Actionable Belief

“Your actions should mirror what you say you believe”–R. Nelson

BIBLE MEDITATION:

“But let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’ For whatever is more than these is from the evil one.”  Matthew 5:37

ENCOURAGING WORD:

So often I hear people say one thing and then completely do the opposite. An easy way to explain people like this is by comparing them to a chameleon. Depending on the environment that they are in they will say whatever they can to blend in. One area that I see this extremely prevalent in the days in which we live is in the dating scene. People are so desperate to find who they think is the perfect person that they will agree with whatever they say. This is one reason why I believe that we see so many divorces these days. People are not honest right up front with each other, so in almost every case the true colors eventually come out and that is when the honeymoon is over, and the issues begin. This is just one area of society where the family has fallen apart because of lack of integrity. (A code of especially moral or artistic values)

The most disturbing example of this style of personality is those that say that they are Christians but have no idea how to live life as a Christian should. I have to be honest right up front on this topic, the word “Christianity” means absolutely nothing to me. It is such a loosely used word today. I do not even like asking someone if they are a Christian anymore. I once asked a woman if she was a Christian, and her reply was this in a very hesitant voice, Um, yeah, like she was afraid to admit it. I knew right there that she was not a true Christian, or what we would call a “CINO” (Christian in Name Only). If you truly believe in Jesus Christ and you proclaim yourself to be a Christian, you should want to shout it out from the mountain tops. People believe that if they believe in God that makes them a Christian. Let me clear that up with the following Bible verse. James 2:19; “You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble!” Believing in God does not make you a Christian any more than sitting in a coffee shop makes you a cop. Believing means nothing if you do not apply the principles of what you believe to how you live your life.

Let me say right up front, nobody is perfect and we all sin on a daily basis, but when your sins turn into a life style, it is then when you better be careful when you say that you are a Christian, because you need to remember who you are representing, (God). If you say that you are a Christian and live a questionable lifestyle, you then give people the assumption that they can live that way also and still be considered a Christian. Every person that you misrepresent God to will be a sin that you will be held accountable for when you stand before God at the “White Throne Judgment.” If you cannot hold to the standards of true Christianity, then do not declare to anybody else that you are a Christian. There is a very misapplied Bible verse that people need to take very seriously, it is in John 3:3-8; “Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.” I once told someone that I was a born-again Christian and her reply was this, “I’m not born again, I’m catholic.” (What?) Then when I read the Bible verse above, my reply has to be this, then you’re not going to see the kingdom of God, right? To me it is very clear what is being said in the verse above. How can anybody argue what is written by The Holy Spirit!

The verse above is just one of thousands of Bible verses that people do not live by. The biggest reason is because they do not read the Bible at all or even more sadly, they are not taught the Bible in the church where they attend. The Holy Spirit provided the Bible so that we would know the conditions of the heart and how we are to live. If you refuse to read the Bible, you will still be held accountable for every sin that you commit, in other words, ignorance of the scriptures will be no excuse. I am going to give you an example of what I see on a daily basis from the so-called Christian Body. First let me share this scripture with you, 1 Corinthians 13:2; “And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. I see those that say they are Christians, but yet they are constantly slandering each other at an unbelievable pace. I know people that know the Bible inside and out, but their lifestyle is anything but consistent with what they teach. There is a well-known word that we all understand…Hypocrite!” This is why a lot of people do not want to be a Christian because they see how other Christians act, they do not want any part of it and can you blame them. When I read the following verse in the Bible, I believe it is in reference to the kind of people that I have exposed above. Matthew 7:22-24; “Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you who practice lawlessness!” This should scare the heck right out of you knowing that you could hear these words when you stand before God in judgement. In other words, knowing the Bible does not get you saved unless you apply it to your walk with Jesus Christ. This might also explain the following verse as well, Matthew 7: 13-14; “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it. If you take the Bible seriously, and you should, this verse should make the hair on the back of your neck stand up.

Why do so many people just blow off reading the Bible, but yet they say that they believe in God and are a Christian. You know why, because most of them are taught that if they believe in God and are baptized, they will go to heaven…another lie from the pit of hell! If what you say that you believe does not mirror your lifestyle, then you really do not believe in the God of the universe. The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. You may believe in some god, but not (THE GOD!) If you truly believe in God, wouldn’t you want to get to know Him on a personal level? I would think so. Well, that is what Jesus Christ requires more than anything, a living relationship with the creator of the universe. 2 Corinthians 5:17; tells us this, “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.” If you have not seen a change in your life since becoming a Christian, then you most likely have not been born-again. People should see a change in you and if they do not, then your confession of faith is most likely in vain. Believing is in the mind, so if what you believe never reaches your heart, then you need to understand the following verse, Proverbs 21:2; “Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the heart.” God does not judge the mind, He judges the heart so if what you believe in your mind never makes it to your heart, then there is a good chance that you will miss heaven by about 18”, the distance from the brain to the heart! Something for you to think about. When you receive the Holy Spirit into your heart, then you can apply the following verse to your life, Philippians 4:7; “And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” You will see things happen in your life that does pass all human understanding. You may have already witnessed things happen in your life that you just do not understand, it could be God reaching out to you with a message of hope and trust.

ACTION POINT:

When you get to the point where your actions mirror your beliefs, as long as your beliefs are pure of heart, you will find yourself at a level of comfort that just doesn’t make sense to you, but let me tell you this, you will never be happier. You will then know and believe the following Bible verse, 1 John 5:13; “These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God.” This verse tells us that we can know that we are saved, it is up to you to believe in all the Bible teaches and give your life over to Jesus Christ and this promise then applies to you. Do not take this lightly, it is the Word of the All-Mighty God who created you and all the things in the universe. We all need to learn it, live it, and receive it. Learn it…read the Bible over and over again. Live it…apply all the Bible says to the way you live your life. Receive it…receive all the promises of God and know that you are a child of His. It should be the number one priority for all of us since eternity is forever and this world that we live in now is just a vapor of time. Be wise, let the wisdom of God permeate through your soul, it is there for the asking! I’ll end this message with the following Bible verse, James 1:5-6; “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind.”   “Written To the glory of God, Inspired by the Holy Spirit!” Amen!

From our Chaplin—R Fritz

Your actions should mirror what you say you believe

What is a “Christian”? It means a follower of Jesus Christ or to be Christ like. We have to understand what that is. To do that we need to study about God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit. Too many people think they understand the teachings about Jesus Christ. We have to understand the nature of God. Sin keeps us from that closeness we need. Before we knew God, we let unrepentant sin keep us from him. Our prayers were not heard, and we were trying to control our own lives without a spiritual leader. It did not work well for me. Isiah 59:2 says But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear. I do not like to call people Christians either, I have seen too many who have no clue what it means to be a Christian and want to be part of a group. I think the reason for that is we are not teaching people from the start that our words and actions need to match. It seems that they try to use “their” prospective on being a Christian, instead of Gods. When we choose the Lord Jesus Christ, we do not understand exactly what we have done. This is where we need to find a church or spiritual leader to help us understand our faith and believe what was written about our Lord and savior Jesus Christ. This is where our prayer life is changing our belief level. If we choose the Holy Ghost and it is indwelled in you, the Comforter teaches you all things from that point on. Sins should be few and your relationship with the Holy Ghost is what changes you and shows you what a Christian is from that point on. If you refuse to receive the Holy Ghost, you are living in the flesh. Romans 8:9 says But ye are not in the flesh, but in the spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man has not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. Living in the flesh is why people cannot overcome the issues that pop up in their life. The Lord is constantly trying to change us for the better, we decide we do not want to change. This gives the Lord the choice to force the change or to let you to keep on struggling. I have learned and have trusted the Lord when I see him trying to change me. One of the things I have said to the Lord is, why are you trying to change me at 63 years old. I was reminded that I was going to be with him forever.

I have been gone for the last week hunting out of state. I met with a friend and had a conversation and I brought up the Lord Jesus Christ. He was talking about Christians. I asked him about Christians and who he thought were Christians, he talked about certain religions. He did not believe God talks to me. I asked if he had ever read Revelations, he said no and got angry. He said he only read the Gospels. I asked him if he knew that not everybody would make it. This is somebody that reads 100s of books. I then said that this book “the Bible” you only read a small portion. He got very angry. This is what I have been talking about. He told me who he thought were Christians. This was his opinion and when I questioned him, he got angry. This is one of them times when it was time to stop talking about the Lord. When I left this morning, my spirit felt very sad. I do not know if that will be the last time, I ever see him. That is not the first time that I was that sad almost to tears. He did not want the truth and left the same way of not having that relationship with the Lord he needs. We can only do what the Holy Spirit asks to do. We are only responsible for ourselves. We need to pray to change his nature and the spirits that are operating in people’s lives. Matthew 6:33-34 says, and this is Jesus speaking “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.”  We do not have tomorrow, we have today only. This is why decisions need to be made today about the Lord. Tomorrow may never come for us. Prayer can change any situation or person. We need to pray that our friends will hear the truth.