God's Salvation Through His Grace

Feed My People Ministries Home 3 Steps Bible Lessons Directory Contact Terms of Use Guestbook Step 1 God's Salvation Through His Grace Translate This Page Powered by Translate Introduction This Lesson will help you to understand salvation through the grace of God and how to apply it in your life. You will learn what the Word of God says about the grace of God. But also, you will learn why salvation and grace are needed in the first place. You will come to understand the power and the benefits of God's grace. How it affects your relationship, between you and God. Only then, will you understand God's love for you through His grace. Let's begin. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Law of the Kingdom Concerning Sin When man sinned in the garden of Eden about 6000 years ago, the Law of the Kingdom of God states that if a person committed an act of disobedient by breaking the Law set forth by God. That person's living spirit would die instantly; therefore, be separated from God and banished from the Kingdom, and death will reign in his body until the body dies and returns to the ground. (Geneses 2:16) Then the human spirit is returned to God and that person's soul will be sent to Hell 's Prison to pay for the crime of sin committed for a period no more then ETERNITY. When man sinned, all of man's offspring was tainted with the sin nature. God was deeply hurt. He knew that the Law concerning sin must be carried out. The Law demanded retribution. The Law cannot be reversed, not even by God. Because God is bound by His own law (decree). However, the Law also states that if one righteous man that has never sinned choose willingly to take mankind's place (known as proxy), to die as a man and goes to Hell's Prison for the crime of sin that was committed. Then the requirement of the Law would be fulfilled.(1Peter 2:24) Jesus was that man. A righteous man that has never sinned. He was divine and therefore, did not have the sin nature in Him. What is Grace? God's grace brings immunity or exemption from judgment. By grace, God saved man from eternal damnation to hell's prison by sending His Son, Jesus to take our place on the cross so that our relationship with the Father can be restored. God's grace brings many benefits that are much easier now then it was in the old Testament. The grace is God's love freely offered to us. We don't to do anything to "earn" it. It's free. All we have to do is accept it willingly. A second chance, WOW! Fallen angels didn't even get a second chance. Because Angels are employees. Mankind is God's kids, We're family. THREE STAGES OF GRACE 1. Prevenient (preparing) grace: "Prevenient" means "comes before." God's prevenient grace is with us from birth, and prepared us for new life in Christ. 2. Accepting (justifying) grace: God's justifying grace given upon "conversion" or being "born again." When we experience God's justifying grace, we come into that new life in Christ. 3. Sustaining (sanctifying) grace: we are to move on and walk in God's sustaining grace towards a holy life. Maintaining God's Grace But the grace of God is nice to have, however, we are not to stay put, but to move on in God's sustaining grace and salvation toward perfection and holiness in Christ. We cannot just sit and say; "I have God's grace now, so I can sit down and enjoy life." No. God's grace, like salvation must be maintained in order to keep it. God's grace and mercy is a benefit to us when we walk with God. It is given to God's children. Those who have accepted Jesus as Lord and savior of their lives. God's grace is a privilege and a honor to have. It must NOT be taken for granted, as we often do. His grace is pleasing to us when He grants it to us. Therefore, we must thank Him and reverence Him with all humility and humbleness. His grace and mercy is not to be mocked at. Look at Galatians 6:7; - "Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap." In the Old Testament, the grace of God brings graciousness, kindness, and favor. In the New Testament, His grace comes with kindness that is emphasized with having only one motivation, love. We didn't earn it and deserve favor. His grace brings us joy, pleasure, gratification, favor, benefit, thanks, and gratitude. We are saved by the grace of God and not by anything we did or deserve. It is a free gift from God. Look at Ephesians 2:4-5, 8-10; "But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, (v5) Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) (v8) For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: (v9) Not of works, lest any man should boast. (v10) For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them." (NIV) But because of his great love for us, God, who is full in mercy, had made us to be spiritually alive with Christ. Even when we were spiritually dead due to the sin nature in us. It is by God's grace we have been saved through our faith in Christ Jesus. We did not earned not from our good deeds or by works, oh no, but it is the free gift of God. For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. Why? Because we are made in God's image and likeness (Genesis 1:26). Also, because He loves us. GOD'S GRACE IS SUFFICIENT The Lord's grace, favor, eternal life, the power and ability to live a godly life like Jesus did is already ours. It has already been given to us. By grace, God sent His Son to die and pay from our sin so that we can have fellowship with the Father once again. That was God's part; our part is to repent, surrender, and reach out and take His grace unto ourselves. Salvation by God's grace. His grace is there, but it is up to you, if you are not saved, to repent, turn from sin, and let His resurrected life live in you. Jesus fulfilled all of the law required for Him to do for mankind to receive redemption from sin. God did not and does not ignore sin. He paid for sin. Because God cannot go against His own Word. In Genesis 2:17; "but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die." Man did eat of the tree and spiritually died. So God, as a parent took responsibility for man's sin and sent His Son Jesus to "die" and fulfilled God's own law of sin, which is spiritual death. Jesus had spent 3 days in hell, totally separated from His father. Sin on Jesus' body brought death which is separation from God. Look at Revelation 1:18; "I am he that liveth, and was dead (Spiritual death); and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death." How did He get those keys? He got it from Satan. And where is Satan's domain? Hell. So He had to have went to Hell to get them. But Jesus Himself had never sinned, so therefore hell had to release Him. Hell is for sinners. Jesus never sinned. Hell had no legal rights to keep Him. So, He was released and was resurrect from the dead. This fulfilled the law of sin. The crucifixion of Jesus was the fulfillment of the requirements of the law against sin. There is nothing more any of us can do to pay for sin. Jesus did it all for you and me. Jesus is God's grace to mankind. What could you or I possibly do to add to the cross? Nothing! Absolutely nothing. The price was paid in full on Calvary. God choose to pay for the sin of man at a great cost to himself and then turn around and give unmerited and unconditional love, acceptance, and forgiveness to anyone that receive and accept God's gift, His Son Jesus. The grace of God that brought salvation to all men. His grace teaches us to say "no" to ungodly living and worldly passions and to choose by choice to live a self-controlled , upright, and Godly life in the Spirit of Christ. Characteristics and Benefits of God's Grace God's grace will enable us to appreciate Him and His love for us. We cannot fully comprehend God's grace without the help of the Holy Spirit to teach us the characteristics of God grace. Here are some of the characteristics that I have found. I'm sure there are plenty more. The idea here is to give you an understanding of God's grace. Some of these characteristics bring out some of the characters of God and others reminds us of who we are in God's presence. For example; # 4. Divine Reverence, it bring us to a place of utmost respect and adoration for His grace for us. 1. Divine Favor: To grant honor and privilege.(Proverbs 12:2) 2. Divine Mercy: Compassionate forbearance of God which sympathetically forgive towards others.(Ephesians 2:4) 3. His Divine Benefits That His Mercy Imparts: an entitlement to all His compassion, mercy and grace. (Corinthians 10:16 - NLT) 4. Divine Reverence: A profound awe, utmost respect, love and honor. (Hebrew 5:7) 5. Divine Love: Agape, total acceptance regardless of inward or outward appearance. (John 3:16) 6. Divine Pardon: Exemption from conviction by the forgiveness for an offense. (Isaiah 55:7) 7. Divine Acceptance: A favorable approval that brings benefits. (Romans 11:15) 8. Divine Pleasure: A state of complete joy in every particular way. (Psalms 35:27) 9. Divine Impartation: God's divine gifts and privileges given to a particular person. (Romans 1:11) 10. Divine Holiness: The purest form of God which is His state of being. (Exodus 15:11) 11. Divine Beauty: His quality of being that gives pleasure to the mind and peace to the soul which brings unity to the Spirit. (Psalms 90:17) 12. Divine Privilege: The exclusive right reserved and given to a particular person. (1Peter 1:3) 13. Divine Seemliness: Conforming to a standard of conduct that is suitable for His pleasing. (1Corinthians 7:35- Young Literal Translation) 14. Divine Compassion: Deep awareness of the suffering and supplication, with the wish to relieve it. (Psalms 78:38) 15. Divine Gratification: A state of being that brings great satisfaction and blessings. (Colossians 3:16-NRS) We seem to forget sometimes the benefits that the grace of God brings in our lives. But when we stop to think about it for a moment and meditate on His grace for us. We will have a deeper and richer walk and relationship with God. Our lives will have a more meaningful and deeper purpose, bringing a more fulfilling life. Look at Philippians 1:21; "For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain." What Grace Offers God's grace is Abundant. (Ephesians 5:15) God's grace is Comforting. (2 Thessalonians 2:16-17) God's grace is Enriching. (2 Corinthians 8:9) God's grace is Fruit Bearing (Colossians 1:5-6) God's grace is Justifying (Titus 3:5-7) God's grace is Lavish. (Ephesians 1:5-6) God's grace is Purifying. (Tutus 2:11-12) God's grace is Sanctifying. (Acts 20:32) God's grace is Saving. (Ephesians 2:8-9) God's grace is Strengthening. (Hebrews 13:9) God's grace is Substitutionary (Hebrews 2:9) God's grace is Sufficient. (2 Corinthians 12:9) IN CONCLUSION I can go on and on about the grace of God and give you tons of scriptures, but the point of this lesson is to expose you to the understanding of God's grace and to apply God's Word in your life through His grace. There is no limits to God's grace when you apply it through His Word. This will give you faith to overcome and hope to know how to apply it in your life. He is full of mercy and compassion. By His grace we are redeemed from the curse of the law, which is death and hell, and from sickness and diseases (1 Peter 2:24). By His grace we are made rich and not poor (Proverbs 13:4) God's grace is sufficient for us through Jesus as our template. He did it all for us and showed us how to live and walk in total victory by His examples. We need to take up our power and authority and use it to walk in total victory, total health and total wealth. That is our covenant rights. The devil trembles when a child of God knows his or her covenant rights. Isaiah 54:17; "No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, saith the LORD." Mark 16:17; "And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;" Matthew 10:8; "Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give." Matthew 18:18; "Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven." CONCLUSION Study and memorize these scriptures. They come very handy when circumstances and the devil comes around to harass you. Always quote the scriptures, Jesus did!!! By God's grace, we are still alive another day. How To Receive God's Grace If you have not already ask Jesus to come into your heart and you would like to received God's grace. If you don't know what to say to God, simply repeat this prayer; "Heavenly Father, in the name of Jesus I repent of all my sins and I ask for your forgiveness by the blood of the Lamb. Jesus, I accept you as my savior and I invite you into my heart. Holy Spirit according to John 14:26, you are the Comforter and the Teacher and I am asking you to teach me how to walk right with God so that I may walk in the righteousness of God. Amen." If you've sincerely prayed this prayer with your heart, then the anointing of God is upon you now, and the anointing breaks the yoke of bondage. (Isaiah 10:27) __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ © Copyright 2004- 2012 Feed My People Ministries Feed My People Ministries Home 3 Steps Bible Lessons Directory Contact Terms of Use Guestbook Step 2 Understanding the Word of God Translate This Page Powered by Translate The Manual The Word of God, or the Bible is more then just a book on history of the ancient world. It's a instructions manual that tells us who is God and who we are in God. The Word of God will show you about God's promises to you for your life. That knowledge alone will give you wisdom and insight in the things of God and the evil schemes of the devil. What is the Bible? Basic Instruction Before Leaving Earth One Bible, Many Translations The Bible comes in different translation like the King James, New International version, New living translation, and many others. All these versions tells the same thing, just differently. Find a version that you can understand; otherwise you will get frustrated and won't understand what it's trying to say. The first thing you need to understand is that the Bible's true power is spiritual and not physical. Second, the Holy Spirit is the true teacher that teaches about Jesus. Always ask Him to help you to understand what your reading in the bible. The Bible and Jesus Look at John 1:1; "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." Now lets translated this verse so you can understand. "In the beginning of time was the spoken Word of God, and the spoken Word was with God the Father, and the spoken Word of God was God." Who is the Word of God? well look at; John 1:14 "The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth." So who is the spoken Word? Jesus is the spoken Word of God, also known as "THE LORD". That's why the Bible is called the Living Word. Because God's words are alive and bring life. The Features The Bible is not a book. It is a combination of many books. Sixty six books to be exact. They are divided into two sections. The Old Testament and the New Testament. There is 39 books in the Old Testament and there is 27 books in the New Testament. A total of 66 books ONLY. The Old Testement The Old Testament life was under the Law of God. To live under the law wasn't always easy. But, God had to bring the Law to keep the sinful man under control. The Law also kept man civilize, otherwise, mankind's would recede to his sinful nature and destroy each other. There was no grace or mercy under the Law. You break the Law and it could cost you your life. It was that strict. The New Testament The New Testament life was much better to live in than the Old Testament. Now we live not under the Law of God, but under the Grace of God. That doesn't mean the the Old Testament is obsolete. Its still very useful in understanding God's principles. To reflect upon the Old Testament gives us insights and revelations into the things of God. The New Testament is more like an update on the Old Testament. For example; under the Old Testament Law, it was forbidden to eat any shell fish, like shrimp, crab and lobster. (Leviticus 11:12) But under the New Testament of grace, it is permitted to eat shell fish. By God's grace, it is sanctified as clean. Another example, in the Old Testament, the Holy Spirit's anointing was reserve for Kings and Prophets or those that were called to do a specific task, like Mary, for example. But now under the New Testament, anyone who accept God's grace by accepting Jesus as the Lord of their life will receive the anointing of the Holy Spirit. He is the one that will teaches us through revelation, all about Jesus. The Origin The Old Testament was originally written in Hebrew and it took about 4000 yrs to write. The New Testament was originally written in Greek, about 2000 yrs ago. The Word has real power and is released if spoken in faith. The real power is spiritual, not physical. And the Word of God is not affected by the laws of physic, nor is it affected by time and space. Jesus demonstrated this, both in the Old and the New Testament. Remember Mose, God parted of Red Sea and Jesus walking on water! Power of the Word If the Word can part waters and walk on water. You can imagine the power is has. The Word of God created the universe. Power of the Word is keeping everything that exist together. Without the Word, everything that is and will be, would vanish and cease to exist. That's the kind of power that is in the true children of God. That's because of Jesus is dwelling in us. Our bodies is a temple where God lives. In the Old Testament, God dwelled in the ark and not in man. You see now why Grace is better then Law! In Conclusion The Word of God is power and life. To live without it is not living, it's just existing. The Bible is our manual while we live on the earth. It has the answers to every possible incident that exist. However, only the Holy Spirit can reveal it to you so you can live a life in Christ. All you have to do is to ask the Holy Spirit to help you understand and reveal to you the spiritual side of God's Word. _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ © Copyright 2011 Feed My People Ministries Feed My People Ministries Home 3 Steps Bible Lessons Directory Contact Terms of Use Guestbook Step 3 How To Overcome Translate This Page Powered by Translate Definition How do you overcome the circumstances in your life? Many of us think that overcoming is getting away from the situation. But it's not. The word "overcome" in the dictionary mean; "To defeat (another) in competition or conflict; conquer." To overcome is to conquer. One can say that to overcome is to go over what is coming. One is not limited when one is over the situation. That is an overcomer. However, a person that succumb to the circumstances is defeated. But a person that refuse to succumb to the circumstances is an overcomer. Sometime when the circumstances of life seems overbearing, we often look at the problem and try to find a way to get through it and survive. But the problem is not the problem. The problem is with us. We have to look at the circumstances the way God sees it. And that alone can be very difficult if you try to look at it your way. Look at Isaiah 55:8; "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD." God Knows God knows the situation you may be facing and He's not without understanding. He knows what your going through because He lives in you. But God is a God of love and full of mercy and grace. He knows the best way out of your situation even if you don't see it or don't agree with God's way. He is always right because He sees the past, present and the future because it lies before Him. He knows everything there is about you. Lets face it, He knows you more then you know yourself. So he knows what is best for you. All you need to do is lean and trust Him completely. Respect God There are times when life on this earth is hard and very uncomfortable, and sometimes even downright painful and frightening. When those times come, you deeply need the comfort that only the Holy Spirit can bring. How do you receive that kind of comfort? By doing just what the believers in Acts did. By "walking in the fear of the Lord." Now, when I talk about "the fear of the Lord," please understand, I'm not saying you should be afraid of God. Of course not. He's your Father! You should be as secure and unafraid when you come before Him as a child who knows he is dearly loved. But you must also have so much respect for Him that whenever He reveals something you need to do, you do it immediately, even if it goes against your natural desires. That's walking in the fear of the Lord. SIX STEPS TO OVERCOME 1-Confess any sins that you may have committed purposely or innocently. Sin stops to flow of God. 2-Trust in the Lord no matter what and do good. Psalms 37:3; "Trust in the LORD and do good. Then you will live safely in the land and prosper. (NLT) No matter what happens, always trust Him, regardless of the outcome. Read the story of Job in the Old Testament, it will help you to understand in trusting God. 3-Take comfort in the Lord. Psalms 37:4; "Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you your heart's desires. (NLT) In other word, indulge yourself in God through prayer, reading the Bible, in praising Him, in worshiping Him. 4-Submit to the Lord completely. Psalms 37:5; "Commit everything you do to the LORD. Trust him, and he will help you. v6 He will make your innocence as clear as the dawn, and the justice of your cause will shine like the noonday sun. (NLT If you truly trust God, then you are submitting yourself to Him. 5-Be patient with God and wait for Him. He's never late. Psalms37:7; "Be still in the presence of the LORD, and wait patiently for him to act. Don't worry about evil people who prosper or fret about their wicked schemes. (NLT) Here is a tough one. Be patient with God. Don't worry, God will move on his time not yours. He knows what's best for you. Trust Him. 6-Forgive all those that offended you or is responsible for your hardship, and control your anger. Psalms 37:8-9; "Stop your anger! Turn from your rage! Do not envy others – it only leads to harm. v:9 For the wicked will be destroyed, but those who trust in the LORD will possess the land." (NLT) Forgive others in your past that have offended you. But most of all, you need to forgive yourself of any offenses you may have committed toward yourself or towards love ones. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you with that and He will. But you must ask Him. In Conclusion Now that you've done all six steps, talk to God as you would your best friend. Ask Him for deliverance from your situation. Then, thank Him as if He already answered your prayer regardless of what it looks like or feels like right now. Faith is believing in the result without seeing the results to manifest. Believing without seeing. This is the law of Faith. No matter how tough or painful a situation you may be facing today, trust and obey the directions of your Heavenly Father. He will make that same supernatural, Holy Spirit inspired comfort available to you! If your not sure what to do in a situation, then always go to God. He will never allow more then want you can handle. He will come to your rescue. I guarantee it. He always came to my rescue, every time I called upon His name, EVERY TIME. Remember, Genesis 4:7; "You will be accepted if you respond in the right way. But if you refuse to respond correctly, then watch out! Sin is waiting to attack and destroy you, and you must subdue it." The devil is waiting to attack you through sins so he can destroy your life. Repent from that sin and you take away all legal rights he may have on you, God is greater the the devil, but you need to trust Him completely. __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ © Copyright 2010 Feed My People Ministries. Feed My People Ministries Home 3 Steps Bible Lessons Directory Contact Terms of Use Guestbook Understanding Your Salvation Many Christians I found don't fully understand their salvation, let alone know what "salvation" means to them. To some Christians it means to be saved. But if you ask them, "save from what?". Many will respond with ,"I'm not sure", or "saved for sin". In reality, many Christian just don't have a clue what salvation is. What is salvation? Well Salvation comes from the Greek word "soteria", which means "deliverance, preservation and safety." It mostly involves deliverance from the bondage of sin. Look at Galatians 5:1; "Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage." (KJV) If you ever read a scripture in the Bible that says "the salvation of the Lord", simply replace the word "salvation" with the word "deliverance, preservation or safety". This is what you get; the deliverance of the Lord or the preservation of the Lord or the safety of the Lord. Now we can all understand that. Salvation is deliverance, salvation is preservation, and salvation is safety in the Lord. THE NEED FOR SALVATION Why is salvation so needed in the first place? Well, it all started with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. God created man in His own image. God made man perfect in the garden, without sin. In fact, Adam & Eve did not know what sin was. So to them they were ignorant to the knowledge sin. After all, sin is simply the act of disobedience to the word of God. They were introduce to sin (the act of disobedient) by Satan when he deceived Eve in believing a lie. He told her that what Adam said to her was not what God said to him. God commanded Adam (not Eve because she did not exist yet), not to eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Look at Genesis 2:16,17, "And the Lord God (Jesus), commanded the man, saying, of every tree of the garden thou mayest eat: (v17) But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die." Without salvation, every person would have to pay the price for their own sins and that is spiritual death. Total separation from God. The Bible calls that hell. God sent Jesus to take our place on the cross and to die both physically and spiritually. Jesus went to hell for three days and took away the keys of spiritual death and hell from Satan. Revelation 1:18; "I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death." Salvation of God allows us to be in fellowship with God once more, as it was in the days of Adam and Eve. No longer need to be separated from God because Jesus took our place on the cross. Remember, Jesus was God in the flesh. That's why His death on the cross has a eternal effect. Sin was conquered forever. Salvation also includes deliverance and protection from enemies. God protect His kids. Look at Luke 1:71: "That we should be saved from our enemies And from the hand of all who hate us." Also from sickness and disease. Look at Isaiah 53:4; "Surely He has borne our griefs And carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed Him stricken, Smitten by God, and afflicted." And again in Matthew 8:17; "that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying: "He Himself took our infirmities And bore our sicknesses." But this scripture is is my favorite, 1 Peter 2:24; "who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness--by whose stripes you were healed." A FREE GIFT FROM GOD Salvation is a free gift that is made available by God to anyone who repent, believe and confess that Jesus is Lord and that He died and rose from the dead to save them. Look at Acts 16:31; "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household." (KJV) Again, look at Romans 10:9-10; "For if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. v10 For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by confessing with your mouth that you are saved." (KJV) Salvation cannot be earned through good deeds or by simply being a "good person" Look at Ephesians 2:8; "God saved you by his special favor when you believed. And you can't take credit for this; it is a gift from God. "(NLT) It is a matter of faith, which is acting out on what God's Word says concerning salvation. STEPS TO COMPLETE SALVATION Here are some steps to help you obtain and maintain the salvation experience. It involves a process that will not only guarantee you entrance to heaven, but also experience the benefits of Heaven on earth. 1. Recognize And Admit That You Are a Sinner. Because of Adam's sin of disobedience in the Garden of Eden, all of humanity was affected by, and infected with, sin. Look at Romans 5:12; "When Adam sinned, sin entered the entire human race. Adam's sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned.(NLT) Mankind took on the nature of sin. Therefore, everyone that was born after Adam was born into a life of sin and death. Look at Psalm 51:5; "For I was born a sinner – yes, from the moment my mother conceived me. (NLT) 2. Repent of Your Sins. To repent simply means to "change one's mind; to have a change of heart." It involves making a decision that will turn you away from sin and start to head in the right direction toward God. Also, true repentance does not mean "I'm sorry." It is a quality decision made with your heart to ask forgiveness of your sins, turning away from ungodly living and submitting to God's will for your life. Look at 1 John 1:9; "But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us from every wrong." (NLT) 3. Confess Jesus as Lord and Savior. Confession that Jesus is Lord of your life affirms Jesus' Lordship (place of authority) over your life. Confess that He is your Lord and believe that He lived, died and was raised from the dead for the forgiveness of your sins. 4. Be Baptized in Water and Receive the Baptism in the Holy Spirit. Water baptism is a symbolic representation of Jesus' death, burial and resurrection. Just as He was baptized, so must you be baptized (Matthew 3:6). You go down into the water, carrying your old man (lifestyle) with you, and die to yourself and your old way of living (Romans 6:3-11). When you come up out of the water, you are a "new" person in Christ. Baptism in the Holy Spirit When you become born again, the Holy Spirit takes up residence in your spirit to become your Teacher, Comforter and Guide through life (John 14:15-17, 23, 26). When you receive the Baptism of the Holy Spirit (Luke 24:49; Acts 1:4-8), you are covered with and able to tap into (activate) the burden-removing, yoke-destroying power of God -- the anointing (Isaiah 10:27). The evidence of this power lies in your speaking in tongues, or in an unknown, spiritual language (Acts 2:1-4). The purpose for this prayer language is to help you pray the perfect will of God, overcome areas of weakness (Romans 8:26) and build you up in faith and love (Jude 1:20-21). Praying in tongues is effective, because it bypasses the soul (the place where your mind, will and emotions reside) and, consequently, any fear, doubt or unbelief you may have. Speaking in tongues is spirit-to-Spirit communication: you speak directly from your spirit to God's (1 Corinthians 14:2). 5. Obey the Word of God. Maintaining your salvation and enjoying its benefits is done by living according to God's Word (Proverbs 3:1-4; 1 John 5:3). Be a doer of the Word of God and not just a hearer (James 1:23). Make His Word the final authority in your life and a way of life. Make sure every decision you make in life is biblical based. The Word of God must be your foundation. CONCLUSION -Salvation is only available through Jesus and Jesus only. Anything else is religion. ___________________________________________________________________________________ © Copyright 2012 Feed My People Ministries. All rights reserved. Feed My People Ministries Home 3 Steps Bible Lessons Directory Contact Terms of Use Guestbook God's Perception Introduction In this lesson we will look at how we perceive the things of God and how God perceive the things of man. We will look at how you can change your perception and so that you can receive the deeper things of God. MAN'S PERCEPTION To perceive the things of God is the act of achieving, understanding and to apprehend through the human spirit. This is not done by man's intellect and wisdom. It is achieved simply by revelation and wisdom given by the Holy Spirit. Look at John 14:26; "But when the Father sends the Counselor as my representative – and by the Counselor I mean the Holy Spirit – he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I myself have told you." (NLT) You see the carnal man (worldly person) without the revelation or insight given by the Holy Spirit cannot perceive to understand fully the nature of God and the deeper things pertaining to the things of God. Look at this scripture, God asked Isaiah who will be His messenger to the people and Isaiah quickly answered to the call. Then God tells Isaiah a message to give to the people. Isaiah 6:9; "And he said, "Yes, go. But tell my people this: 'You will hear my words, but you will not understand. You will see what I do, but you will not perceive its meaning." This is a common thing among Christians, they try to understand God by using carnal methods, thus becoming religious. There is a difference between a Christian and a Religious person. What is the difference one may ask? Well first of all, Christianity is simply God reaching man by changing the perception on how man sees and understands God. This is done by the Holy Spirit. (John 14:26) Without the Holy Spirit, we are limited to carnal intellect and try to understand the things of God. And I mean TRY, but never truly and fully understand. And that folks is religion. Man TRYING to reach God through carnal methods. And we just can't do it. Not all religious people are saved! Just because a person quotes a few scripture verses and goes to church, doesn't mean that they are born again Christians. The devil goes to church too and he knows the Bible very well. But does that mean that he will be redeemed? No. Religious people think of themselves first. The Gospels is full of incidents that talks about Jesus rebuking the religious leaders, the Pharisees. Look at what Jesus had to say about religious people. Mark 7:13; "As such, you break the law of God in order to protect your own tradition. And this is only one example. There are many, many others."(NLT) Christianity is about putting God first. Religion is about putting themselves first. See the difference? We must change our perception of God by embracing His Word and seeking Him through prayer. Without God, mankind is doomed for hell, because of the sin nature in our flesh. But only through the Holy Spirit can we receive revelation on the deeper things of God. I want you to read this passage of 1Corinthians 2:6-16. It will give some insight on what I'm trying to share with you and maybe you'll get the revelation. It says in the Living Translation: 2:6 Yet when I am among mature Christians, I do speak with words of wisdom, but not the kind of wisdom that belongs to this world, and not the kind that appeals to the rulers of this world, who are being brought to nothing. v7 No, the wisdom we speak of is the secret wisdom of God, which was hidden in former times, though he made it for our benefit before the world began. v8 But the rulers of this world have not understood it; if they had, they would never have crucified our glorious Lord. v9 That is what the Scriptures mean when they say, "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him." v10 But we know these things because God has revealed them to us by his Spirit, and his Spirit searches out everything and shows us even God's deep secrets. v11 No one can know what anyone else is really thinking except that person alone, and no one can know God's thoughts except God's own Spirit. v12 And God has actually given us his Spirit (not the world's spirit) so we can know the wonderful things God has freely given us. v13 When we tell you this, we do not use words of human wisdom. We speak words given to us by the Spirit, using the Spirit's words to explain spiritual truths. v14 But people who aren't Christians can't understand these truths from God's Spirit. It all sounds foolish to them because only those who have the Spirit can understand what the Spirit means. v15 We who have the Spirit understand these things, but others can't understand us at all. v16 How could they? For, "Who can know what the Lord is thinking? Who can give him counsel?"But we can understand these things, for we have the mind of Christ. We don't see things the same way God sees things. And that is the biggest problem among Christians today. We try to understand God with our carnal knowledge and wisdom, but we failed. Why? Because we try to understand God through our carnal senses rather then through our spiritual senses - our spirit. The Bible tells us in John 4:24; "God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth." That is a big problem among many Christians. The don't know how to walk in the spirit of truth Because of this, many Christians live a defeated life. They live and try to follow the teaching of Jesus and God, using there carnal senses which are corrupted by the sin nature. The results is this, they try, they try, they try and fail every time. The secrets and mysteries of God cannot be achieved through the flesh, but only through the spirit and by the Holy Spirit because He's the Teacher, (John 14:26). Flesh teaches flesh and Spirit teaches spirit. That's a law of God. It's how things are. The next time you pray, make sure you include the Holy Spirit in all your prayers if you want results. Carnality (flesh) is dead, but the Spirit is alive. The things of God brings life and creates life, but carnality brings death and destroys life. Perception is really what needs to change in order to receive the deeper things of God. Some may say that changing our perception is the same as renewing our minds. Well, in a way yes, however, renewing our minds requires changes and choices that needs to be implemented on our part. Changing our perception about God is done by the Holy Spirit and not us. All we need to do is choose to want to change and ask the Holy Spirit for help. GOD'S PERCEPTION We need to ask the Holy Spirit to change our perception of God and to allow us to see things the way God sees things. Once achieved, this will allow us to understand God better and also to understand what makes Him tick. It will make our walk with Him much easier and enjoyable. All God wants is to fellowship with us and have a deeper relationship with us. That is when the Holy Spirit comes in. He is responsible to educate mankind to understand God. If we can only put our carnality aside, then we can receive from the Holy Spirit. We need to have an honest and sincere heart - heart attitude. God loves a person with a pure heart. Why? Because people that have a pure heart are those that have the simplest faith, a child like faith. Take Nathanael for example, a man that Jesus called "an honest man – a true son of Israel." (John 1:47) We need to make a decision to surrender our carnal ways and adopt God's spiritual ways. That is what the Bible talks about, to be Christ like. What did John the Baptist says about Jesus in John 3:30? He said; "He must increase, but I must decrease." We must decrease our carnal ways and increase our spiritual ways through Christ with the help on the Holy Spirit. HOW TO RECEIVE THE DEEPER THINGS OF GOD If you want to change your perception of God, then you'll need to change your heart attitude - sincerity. Be sincere and honest with God. He is so gentle, kind and loving. Choose to walk right with Him. God's Word and blessings are automatic. If you line yourself up with the Word of God, then the Word of God will line itself up with you. Look at what God said to Cain when Cain was jealous at his brother Abel. Look at Genesis 4:7; "You will be accepted if you respond in the right way. But if you refuse to respond correctly, then watch out! Sin is waiting to attack and destroy you, and you must subdue it." God laid out the laws and conditions and they need to be met first before the benefits be released. Who releases the benefits? We do. God said "IF" we meet the requirements, then we will receive the benefits. What are the requirements? The requirements are what the Word of God says we must do and don't do. However, "IF" we don't meet the requirements of the Word of God then we don't get the benefits outlined in the Word of God. I hear so many people complain, both Christians and sinners alike, about how God ignored their prayers. In reality, God did not ignore their prayer. They received exactly what the Word of God said they would receive, and that is "NOTHING". What does verse 7 say? But if you refuse to respond correctly, then watch out! Sin is waiting to attack and destroy you, and you must subdue it. The word here is "CORRECTLY", this is where we miss it. Sometime we think that we asked God in the right way and we still don't get our prayers answered. Why? Sometime it's not what you ask. It's how you ask that makes the difference. Look at James 4:3; "And even when you do ask, you don't get it because your whole motive is wrong – you want only what will give you pleasure." That means you come first and not God. IN CONCLUSION What must you do to receive the deeper things of God? Look at Matthew 6:33; "and he will give you all you need from day to day if you live for him and make the Kingdom of God your primary concern." _________________________________________________________________________________ © Copyright 2012 Feed My People Ministries. All rights reserved.