Kingdom Worker Ministries Blog
So many people, both believers and non-believers alike, try their best to discredit “the word of God.” By discredit, we mean “to injure the credit or reputation of; to show to be undeserving of trust or belief; destroy confidence in; to give no credence to; to disbelieve; and/or to disrepute” this word. When asked where “the word of God” can be found, the most popular answer was what is commonly known as “the Bible.” Scripture tells us “The whole Bible, all scripture, was given to us by inspiration from God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives; it straightens us out and helps us do what is right. It is God’s way of making us well prepared at every point, fully equipped to do good to everyone” (II Timothy 3:16-17 TLB). It is our instruction manual and our source for all things God.
Some believe that since “the Bible” was written by men, it is somehow flawed, containing many untruths or unproven things about God, the things of God, and about his instructions. Others believe “the Bible” to be the infallible word of God, perfect in every sense of the word. The truth is that “the Bible” contains “the words of God” along with the words of Adam and Eve, Cain, Noah, Enoch, Abraham and Sara, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses and Pharaoh, David, Rahab, Samuel, Job, numerous prophets, the disciples, Mary and Mary, Paul, Jesus, and even Satan, himself. We think you get the idea. “The Bible” contains the words from an array of people in addition to containing “the word of God.”
Do you ever feel like you are a failure or think of yourself as a failure? What if we were to tell you that you are not a failure, would you believe us? Well, let us tell you just that, you are not a failure. And you should believe us. Just because you think your lifestyle may be less than what it should be or you think your past may be less than respectable or even unredeemable, you are not a failure. Just because you think your family situation may be less than ideal or even if you have been through a divorce, you are not a failure. Just because you think your financial situation is not headed in the direction you think it should or even if you have filed for bankruptcy, you are not a failure. Just because society may have deemed you a failure, God does not see you as a failure.
Failure is considered “to be a lack of success.” We want you to know that “God wants you to succeed and not fail.” You were not created for failure, no matter what has happened to you in your past, what is happening to you right now, or what you expect to happen in the not-too-distant future. God wants you to know that he loves you like no one else can. And because of this love, God wants you to be successful in this life.
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future” (Jeremiah 29:11 NIV).
Many believe that in order for someone “to repent” meant for them “to turn from his or her sinful ways.” This is not exactly what “to repent” means. According to the Strong’s Concordance, “to repent” actually means, “to change one’s mind.” It was John the Baptist who was in the wilderness preaching “the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins” (Mark 1:4). He was in the wilderness “calling for people to be baptized to show that they were changing their hearts and lives and wanted God to forgive their sins” (CEB).
“And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel” (Mark 1:15).
John the Baptist was telling everyone that the kingdom of God was at hand; that it was near or soon to come, but now was the time for them to change their hearts, now was the time for them to change their minds. He was telling them that now was the time for them to change their thinking and to believe in this gospel, the good news that he was preaching. He was calling for them to change their minds about what they thought of God and turn back to him.
Paul, formally known as Saul, was explaining to King Agrippa, the son of King Herod, what had happened on his last mission. On his way to Damascus, armed with the full authority and commission of the chief priests, to round up those who believed in Jesus Christ, Paul was blinded by a very bright light from heaven. He heard the voice of the Lord, who told him that he had been appointed as the Lord’s servant and as a witness of what he had seen and what the Lord would later show him. He was told that he was being sent to the very people he would be delivered from, his own people and the Gentiles, for one purpose.
Most of us claim to love God and put him first in our heart, or at least this is what we believe to be true.
“Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment” (Matthew 22:26-38).
Jesus tells us that loving God with all our heart and with all our soul and with all our mind is the first and the greatest commandment. But did you know that you could love God with all of these things, your heart, your soul, and your mind, and still not put God first in your heart? Yes, it is truly possible to do both. So many believers love God with all their heart, soul, and mind, yet God does not have first place in their life. We find the reason for this explained in “The Parable Of The Sower.”
There has always been some question in the minds of most believers as to how God answers our prayers. We have been taught that God is always faithful to answer our prayers, but we have been told that God answers some prayers with a “Yes,” some prayers with a “No” or so it seems sometimes, and other prayers with a “Wait.” Is this really how God answers our prayers? Does he really tell us “No” or “to wait” or is this something that has been created by man to console ourselves when we do not get that immediate, desired answer from God?
For the answer to these questions, let us turn to a prayer by Daniel, who was seeking wisdom on a prophecy that Jeremiah had given to the children of Israel that said they would be held in captivity for seventy years (Jeremiah 25:11-12; 29:10). The time had passed and it looked like the prophecy was not going to come true, so Daniel prayed seeking revelation from God.
“And whiles I was speaking, and praying, and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my supplication before the Lord my God for the holy mountain of my God; yea, whiles I was speaking in prayer, even the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, being caused to fly swiftly, touched me about the time of the evening oblation. And he informed me, and talked with me, and said, O Daniel, I am now come forth to give thee skill and understanding. At the beginning of thy supplications the commandment came forth, and I am come to show thee; for thou art greatly beloved: therefore understand the matter, and consider the vision” (Daniel 9:20-23).
Prayer is always an interesting subject because of the many aspects associated with the process. We know from previous discussions, prayer is nothing more than how we communicate with God. We now know that prayer will also strengthen us.
“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything; tell God your needs, and don’t forget to thank him for his answers. If you do this, you will experience God’s peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will keep your thoughts and your hearts quiet and at rest as you trust in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7 TLB).
Worrying causes stress and stress causes all kinds of other issues, mainly issues that can affect our health. Instead of worrying about things, we are told to pray about everything. And when we pray, we will experience God’s peace, which will keep our thoughts and our heart quiet and at rest.
“Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you” (I Thessalonians 5:17-18).
Each day we struggle with what to believe, questioning whether what we hear is of God or of the devil. While there appears to be some ambiguity in the minds of many about God, we wanted to know who this God is that so many claim to serve. Since we were tired of being tossed back and forth, going this way and that, turned about by every wind of doctrine and teaching of man (Ephesians 4:14), we decided to search the scriptures for ourselves to see what God has said about himself. We found that the God we are supposed to serve tells us to put our trust in him.
“Thus saith the Lord; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the Lord. For he shall be like the heath in the desert, and shall not see when good cometh; but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, in a salt land and not inhabited. Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is. For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit” (Jeremiah 17:5-8).
One of the biggest enemy’s in “fighting the good fight of faith” is what is called “sense-knowledge.” “Sense-knowledge” is the kind of knowledge that is based on physical evidence. This enemy forces us to concentrate only on those things that can be perceived by our five senses. We only believe those things that we can see, taste, smell, hear, or touch. “Sense-knowledge” requires us to rely upon physical evidence as the motivator for our belief system, which in turn drives our faith in God. By allowing this enemy to grow within us, we in turn, place our trust only in “the witness of the senses or what the senses are telling us.” But is this the kind of faith that God requires of us?
“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1).
We know from scripture that faith actually provides substance or assurance and then evidence. There is not a lot of difference between assurance and evidence other than the qualifiers for each of them, which involves hope and realities that are unseen, respectively. Everything in our life that we have learned has come through our five senses or through “sense-knowledge.” However, “the God kind of faith” is not at all perceived by the senses. Faith is actually the evidence of the thing hoped for, the evidence that the thing exists but it is not the thing itself. Faith is the substance or the tangibility of hope. While hope cannot change your circumstances, it can change your attitude about the circumstances. Hope is a goal setter and faith is the way to achieve the goal. You see, we do not need evidence to believe in something that we can physically see, taste, smell, hear, or touch. The thing itself provides the evidence of the thing’s existence. Faith is the evidence that something does exists regardless of the witness of the senses or what the senses are telling us. Again, “the God kind of faith” is not perceived by any of the senses.
“The good life is the healthful life, the merry life. Life is health, joy, laughter” (Jean Bodlin).
Everyone wants to have a good life, a life that is healthful and merry. Is it possible to have a happy life? What must we do to have a good life?
“The thief cometh not (except), but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly” (John 10: 10). “Beloved, I wish above all things (I pray in all things) that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth” (III John 1:2). “For he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile: let him eschew evil, and do good; let him seek peace, and ensue it” (I Peter 3:10-11). “Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof” (Proverbs 18:21). “My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings. Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart. For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh” (Proverbs 4:20-22). “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct (make smooth or straight) thy paths. Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the Lord, and depart from evil. It shall be health to thy navel (body), and marrow (strength) to thy bones” (Proverbs 3:5-8).
A registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization
EIN 84-2866702.
Office Hours:
Meetings available upon request.
Get in Touch
Phone:
(540) 382-9132
Mailing Address:
Kingdom Worker Ministries
P. O. Box 33
Christiansburg, VA 24068-0033