Works That Accompany Faith

King James Bible Daily Devotion – Learning Scripture One Day At A Time
Date: Saturday, October 17, 2015
Chapters: Mark 9-10 http://imfollowingjesus.com/Bible-Reading-290.html
Message Title: Works That Accompany Faith

Hello My Friend,

We talk a lot about faith, which is the substance by which everything of God falls on, but we do not talk much about the thing that must accompany faith to make it stick and in fact, increase our faith, works. While our works for God have nothing to do with our salvation, it has everything to do with our relationship with Him after we get saved, and the impact it has on our lives as we increase our faith through them. “Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.” - James 2:17,18.

Many people have faith in God, but few are willing to take the one step needed to get saved and make Him present in their lives, and that is to receive Christ as their Saviour. It often takes something tragic for us to see that we need Jesus, all throughout His ministry we see that many followed Him around, but few actually received Him into their lives. We come to a man who had a son possessed by an evil spirit, he tried to get the disciples to help him first, but to no avail, desperate, he seeks Jesus to cure him. “And he asked his father, How long is it ago since this came unto him? And he said, Of a child. And ofttimes it hath cast him into the fire, and into the waters, to destroy him: but if thou canst do any thing, have compassion on us, and help us. Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth. And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief. When Jesus saw that the people came running together, he rebuked the foul spirit, saying unto him, Thou dumb and deaf spirit, I charge thee, come out of him, and enter no more into him.” - Mark 9:21-25.

“Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.” Jesus was well aware of the boys problem, and how long he had it, He wanted to see his fathers faith and waited for him to call on Him alone to cure the boy. Faith is great, but if we do not actually call on Jesus to help us, He can't help us. Why? Jesus never forces Himself upon anyone, that's free will, He will never intercede unless we actually call on Him. As much as we believe in Jesus, even the strongest Christians can have some unbelief that He can help them sometimes, and it takes a last resort for them to call on Him. All things are possible with God! All it takes is one call and He will be there to help us, just as He saved us. Once we are saved, the devil can't touch us, we belong to Jesus, yes, he can still tempt us, but he can't have our soul, Jesus bought that with His blood the second we received Him and will save us to the uttermost. If we want to see Jesus do more than that, we need to have a relationship with Him. “And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it. If ye love me, keep my commandments.” - John 14:13-15.

Many people believe in Jesus, I remember growing up, being taught about Jesus, on Christmas we knew it was His birthday, during lent we would give us something we enjoyed, and eat no meat on Wednesday and Friday. On Good Friday we observed His death on the cross, and on Easter we celebrated His resurrection. These were all works not necessary to be saved. Many religions are very good at telling us about Jesus, but leaving out one vital piece of information, we need to receive Him to be saved. Even more astonishing, many will deny Him upon learning that vital piece of information. Why? They do not want to give up what they have. A rich young man, following the ten commandments came to Jesus asking Him how to be saved, Jesus, tells Him to sell everything he had, and give it to the poor. The man left, never receiving him. Jesus, was kind of angry by this.

“Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me. And he was sad at that saying, and went away grieved: for he had great possessions. And Jesus looked round about, and saith unto his disciples, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God! And the disciples were astonished at his words. But Jesus answereth again, and saith unto them, Children, how hard is it for them that trust in riches to enter into the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. And they were astonished out of measure, saying among themselves, Who then can be saved? And Jesus looking upon them saith, With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible.” - Mark 10:21-27.

“How hard is it for them that trust in riches to enter into the kingdom of God!” We must understand that Jesus was not telling this man that selling these things would save him, He was testing his faith, if he really wanted to be saved than he would have been willing to sell all he had. Following all of God's commands does not save us, following man made rules does not save us, only believing in Christ and receiving Him saves us. God will often place circumstances in our lives in order to increase our faith in Him, Jesus is always with us, we just need to call out to Him, such as the case of a blind beggar who heard that Jesus was passing by.

“And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out, and say, Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on me. And many charged him that he should hold his peace: but he cried the more a great deal, Thou Son of David, have mercy on me. And Jesus stood still, and commanded him to be called. And they call the blind man, saying unto him, Be of good comfort, rise; he calleth thee. And he, casting away his garment, rose, and came to Jesus. And Jesus answered and said unto him, What wilt thou that I should do unto thee? The blind man said unto him, Lord, that I might receive my sight. And Jesus said unto him, Go thy way; thy faith hath made thee whole. And immediately he received his sight, and followed Jesus in the way.” - Mark 10:47-52.

“What wilt thou that I should do unto thee?” Although Jesus was in His presence and very well knew what the man wanted, He did not give Him what He wanted until he first cried out to Him, and secondly, Jesus wanted to see his faith. It is not enough to simply have faith in God we must act upon that faith and call on Him. Faith is great, but without actually doing something about it it is dead. “If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well: But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors. For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all. Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble. But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead? For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.” - James 2:8-10,19,20,26.

Today's Prayer: God, it is amazing that we can simply come to You through Your Son, and be a part of Your Kingdom. We do not have to work our way to heaven or pay our way to get there, because Jesus paid the price for us, we just need to simply have faith in His finished work. Lord, I offer myself to You as a living sacrifice, I am trusting in Your Son to help me endure every trial and temptation as I follow Him. I know that I do not need to do anything to keep by salvation, but if I want a lasting, fulfilled, and abundantly blessed life with You, I need to be led by the example of Your Son. Even if I fail I know that You are always with me and will help me when I humble myself before You and call You as Your child. In Jesus' name. Amen.

God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina

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Following God's Simple Rule

King James Bible Daily Devotion – Learning Scripture One Day At A Time
Date: Friday, October 16, 2015
Chapters: Mark 7-8 http://imfollowingjesus.com/Bible-Reading-289.html
Message Title: Following God's Simple Rule

Hello My Friend,

The past few years I have learned quite a bit about churches and while many claim that God is their authority on the church, they are more of man made authority than God made. I like many other Christians have this idea of what a faithful, godly, born again Christian should be, but am finding out that it's the church that often puts that wear this, look like that image in us. While every Christian is known by their fruit, we must realize that Christians come in all shapes, sizes, and backgrounds. We are to never judge a persons faith in Christ by the way they look, but we are to judge a persons faith by the way they act. “Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment.” - John 7:24.

The Pharisees were always questioning the way Jesus ran His ministry. This time they questioned Him as to why His disciples were eating with defiled hands, they did not wash their hands before they ate. Of course, He answers them with a parable about what really defiles a person, one that He had to also explain to His disciples. When they perceived it to be about food. “And he saith unto them, Are ye so without understanding also? Do ye not perceive, that whatsoever thing from without entereth into the man, it cannot defile him; Because it entereth not into his heart, but into the belly, and goeth out into the draught, purging all meats? And he said, That which cometh out of the man, that defileth the man. For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.” - Mark 7:18-23.

“For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts”. There's that heart again, the heart really can get us to do some crazy things, especially if it is full of pride. I still remember the rules my mom set growing up, never go across the street, only ride your bike to the end of the block, and never ride anyone on the handlebars. While I normally followed the rules, one day I let my brother on the handlebars and wouldn't you know it, we fell and both ended up getting stitches. Well, what my mom was doing with these silly rules was keeping me from getting hurt, her rules were not grievous, they were necessary to keep me from unnecessary pain. God's rules are not grievous either, they keep us from unnecessary pain, especially what defiles our heart. “For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous. For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.” - 1 John 5:3,4.

God's ways seem a little strange sometimes, but I image He does those things to see if we are going to trust and obey only Him. There was a deaf man that some people brought to Jesus to heal, He healed him, but in a rather odd way. “And they bring unto him one that was deaf, and had an impediment in his speech; and they beseech him to put his hand upon him. And he took him aside from the multitude, and put his fingers into his ears, and he spit, and touched his tongue; And looking up to heaven, he sighed, and saith unto him, Ephphatha, that is, Be opened. And straightway his ears were opened, and the string of his tongue was loosed, and he spake plain. And he charged them that they should tell no man: but the more he charged them, so much the more a great deal they published it;” - Mark 7:32-36.

“And looking up to heaven, he sighed, and saith unto him, Ephphatha, that is, Be opened.” Jesus healed the man, but imagine some still did not believe in Him. God produces miracles every day upon the unsaved in hopes that they will realize He is the one who healed them. It's not enough to have faith that God can heal us, we must trust that His ways of healing us are the only way. Doctors are God given gifts to be able to heal people, but only God can truly heal, especially the soul, without Christ a soul will never be healed of it's sin sick disease. We must understand that God never tempts us, but He does test our faith, and sometimes in very odd ways. “Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him. Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.” - James 1:12-14.

Man makes many rules that seem like they come from God, but really they are more grievous than God's. Yes, we are to study God's Word to know His rules and He does want us to follow them once when we learn of them. We must realize that every Christian is a work in progress, we are not perfect, we all have things that we need to work on, so we must never judge someone who may be doing something we know God does not want us to do. God works on each one of us according to our maturity level, but there is one thing all must do in order to see Him do a great work in us. Jesus explains.

“And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel's, the same shall save it. For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.” - Mark 8:34-38.

“Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me”. God makes it simple, follow His Son. Following Christ teaches us to walk in His ways. Denying ourselves, meaning, letting go of our prideful ways, taking all our sin and burdens to the Christ. We all have our own cross to bear, but it does not have to define us, we can endure, and we can conquer anything as long as we follow Christ. Following Christ is not about the way we dress (although we should be modest), the color of our hair, or rejecting those starting out or have backslidden. It's about walking with Christ, growing with Him, and letting Him create a great work in us. If we faithfully follow Him, we will become like Him, and others will see Him in us, which is what He wants more than anything.

“Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf. For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God? And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear? Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator.” - 1 Peter 4:16-19.

Today's Prayer: God, I know that sometimes I let my burdens carry me away and it makes me feel lifeless. You know what I am going through and what I need, and all I need is to call on You and You will show me what I need to do. Lord, Watch over me, guide me, and abide in me, give me peace and comfort, let me know that You are near and that everything is going to be alright. Give me Your power, let me take up my cross and follow You Son, for Your ways are not grievous, but essential in seeing You do a great work in me. Open my heart, let me have compassion on those who are hurting, let me not be judgmental, but judge with righteous judgment. Let Your light shine in me so that others can see You through me. I love You, Lord and ask this in Jesus' name. Amen.

God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina

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Bow The Knee

King James Bible Daily Devotion – Learning Scripture One Day At A Time
Date: Thursday, October 15, 2015
Chapters: Mark 5-6 http://imfollowingjesus.com/Bible-Reading-288.html
Message Title: Bow The Knee

Hello My Friend,

And when you don't understand the purpose of God's plan, in the presence of the King, bow the knee. I love that song, it reminds me that in this crazy life of a Christian life, I may not understand God's plan, but I do understand when I get in the presence of my King there is no greater comfort. As we muddle through life by the roller coaster faith we have, we can lose sight of the deeper meaning of our problem, our heart. Even Christ's most faithful can harden their heart toward Him sometimes. This is why, we must always examine our heart, especially when we see no sign of relief. “Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God. And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight.” - 1 John 3:21,22.

Sometimes we look at someone who has great faith and wonder what happened, why don't I have faith like that? It often takes the faith and a miracle from God in others before we realize our heart was not right. There was a man possessed by an evil spirit, in fact, not one, but two thousand, as you can imagine he was very uncontrollable, it was so bad that he chained himself and hid himself from civilization so no one would get hurt. He saw Jesus an immediately ran to Him for help. “But when he saw Jesus afar off, he ran and worshipped him, And cried with a loud voice, and said, What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of the most high God? I adjure thee by God, that thou torment me not. For he said unto him, Come out of the man, thou unclean spirit. And they come to Jesus, and see him that was possessed with the devil, and had the legion, sitting, and clothed, and in his right mind: and they were afraid. And when he was come into the ship, he that had been possessed with the devil prayed him that he might be with him. Howbeit Jesus suffered him not, but saith unto him, Go home to thy friends, and tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee, and hath had compassion on thee. And he departed, and began to publish in Decapolis how great things Jesus had done for him: and all men did marvel.” - Mark 5:6-8,15,18-20.

He that had been possessed with the devil prayed him that he might be with him. Howbeit Jesus suffered him not. Jesus had work for this man, go and tell everyone what He did for him. Jesus has a purpose for every one of His converts, if we are not up there with Him in heaven than He is not done with His work in us. We are going to face some trials, and yes, the devil is going to mess with us. Oh, he cannot posses a saved soul, but he can get them to lose sight of God, it takes great strength to go to Jesus and say, “I need you!” That is really all we need because He's right there waiting for us to come to Him, and then He will do a great work in us. “Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward. For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.” - Hebrews 10:35,36.

Now, we come to the woman who had a blood disease, she tried everything to be healed and ran out of every bit of her resources. When she heard of Jesus she knew that He was her only option, she had so much faith in Him that she thought if she could just touch the hem of His clothes she would be healed, and she did. “And straightway the fountain of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of that plague. And Jesus, immediately knowing in himself that virtue had gone out of him, turned him about in the press, and said, Who touched my clothes? And his disciples said unto him, Thou seest the multitude thronging thee, and sayest thou, Who touched me? And he looked round about to see her that had done this thing. But the woman fearing and trembling, knowing what was done in her, came and fell down before him, and told him all the truth. And he said unto her, Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague.” - Mark 5:29-34.

Who touched my clothes?, Jesus was well aware of who touched Him, all He wanted her to do was admit that she believed in Him. When we touch Jesus with our faith He feels it deeply, and He finds no greater pleasure than giving us the things we desire through that faith. We may not always understand the way in which He gives us things or makes Himself known to us, but we can understand that He knows exactly what is going on with us and even sickness has a purpose. “And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” - Romans 8:27,28.

We must not forget that Jesus is always watching over us, even though we cannot see Him. If we are not careful He will pass right by and we would be left trying to take care of the problem ourselves. Jesus needed some alone time, He sent the disciples on a boat, then sent the multitudes away before He went up to a mountain to pray. Later on, He notices the disciples hitting some rough water and begins walking on the water toward them. “And when even was come, the ship was in the midst of the sea, and he alone on the land. And he saw them toiling in rowing; for the wind was contrary unto them: and about the fourth watch of the night he cometh unto them, walking upon the sea, and would have passed by them. But when they saw him walking upon the sea, they supposed it had been a spirit, and cried out: For they all saw him, and were troubled. And immediately he talked with them, and saith unto them, Be of good cheer: it is I; be not afraid. And he went up unto them into the ship; and the wind ceased: and they were sore amazed in themselves beyond measure, and wondered. For they considered not the miracle of the loaves: for their heart was hardened.” - Mark 6:47-52.

He cometh unto them, walking upon the sea, and would have passed by them. Jesus knows what we are going through, He's never far from us, but we can lose sight of Him through the hardness of our heart. Then it takes a storm for us to cry out to Him, and of course, He gladly helps. If we are in the midst of a storm and God is not even being mentioned, it's time to bow the knee. For when we don't understand the purpose of His plan, we need to get in His presence and just pray. I guarantee you that He will give you an answer. I am proof of that just this week. “Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.” - Roman 8:26.

Today's Prayer: God, I admit that I do not always understand Your plan and just when I get a glimpse that maybe I do, something else happens. There is one thing that I do understand, You hand is in everything that I go through, as long as I look to You I don't have to fear what tomorrow holds. Yes, I know I get impatient and have hardened my heart to You, and I know I've done so many things trying to figure things out without You that all I did was let You pass on by when You tried to help. Forgive me for trying every resource, but the one that I really need. Thank You for Your love, Your patience, Your faithfulness to me, and for always showing me comfort when I come to You, bowing my knee. In Jesus' name, Amen.

God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina

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Where Is Your Faith?

King James Bible Daily Devotion – Learning Scripture One Day At A Time
Date: Wednesday, October 14, 2015
Chapters: Mark 3-4 http://imfollowingjesus.com/Bible-Reading-287.html
Message Title: Where Is Your Faith?

Hello My Friend,

When God went to Abraham and told him that He was going to make him a nation so large that they would be as the stars in the sky he probably had no idea the impact it would have on the entire world. Abraham did not have a Bible to read everything he did was by faith, trusting God as He guided him. Did he mess up? Of course, but he sought forgiveness, believing in the promises that God had awaiting him. Abraham died having not witnesses many of these promises, but he never lost faith that they would come eventually. The Christian life is a race, one in which Jesus is our coach, the author and finisher of our faith. “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, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.” - Hebrews 12:1,2.

The Pharisees claimed to live by faith, but they hated seeing Jesus around, they were convinced that He was of the devil and often sought opportunity to catch Him doing something that would discredit Him, including breaking the Sabbath. “And he entered again into the synagogue; and there was a man there which had a withered hand. And they watched him, whether he would heal him on the sabbath day; that they might accuse him. And he saith unto the man which had the withered hand, Stand forth. And he saith unto them, Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath days, or to do evil? to save life, or to kill? But they held their peace. And when he had looked round about on them with anger, being grieved for the hardness of their hearts, he saith unto the man, Stretch forth thine hand. And he stretched it out: and his hand was restored whole as the other. And the Pharisees went forth, and straightway took counsel with the Herodians against him, how they might destroy him.” - Mark 3:1-5.

And when he had looked round about on them with anger, being grieved for the hardness of their hearts. Jesus gets angry too, these people saw Him face to face, they witnessed His great miracles, yet they they still did not believe. While He wants everyone to have faith in Him, He knows that many will harden their hearts to Him, and it grieves Him to see them not only reject Him, but cause problems for those who accept Him. Believing in Christ when we do not see Him is a great act of faith, and something that Jesus takes very seriously, so seriously that He gives eternal life to all who believe. “He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son. And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.” - 1 John 5:10-12.

The news of this preacher man who was able to heal people traveled for miles, Jews and Gentiles alike gathered to see if they can get a glimpse of Him in action. There were so many people around Him in one town that He got into a docked ship to speak to them. He always spoke the people in parables, these were short stories not of a specific person, but carried a great meaning concerning the Gospel and Kingdom of God. Many wondered why He spoke in parables, and even His own disciples had a hard time understanding them all. After the people left, Jesus spoke to the disciples. “And he said unto them, Take heed what ye hear: with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you: and unto you that hear shall more be given. For he that hath, to him shall be given: and he that hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he hath. And he said, So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed into the ground; And should sleep, and rise night and day, and the seed should spring and grow up, he knoweth not how. For the earth bringeth forth fruit of herself; first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear. But when the fruit is brought forth, immediately he putteth in the sickle, because the harvest is come.” - Mark 4:24-29.

It shall be measured to you: and unto you that hear shall more be given. If we carefully listen to what Jesus says we will understand Him and not only that be of help to bring others to Him. To understand a parable or anything Jesus says, we must be saved, get in God's Word, and let the Holy Spirit guide us to that understanding. Those who live by faith, grow by faith, and are blessed as they do, but those who never listen, even having a Bible in front of them will die and end up in hell because they never accepted the Gospel for what it is of Christ.

“But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God. But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.” - 1 Corinthians 2:9-11,14.

The word faith means to believe in something without seeing it, it is convincing the mind that everything God says is true and will happen. To be saved, we must have that firm belief of the Gospel, which leads to an entire reliance on Christ alone for our salvation. Does this mean that we never face any more trials? No, but it does mean that He never leaves us to handle them alone. After Jesus spoke He and the disciples got into another ship to go the other side of the river. Jesus physically tired and exhausted fell asleep, all the while a great storm arose, fearing for their lives, the disciples wake Him up.

“And when they had sent away the multitude, they took him even as he was in the ship. And there were also with him other little ships. And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full. And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish? And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith? And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?” - Mark 4:36-41.

And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow. There may be times when if feels like God is asleep and has left us to weather our storms all by ourselves, but what He is doing is looking for some faith. His own disciples, the men that were with Jesus almost 24/7 questioned who He was, even after seeing all the miracles He had done. No wonder Jesus asked them where their faith was? Jesus very well knew that the storm was there, He was testing their faith, and He does the same to all of us. We must have faith in Him at all times, good, bad, happy, sad, mad, angry, you name it, He wants to see our faith in all that we go through. “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” - Hebrews 11:6.

Today's Prayer: God, Lord, it is only by faith that we can please You. Help us to run this crazy race of life with patience, by faith, looking for the blessed hope that only You can give us. Lead us and guide us, give us Your power to walk by faith, talk by faith, and never give up hope in Your promises. Give us wisdom of Your Word and help us to understand Your ways and live by them for we are truly blessed when we live by faith and not sight. In Jesus' name. Amen.

God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina

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Become Fishers Of Men

King James Bible Daily Devotion – Learning Scripture One Day At A Time
Date: Tuesday, October 13, 2015
Chapters: Mark 1-2 http://imfollowingjesus.com/Bible-Reading-286.html
Message Title: Become Fishers Of Men

Hello My Friend,

The Gospel of Mark is the second book of the New Testament, the forty-first book of the Bible, and contains sixteen chapters. The Author of the book is Mark and it was written to all believers, particularly intended to get the attention of the Romans, the Gentiles, who represented Jesus as a servant of God. The timeline for these events is approximately between 30AD-33AD. The purpose of the book was to present the ministry of Jesus, stressing His role as a servant and the Son of man. What we are to learn from the book is that we should seek to minister or serve others. The purpose for all four Gospels was to present the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ to both Jew and Gentile and to show all that we who receive the Gospel are to minister it to everyone. “And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.” - Mark 16:15.

When I was younger the thought of hell horrified me. The thought of hell should horrify all of us, but the truth is many blow it off as something funny or mythical. Hell is real, and it is not what it is portrayed in society, it is complete and utter darkness, isolation, burning torture, and pain for eternity. This is why Jesus came, to give us an option to escape this horrific fate. When we get saved there is no better feeling than to know that hell is no longer an option. Part of being saved is telling others how they too can be saved, and when Jesus calls us to tell someone about Him, He means business. It's called soul winning and it all started with John the Baptist.

“As it is written in the prophets, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee. The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. John did baptize in the wilderness, and preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins. And there went out unto him all the land of Judaea, and they of Jerusalem, and were all baptized of him in the river of Jordan, confessing their sins. And John was clothed with camel's hair, and with a girdle of a skin about his loins; and he did eat locusts and wild honey; And preached, saying, There cometh one mightier than I after me, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to stoop down and unloose. I indeed have baptized you with water: but he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost.” - Mark 1:2-8.

Prepare ye the way of the Lord, when God sent his only begotten Son into the world, He took great care in the timing of it all, and when He sends Him into each heart that believes in Him, He takes great care to prepare that heart to accept Him. The great promise Christ makes to those who admit they are sinners, believe in and repent of their need for their own works of righteousness to be saved, and confess they need Him shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost, purified and redeemed from all sin. All who receive Christ receive the Holy Spirit in them as soon as they accept Him as their Saviour, and that's a promise that He will never leave no forsake us no matter what we get ourselves into. “These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.” - 1 John 5:13.

Soon after Jesus was baptized John was arrested, it was time for Jesus to begin His ministry, it didn't take Him long to gather some disciples (ministers and servants) He didn't just put out an ad inviting anyone to come and join Him, He went right up to them to follow Him. “Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel. Now as he walked by the sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew his brother casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers. And Jesus said unto them, Come ye after me, and I will make you to become fishers of men. And straightway they forsook their nets, and followed him. And when he had gone a little further thence, he saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who also were in the ship mending their nets. And straightway he called them: and they left their father Zebedee in the ship with the hired servants, and went after him.” - Mark 1:14-20.

And straightway they forsook their nets, and followed him, it's not a light thing to be called by Christ to work for Him. While every saved soul is a testimony of Christ and called to tell others about Him, when He calls on you to follow Him and serve Him, He expects you to do it immediately. Those whom Christ calls must leave all to follow Him, and by His grace He prepares their hearts to make them capable of doing the job. It is the Holy Spirit in us that teaches us how to minister the Gospel to those He lays on our heart, we must realize that we are not the ones who save, God is the only one who saves a tender and willing heart that receives the Gospel of His Son. We are the messengers, the ones who plant the seed, God is the one who opens their heart. “Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man? I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase. So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase.” - 1 Corinthians 3:5-7.

Great faith in Christ is the only one way we can be saved. As Jesus began to preach multitudes followed Him wherever He went, and while many did not believe, quite a few did. Four men had so much faith in Jesus to heal their paralyzed friend that they climbed up on top of a roof and lowered him down a pulley to reach Him. “And again he entered into Capernaum after some days; and it was noised that he was in the house. And straightway many were gathered together, insomuch that there was no room to receive them, no, not so much as about the door: and he preached the word unto them. And they come unto him, bringing one sick of the palsy, which was borne of four. And when they could not come nigh unto him for the press, they uncovered the roof where he was: and when they had broken it up, they let down the bed wherein the sick of the palsy lay. When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee.” - Mark 2:1-5.

When Jesus saw their faith, true faith shall be accepted and approved by Jesus Christ. Sin is the cause of all our pains and sicknesses. The only way to be healed of it is to take away the cause. Pardon of sin strikes at the root of all diseases, Christ proves that His power alone forgives sin, by showing His power to cure the man sick of the palsy. His curing diseases was a figure of his pardoning us of sin, sin is the disease of the soul, it is what sends us to hell, when we have faith in Christ, so much that we believe He is enough, we are pardoned, healed of our sin sick disease. More than just being freed from being cast into hell we enjoy an everlasting relationship with Christ, one that will save us from much more than hell, but give us a new life. “No man also seweth a piece of new cloth on an old garment: else the new piece that filled it up taketh away from the old, and the rent is made worse. And no man putteth new wine into old bottles: else the new wine doth burst the bottles, and the wine is spilled, and the bottles will be marred: but new wine must be put into new bottles.” - Mark 2:21,22.

Today's Prayer: God, It is only by our faith in You that we can please You. Help us to run this crazy race of life with patience, by faith, looking for the blessed hope that only You can give us. Give us Your power to look to You through all our joys and sorrows and to be a witness of just how much believing in the Gospel has changed my life. Give us the strength and guidance to follow You no matter where You lead us. In Jesus' name. Amen.

God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina

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Only Way For Eternal Life

King James Bible Daily Devotion – Learning Scripture One Day At A Time
Date: Monday, October 12, 2015
Chapters: Matthew 27,28 http://imfollowingjesus.com/Bible-Reading-285.html
Message Title: Only Way For Eternal Life

Hello My Friend,

It is only by the grace of God that we can instantly be given the gift of eternal life through our believing and receiving His Son, Jesus Christ as their Saviour. Many religions teach that Jesus was just a good man or a prophet, some even say that He did die for us, but that He has not risen. It's important that we believe that Jesus was the perfect sinless sacrifice, born of a virgin, it's important that we believe that Jesus not only died, but that He was buried for three nights and three days in the tomb, it is important to believe that Jesus resurrected on the third day. Why is it important? If we do not believe even one of these truths, we are not saved. We must believe every Word to have eternal life. “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” - Romans 10:9,10.

Many people followed Jesus the entire time He walked the earth. Did they all believe in Him? No. Even one of His own disciples, Judas Iscariot, spent over three years telling people about Him, but never believed in Him. Now, standing before the governor as thousands of people hooted and hollered, for Him to be crucified, Jesus did not plead His case, but awaited His judgment. “When the morning was come, all the chief priests and elders of the people took counsel against Jesus to put him to death: And when they had bound him, they led him away, and delivered him to Pontius Pilate the governor. And Jesus stood before the governor: and the governor asked him, saying, Art thou the King of the Jews? And Jesus said unto him, Thou sayest. And when he was accused of the chief priests and elders, he answered nothing. Then said Pilate unto him, Hearest thou not how many things they witness against thee? And he answered him to never a word; insomuch that the governor marvelled greatly.” - Matthew 27:1,2,11-14.

And when he was accused of the chief priests and elders, Pilate knew that the only reason the religious leaders delivered Jesus to be killed was because He exposed the truth about their false doctrines. They were proud of the religion they built up and were not about let anyone, including Christ prove them to be liars. That's why it's important that we learn of and study the truth ourselves. “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness.” - 2 Timothy 2:15,16.

Since it was a feast day, the Roman governor would pardon a prisoner, one that the people agreed upon to be released. He brought out a ruthless prisoner called Barabbas, Pilate just knew that the people would pardon Christ over Barabbas because he was a murderer of the worst degree, but instead the people cried out for him to pardon Barabbas instead. “But the chief priests and elders persuaded the multitude that they should ask Barabbas, and destroy Jesus. The governor answered and said unto them, Whether of the twain will ye that I release unto you? They said, Barabbas. Pilate saith unto them, What shall I do then with Jesus which is called Christ? They all say unto him, Let him be crucified. And the governor said, Why, what evil hath he done? But they cried out the more, saying, Let him be crucified. When Pilate saw that he could prevail nothing, but that rather a tumult was made, he took water, and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, I am innocent of the blood of this just person: see ye to it.” - Matthew 27:20-24.

I am innocent of the blood of this just person, Pilate looked out over that mob of people and seeing the madness that was taking place, wanted nothing to do with what was happening. Many people still today believe that it was Pilate who had Jesus crucified, or question why he handed Him over to them when he had the power to stop it. Besides the fact that Jesus needed to die for us to be saved, if Pilate had pardoned Jesus there would have been a mob coming after him, as well as Jesus, and everyone else that sided with Him would have died that day. Remember, the religious leaders were the ones who created such an uproar and got the majority of the people to have Jesus crucified in the first place. So, if thousands of people were yelling crucify Him, you could imagine the reaction had Pilate pardoned Him instead.

“Men and brethren, children of the stock of Abraham, and whosoever among you feareth God, to you is the word of this salvation sent. For they that dwell at Jerusalem, and their rulers, because they knew him not, nor yet the voices of the prophets which are read every sabbath day, they have fulfilled them in condemning him. And though they found no cause of death in him, yet desired they Pilate that he should be slain. And when they had fulfilled all that was written of him, they took him down from the tree, and laid him in a sepulchre. But God raised him from the dead:” - Acts 13:26-30.

Jesus was beaten, mocked, and spit on before He was hung on a tree until He died as His earthly family and other believers watched. I can only imagine what He was thinking the whole time, but He uttered not a word. Why? Because He knew that when it was all finished He would have the victory and so would everyone else the believes in Him. He endured to the end and prevailed as He resurrected three days later. And although many saw Him after the resurrection, the religious leaders still tried to discredit Jesus. “And as they went to tell his disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, All hail. And they came and held him by the feet, and worshipped him. Then said Jesus unto them, Be not afraid: go tell my brethren that they go into Galilee, and there shall they see me. Now when they were going, behold, some of the watch came into the city, and shewed unto the chief priests all the things that were done. And when they were assembled with the elders, and had taken counsel, they gave large money unto the soldiers, Saying, Say ye, His disciples came by night, and stole him away while we slept.” - Matthew 28:9-13.

When we call on Christ to save us from our sins, it can take a little while before we comprehend exactly what He went through so we would not have to end up in hell. Having victory with Christ is not about how much we can do for Him, or even that we know what He did for us, it's about believing in what He did for us and realizing that without Him there is no victory over death or anything else we are faced with. “So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” - 1 Corinthians 15:54-57. Praise God!

Today's Prayer: God, I understand that not by my works of righteousness am I saved, but by my believing in Your Son that I am. I am trusting only in You Jesus for eternal life and I know that no matter what I have done or will do I am forgiven and that You will never leave nor forsake me. To show my appreciation and love for You I want to live my life with You in it. Lead me and guide me in Your will and Your way, help me to be a witness and a testimony to the amazing life that I now live. I love You, Lord and pray in Jesus' name. Amen.

God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina

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Offended Of Christ, But Not Forsaken

King James Bible Daily Devotion – Learning Scripture One Day At A Time
Date: Sunday, October 11, 2015
Chapters: Matthew 26 http://imfollowingjesus.com/Bible-Reading-284.html
Message Title: Offended Of Christ, But Not Forsaken

Hello My Friend,

The will of God takes us to places we cannot imagine, and if not for the power of God in us we would never get through some of the challenges we are faced with. We hear a lot of people standing up for their faith and even dying for it, but what about those who out of fear deny they know Christ? There is a reason why Jesus refers to His people as sheep, they get lost without a shepherd. Once saved always saved, Christ knows that under pressure many will deny they know Him, but He knows who are His, He knows His sheep, and when the time is right He will call them and they will come running. “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.” - John 10:27,28.

I know them, and they follow me, not everyone what says they know Christ are actually saved. Perhaps the most infamous person of all time would be Judas Iscariot, he was definitely presented with the Gospel, and perhaps even led people to Christ himself, but never believed nor received Him himself. In fact, he knew there was a plot to have Jesus killed and orchestrated a plan to get Him captured. “Then assembled together the chief priests, and the scribes, and the elders of the people, unto the palace of the high priest, who was called Caiaphas, And consulted that they might take Jesus by subtilty, and kill him. But they said, Not on the feast day, lest there be an uproar among the people. Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went unto the chief priests, And said unto them, What will ye give me, and I will deliver him unto you? And they covenanted with him for thirty pieces of silver. And from that time he sought opportunity to betray him.” - Matthew 26:3-5,14-16.

And from that time he sought opportunity to betray him, Christ lets His disciples know that someone was among them was about to betray Him. When there was occasion, He let them know about it. He had often told them that the Son of man should be betrayed, now He tells them that one of them should do it, that when they saw it, they might not only be the less surprised, but may give him a chance to change His mind. “And as they did eat, he said, Verily I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me. And they were exceeding sorrowful, and began every one of them to say unto him, Lord, is it I? And he answered and said, He that dippeth his hand with me in the dish, the same shall betray me. The Son of man goeth as it is written of him: but woe unto that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed! it had been good for that man if he had not been born. Then Judas, which betrayed him, answered and said, Master, is it I? He said unto him, Thou hast said. Then saith Jesus unto them, All ye shall be offended because of me this night: for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered abroad. But after I am risen again, I will go before you into Galilee.” - Matthew 26:21-25,31,32.

All ye shall be offended because of me this night: each one began to examine himself to find whether he wa scapable of betraying Him. Those who love Christ really do not intend to turn on Him completely, but they can become offended (stumble or fall) given certain circumstances of deep fear of persecution. We do not have to live in fear, if we keep our eyes on Jesus, even when we are being mocked, tested, and tried of our faith, we can get through it. Paul said it best, to be absent from the body means to be present with the Lord, if they kill us, at least we will be with Jesus and any loved ones who were saved. “Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord: (For we walk by faith, not by sight:) We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.” - 2 Corinthians 5:6-8.

The time was here that Jesus would be betrayed and captured, before things began to happen He goes up to Gethsemane to pray. Even though Jesus is God, He gave all His power to the Father and submitted to His will. Since He has the same flesh that we do, He felt deep sorrow for what was about to happen, but knew that if it didn't come to pass there would be no victory. When He returns, He was betrayed by Judas and captured.

“Now he that betrayed him gave them a sign, saying, Whomsoever I shall kiss, that same is he: hold him fast. And forthwith he came to Jesus, and said, Hail, master; and kissed him. And Jesus said unto him, Friend, wherefore art thou come? Then came they, and laid hands on Jesus, and took him. And, behold, one of them which were with Jesus stretched out his hand, and drew his sword, and struck a servant of the high priest's, and smote off his ear. Then said Jesus unto him, Put up again thy sword into his place: for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword. Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels? But how then shall the scriptures be fulfilled, that thus it must be? In that same hour said Jesus to the multitudes, Are ye come out as against a thief with swords and staves for to take me? I sat daily with you teaching in the temple, and ye laid no hold on me. But all this was done, that the scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled. Then all the disciples forsook him, and fled.” - Matthew 26:48-56.

At any time He could have intervened and chosen another way to save mankind, but He continued for one reason and one reason only, to be that pure sacrifice needed to redeem a soul who believes in Him once and for all. While God would rather see us receive Christ and trust Him with all things without any pain and agony in our lives, the majority of the time people do not receive Him or understand the purpose of having received Him until they are faced with pain and agony. It is the pains and agony's of life that not only bring us closer to God, but give us the victory through Christ. So, while we may have lapses of judgment through our pains and agony's, Jesus knows who are His, He has already given us the victory, we just need to remember that and realize that our faith in Him does not return void. “O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.” - 1 Corinthians 15:55-58.

Today's Prayer: God, I have chosen today to stand by You, when things are going great, I will stand by You, when I am being persecuted, I will stand by You, when I feel all alone and it seems like life is falling apart, I will stand by You. Nothing gives me more comfort, hope, and peace than when I remind myself that You are with me. And although I know my works do not save me, I know that my faith and acceptance of Your Son in my life does. Let me never lose the joy of my salvation and let me never forget that You love me and that Christ lives in me. In Jesus' name. Amen.

God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina

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