us, so that our unity may glorify and testify to His power and goodness. Thank Him for calling us to faith and imparting us with salvation and righteousness. May He empower us to live in His will and righteousness, so that we may testify to His soul-saving power as our faith carries us past all doubt, fear, and failure. May He grant us the grace to forgive others who have wronged us, and the humility to seek forgiveness where we have caused strife. May we follow and serve God daily with love, trust, awe and wonder. May Father God Almighty and the LORD Jesus Christ strengthen our faith, lift our spirits, protect our hearts, and show us opportunities to help bring others to Him and His Gospel Truth daily. May we do this duty boldly, humbly and faithfully. Seek, follow and trust in the LORD God Almighty always! To God be all the honor and praise and glory!

We must come to Father God Almighty and the LORD Jesus Christ with sincere hearts to ask forgiveness and follow Him and His Holy Word and Spirit always. We praise Father God Almighty and the LORD Jesus Christ for the mercy He bestows upon us and we are grateful for His grace and mercy and infinite blessings. By surrendering our hearts and our lives to His will, we see all the blessings He has bestowed upon us. God our refuge and our salvation and our constant provider. We lift our voices to Him in praise for His steadfast love, mercy and understanding. May Father God Almighty and the LORD Jesus Christ open our minds and hearts more and more to perceive and embrace Him and His truths. May He help us to find time to pray and read and study the Holy Bible daily and to find power in prayer, praying according to His Holy Word and will. May He help us to come to Him in true repentance and with faith in Him and His grace and merciful nature. May He give us the grace, courage and strength we need to walk with Him and do His will daily. May He teach us to watch our words when we pray to Him and to speak reverently and rightly. May we continually ask God to transform our hearts and make us faithful and humble as we walk with Him daily. We must come to Father God Almighty and the LORD Jesus Christ with honest, humble and repentant hearts. We must seek Him and His will and choose to follow Him all the days of our lives. May He help transform our hearts, help us to seek and live for Him above all else and to grow spiritually and build our faith and relationship with Him with each passing day. May He forgive our sinful nature and help us always make Him and our relationship with Him top priority.

As true and born-again Christians, we choose to walk in His righteous path and lead a life that is pleasing to Him. We desire Him and His will above anything else. We desire to walk in accordance with the love and light He has shown to us through His Holy Word and Spirit. We long for a deeper relationship with Him and a deeper fellowship with our brothers and sisters in Christ as well. When we fall into temptation and sin, we must turn to Him for forgiveness, strength and guidance. When believers learn to walk in accordance with God's Holy Word and Spirit, they have deeper fellowship with both God and one another. And the sin that could threaten to destroy that fellowship, if confessed (1 John 1:9), is covered in the blood of Jesus Christ and no longer a barrier between us and God. May we ask Father God Almighty and the LORD Jesus Christ to forgive us for any sins we have sinned this day or in days past. May we be faithful to Him and His Holy Word always. May He help us to walk more consistently in the light and to not neglect long to confess and forsake any sins that hinder our walk with Him. May He lead us in the direction He wants us to go so that we may seek and serve Him faithfully. God is holy and almighty and deserving of all praise honor and glory. We rejoice in Father God Almighty and the LORD Jesus Christ, knowing He is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8). He is the Alpha and the Omega (Revelation 1:8). May our hearts always be filled with thanksgiving and rejoicing. May He help us to praise Him freely and honestly like all believers who came before us. May we live a life that showcases our love and trust in Him and His Holy Word and Spirit as He uses us draw others to Him and His soul-saving Gospel Truth daily. May He continue guide, correct and protect us, so that we continue to grow in Him and not weaken and stray. May we all remain faithful to Him and to this duty and purpose He has called us to. Seek and put your faith and trust in Father God Almighty and the LORD Jesus Christ and let Him do the rest. May He humble our hearts and help us focus on following and serving Him daily and helping others with joy and happiness. We lift our voices in praise to Him for His love, mercy, peace, faithfulness and grace - For EVERYTHING!

It is vital that we remain rooted in Father God Almighty and the LORD Jesus Christ through prayer and His Holy Word and Spirit and that we live and walk as a beacon of His light and love and share and spread the Gospel Truth daily, so that the lost souls in this world can come to know Him and be saved. The more we focus on Father God Almighty and the LORD Jesus Christ, growing spiritually by building our relationship with Him, leaning on Him and His Holy Word and Spirit, the better off we will be. Thanks to this and our faith in Him, we know that everything will be alright. And we will forever be grateful to Him. As true and born-again Christians, we believe in Him and His Holy Word and we strive daily to walk in His Holy Spirit. We know though our mortal bodies should die, He will raise us up and into new and glorious bodies (The Rapture). We who are truly His and alive at His second coming will never die, and our bodies will be changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, and so shall we ever be with Him in His Kingdom of Heaven forevermore (1 Corinthians 15:51-52, 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17). This is one of many promises given to us by God Himself. Thank God for His strength and guidance when we are faced with sin and temptation. Thank Him for His mercy and grace. Through Bible study and prayer, God reveals His wisdom and guides us to see opportunities to grow closer to Him and grow spiritually. He gives us direction to live our lives daily according to His will.

Jesus Christ is the ONLY way to Heaven (John 3:5, 14:6), the ONLY way to salvation (Acts 4:12, Ephesians 2:8-9) and He is the resurrection and the life (John 11:25-26). Jesus Christ the LORD of lords, the KING of kings, the GOD of gods (Deuteronomy 10:17, 1 Timothy 6:15, Revelation 17:14, Revelation 19:16) - He is the Living, Almighty and Everlasting God (Isaiah 9:6, Revelation 1:8, John 3:16, John 3:36, Jeremiah 10:10). There is no other God besides Him (Isaiah 45:5). We MUST humble ourselves before Him, turning our backs on false teachers, false gods and idols and our sinful ways. We MUST repent and turn back to God and recognize who He is and love Him in return for His great love for us. We MUST make God top priority everyday! May we be motivated to spread God's Holy Word and Gospel Truth to all the Earth, knowing that it is the only hope of all those lost in their sins. Let us not hold out a false hope for men to be saved without the Gospel, but instead, strive to do our part to get the Gospel out to a lost and dying world.

Leaning on Father God Almighty and the LORD Jesus Christ through prayer and His Holy Word and Spirit strengthens us and our knowledge and wisdom about God and His Gospel Truth, exposing these imposters. May God help us to seek and lean on Him daily to gain the strength, wisdom and spiritual discernment needed to expose Satan and his imposters who seek to destroy us and God's ultimate Truth. Everyday, we must remember to share Jesus Christ's Gospel Truth with the world and to thank Father God Almighty and the LORD Jesus Christ for the grace that He poured out for us on the cross at Calvary. He has freed us from the burdens of sin and from the eternal damnation of Hell. In all we say and do, may all praise, honor and glory always be given to Him and His Kingdom of Heaven.

With renewed minds, hearts and wills, let us serve Him humbly and faithfully out of pure love and grateful rejoicing. May He remind us of His presence and to remain at peace, fully knowing that all will be well because He is always with us. Let us seek Father God Almighty and the LORD Jesus Christ today and everyday with all our heart and being, looking for His love, light and will for our lives with each step we take. Let us seek to please Him with our thoughts, words, and deeds and seek to advance His Kingdom of Heaven and His glory with our lives. Let us seek Him from a pure and humble heart, and when we so seek, we believe Him and His promise that we will find. May He help us all to be more sensitive to the teaching ministry of His Holy Word and Spirit, relying on Him and allowing Him to speak to us and guide us every step of our Christian journey.

God gave us the Holy Bible - His living and Holy Word - to let us know of Him and His abiding love and care as well as guide and prepare us for all our lives. May He help us encourage one another as we continue our walk with Him and our duty to Him daily. Thank Father God Almighty and the LORD Jesus Christ for being present for all our new beginnings and all our lives. May He redirect any anxiety we feel as He provides countless opportunities for growth and change. May we humble ourselves before God always, asking Him to forgive our sins and make our hearts and lives anew through His Holy Word and Spirit. May He help us make Him and His Holy Word top priority, so we can grow spiritually and grow in our relationship with Him as we apply it to our daily lives. Thank God that we can focus on Him and everything about Him, for that is what keeps us sane and at peace. May our words and actions always be a reflection of Him and His Holy Word and Spirit and will.

May He help us to always walk in His grace and Holy Spirit, not by our own measure. May He give us the humble humility to know that our freedom and eternal salvation is found only in Him, so that His grace may sustain us, and we may never lose sight of His love and light and mercy. Thank Father God Almighty and the LORD Jesus Christ for calling us to Him and to serve Him. May He equip us to do all that He has called us to do so that as He works through us, He may use us to produce fruit, to reach others, and to encourage all brothers and sisters in Christ. May He work all of these things in us and through us for His Kingdom and His glory. Thank Father God Almighty and the LORD Jesus Christ for all His creation, for His miraculous ways and for everything He does and has done for us! Keep the faith and keep moving forward in your walk with Jesus! He loves us and He knows what is best for us. Seek, follow and trust in Him - Always!

Thank Father God Almighty and the LORD Jesus Christ for His Holy Word and for sending His Holy Spirit so that we might have His grace, not only to awaken us and transform our hearts in our spiritual rebirth and guarantee our eternity with Him, but to also call upon Him whenever we are in need. Thank Father God Almighty and the LORD Jesus Christ for all the reminders of His love and mercy and faithfulness within His Holy Word. He is bigger than any challenge or circumstance in our lives. Knowing this within our minds and our hearts, nothing can deter our faith in Him and His Truth. May we all accept Him and His eternal gift of salvation and ask that He would transform our hearts and lives according to His will and ways. Thank Father God Almighty and the LORD Jesus Christ for His Holy Spirit who saves, seals and leads us. May we always thank Father God Almighty and the LORD Jesus Christ for His almighty power and saving grace. For He is our strength, and He alone is able to save us, forgive our sins and gift us eternal salvation and entry into His Kingdom of Heaven.

May we make sure that we give our hearts and lives to God and take time to seek and praise Him and share His Truth with the world daily. May the LORD our God and Father in Heaven help us to stay diligent and obedient and help us to guard our hearts in Him and His Holy Word daily. May He help us to remain faithful and full of excitement to do our duty to Him and for His glorious return and our reunion in Heaven as well as all that awaits us there. May we never forget to thank the LORD our God and our Creator and Father in Heaven for all this and everything He does and has done for us! May we never forget who He is, nor forget who we are in Christ and that God is always with us! What a mighty God we serve! What a Savior this is! What a wonderful LORD, God, Savior and King we have in Jesus Christ! What a loving Father we have found in Almighty God! What a wonderful God we serve! His will be done!

Thanks and glory be to God! Blessed be the name of the LORD! Hallelujah and Amen!

[banana-with-a-bow-tie]

Wondering if you have insight on something I’m wondering about total depravity. When lost, we were dead in terrible sin, and Christ died so we can live through his righteousness etc., but what is the biblical way to think about our current sin status now that we are saved? Per 1John 2:1 we do still sin, and we will not achieve sinlessness in this life, but are we generally less sinful? Or should we still consider ourselves rotten/evil? Does Isaiah 64:6 (works are filthy rags) apply to us?

Good question. It has a lot of nuance to it so I'm open to discussion.

If you we define Total Depravity as being dead in sin, i.e. incapable of any righteousness that makes us favorable to God, then no I do not believe Christians are totally depraved any longer.

We are alive and resurrected in Christ (Eph 2:5-6). Sin has no power over us any more (Rom 6:6). Our sin is not counted against us (Col 2:14), in fact our righteous deeds are counted in heaven and receive reward (1 Cor 3:12-15). Our righteous deeds were once filthy rags because of our hostility toward Him, but now because of Christ's righteousness they are true and proper worship (Rom 12:1).

There is another sense of Total Depravity that may still apply though, which is that sin still touches every aspect of our person. By God's grace, neither saint nor sinner is as sinful as we could possibly be. Both of us do things that God's standard calls righteous, but those outside of Christ can only do them selfishly, apart from submission to God. No matter how many good things they do, their sin will never let them move toward God because their mind, will, and desires are all oriented toward sin.

Christians move in the opposite direction and are increasingly more free of sin's affects, but our fleshly nature trained in the way of sin is still bound to the law of sin in our members (Rom 7:22-23). There is a war inside us, the Spirit changing us into the likeness of Christ and transforming our thoughts, choices, and feelings that are not conformed to Him (Col 3:10).

At our core, we are no different than people dead in their sin because we still have the same tendencies and weaknesses in all the same areas of our nature. What we do have is Christ dwelling in us and giving us victory over those desires and making us acceptable to God because of His perfect righteousness on our behalf (Rom 8:1-4).

[psalmonesermons]

Lessons from the Beatitudes Part 4

Summary of the Beatitudes Matthew 5:3-6

Jesus departed from the crowds and went up the mountain, the disciples came to him. This in a sense represents going on with Him i.e. a step of consecration, coming out of the crowd to follow Him. Being a disciple means to follow the Master and obey his teaching and commands.

Come and meet Christ on the mountain if you want to be his disciple.

Q. Why go to the mountain? A. to get away from distractions and closer to God.

To the fleshly mind the Beatitudes seem like madness or confusion but to the spiritual man they are a source of joy and direction. Jesus commands His Church to go therefore and make disciples of all nations baptising them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.. Only disciples can disciple others and here is one of the major teachings to make us into disciples.

.

Matthew 5:3-12

Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are those who mourn for they shall be comforted.

Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

Blessed are the merciful for they shall obtain mercy.

Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God.

Blessed are the peace makers for they shall be called the sons of God.

Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are you when men cast insults at you and persecute you and say all manner of evil against you falsely on account of Me…

Beatitudes; (Latin) meaning blessednesses.

Blessed; definition: happy, to be envied and spiritually prosperous (that is with life joy and satisfaction with God's favour regardless of the outward conditions). This is the state of heart and mind we all long for! It is the attitude of heart or mind that is fulfilled only in God.

Blessed: Makarios; Greek is used to describe God himself; it is enjoying life as God enjoys it

Consider a step wise progression of the Beatitudes. They represent the starting point and how to make progress in coming to maturity. Maturity in Christ is our vision.

It might also be that the beatitudes may give us the pattern of tackling every project in our spiritual lives!

v.3. Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. We must admit our inadequacy and failure to God (sin, shame, pride, fear, insecurity, self-sufficiency). All our (own) righteousness, all our own good deeds are as filthy rags to God. This is the starting point. This poverty of spirit (attitude of heart/mind) opens the door to the kingdom of God. It is impossible to enter the kingdom in any other state of heart. The kingdom of God is within you i.e. when the love of Christ that is shed abroad in our hearts and influences our whole life, thoughts, and actions. Only admission of our poverty in spirit before and to God can enable Him to breathe His life into us (c.f. salvation experience).

v.4 Blessed are those who mourn for they shall be comforted. This means mourning over our sins to go on with God we must firstly confess our sins and express sorrow on an ongoing basis before God. The Greek word for mourn is mainly used in the New Testament in the context of mourning over other sins rather than bereavement.

James 4:8-11; v.9 mourns and weep for your sins.

1 Corinthians 5:1-2; v2 Church had failed to mourn over incestuous immorality.

2 Corinthians 12:21; Paul mourns over churches unrepented sin.

We might need to ask Him to take away any enjoyment of the sin. We then ask for forgiveness and the grace to avoid falling into the same trap. When we reach this point of mourning over our sins God can do something with us. We must mourn for our own sins, for the church’s sins and those of the nation.

v.5 Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth. Meekness is not weakness. Meekness incorporates strength and gentleness and includes humility (paradox). It is the branch that bears most fruit that bows the lowest on the tree. Humility is to see your true standing before God. To recognise His power and majesty (the surpassing beauty of holiness) and yet at the same time to realise his great love for you. In meekness we stop telling God how to do it and submit to His will. We then enter His strength and ability, as we become lesser in our own eyes, so He becomes greater and brings all his abilities into the situation. Meekness with humility removes paralysing fear from us and produces courage in us to go and possess the land, to begin to fulfil all our destiny in Christ. We no longer try to do things in our own strength.

v.6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. Now that we are no longer bound in fear or in self-sufficiency (due to meekness with humility) we can ask God to fill us with a hunger and thirst for His things. Having confessed and turned from our sins and admitted our inadequacy before Him He is ready to create these desires in our hearts.

To hunger for

· The Word of God

· opportunities to minister

· opportunities to serve.

To thirst for

· His presence

· His Spirit

· His power in revival

No more yesterday’s manna but hungering and thirsting for a freshness each day with God. We begin to long for the things that God longs for...

See our next post, Lessons from the Beatitudes Part 5.

Amen

Personal Prayer

[steveezekiel]

THE REWARD OF LIVING FOR GOD 1

10 TELL THE GODLY THAT ALL WILL BE WELL FOR THEM. THEY WILL ENJOY THE RICH REWARD THEY HAVE EARNED!

11 BUT THE WICKED ARE DOOMED, FOR they will GET exactly WHAT THEY DESERVE."

Isaiah 3:10,11 (NLT)

• All would be well for the godly. Being godly means having the attributes of God in your life. Your life projects or reveals God; things He wants, and His demands from mankind (Ecclesiastes 12:13).

- Generally speaking, every human would not want to serve or walk in the ways of God, because they think His demands are too stringent.

- Also, the nature of Sin would not want humans to serve God or walk in His ways. Sin separated Man, humans, from God (Genesis 3:23,24).

- Every human was born in Sin, having the nature of Sin, thus, the desire to serve God would always not be there: "BEHOLD I WAS BROUGHT FORTH IN INIQUITY, AND IN SIN MY MOTHER CONCEIVED ME" (Psalm 51:5 NKJV).

"FOR ALL HAVE SINNED AND FALL SHORT OF THE GLORY OF GOD."

Romans 3:23 (NKJV)

• Jesus Christ came to reconcile Man, humans, to God (2 Corinthians 5:18,19).

- The foundation of living a godly life is, when someone received the salvation offered through Jesus Christ's substitutionary death and resurrection: "NOR IS THERE SALVATION IN ANY OTHER, FOR THERE IS NO OTHER NAME UNDER HEAVEN GIVEN AMONG MEN BY WHICH WE MUST BE SAVED" (Acts 4:12 NKJV).

- Self righteousness is not equal to salvation. Someone might be a moralist, living a good and decent life, but that does not equal to salvation or being born-again: "BUT WE ARE ALL LIKE AN UNCLEAN THING, AND ALL OUR RIGHTEOUSNESSES ARE LIKE FILTHY RAGS; WE ALL FADE AS A LEAF, AND OUR INIQUITIES, LIKE THE WIND" (Isaiah 64:6 NKJV).

- Some claim to be godly when they had no encounter with Christ Jesus yet—they are yet to be reborn (John 3:3; Romans 10:9,10).

a. To be godly means to emulate God.

But one who had no relationship with God could not emulate Him: "THEREFORE BE IMITATORS OF GOD AS DEAR CHILDREN" (Ephesians 5:1 NKJV).

b. Whoever would emulate God would be a child of His, someone who had accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour (Romans 10:9,10), thus, reconciled with God (2 Corinthians 5:18,19).

- So, being a godly person is not how morally good you are per SE, that might be part of it, but the actual godly person is someone who accepted Jesus Christ as his or her Lord and Saviour, and lives by the principles of the Bible. Such has a communion or fellowship with God; having unwavering commitment and submissiveness to God.

- Thus, when being godly is referred to in the Bible, is not talking about being a moralist, who does not have a relationship with God. But talks about those who are imitators of God, those who are His children through faith in Christ Jesus.

• In our text, the Bible says; "TELL THE GODLY THAT ALL WILL BE WELL FOR THEM. THEY WILL ENJOY THE RICH REWARD THEY HAVE EARNED!" (Isaiah 3:10 NLT).

- All being well does not talk about material blessings only. It thus means been blessed spirit, soul, and body: "DEAR FRIEND, I HOPE ALL IS WELL WITH YOU AND THAT YOU ARE HEALTHY IN BODY AS YOU ARE STRONG IN SPIRIT" (3 John 2 NLT).

"BELOVED, I PRAY THAT YOU MAY PROSPER IN ALL THINGS AND BE IN HEALTH, JUST AS YOUR SOUL PROSPERS" (3 John 2 NKJV).

- The kind of prosperity being talked about here could only be gotten by the godly, someone who had a relationship with God. Someone who his or her communion with God is intact and unfeigned.

Someone who is not born-again cannot have a prosperous soul, that is, spirit. The soul mentioned in that translation talks about the BEING of the person, which is the human spirit. The New Living Translation said: "STRONG IN SPIRIT"

• There is a reward for every act. Someone who sows to the flesh would reap corruption, and one who sows to the spirit would reap everlasting life (Galatians 6:8).

- If you chose to live godly, accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour, and walked in the light of His Word; a wonderful reward awaits you (Isaiah 3:10).

- And If you did choose to live contrary to God's Will or Word, you live wickedly, the other side of the reward also awaited you (Isaiah 3:11).

- Living godly requires a choice and determination, especially in this present world of darkness. There is a pollution in the world, and the system of the world encourages Sin. The devil has made it cheap.

- However, you can make a difference wherever you find yourself as a believer in Christ Jesus. You do not have to join the system of the world, nor compromise your faith.

- Your salvation is the birthright that must not be sold. God counts on you, you are an extension of His Kingdom wherever you find yourself on the earth.

- Wherever you find yourself, your person should bring God's presence there. You are a light wherever you are (Matthew 5:14-16).

- Know that there is a reward for living godly, keeping yourself for the glory of God.

• You will not fail in Jesus' name.

- If you are having an ailment in your body as you read this piece, I declare your healing in the mighty name of Jesus Christ.

- The hold of the enemy, the devil, on your health is completely broken and you are declared free totally in the mighty name of Jesus Christ.

Peace!

TO BE CONTINUED

STEPS TO SALVATION

• Take notice of this:

IF you are yet to take the step of salvation, that is, yet to be born-again, do it now, tomorrow might be too late (2 Corinthians 6:1,2; Hebrews 3:7,8,15).

a. Acknowledge that you are a sinner and confess your Sins (1 John 1:9); And ask Jesus Christ to come into your life (Revelation 3:20).

b. Confess that you believe in your heart that Jesus Christ is Lord, and that you confess it with your mouth, Thus, you accept Him As your Lord and Saviour (Romans 10:9,10).

c. As you took the steps A and B your name is written in the Book of Life (Philippians 4:3; Revelation 3:8).

- If you took the steps As highlighted above, congratulations, It means you are saved—born-again. Join a Word based church in your area and Town or city, and be part of whatever they are doing there. Peace!

[writesaboutdragons]

365 Promises of God

Day 341 – You are Predestined, Called, Justified, Glorified

Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified. (Rom 8:30 NKJV)

Read: Romans 8:26-30

The eighth chapter of Romans is so packed with promises that we’ve been there many times. This makes the seventh time this year we’ve been here. And we’ll be here again on the last day of the year. But I get ahead of myself.

Today I want to try in my own fumbling way to explain the progression laid out in these few verses of how God transforms us from sinners running the other way to redeemed saints whose testimonies make a difference.

Let’s start by talking about us. Because our frame of reference begins with us. What does the bible say about us? But we are all as an unclean [thing], and all our righteousnesses [are] as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away. (Isa 64:6 KJV)

Note that Isaiah uses the term ALL three times here. Every one of us are unclean, like lepers. ALL our own righteousnesses are like nasty rags, even the best that we can do on our own, stinks of pride. We ALL fade like a leaf, dying before we even get far along the path, and we ALL are driven from God by the pursuit of our own iniquities. That’s a pretty dismal picture, but when I look hard at the guy in the mirror, I see it. Do you? That’s honestly how I was, before I met HIM.

What about the good I did before I met Him, though? Psalm 53 tells me. Every one of them is gone back: they are altogether become filthy; [there is] none that doeth good, no, not one. (Psa 53:3 KJV)

I may think the things I did in my own strength are wonderful. But without God’s guidance, without His Spirit working in me, it’s all dross, with no silver. This is from God’s perspective, not mine. Those magnificent temples that were built to pagan gods were amazing works of architecture. The statues in them were astounding works of art. But they led people away from the truth. They were worthless in guiding people to the light.

Honestly, in our own strength, without guidance from God, we’d try to live a comfortable life. If we had any motivation to do more than make ourselves comfortable, it would be to care for the ones we love. We might strive to be rich, or powerful, or popular, or pretty, but all of those things would be to promote ourselves and our own lusts. And people of all faiths, and even NO faith, sometimes do selfless things – give to the poor, help the homeless, donate to cancer research, care for a neighbor in need. But even those wonderful acts, when not guided by the hand of God, are dross, too.

Now let’s look at this from God’s perspective.

God is omniscient. He foreknew us all the way back at the beginning of time, because he’s outside time. He knows the end from the beginning. (Isa 46:10) Before the worlds were formed, He knew YOU. And He knew, given the right situation and circumstances, provided with the right information and enlightenment, you would choose HIM. So he mandated through prophets and kings that the Bible be written. So God’s Will would be known. So His Law, and Grace, His mercy and eternal attributes, could be known. So that you, yes YOU, would turn to Him. Because he’s crazy about you. He knows you so well He knows how many hairs are on your head. And his thoughts for you are as numerous as the grains of sand on all the beaches in all the world.

So God sent His Spirit, to touch us, to CALL us, to look again, to talk to one another about it, until the spark of faith ignites a flame in our hearts. And from that calling, we find JUSTIFICATION through the shed blood of Jesus. What a promise, what a gift, that all those sins are gone!

So, we were foreknown. And therefore predestined to be like Jesus. By that foreknowledge, He CALLED us, and we responded. Because we believed and trusted, we were JUSTIFIED. And because we are justified, someday we will pass beyond the headstone waiting for us, and then we will be GLORIFIED. No longer burdened down with these inclinations to sin, we will have a new body, one that doesn’t call for us to run from God, or have our own way.

Dear Christian, there is coming a day when you won’t have to look int the mirror AGAIN, and realize that you’d failed AGAIN, and go to God AGAIN, and confess the same sin AGAIN, and ask for His forgiveness AGAIN. Oh, He’s forgiven you for everything you could ever do, and there’s nothing that can pluck you out of His hand now that he’s got you. But someday soon we’ll be going with Him, and all those sinful temptations and trials will be GONE.

Prayer:

Lord, thank you for calling me. Help me to follow your path, today. Amen

[trueconservativepundit]

We Do Not Measure Up

By Adrian Rogers “But we are all like an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags; we all fade as a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.”  Isaiah 64:6 Before Christ, our righteousness is as filthy rags. Do you know what that word “filthy rags” literally means? It described the bandage that wrapped the oozing, running putrefying sores of the…

[bills-bible-basics]

NO RIGHTEOUSNESS OF OUR OWN -- KJV (King James Version) Bible Verse List #Scriptures #BibleStudy #BibleVerses Visit https://www.billkochman.com/VerseLists/ to see more. "But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away." Isaiah 64:6, KJV "They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy: there is none that doeth good, no, not one." Psalm 14:3, KJV "If thou, LORD, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand?" Psalm 130:3, KJV "But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner's fire, and like fullers' soap:" Malachi 3:2, KJV "‭‭For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed ‭the righteousness‭ of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.‭" Matthew 5:20, KJV "And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others:‭ Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican.‭ The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men ‭are‭, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.‭ I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.‭ And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as ‭his‭ eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.‭ I tell you, this man went down to his house justified ‭rather‭ than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.‭" Luke 18:9-14, KJV "As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one . . . But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;" Romans 3:10, 21-23, KJV "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast." Ephesians 2:8-9, KJV "Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;" Titus 3:5, KJV If you would like more info regarding the origin of these KJV Bible verse lists, go to https://www.billkochman.com/VerseLists/. Thank-you! https://www.billkochman.com/Blog/index.php/no-righteousness-of-our-own-kjv-king-james-version-bible-verse-list/?feed_id=260436&NO%20RIGHTEOUSNESS%20OF%20OUR%20OWN%20--%20KJV%20%28King%20James%20Version%29%20Bible%20Verse%20List

[the-big-picture-bible-blog]

If another 2000 years elapse what good is your piety?

My Reply to this Social Media Question: Even if that is so, my ‘piety’ is not my own. The Bible tells us that when we trust in the gospel of Christ, we are sealed into Christ and saved eternally. Our salvation is eternal because we are imputed the righteousness of Christ. As for piety and good works, we cannot do these ourselves. All our righteousness is filthy rags before God, Isa.64:6. What…

[swarehime73]

Isaiah 64:5-6 - You are indeed angry, for we have sinned— In these ways we continue; And we need to be saved. But we are all like an unclean thing, And all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags; We all fade as a leaf, And our iniquities, like the wind, Have taken us away. ,, Reality check. We are all a mess. We all have rebelled against God and deserve death but instead we got Jesus, God's ultimate love. Confess, repent and accept God's free gift today

[lovewon4me]

You Have Value!

Isaiah 64:6 All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away. Our human righteousness is as filthy rags, but Jesus’ righteousness is bulletproof. Righteousness is more than just forgiveness. It’s right standing before God. Jesus became sin so that we can be made righteous. Jesus…

[hope14missions]

You Have Value!

Isaiah 64:6 All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away. Our human righteousness is as filthy rags, but Jesus’ righteousness is bulletproof. Righteousness is more than just forgiveness. It’s right standing before God. Jesus became sin so that we can be made righteous. Jesus…

[yhwhrulz]

Worthy Brief - July 8, 2024

Be broken!

Psalms 51:17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.

The word contrite in Hebrew is 'dakah' which means one that is crushed to pieces. Paul wrote of being a 'living sacrifice' holy and acceptable to God. Being a living sacrifice means we often can walk off the altar. To be a continual living sacrifice we need to renew our minds day to day! Let your mind be renewed -- off the things which are worldly and onto those things which are Godly. When our minds are focused on those things above, on His holiness, His righteousness, His grace, and His mercy -- we realize that we can always be closer to Him! We understand what Isaiah meant when he said, "our righteousness is nothing but filthy rags before the Lord."

When God provided for Himself the perfect sacrifice, His Son, 2000 years ago -- His heart bursted! His heart was cut through -- cut for you! God desires you to be a living sacrifice and a necessary ingredient is a heart that has been cut through by God's sharp knife. When you allow your heart to be continually cut through by God's Spirit, then your life will be a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable before Him!

It's wonderful what God can do with a broken heart, especially when we give Him all the pieces!

Your family in the Lord with much agape love,

George, Baht Rivka, Obadiah and Elianna (Missouri) (Baltimore, Maryland)

Editor's Note: During this war, we have been live blogging throughout the day -- sometimes minute by minute on our Telegram channel. - https://t.me/worthywatch/ Be sure to check it out!

Editor's Note: We are planning our summer Tour so if you would like us to minister at your congregation, home fellowship, or Israel focused event, be sure to let us know ASAP. You can send an email to george [ @ ] worthyministries.com for more information.