Jesus Christ

Should a Christian date a non-Christian..?

2008-05-12T01:27:00.000-07:00

Equally Yoked Dating

Should a Christian date a non-Christian? This question is considered by most, if not all, single Christians at some point. The term "equally yoked" comes from 2 Corinthians 6:14:

"Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?" (NASB)

The concept goes all the way back to Deuteronomy 22:10:

"You shall not plow with an ox and a donkey together." (NASB)

Two different animals shouldn't be yoked together on the plow. In Judaism, the ox was considered clean, whereas the donkey was considered unclean. Not only that, but these animals have different natures and different strengths and abilities¹. If you put them together, the plow will probably go in a circle instead of straight, because they are not equally matched. The passage in 2 Corinthians 6 is not a marriage passage. Paul is writing to the Corinthian Christians and exhorting them to not be bound together with non-Christians. This includes marriage, but it also includes business and other relationships as well. He is not saying we should have nothing to do with non-believers; he is saying we should not be "bound" to them in ways that can affect our walk with the Lord adversely.

Do you get the point? A Christian and a non-Christian have different natures, and they are not equally matched spiritually. After our relationship with the Lord, marriage is the most significant relationship in our lives, and God doesn't want us in that relationship with a non-Christian.

Worry-phobia

2008-04-28T00:25:00.000-07:00

Have you heard the word Worry-phobia? Maybe not and I hope you're
not into it. Below is a nice article about phobia and bible verse to
meditate on. The message struck me hard and I thank God for
rebuking me.

Hope you'll like it...!

For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear
again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which
we cry out, "Abba! Father!"
Romans 8:15

The word "phobia" comes from the Greek word for fear, phobos. One
of my college psychology professors explained a phobia as an
irrational fear of something that can potentially be harmful.
Arachnophobia, the fear of spiders, for example, is an abnormal
fear of spiders. Spider bites can be deadly, but most spiders are
harmless and if a person gets bit by one, the chances of it being a
lethal bite are minimal.

Still, a person who suffers from this phobia, like me, can't be
told to "not worry" when they see one of those eight-legged
monsters. When I see a spider, the blood drains from my face, I
can't move... actually, all I can do is scream until someone comes to
rescue me. I'm not kidding. I, a grown adult, have been known to
stand on top of a table and scream until my mother, yes, my mother,
comes and gets rid of the disgusting arachnid.

I am very, very, very afraid of spiders... but truthfully, my phobia
issues don't end there. Everyone has their "issue." My issue, my
vice, my weakness, and my greatest struggle, can all be summed up
in one word: "fear."

Out of curiosity, I recently decided to see if there was a phobia
for a generalized fear of everything. There is. It's called
panphobia (or pantaphobia), and is simply defined as a fear of
everything.

As I researched panphobia, I learned that this is more than the
every day worrywart sort of fear. It's a medical condition that is
persistent, debilitating, and very difficult to treat. It's related
to the paranoia typically found in Schizophrenics. After
discovering this, I quickly decided that I don't have panphobia.

I realized that I'm not necessarily afraid of everything, I just
worry about everything - and in case you're wondering, the
definition for the Greek word for worry (merimnao) has more to do
with an anxious concern than a debilitating fear.

I'm one of those people who worry even more if there isn't anything
to worry about. I guess that would be called something like
"Worry-phobia" - a fear of having nothing to worry about. Yes, I
worry about those people I love, but I also worry about the
starving parentless children on other side of the globe that I will
never meet. I get worried when it rains one day too many or if too
many days pass without a drop.

Okay, I'm exaggerating... a bit, but you get my point. The thing is
God doesn't call worry panphobia or worry-phobia, He calls it sin.

For me it is about control, and when I don't feel like I have
control, I worry. It is certainly something God is continually and
persistently working on in my life. He has been teaching me to
trust Him through some painful and scary circumstances lately.

I know I'm not alone in the journey toward freedom from worry, so
I'm going to share some helpful scripture with you. The following
verses declare that His truth is greater than any
worse-case-scenario or real-life-circumstance we can encounter.

"Do not be afraid of them; the LORD your God himself will fight for
you." (Deuteronomy 3:22)

"The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will
never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be
discouraged." (Deuteronomy 31:8)

"Are not two sparrows sold for a cent? And yet not one of them will
fall to the ground apart from your Father. But the very hairs of
your head are all numbered. So do not fear; you are more valuable
than many sparrows." (Matthew 10:29-31)

"Your Father knows what you need before you ask Him." (Matthew 6:8b)

"Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?"
(Hebrews 13:6b)

"Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. I am the Living
One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! And I
hold the keys of death and Hades." (Revelation 1: 17b, 18)

Isn't it great that God doesn't tell us to do something without
equipping us to do it first! Through His Word, He encourages and
prepares us to face the world, which is after all, can be pretty
scary place... especially with all of those blasted spiders!

"Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has chosen gladly
to give you the kingdom." (Luke 12:32)

A great article below explains the distinction between temptation and sin.

2008-04-20T22:49:00.000-07:00

When I was a new Christian the guilty feeling of being tempted haunts
me but as I mature in Christ, then I realized, even Jesus himself
was tempted.

For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our
weaknesses, but one who has been tempted in all things as we are,
yet without sin

I have found that many Christians struggle with the distinction
between temptation and sin. Bombarded by tempting thoughts, they
conclude that there must be something pretty sick about them. But
even Jesus was "tempted in all things as we are." But finish the
verse: "Yet without sin." As long as we are in the world, we are
exposed to temptation just like Jesus was. But He didn't sin, and
we don't have to sin either (1 Corinthians 10:13).

The basis for temptation is legitimate human needs. We will
either look to the world, the flesh and the devil to have our needs
met, or we will look to Christ who promises to meet our needs
(Philippians 4:19). The essence of temptation is the invitation to
live independently of God.

The power of temptation depends on the strength of the
strongholds which have been developed in our minds as we learned to
live independently of God. If you were raised in a Christian home
where magazines and television programs of questionable moral value
were not allowed, the power of sexual temptation in your life will
not be as great as for someone who grew up exposed to pornographic
materials. Why? Because your legitimate need to be loved and
accepted was met by parents who also protected you from exposure to
illegitimate means of meeting your needs. The person who grew up in
an environment of immorality may experience a greater struggle with
sexual temptation simply because that stronghold in the mind was
well-established before he was born again.

Jesus was tempted to meet His own physical needs by using His
divine attributes independently of the Father to turn a rock into
bread. But instead He responded, "Man shall not live on bread
alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God"
(Matthew 4:4). We also must respond to temptation by relying on God
to meet our needs.

HOW WE PERCEIVE OURSELVES

2008-04-16T22:44:00.000-07:00

Romans 8:16, 17
The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are
children of God, and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and
fellow heirs with Christ

Lydia is a middle-aged woman who was dealt a bad hand in life
right from the beginning. Memories of ritual and sexual abuse that
she suffered as a young child have haunted her continually
throughout her Christian life. When she came to see me, her damaged
self-image seemed beyond repair. As she told me her story, Lydia
displayed little emotion, but her words reflected total despair.

When she concluded, I asked, "Who are you, Lydia? How do you
perceive yourself?"

"I'm evil," she answered stoically. "I'm just no good for
anybody. People tell me I'm evil and all I do is bring trouble."

"You're not evil," I argued. "How can a child of God be evil?
Is that how you perceive yourself?" Lydia nodded.

It is never pleasant to see the evil one express his ugly
personality through a victim like Lydia. But realizing that she is
primarily the product of the work of Christ on the cross instead of
the victim of her past, she was able to throw off the chains of
spiritual bondage and begin living according to her true identity
as a child of God.

Nothing is more foundational to your freedom from Satan's
bondage than understanding and affirming what God has done for you
in Christ and who you are as a result. We all live in accordance
with our perceived identity. In fact, we cannot consistently behave
in a way that is inconsistent with how we perceive ourselves. Your
attitudes, actions, responses and reactions to life's circumstances
are often determined by your conscious and subconscious
self-perception. If you see yourself as the helpless victim of
Satan and his schemes, you will live like his victim and be in
bondage to his lies. But if you see yourself as the dearly loved
and accepted child of God that you really are, you will more likely
live like a child of God.

Prayer:

Thank You, Jesus, that You have made me more than a conqueror.
Because of Your love and power, I can live as a victor instead of a
victim today.

VERSE FOR TODAY

2008-04-15T12:50:00.000-07:00

VERSE FOR TODAY:
"Be ye holy; for I am holy" (1 Peter 1:16).

THOUGHT: (by Gloria Copeland)
When Max, our grandson, started kindergarten, he had quite an
awakening. Max is the youngest in his family and is used to being
pampered by his three big sisters. So he was very surprised to find
out that in kindergarten, he wasn't the center of attention. He was
especially distressed to discover he was actually expected to sit
still!

For the first few weeks, Max just didn't seem to be able to do it.
He got in trouble again and again. One day, his mother was talking
to him about it, and he threw his hands up in desperation, "I'm doing
the best I can."

"Well, Max, that's not good enough," his mother replied. "You are
going to have to do better."

In all exasperation with his mother, Max said, "I told you,
I'm doing the best I can!"

Within a few weeks, Max grew tired of having to stay on the sidewalk
during recess (that's the consequence for misbehaving in his class),
and he discovered he could indeed do better.

I think about Max many times when God is dealing with me about some
area of dedication and consecration. Max has ruined the old
excuse, "Lord, I'm doing the best I can!" Now I say to
myself, "Gloria, you're just doing the best you want to do!"

That's the way it's been with the Church in general. When it comes to
being holy, and laying aside sin, we haven't done all we know to do.
We've just done what we wanted to do. We may have put away what we
considered to be major sins and even many minor sins, but there are
worldly hindrances we've held on to because our flesh enjoys them.

When God tells us to make a change, we must obey. We have entered the
last of the last days...and we have to become obedient. We have to
become holy.

We can't feed on the garbage of the world and at the same time be
separated to God, fit for any good work (2 Tim. 2:21).

I realize this makes your flesh uncomfortable...but we're told to
crucify our flesh (Romans 8:13). We're to cleanse ourselves and
consecrate ourselves to God (2 Cor. 6:14-7:1). God has cleansed us on
the inside, now it's our responsibility to let our born-again spirit
have dominion.

When you do that, then you can say truthfully, "I'm doing the best I
can!" And God will be pleased.

CONFESSION: I am holy for God is holy. In Jesus' Name. Amen.

For Further Study: 1 Cor. 6:9-20

My Real Supporter

2008-04-03T10:30:00.000-07:00

Jesus is my Lord and my only real supporter, He promised me that He would always be with me and never forsakes me...!

"Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you." Deuteronomy 31:6

Jesus Loves us

2008-04-03T01:05:00.000-07:00

"We love Him because He first loved us."
1 John 4:9-10

God loves us so much that he will withhold nothing from us that is good for us. He does not hold back his own only begotten Son, Rom.8:32.

His Love can't be comparable with any thing in this world, because this is the only Love which is True and Pure..!