"Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us" (Heb 12:1; KJV).

When we are born again as Christians we embark on a wonderful journey of faith, culminating in our transfer to heaven to be with the Lord forever (1 Peter 1:9). In the verse above from Hebrews Paul exhorts us to run the race. We don't just coast through life. Someone once told me that as Christians we are either growing or going backwards in our walk with God, never standing still.

Our verse from Hebrews tells us we need to lay aside the weights and sins that can slow, distract, or hold us back in our growth and maturation as Christians. We need focus and discipline just like the athlete who trains to win a race (1 Cor 9:24). We all know what sin is but weights are the distractions of life. Some of them may be good things but if they are not kept in proper priority, or even removed from our lives, they can slow, or even stop the progress and growth in our Christian walk.

We need to be single minded and focused in our walk with God and continuously examining what we call priorities. As Paul said, all things are permissible for me but not all things are useful (1 Cor 10:23). In other words, many of our goals may seem good to us but do they take us where God wants us to go? In the end we all need to be able to say, "I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith" (2 Tim 4:7 KJV).

Please pass this on, all rights reserved.

 Please recommend our book: “On the Way: Basic Christian Training” to others. Check out our web site for information on our book and more encouraging Bible based blogs. ASK US FOR A FREE COPY OF A CHAPTER FROM OUR BOOK, using the contact us page on our website; click here: www.onthewayinlove.com    

"According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust." (2 Peter 1:3,4 KJV).

Two amazing verses of scripture. When we were born again and became Christians our spirit was made new but not our soul (mind, will and emotions) or body (John 3:3,5-6). We need to work to sanctify our body and soul (Rom 12:2; 1 Cor 9:27) or bring them under the control and dominance of our spirit, influenced by the Holy Spirit.

Our passage from second Peter above shows us how God provides for us to sanctify and change our body and soul; to put off the old man and put on the new life in Christ (Eph 4:22-24). We are told we can have God's divine nature and put off the ways of the world (v4). We can live the kind of life God lives and walk in godliness (v3). We can discover his new life in Christ, all God's promises to us, as we grow in the knowledge of our Father God and our Savior, Jesus.

How do we do this? We do it by spending time in the Bible. As we prayerfully ask the Holy Spirit to reveal God's word to us (John 14:26), the revelation releases the power of the Holy Spirit to bring change in our lives and enables us to walk in all God has for us. Wow. What a deal, what a loving God! He gives us salvation freely by his grace; gives us our operators manual, the Bible and also the power of the Holy Spirit to change. All we have to do is cooperate.

Please recommend our book: “On the Way: Basic Christian Training” to others. Check out our web site for information on our book and more encouraging Bible based blogs. ASK US FOR A FREE COPY OF A CHAPTER FROM OUR BOOK, using the contact us page on our website; click here: www.onthewayinlove.com    

"This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shall meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success" (Josh 1:8, KJV).

Who wouldn't want to be successful and prosperous? One of the meanings of the Hebrew word for prosperous is: "to break out”. In order for that to happen we have some instructions to follow. In Deuteronomy 6:6-9 it says that God’s commandments should be in our heart and we should talk about them throughout the day.

In Deuteronomy 29:9 we see something very similar to Joshua 1:8. It says we must remember and do the words of God’s covenant and then we will have wisdom and prosperity. In Psalm 1:2-3, we are told that the godly man meditates day and night in the law and whatever he does prospers. To meditate means to think about God's word by speaking it, not just thinking about it.

So, we learn from these few verses above that in order to be prosperous and successful we should be meditating on the word, speaking the word and obeying the word. However, we know there are many other benefits to doing these things in addition to the ones mentioned. Remember that in Matthew 6:33 the Apostle directed us to seek God’s kingdom and his righteousness FIRST and then we would receive all we need. So, put God's word first in your day today and enjoy the benefits.

Please recommend our book: “On the Way: Basic Christian Training” to others. Check out our web site for information on our book and more encouraging Bible based blogs. ASK US FOR A FREE COPY OF A CHAPTER FROM OUR BOOK, using the contact us page on our website; click here: www.onthewayinlove.com    

We can sometimes listen to awe inspiring music or see an amazing painting and be deeply moved emotionally. However, we should not limit ourselves by only just listening with our ears and seeing with our eyes. As Christians, God wants to speak to our spirits.

So often we listen but we do not hear; we look but we do not see. Why is this? It is because we only hear with our physical ears and see with our physical eyes (Isa 6:9-10). We need to see and hear as God himself does, with our spirits, our hearts (1Sam 16:7; Luke 24:32). This is when God can speak to us Spirit to spirit (Pr 20:27) directly or through his word (John 14:26; Rom 2:15), through people (Pr 11:14), his creation (Rom 1:20) and music and art that he inspires. This is when we can be truly changed.

How often we do not change even when we hear and see so much of his magnificence, so much of God’s word and see and hear so much of him but only with our ears and eyes.

For a few moments, in our busyness, let’s try to focus on God, on heaven, and leave our souls to rest. Allow God to arrest you, envelope you in his peace and love you, speak to your heart and change you from glory to glory, holiness to holiness. I encourage you to close your eyes, listen to some favorite music and meditate on the goodness of God; allow him to truly change you.

My how the church needs truly changed Christians.

Please pass this on. All rights reserved.

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. Fill out the: “contact us page” on our website and in the comments section REQUEST A FREE COPY OF A CHAPTER FROM OUR BOOK, click here: www.onthewayinlove.com    

How wonderful to know that the thoughts God has toward us are for peace and to give us a future and a hope (Jer 29:11). Jeremiah also tells us that the man who trusts in God is blessed (Jer 17:7): “he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit” (Jer 17:8; KJV).

Read Psalm 23 today and be encouraged. In that psalm God covers all the bases. It says he provides all of our needs from peace of mind and tranquility to protection; He leads us in righteousness and his anointing is on us. God is with us the Psalmist says; his goodness and mercy and we will live in his house for ever. Wow, can’t it get any better?

Well, in Ephesians 3:19-21 we are told that we can know Christ’s love and be filled with all of God’s fullness. In verses 20-21 Paul says that: “now unto him that is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen”. Double Wow.

Are you blessed today? Then you really should give him thanks and praise, no matter what is going on around you. Be encouraged today

Please pass this on. All rights reserved.

Please recommend our book: “On the Way: Basic Christian Training” to others. Check out our web site for information on our book and more encouraging Bible based blogs. ASK US FOR A FREE COPY OF A CHAPTER FROM OUR BOOK, using the contact us page on our website; click here: www.onthewayinlove.com