Craig

Scripture is a word form God to be used for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness so that Christians my be thoroughly equipped for every good work. Through prayering over God's word we develop a relationship with Him to whatever level we seek our God involvement in our lives. The Holy Spirit helps us to understand God's word and integrate it into our lives.

Human beings do the speaking, but God provides the motivation and inspiration as He speaks and moves in and through the individual. This is like a sail filling with wind which moves the boat. God's Holy Spirit fills and moves holy men of God to speak and preach His word.

I'm in agreement with the Psalmist concerning the total living Word of God: "Your (God) word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path. Ps. 119:105. (NIV). The darkness represents a sinful, lost world and heart. God's Word is a light shining in a confused, dark -- lost world.

Our culture avoids talking about death because it is unpleasant. It is the end of life -- a sad, hopeless and sorrowful moment. However, the Christian sees death as part of the journey to Heaven and being in the direct presence of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Peter's description of our body being as a tent is both freeing and motivating in that like a tent our body is only temporary during our stay on this planet. The concept motivates me not to get too attached to this world because I am moving to greater adventures and life in eternity upon my departure or exodus from this planet. My life here is only for a time purposed by God and then I will depart to be with my God.

Jesus' example speaks to everything situation. I permit Jesus' model to be my model and I seek to adjust my behavior accordingly as Jesus would. Not always easily, but it is the goal.

Being conscious of God in any kind of workplace environment means honoring and pleasuring God with our work and attitude. We are to be a witness for Jesus Christ in everything we do. A Christian who is a complainer is a poor witness for Jesus Christ and doesn't glorify his/her God. A complainer is saying to God in so many words that God cannot provide for him/her. I Usually react to unfair treatment for any period of time by giving it to God and permitting Him to be my God. I let Him handle the situation and He always does. But I must permit Him to be my God.

Christians are exhorted by Paul in the scripture to do all things to the glory of God. God expects us to give Him our very best and very best effort in whatever we do. In whatever we do, we do all to glorify our God so that others may see Him in us. In not doing so, we dishonor God.

Living submissive, obedient lives permits God to work in our lives; develop our character and use us for what He purposed us for. A rebellious person cannot be corrected, trained or taught. God cannot use a rebellious person. It hurts God in that He cannot use a rebellious person for the purpose God has intended.

Jesus is described as: holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens. Human high priests are not permanent, set apart from sinners or exalted above the heavens. In addition, they made sacrifices for their sins as well as the people. Jesus is the perfect High Priest and has my total confidence.

Jesus is able to save people competely because His people will never be without a High Priest to represent them in the very presence of God, interceding on their behalf. The essential function of a priest is to intercede between the congregation and God. To make sacrifice for sin on behalf of the congregation. Intercession is the essence of being a priest because the priest is set aside by God from the people and made holy and pure for the purpose of intercession.

If a guarantee or surety is to mean anything, it must be an obligation of some kind that is answerable for. If is there is no accountability for a guarantee it is not a guarantee. Jesus is guarantor of the New Covenant by His Name, word and what He did on the cross.

We have fled to a place of refuge in that we are placing our eternal security in Jesus Christ. We should take hold of this hope actively in order to have the hope. This hope is an expectant idea. I anchor myself in the promises of Jesus Christ and what commands and teaches. My hope is based on my believe and action, not on whether something is true or not. Hope is about Jesus as my savior when the Lamb's Book of Life is opened.

Developed Christian character is an essential indicator of whether or not we are permitting the Holy Spirit to operate in our lives. It is an indicator of our commitment to surrendering our will to the will of God so that He can use us for what He has purposed us for on this planet. My fruitfulness is an indicator of my relationship with Jesus Christ. James said that a faith without works is dead. Faith that is only in the mind and is not actualized by practice or action is fantasy and is dead. The only biblical assurance of salvation that I can offer the fruitless, barren believer is that they redicate their lives to Jesus Christ or really get saved and make Jesus Christ their Lord and practice discipleship. People live out what they believe or don't believe. Action speaks louder than words. Lips say anything, action speaks the truth.

A lot of Christians have a hard time loving those who despise them. Many in the church slander and gossip about other Christians in their church. Thus breaking true fellowship among the believers. Many Christians have a hard time overcoming that, despite Jesus saying love and pray for those that despitefully use you. The problem is, we cannot grow fully in Christ if we distance ourselves from church because of the unbiblical behavior displayed by many in the church. We must be an example of true Christianity -- true followers of Christ. We love others whether they love or even like us. In loving and ministering to these people God develops our character. A part of that process is that we look to God for the strength and courage to minister to people that we could not minister to otherwise. God stretches our limitations in every way. Praise God!!!!!!

A disciplined devotional life is important to me in order that I stay focused on Jesus, in God's word and communicating with God in order to prevent drifting from my faith. When you forget or don't have time for a devotional life you don't grow spiritually, don't have a vigorous connection with God and you are likely to drift from your faith. I stay focused in prayer, Bible study and service daily in order to stay disciplined in my faith.

The virtue that has been the easiest for me has been knowledge. The hardest has been self-control. Breaking old habits is a challenge. Some I have ended quickly and others have been a battle. However, I'm fighting the good fight.

The good deeds we committ by living openly as Christians is a testimony to the character and holiness of God. By living this way we call attention to God. People see Jesus in us through what we do. We glorify our God. When we blend in with the world, the world sees no difference between us and them. They don't see Jesus in us and we don't glorify God.

Peter tells us that we are aliens and strangers in this world, so we should abstain from sinful, worldly desires that war against our souls. Sinful and worldly desires that distract us from God and that can cause us to displace Jesus in our hearts. A distraction that can lead to drifting away from our faith. This remainder helps us to keep our perspective as Christians and our spiritual priorities. If permitted, temporal, worlding priorities can easily take over our lives.

This idea of being part of God's own people should and does inspire within me to a desire to honor God with my life. To stand in alliegence to Him both in confession and action.

I should be offering praise on a regular basis with a genuine heart. I should have an attitude of gratefullness, love and awe.

The mindset of a priest towards God is one of action. That is active worship and sacrifice to God. It is giving to God and others. It involves not only worshipping God, but permitting God to minister to others through us. It inspires me to want to act as a priest in the Biblical sense.

If we exercise both our faith and patience we would have a vigorous, passionate faith that makes a difference for Jesus Christ on this planet. The effect it would have on our perspective is that we would be inclined to wait upon God's direction and timing just as Abraham did. By being grounded in our faith and doctrine, i.e. we are saved by the grace of God through Jesus Christ and not by works, we can endure in our faith and resist being tempted into thinking that endurance alone leads to our salvation. Endurance basicially entails staying focused on Jesus Christ and in the Word of God.

Apostasy is the conscious, deliberate and persistent turning away from, or abandonment of the Christian faith. Most common among people who turn away from the faith is the tendency to develop a hardened heart toward God and the inability to repent before God. In my experience, I have found people who have turned away Jesus maintain a head knowledge of the Bible, but don't practice a vigorous, real Christianity. There is no Lordship of Jesus Christ in their life. They maintain that their knowledge of all things Biblical is enough to enter Heaven. However, James Chapter 2 tells us that that does't cut it with God. The Parable of the Sower gives us the insight that unless we, after receiving the gospel, focus on the Word of God, prayer, fellowship with the brethren and be sensitive to the movement of the Holy Spirit in our lives, satan can displace Jesus in our hearts with the world. Ulimately destroying us. Jesus' point in the Parable of the Tares is that He will send His angels to weed out everything in His kingdom that causes sin and all who do evil at the end of this age.

There is no difference between a spritit filled life in the 1st century or a spirit filled life today in 2007. The writer is defining a what spirit filled life is and where a mature Christian ought to be in that life.

A person becomes mature in God's word by exercising or practicing it. I can grow in my Christian/spiritual maturity by reading and praying over God's word and putting it into practice.