What You Need Every Moment - (Andrew Murray Sermon; Hymn Video)

"For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I have committed unto Him against that day."  -   2 Timothy 1:12

Most Christ followers are familiar with the above Scripture.  It is a strong testimony to the faith of the apostle Paul. 

Following is a beautiful hymn based on the above verse:

You may be familiar with the writings of Andrew Murray, who was a South African preacher and author and lived from 1828 to 1917.  Following is a 36 minute audio sermon by Murray which discusses  2 Timothy 1:12 as well as many other spiritual gems that you will benefit from:

In the above sermon, Andrew Murray explains the importance of the Holy Spirit - how it is  essential to living effectively as a believer.  He tells us that "we need Christ every moment of everyday!"    Murray also discusses the apostle Paul and how Paul gave himself wholly to Jesus.   As Murray says, "We need Jesus to help us to keep on going, ....... and asks the question if we have given up everything we have into the keeping of Jesus ."   

Just a reminder,  God and Jesus... when they tell us something to do or not to do,  it is NOT advisory, as if we can pick and choose which to obey and which not to obey.  We should obey always !  Dr. Charles Stanley often says "Obey God, and leave all the consequences to Him."

No one can "have the Holy Spirit within them" unless they are truly born again (a spiritual rebirth from the Lord).  In other words, by believing with all of your very being that Jesus is the Savior, whose redemptive work on the cross .... His shed blood... His sacrifice to pay our sin debt in full.. all that can save us and wash our sins away... wipe the slate clean and save us for eternal life.  Just believe in Jesus as the Savior.   This is not intellectual knowledge; it is a true faith with all your heart and soul and your very being that Jesus is indeed the one known as the Christ, the Redeemer, the Son of God and, again, the Savior... the only way to heaven.

Concerning the Holy Spirit, following are some words of Jesus:

"And I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter, that He may abide with you for ever."  -  John 14:16

"But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost  [ Holy Spirit]  Whom the Father will send in My name, He shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you."    -  John 14:26

"Nevertheless I tell you the truth; it is expedient for you that I go away; for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send Him unto you."  - John 16:7

As stated in previous posts here,  over and over again this blog has stressed the importance of being in God's Holy Word the Bible on a daily basis, as well as to pray without ceasing, (1 Thessalonians 5:17).  That is the only way a person will be able to develop a close, intimate, personal, and loving relationship with God through Jesus Christ.  You cannot get to know anyone if you never communicate with them!  The same is true when it comes to the good Lord, of course.  God loves us and desires to fellowship with us.  

If you have never repented of your sins and asked God for forgiveness and turned to Jesus with a longing to know Him, the Savior -  then please do so now!  It is childlike simple:  simply believe in Christ and that He alone is the Savior and the way to the Father and to heaven.   You need to realize that you are indeed a sinner and in need of a Savior !   

"For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God."  -     Romans 3:23

"For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."  -  Romans 6:23

Following are some Scriptures for the unbeliever:

"He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him."  -   John 3:36

1 Corinthians 15:1-4 explains the Gospel:  "Moreover brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.  For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures.  And that  He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the scriptures."

"Jesus said unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me."   -  John 14:6

"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life."   -  John 3:16

Jesus will return soon to take true believers to heaven.  Will you be ready ?

"How To Know And Recognize God's Voice" - Inspirational Weekend

(1)"God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, (2) Hath in these last days spoken unto us by His Son, whom He hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also He made the worlds;"   -  Hebrews 1:1-2

God is the original author of the entire Bible, and He inspired holy men to put His thoughts and commandments in writing.  All Old Testament writers are viewed as prophets in that their testimony was preparation for the coming of Christ.   As verse 2 above states, in these last days God speaks to us by His Son Jesus or the Holy Spirit, which is part of the Godhead.   

In Old Testament times, God also spoke through visions and dreams and angels and in other ways; even in a whisper (1 Kings 19:12).  One thing about it, in OT times the person was absolutely sure it was God who was speaking,

Today, God speaks to us by the Holy Spirit through His Holy Word the Bible, through prayer, the church, and even through circumstances.   This is only true if we have a strong, intimate love relationship with Him.  That takes time and effort on our part.  Make time to read God's Word; make time for prayer.   If you never hear God "speak", then your relationship with Him is severely lacking in intimacy.   Or maybe you have never truly been born again.

"He that is of God heareth God's words: ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God."               -  John 8:47

If the above Scripture in John is true of you, you need to get on your knees and pray for forgiveness of any sins, give your heart and soul in surrender to the Lord, and believe in Jesus as your Savior, Lord, and Master.   Now is the time to get right with the Lord !  (2 Corinthians 6:2)

You need to be born again, become a child of God, so that the Holy Spirit may speak to you and give you understanding of spiritual matters.

"But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.  But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man."    -  1 Corinthians 2:14-15

The "natural man"  is described in Jude 19 as one who is sensual.  The one who is not a Christian is, for the most part, dominated by the physical and worldly or natural life.  Because he is not filled with the Holy Spirit,  he cannot understand or is not equipped to receive the truth that only the Spirit can give a person.  Therefore, he needs the new birth  (John 3:1-8).  Otherwise, he cannot enter the kingdom of  God.

Ducks and other waterfowl often gather in flocks so numerous that it is breathtaking to see them take to flight all at once.   We Christians should flock together also as Hebrews 10:25 commands us to do:  "Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching."

When we meet together at church, we hear the Word of God preached and many times it is God "speaking" specifically to us on a matter we need to hear..... a word of correction or encouragement or an answer to a dilemma we might be facing.   So when we worship, that is one way we can recognize God's voice.

We also hear the Lord speak to us through a member of our church, or through a Christian friend or family member.  Listen to their advice, but remember they are imperfect humans and we need to "Test" what we hear by pouring over God's Holy Word.

In fact, the Bible tells us to test the spirits:

"Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world."  -  1 John 4:1

Sometimes the voice you hear may be the devil, or your own thoughts and desires may lead you astray.  Test to see if what you hear lines up with God's Word, and pray to Him about it.  Ask Him for wisdom and discernment. If the thoughts are vague or confusing, it is not the Lord.  God is not the author of confusion (1 Corinthians 14:33).   Ask yourself if what you hear is going to help you to be more Christlike, or if it will help you to produce more of the fruit of the Spirit in you.  (Galatians 5:22-25)

You most likely will not actually hear God's audible voice; rather, it is a still small voice that speaks to your heart and soul and that prompts your spirit to act.  Remember how Elijah witnessed the LORD's action of a great and strong wind, and after the wind an earthquake, and after the earthquake a fire;  but the LORD was not in either of them.  Then, after all that, God spoke to Elijah in "a still small voice."          (1 Kings 19:9-12)  

The bottom line is:  As you worship the Lord, study the Bible, and are often in prayer, you will start to develop spiritual awareness and be able to comprehend and perceive our Lord's heart and mind and His will.  You will hear His voice in your soul more frequently and you will know and recognize that it is Him speaking.

Develop a close, personal, and intimate love relationship with God through Jesus Christ and you will experience His voice frequently. 

Nothing else is as important as this relationship and hearing from God.

"For He saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation."   -  2 Corinthians 6:2

"Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;"  -  2 Corinthians 10:5

"And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice.  And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of a stranger."  -  Jesus at John 10:4-5   

"Prayer For Wisdom and Knowledge To Walk Worthy Of The Lord" - Inspirational Weekend

Do you ever feel at a loss as to know how to please the Lord?  It may be because you need to read your Bible more, because His Word is rich in showing us how to please Him and how to walk as Jesus walked, in total surrender to Yahweh.

Total surrender.  That is a primary way to please God the Father.

There are two prayers we will consider here that will show us how to please the Lord and to walk worthy of Him; one in Ephesians and the other in Colossians.  Both deal with prayers for knowledge and wisdom.  In truth, how can we please God and walk in His will without knowledge of His Word and without His guidance?   You might want to read a previous post on being wise by knowing God's will.  Here we will explore walking worthy of the Lord with the help of wisdom from Him and as found in His Holy Word.

"That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him: The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of His calling, and what the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints:"   -  Ephesians 1:17-18

The above prayer for wisdom and knowledge in Ephesians is the first prayer we will discuss.  To know God is to be wise.  This is not just mere acknowledgment, but true knowledge.  The Ephesians did possess knowledge and enlightenment to some degree, but Paul prayed that they might more clearly and fully hold their present views.   Since we are imperfect humans and prone to error, we are not totally pure and we may have some dimness or not have a clear understanding where spiritual things are concerned.   That is why we need to be constantly reading the Bible and in frequent prayer.  Pray for God to give you a clear understanding of spiritual matters.

Until the Lord opens the eyes of our heart, we are as if blind.

I remember, before I was truly born-again, there was something like a veil that prevented me from completely comprehending revelations from the Lord; from understanding the Bible as I should have.   I may still understand in part, but the Lord has opened my eyes and my heart to a greater degree than ever I could have imagined.

Colossians 1:9-10 is part of the second prayer for wisdom that we will now consider:

(9) " For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; (10) that ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God;"

Let's just concentrate on verse 10 above, particularly "that ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing."   We can see from this verse that to please God, we need to be fruitful in good works, and to also increase in the knowledge of God.   When we increase in the knowledge of God, we grow closer to Him and can therefore have a close and personal relationship with Him through Jesus Christ.  God wants to fellowship with us, and this is possible only with a close, intimate relationship with Him.  That pleases Him.  And if we have this close bond, we will naturally be inclined to please God in return and to obey Him and keep His commandments.  That is part of walking worthy of the Lord.  When we put God's kingdom first and endeavor to be as Christ-like as we possibly can, that is also pleasing to God and walking worthy of Him.  Put God and Jesus first in your life.

Be filled with the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) and walk in the Spirit and crucify the flesh, killing the lusts and desires which are of the world (Galatians 5:24-25).

All of these things may seem impossible to do but, if you are a true believer, the Holy Spirit will help you to walk worthy of the Lord.  Be constantly in the Holy Word and fervent in prayer; it will enable you to draw close to the Lord and to understand and do His will.

"Wisdom is the right use of knowledge.  To know is not to be wise.  Many men know a great deal, and are all the greater fools for it.  There is no fool so great a fool as a knowing fool.  But to know how to use knowledge is to have wisdom."  -  Charles Spurgeon

"Not until we have become humble and teachable, standing in awe of God's holiness and sovereignty, acknowledging our own littleness, distrusting our own thoughts, and willing to have our minds turned upside down, can Divine wisdom become ours."    -   J.I. Packer

I have not mentioned love.   "God is love" (1 John 4:16), "He that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him."  Without love, we cannot truly begin to walk worthy of the Lord and please Him.
 If we love God with all of our heart, soul, mind, and with all of our strength (Mark 12:30), we will gladly obey Him and display true godliness, which enables us to walk worthy of Him.

First, be sure you are walking in the Spirit and not in the flesh. Get rid of all worldly lusts and desires and sinful thoughts.

"So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God."  -  Romans 8:8

You need to have vigorous faith to please the Lord, as that will enable you to be strong and to endure trials and to wait on the Lord, thereby walking worthy of Him.

"For we walk by faith, not by sight:"  -  2 Corinthians 5:7

"The just shall live by faith."  -  Galatians 3:11b

"But without faith it is impossible to please Him: for he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him."  -  Hebrews 11:6

"Furthermore then we beseech you, brethren, and exhort you by the Lord Jesus, that as ye have received of us how ye ought to walk and please God, so ye would abound more and more."                       -   1 Thessalonians 4:1