My Online Faith Journal

    I don't know if most of us think about nearly enough how much God has forgiven us or what he has saved us from.  I know that in many ways I have taken the forgiveness of God for granted.  We must understand though the horror of the crucifixion and what happened there to truly understand the power and glory of the resurrection.  God didn't save us because we fell a little bit short.  He saved us because we were helplessly, hopelessly lost without him.  Our situation without the saving work of God through the cross is helpless.  We can never be good enough by our own merits.     Here are some verses about God's forgiveness to help you meditate on what He has done for each one us that call upon Him: Psalm 103:8-12   The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. He will not always chide, nor will he keep his anger forever. He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the he

   The Bible tells us that if we want to do something for God and live for him then we must realize we are in a war.  The believer has three main enemies: the devil, the fleshly nature and the world.  In Ephesians 6:10-18 it talks mainly about the first of these, the devil and his kingdom.   Ephesians 6:11-12  " Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes.  For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. "    Paul will say this several times here and also similar in 2 Timothy 2:1 where he tells Timothy to be strong in the Lord.  He goes on several times to say to put on the whole armor of God, so that the believer can stand strong.  It reminded me of something that stands even against strong hurricane force winds and stands up against that resistance.  The word scheme is m

  As I have been reading this week a book about meditating on scripture and letting it really become a part of your belief system and thinking these verses have stood out to me as ones I want to meditate on.  Dr.Smalley emphasizes in his book "Change Your Beliefs, Change Your Life" that our thoughts lead to our beliefs and that leads to behavior changes.  This is why it is so important what a person allows themselves to dwell on.  We have that choice everyday of our lives.  "Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God." Colossians 3:3, NIV   "Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires.  Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit."  Galatians 5:24-25, NIV    "Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings because we know that suffering produces perseverance, perseverance, character, and character,

   I know I haven't posted much on here lately and I want to get back to writing more often.  Lately, the subject of renewal or revival has interested me.  Mainly because I feel the need in my own life for renewal of my faith and reviving of a stronger spiritual life in me.  I want to experience again as i did when I was a much younger christian the victories over sin and the insight and growth that I saw.   For quite a while now, it seems my spiritual life has been on auto pilot, if we can even call it that.  It might be better described as going backwards and not forwards.  I don't think it is really possible to stay still much like trying stand still on a moving escalator or conveyor belt .     So, I was looking at some passages on renewal and revival to see what the Bible has to say about it.  From the very beginning, the verses I read made it clear that the whole possibility of being renewed is based on the mercy and greatness of God and not because we deserve it.  The