*Giving a boost to our day and life, with this 10-minute Weekday Blog*
Our 2nd Blog Mini-Series, each Weekday in JULY!
Thank you for joining us as we
continue this JOURNEY...
digging in to the 2nd - 3rd CHAPTERS of Keith's book,
“Keep the FAITH…Keep Your VISION”!
If you will read this book in its entirety, then you will be equipped to begin walking with the confidence and authority that Jesus Christ came and died to provide for us, in order that we may work *with* Him, be *fulfilled* in our work, lead a *successful life*, and...
Days #19 and #20 of 20-day Blog mini-series #2
Chapter THREE, "Rightly Dividing The Word of Truth"
"Rightly Dividing The Word of Truth"
Paul, knowing full well that obtaining success in God's eyes requires that we are to be like-minded with Christ, wrote to the Christians in Rome, "And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God." (Romans 12:2) Our natural minds are most assuredly not reliable witnesses of the truth of God's Word, because The Word of God is foolishness to our minds. The only way out of this is through the renewing of our minds. Then, and only then, we "may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God." But, before our minds can be renewed, we must receive the gift of The Holy Spirit! Receiving Him is absolutely essential for the renewing of the mind. "For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. " (2 Timothy 1:7)
God has given us The Spirit of power, of love, and of a sound mind - The Person of The Holy Spirit - and our part is to receive Him, and not quench Him (from 1 Thessalonians 5:19). Even so, there are many who teach against receiving the gift of The Holy Ghost, saying that the gift was for a time that is in the past, not for today, or saying some other nonsense. James, the Apostle and half brother of Jesus, wrote, "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with Whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning." (James 1:17) The gift of The Holy Ghost is most certainly a perfect gift from The Father of lights. Since, with God there "is no variableness, neither shadow of turning", meaning God is not fickle, whimsical, or unreliable, then He most certainly offers the gift of The Holy Ghost to each one of us today, just like He offered the gift to each and every person who lived since He arrived on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2). So, I ask again, have you received the gift of The Holy Spirit? For we need His witness to the truth as we continue on to the next chapter, to the exciting discussion regarding the great mystery of godliness (as Paul wrote in 1 Timothy 3:16). Selah.
Question to ponder:
What can you do to prepare to conduct your relationships God's way? _________________________________________
What can you do to prepare to conduct your relationships God's way? _________________________________________
Keith's "Comments from the Author":
"Recently I was talking to a friend whose wife had left him some time ago. As we talked, I noticed his heart was heavy. I asked him if there was anything he would like to share with me concerning his obvious struggle with the situation he was dealing with. He immediately replied, 'I feel so alone. Why doesn't God send me someone to make me happy, and to take the sadness away?' Though my answer was not what he was wanting to hear at that moment, I am confident that what I was able to share with him helped him to get on the pathway to obtaining the fulfillment he was so desperately craving. What I said went something like this...
'God is jealous where our finding fulfillment in Him is concerned. For that reason, God would never equip a person with what only He has intended to be The Source to provide to us. We must go to God! In other words, just like we can't squeeze water from rocks, we can't find fulfillment from people. In fact, when we set unreal expectations of people, looking to our mate, friend, or other personal relationship for what we can ONLY get by going to God, we are setting those relationships up for failure! The ever-increasing rate of divorce, correctional custody, and suicide is evidence that we lack understanding of that very truth! If we want to have a successful life in marriage, courtship, and relationships, we must place our faith in God, The Author of marriage, courtship, and relationships. If we place our faith in another person or relationship apart from God, we build ourselves, and others, up for failure - an unstable, unfulfilling, dishonest relationship awaits. We build ourselves and others up for success when we pursue and conduct courtship and other relationships *by The Book*.'
In short, we must discipline ourselves to read God's Word daily, to ask and listen for The Person of The Holy Spirit to explain to us what it means, and to renew our mind's old way of thinking, about relationships or anything else, by replacing it with God's way of thinking. Then, and only then, we can be on our way to unveiling the secret to a successful life, a relationship with God as your Source for sure fulfillment, wholeness, joy, peace, and much much more! The moral of the story is ...
... you do n-o-t want to meet the 'prepared', unprepared.
... you do n-o-t want to be a deficit in a relationship, rather than an asset.
... you w-a-n-t to prepare yourself to conduct your relationships according to God's design for them to work.
... you w-a-n-t 'The Designer of Holy Matrimony and Godly Friendships' to lead your pursuit of the great mystery of godliness (next in the book).
... you simply w-a-n-t to follow the process God wired to work so you ...
... #KeepTheFAITH #KeepYourVISION #FinishTriumphant! Selah."
And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. (Romans 12:2)
*We look forward to coming together again soon, to read "Between The Lines" of The written Word of God, The Scriptures! Stay tuned for our next blog series discussing the great mystery of godliness. And remember: INVITE your friends to ...
... "KEEP Pressin' IN";
... "KEEP The FAITH";
... "KEEP Your VISION"; and
... "FINISH TRIUMPHANT" in pursuing "The Secret to a Successful Life", too!
Thank you and God bless you for sharing with us how these messages have blessed and strengthened you!*
________________________________
Find this blog mini-series message, and more on the topic, in our book Keep the FAITH Keep Your VISION based on crucial, real-life matters for each of us. To ask questions, make a special donation, request a large quantity of books, or to share a testimony or prayer request with us, please click for e-mail, or write a letter and mail it to the address shown on our website, and as provided below.
We pray God bless you greatly as you have greatly blessed us and the entire Toward The Mark, Inc. Family!
Your friends & servants in Christ,
Keep PRESSIN' IN!
To Show GOD BIG in a World that Sees Him small…
sums up the reason Keith stepped out in faith 35+ years ago to focus full-time on reaching the lost and strengthening believers everywhere, through Toward The Mark, Inc. Keith and Brenda's prayer is that you will be encouraged and edified by the Secrets from God's Word that Keith recounts in our written and recorded products. The complete collection of original podcasts, music, blogs, books, CDs, and other resources of Toward The Mark, Inc. are made possible thanks to the faithful prayer and financial contributions of the TTM Support Family. We'd like to invite you to join our family, and welcome you to become a special part of our regular sponsorship team TODAY!
sums up the reason Keith stepped out in faith 35+ years ago to focus full-time on reaching the lost and strengthening believers everywhere, through Toward The Mark, Inc. Keith and Brenda's prayer is that you will be encouraged and edified by the Secrets from God's Word that Keith recounts in our written and recorded products. The complete collection of original podcasts, music, blogs, books, CDs, and other resources of Toward The Mark, Inc. are made possible thanks to the faithful prayer and financial contributions of the TTM Support Family. We'd like to invite you to join our family, and welcome you to become a special part of our regular sponsorship team TODAY!
We INVITE You ... to follow and share these resources that are also available, for helping build your faith in God, His Will, and His Ways:
Keep PRESSIN' IN!
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