A blog by Norman and Jean Rawlings, authors of the book: “On the Way: Basic Christian Training”. Check out our web site for information on our book and more encouraging Bible based blogs; click here: www.onthewayinlove.com    

As we look around us today we often see people in fear and confusion as they watch TV and listen to the fear mongers in the media. But fear and confusion should have no place in the life of the Christian: “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind” (2 Tim 1:7; KJV).

God says that perfect love drives fear from our lives (1 John 4:18). Fear is the opposite of faith; faith believes God, fear believes the reports of the devil.

If our lives are driven by selfishness and evil motives then confusion easily results (James 3:16). However, “God is not the author of confusion, but of peace” (1 Cor 14:33). How do we walk in peace? In Isaiah chapter 26 and verse 3 it is written: Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee, because he trusteth in thee”.

Let’s commit to walk in love, focus on God’s word and believe it, not the noise in the world around us. Let’s cut through the confusion in our world and be beacons of God’s life, peace and truth. “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:32).

True life and freedom are not to be found in rushing after everything the world says is important. God’s greatest desire is to bless us, but his word says: “seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things (God’s provisions and blessings) shall be added unto you” (Matt 6:33). We need to put God first and do things God’s way. Wow, I don’t know about you, but I needed to hear that.

All rights reserved.

If these words have helped you, please share them with a friend.

Sometimes it seems like our prayers get no further than the ceiling, we wonder if God hears. What can hinder our prayers? Well, we must pray in faith believing (James 1: 6-8) and we must pray according to his word and will (1 John 5: 14-15). However, the word says we must also ask for the right reasons, not purely selfish ones (James 4:2-3).

We are also told in the word that we need to mix patience with our faith (Heb 6:12). God`s timing is not the same as ours (Ps 90:4). It’s also important in all our asking to have thankful hearts and to praise God (Ps 100:4).

In all our asking we need to be sure that our hearts and lives are right before God. In Matthew 6:33 we are admonished to seek God first before we start asking. In this verse we are also told to to walk in obedience to him, in right standing with him, seeking his face, his heart and not his hand. As we walk in obedience to God all of our needs will be met by our heavenly father.

I suspect that if we focused on Matthew 6:33 we would need to do less asking.

Share This with A Friend.

Psalm 73 and verses 23 through 26 have always been favorites for us. The idea of constant fellowship with God and his holding us by our right hand has to thrill any Christian (V23). But verse 24 gets even better: “thou shalt guide me with thy counsel, and afterward receive me to glory” (KJV).

God guides us with his word (Ps 119:105).  In Proverbs 3:5-6 we are told that he will direct our paths if we fully trust him and don’t allow our thought processes to get in the way. In those verses it also says that we need to acknowledge him; to me that mean’s people around us should know whom we serve.

Back in Psalm 73 and verse 25, the Psalmist tells us we need to have a tenacious and single-minded focus on God. In verse 26 he tells us why; because we will always reach the limits of our strength but God is our strength and he never fails! Isn’t it amazing to think that God and his power, dwells in us as Christians in the form of the Holy Spirit (John 14:16-17; Rom 8:11)?

This all sounds wonderful and it is but to allow God to do all he wants to on our behalf we must cooperate. Cooperation is a matter of spending time with him in his word and prayer. A simple expectation but do we long for these times with him and make them our priority (Joshua 1:8)? We should, the results are awesome!

Pass this on.

We serve an excellent God (Ps 8:1; Isa 12:5). God does all things in excellence. Just think of the splendor, detail and perfection of his creation that he prepared for us to enjoy (Gen 1:1-31). No detail was missed in his design for the Tabernacle in which he dwelt with his people (Ex 26:1-37).

As we read Leviticus we can see the excellence that God expected of his people in their festivals and sacrifices, their obedience; no animal with a blemish could be sacrificed before him (Lev 6:6).

How do we respond to a God of such excellence and love? We can only humble ourselves before him and give him our best; serve him in excellence and awesome fear and respect.

How can this be expressed in a practical way? We need to put him first in our lives and our time, not giving him our spare time at the end of the day. Serve him with excellence; whenever, wherever and however he prompts us. Our God is a jealous God and will not share us with others or other priorities (Ex 34:14).

Let his will be done in our lives as it is done in heaven (Matt 6:10) and remember, the most excellent way is love (1Cor 12:31); love for God and love for each other. God wants to show his fullness to the world through us; he wants to work: “exceedingly abundantly beyond all that we ask or imagine” (Eph 3:19-20; KJV). How can we; therefore, not love him and serve him with all we are?  

Pass this on. Take a look at our website for information on our book: On the Way: Basic Christian Training” and our Bible based blogs. Coming soon: free chapter download. Click here: www.onthewayinlove.com   

Do you have a need for healing? Way back in the Old Testament God said: “For I am the Lord that healeth thee” (Ex 15:26; KJV). David in his Psalms told us that God heals all our diseases (Ps 103:3). The Apostle Peter quoted from Isaiah 53:5 showing us that Jesus won healing for us through his suffering (1 Peter 2:24). Jesus paid the price for our sins by his sacrifice of himself on the cross (Rom 5:8) and as we believe in him and give our lives to him (Rom 10:9-10) we can receive salvation or spiritual rebirth (John 3:3-8).

The word salvation in the Greek encompasses physical and emotional healing and well-being. Healing is a promise of God that we as Christians can receive by faith (Mark 11:22-24). Sickness and disease come from satan not God (John 10:10). God has abundant life for us (John 10:10), the kind of life he leads, and there is no sickness in heaven (Rev 21:4).

We can walk in the authority and victory that Jesus won over satan (Col 2:15; Matt 28:18-20) and we can speak to our bodies and command them to line up with God’s word. We can speak in the authority of Jesus and command satan to take his sickness and disease from our lives. As we speak to the mountain of sickness in our lives (Mark 11:23) then we release the power of Holy Spirit to work on our behalf and bring healing to our bodies and emotions (Rom 8:11). We can grow our faith to receive healing; great faith comes as we spend time in God’s word (Rom 10:17). Believe God’s word and receive all God has for you.

He wants you healthy as this glorifies him. 

Pass this on.