Category Archives: Faith

Worship God in Spirit

Out of everything in the whole universe, our human spirit is the most important because it allow us to worship God who is Spirit.

God wants worship, the best (and only) way is to worship God is with our spirit, because God is Spirit. See John 4:24 where Jesus says “God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth”.  Notice where there is a capital Spirit referring to God, and a lower case spirit related to our human spirit.

So watch this short devotional video on “Worship God in Spirit”

Then in the book of Zechariah, the writer in 12:1 talks about the heavens, the earth and the spirit of man.  Zechariah 12:1  “The burden of the word of the Lord for Israel, saith the Lord, which stretcheth forth the heavens, and layeth the foundation of the earth,
and formeth the spirit of man within him”.

In the whole universe, our human spirit is the most important because it allow us to worship God who is Spirit.  Having a human spirit is like having a radio receiver tuned to the right frequency to connect with and listen to God who on the “Spirit” wavelength.

Worship God in Spirit

Worship God in Spirit

Intimacy Between God and Man

God loves us. God is love. It is hard to find a religion where God loves man.
God wants an intimate loving relationship between God and man. When man sins, God loves to restore us. He does not give up on us. The Bible is about God and man.

We as sinful man need a mediator between us and a holy sinless God, and that mediator is Jesus Christ.

Please watch this short video on “Intimacy Between God and Man”

John 14:21
He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.

John 3:16  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.

Dead Sea, Israel

Dead Sea, Israel

Never Give Up

Let God strengthen you. Never give up.

So watch this short devotional video on “God Never Gives Up on Us “

Isaiah 40:31

But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength;
they shall mount up with wings as eagles;
they shall run, and not be weary;
and they shall walk, and not faint.

Malibu Club - A Young Life Camp, Canada

Malibu Club – A Young Life Camp, Canada

God  hates loves you!

Malibu Club - A Young Life Camp, Canada

Malibu Club – A Young Life Camp, Canada

Jesus as the Focus…

The whole New Testament from Matthew to Revelation, all 27 books has a focus and that focus is Jesus Christ.  So Jesus Christ is the focus of the last book of the Bible, the book called “Revelation”.
Everyone loves a happy ending to any story, and the last book of the Bible tells a happy engine where all evil and sickness is dealt with and God is on the throne ruling over the earth. God finishes the Bible in a happy way.

So watch this short video on “Jesus as the focus of Revelation”

It is called Revelation because the book is a revelation of Jesus Christ throughout the ages till the end of the world where He comes again.

The book of Revelation is a conclusion to the whole Bible. The focus of this book is Jesus Christ. The key verse is the first verse – Rev 1:1 “The revelation of Jesus Christ…”

At the end, all evil is conquered. All evil is thrown into the eternal trash can called the lake of fire. Those who follow evil also end up in the trash.

God is on the throne in a heavenly city, the New Jerusalem. God’s people, who believe in Jesus, will live with Him in this city for eternity and be a part of the eternal happy ending. Again this book’s focus is Jesus Christ. Revelation begins with Christ and ends with Jesus as the Lamb of God on the throne, a happy ending.

Replace fear with FAITH

Faith always encourages us and moves us forward. Fear causes us to slow down, stop and go into paralysis mode making us afraid to do anything.

So watch this short video on “Replace fear with FAITH”

When we go to pray we need to drop the fear and have faith in God.

Even when the sun goes down and the clouds come in - replace fear with Faith

Even when the sun goes down and the clouds come in – replace fear with Faith

Courage means to keep making forward progress while you still feel afraid.

So turn fear into FAITH and replace fear with FAITH.  Don’t let fear and anxiety take over.

2 Timothy 1:7 God has not given us a spirit of fear. God has given us a spirit of power, and love and a sound mind. Fear makes our mind go into confusion.

Faith Energizes Us

Faith Energizes Us

Only accept a healthy relationship with the Lord, realizing He loves us and cares for us. Consider the verse in Proverbs “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom”.

Don’t let fear stop you.

Some see giants and some look at the same situation and see grasshoppers (we are well able to overcome them)

Beautiful Columbia River

Beautiful Columbia River

Faith always encourages us and moves us forward.

 1 John 4:18  There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.

Psalm 23:4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil: for thou art with me;  thy rod and thy staff they comfort me

Isa  41:10  Fear thou not; for I am with thee:
be not dismayed; for I am thy God:
I will strengthen thee;
yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness

Fear Not, just Pray

Fear Not, just Pray

Why Be Anxious, Just Pray

If we are honest, we all have to admit that we have a problem with anxiety. Some, obviously, are more prone to worry than others. It seems that no matter how many problems God solves for us, there is always another problem on the back burner that we can bring to the forefront of our mind and start worrying about. Paul provides a wonderful antidote to this frustrating problem in Philippians 4:6Be anxious about nothing; but in everything, by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God (by prayer); and the peace of God, which surpasses our understanding, shall guard your hearts and your thoughts by Christ Jesus.

Here is a video in which I shared on this subject.

Paul frequently addresses this issue in the Bible because he understands how easily believers can become anxious and worried. Life is full of challenges and problems. God often allows these problems to come into our lives to humble us, to test what is in our hearts, and to encourage us to turn to Him in trusting prayer.

We have a volitional decision to make. We can choose to worry or we can choose to pray. Prayer takes us into God’s presence, and results in peace of mind as we acknowledge that not only is He able, but He will always bring about the best result for His glory, and for the development of our character. When we choose to keep our eyes on the problem instead of on God, the result is continuing anxiety, restlessness, and discouragement. Paul had to keep reminding his audience, “Let your requests be made known to God”. In other words, we should always remember to pray. Prayer should be our first resort when we face troubles of any kind. Our heavenly Father delights in our prayers, and promises to hear them. These are very encouraging truths from God’s Word.

Prayer is Simple

Prayer is Simple

We hate to admit it, but we are pretty good at taking simple things and making them hard. The same is true when it comes to prayer. Our prayers don’t need to be eloquent or profound, nor do they have to be long and drawn out, or filled with emotion.

Deer in the trees

Deer in the trees

Prayer is really nothing more than a conversation between the believer and his God. When we come to the Father in prayer, we should come with a heartfelt attitude of humility and complete dependence upon Him. We should acknowledge that He is the Shepherd, and we are the sheep.

In this video I present three key verses in the Bible indicating how God helps us pray.

We often know what we want when we approach God in prayer, but surprisingly often we don’t know what we need. We can always trust God, and be confident that He knows exactly what we need, and what is best for us in every circumstance of life. This is true whether we are experiencing a mountaintop of joy, or the depths of darkness and despair. He seeks His glory and desires to make us more like Jesus. What more should we desire?

Mount Hood, Oregon from 30,000 feet

Mount Hood, Oregon from 30,000 feet

Admittedly there are times we come to God overwhelmed with anxiety, and full of confusion—so much so, that we don’t even know how to pray. At those moments, Romans 8:26 teaches us that God’s Spirit intercedes and prays for us in perfect conformity with the Father’s will.

Jesus Prayed

Jesus Prayed

California Beach

California Beach

It’s so simple. Let God pray through you just like Elijah allowed God to pray through him. When we do this, you could say we are actually praying the Lord’s prayer—not the familiar prayer in Matthew 6 we have come to know as the Lord’s Prayer, but we are simply praying what God wants us to pray.

California Beach

California Beach

Elijah Believed God

Elijah Believed God

Statue of Elijah on Mount Carmel where Elijah Prayed in Israel

Statue of Elijah on Mount Carmel where Elijah Prayed in Israel

ELIJAH:

  • Had great confidence in God, and was not intimated by enemies
  • Did, at times, become depressed and discouraged
  • Believed in the one true God of the Bible and rejected all other gods
  • Obeyed God
  • Performed miracles in God’s power
  • Offered prayer that brought fire down from heaven and controlled the rain
  • Prayed in accordance with God’s will
  • Was a true servant of the Lord
  • Did not have his own agenda
  • Followed God’s leading step-by-step
  • Was an example of a righteous man whose prayers God heard

It is important to remember that the power of prayer comes not from the one who prays, or from the way he or she prays. The power of prayer is in the omnipotent God to whom prayer is directed. God is the power behind prayer. Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and yet  he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and it did not rain on the earth for three and a half years. He prayed again, and a faithful God gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit.

Jezreel Valley north of Mount Carmel where Elijah Prayed in Israel

Jezreel Valley north of Mount Carmel where Elijah Prayed in Israel

Later we will discuss the parallel between the Lord’s Prayer and Elijah’s ministry, and also examine a quick history of Elijah in the Old Testament.