Tag Archive for 'Encouargement'

A God Directed Life!

by Jonas Harley | August 17, 2010

There is no doubt you want God to direct your life. I’m sure at some point in your life you have echoed what the psalmist said, “Shew me thy ways, O Lord; teach me thy paths” (Psalm 25:4).  There are countless people and organizations that are gladly willing to offer you advice and guidance for your life. I want to submit to you that a God directed life never falters and I will biblically prove it to you in Proverbs 3:5-6. In order for God to direct your life you must follow these three commands.

You must trust in the Lord with all your heart (3:5a) – The key word here is trust. It means confidence, to cling to, to confide in. You will never follow someone who you do not trust. You will not place your entire trust in a person whose character you have no knowledge of. A good leader will be trustworthy among his or her followers. The reason many Christians struggle with allowing God to direct their life is due to the fact that they do not know their God very well. Ashamedly, many Christians have a surface and academic knowledge of God, but when it comes to making life altering decisions they struggle in trusting Him with all their heart. If you want to live a life that is directed by God you must take some time to establish a biblical view of God. Your trust will be in proportion to your love for God and your love is in proportion by your knowledge of God.   

You must not lean into your own understanding (3:5b) – The key word here is lean. It means to support one’s self, to rely, to prop up. A good illustration of this key word is observing someone on crutches. When you choose to not trust in the Lord with all your heart your natural default is to trust in your own knowledge and wisdom (understanding). Wow! It’s scary to think that if you fail to trust God you will naturally depend in your own ability and judgment to make decisions! God says you are fool! Proverbs 12:15 states, “The way of a fool is right in his own eyes…” To lean into your own understanding is an act of self-confidence that communicates there is no God! Remember, a God directed life never falters. You must depend and lean into God’s wisdom and understanding that is found through Scripture and in prayer.

You must acknowledge Him in all your ways (3:6a) – The key word here is ways. It means road, course of life, journey. It covers every area that life brings your way. God cares and loves you so much that He wants you to recognize (acknowledge) Him in every area. This keeps you on the right path, functions as accountability, and serves to keep you focused. When you are acknowledging God in all your ways that results in a God directed life!

Now, here is the best part. If you obey these three commands that are stated in Scripture, there is a promise that follows. God will direct your paths (3:6b)! This means God will make your paths straight. In other words, you have the blessings of God directing your life! God is your guide! A God directed life never falters! Amen!

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Keeping Spiritual Decisions!

by Jonas Harley | July 19, 2010

Summer Bible Camp is such an exciting and needful time! I’m so thankful that my church as the opportunity to take teens and juniors to camp at The Wilds for an entire week where they receive solid Bible preaching, consistent devotions, encouragement and rebuke in their walk with God, and biblical counsel about life decisions.

Summer after summer the teens come home “on fire for God” with the desire to be a pace setter in their realm of influence. However, camp decisions often become just that…camp decisions…and not life decisions. But it doesn’t have to be that way!

The Bible states in 2 Timothy 3:14, “But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them.” How can one keep his or her camp decisions? Here are few things to implement.

Inform your Parents – Saved or unsaved let your parents know what God is doing in your heart. Allow them to see how God is working in your life and that you want to do right. This will speak volumes to your parents! Oftentimes, teens will come home and just tell their parents about all the fun they had and friends they made, but don’t overlook the most needful thing (and really the whole point in going) and that is the spiritual lessons you learned. Don’t be ashamed of the gospel in your home!

Focus on the Long Term – Discouragement seems to be Satan’s favorite tool to destroy any zeal Christians have for serving God. When you decide to put God first in every area of your life Satan works to place obstacles in your way to hinder you from godly living. One of those obstacles is to get discouraged with the short term struggles in hopes to derail you from the long term view. Keep your eyes on the prize! When you establish a high level of concentration on the long term view you will maintain daily obedience.  Remember, spiritual growth takes time. It’s not an overnight process. As you remain focus on the long term you will stay encouraged with the present day.      

Accountability – Two are better than one (Eccl. 4:9-12)! Seek out someone who will strive to keep you accountable on your decision. Someone who will ask the hard questions, confronts you when necessary, and encourages you in difficult times. I strongly recommend your parents and/or Pastor or Youth Pastor (or their wives) to be your accountability partner. They have a desire to see you grow and stay faithful in your walk with God. Don’t delay. Accountability will help you stay on the right path!  

Review – Many people roll their eyes, deeply sigh, or cry out in frustration when it comes to reviewing. But reviewing is where it’s at! Lessons that you have learned will not become permanent and productive unless you are constantly reviewing them. Do not get caught up in the trap that you always have to be learning something new every day. It is easier for you to be a forgetful hearer than a doer of the word. Therefore, you must take your time and assure that you are truly learning the current lesson by reviewing, reviewing, and reviewing. Action Tip: Listen to the same sermon more than once, look over your notes, re-read through your devotional book, etc.      

Be Spirit-filled – Lastly, do not depend on your own strength to live the Christian life. God never intended for you to be self-dependent. A God-dependent Christian is a victorious Christian. Take a look at some of these awesome promises in the Bible:

  • Zechariah 4:6 – “Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord of hosts.”
  • 2 Corinthians 9:8 – “And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work.”
  • 2 Corinthians 12:9 – “…My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness.”
  • James 4:6 –“But he giveth more grace. Therefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.”

I pray this will help guide you on making these camp decisions lifetime decisions! Be reminded what Ecclesiastes 5:4 states, “When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it; for he hath no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou hast vowed.”

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The Believer’s Payday!

by Jonas Harley | May 20, 2010

Workforce 101: The basic elements of the workforce are employer, employee, and paycheck. Simply put, the employer hires a person (aka employee) and as the employee carries out his or her job description to the satisfaction of the employer he or she receives a paycheck on payday! That is workforce 101!

Think about this. As a Christian God is your employer and you are the employee and if you satisfactorily carry out the job description (aka God’s Word) you will be greatly rewarded for your faithful service on payday! 2 Corinthians 5:10, “For we must all appear before the judgement seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, weather it be good or bad.” Immediately after the rapture every church age Christian will stand before Christ to give an account on how they lived here on earth. This judgment has nothing to do with salvation. Your sin was paid in full when Christ died on the cross. This is known as the believer’s payday!

This judgment seat is commonly called the “bema” seat. ”Bema” is the Greek word Paul used to describe the judgement seat of Christ. A “bema” was a seat or raised platform where a judge sat and made his decision regarding a case (Examples in Scripture- Matt. 27:19; John 19:13). Also during the Olympic games the “bema” seat was the place where the winning athletes would receive their rewards. The “bema” seat is where God will evaluate your life and then reward you based on that, but the question that is often asked is, “How will I be judged?”

1) You will be judged by your obedience to the Bible – God will use His Word as the standard (measuring stick) to evaluate your life here on earth. God will NOT use a school’s handbook, an ethics manual, or the world’s standard of living. He will use the inspired Word of God. Furthermore, He will not evaluate you based on your experiences, traditions, or status. Paul Benware states, “The studying and application of God’s Word is a key to our rewarding.” How serious are you about hearing and doing God’s Word? See James 1:22; 2 Timothy 3:16-17.

2) You will be judged by your stewardship with the things God has entrusted to you – Matthew 25:14-30 is a great parable to read in order to grasped this concept. God has given you spiritual gifts, natural abilities, material resources, and opportunities to serve. How are you using them to magnify God? You will be held accountable for what God has given to you for your earthly life. Consider yourself a manager that is responsible for advancing God’s kingdom purposes with earthly resources. Don’t waste your life! 1 Corinthians 4:2, “Moreover it is required in stewards (that’s you!), that a man be found faithful.” 

3) You will be judged by your motives - Read 1 Corinthians 4:5. Notice the phrase, “…counsels of the hearts…”, in other words, God is not only interested in WHAT you do but WHY you do it (or don’t do it). You can do all the right and godly things and still lose your reward in heaven because you did it for the wrong reasons or motives (self-promotion, greed, fame, money, get your own way, get out of trouble, etc). If you serve God with the motive to please Him you will receive a great reward!   

In conclusion, it is God’s desire to reward you at the Judgment Seat of Christ! Think about this…God cannot wait to reward you for your work here on earth!!! Why? Because that brings honor and magnification to His name! You serve a God who wants to honor you only if you biblically honor Him!

The Believer’s Payday is coming, are you ready?

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The Race of Faith!

by Jonas Harley | May 13, 2010

What is neat about reading and studying the New Testament is that the Christian life is often compared to everyday things, events, or practices in order to convey spiritual truth. Many times in Scripture you will find the Christian life illustrated in farming, military, and sports terms.  A good teacher will strive to use illustrations that connect with his or her students. Well…the greatest Teacher of all…Jesus Christ did the same thing as well as many of the writers of Scripture, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.

Here in Hebrews 12:1-2 you are presented with an awesome metaphor that conveys what you must be doing spiritually every day, and that is running the race of faith! As a Christian, you have been commissioned by God to run the race of faith and it is vital that your run well! However, many times Christians, young or old, can become spiritually distracted or exhausted while running the race of faith. This post is designed to encourage you and to call your attention on how and why you must run the race of faith and will conclude with the rewards! Martin Luther said, “The true, living faith, which the Holy Spirit instills into the heart, simply cannot be idle.”

1. Requirements for Running - God layouts three requirements on HOW He wants you to run the race of faith!

  1. Lay aside all weights (12:1a) -It would be very odd if Michael Phelps in the next summer Olympics wore shoes, baggy jeans, and a poncho to compete for the gold medal. Everyone would think he is crazy and stupid for not taking the time to assure that he is aerodynamic in the water. Same concept spiritually, a weight is often something harmless, and in many cases sinless, that diverts your attention, saps your energy, and dampens your enthusiasm for God. What is slowing (or weighing) you down in the race of faith? Sports? Relationships? Technology? News? Career? Popularity? Fashion? Friends? You must lay aside (cast away) those things in order to run well!
  2. Put off besetting sins (12:1b) - Anything that is in direct disobedience to God’s Word. In many cases the reason sin slows you down. Even Christ’s disciples had besetting sins if unbelief (or lack of faith). They doubted God’s provision (Matt. 6:30). They questioned God’s protection (Matt. 8:26). They hesitated about God’s presence and promises (Matt. 14:31). Sin will always distract you from running the race of faith well! Put off the sin!
  3. Run with endurance (12:1c) - A good athlete will physically and mentally prepare himself to compete with endurance. You must spiritually prepare yourself to keep pressing towards the goal line (Phil. 3:14). Stay focused!

2. Reasons for Running - There are two reasons WHY you must diligently run the race of faith!

  1. Jesus Christ is the Author of your faith (12:2)! - Jesus Christ is the originator/founder of your faith. In Him is the beginning of all true faith, apart from Him there is no true faith (Heb. 5:7-9)! The race of faith starts when you trust Jesus Christ as your personal Savior only (John 14:6) for salvation. Please click here to learn more about what it means to be biblically saved. 
  2. Jesus Christ is the Finisher of your faith (12:2)! - Jesus Christ has perfected the way of faith since He reached its end successfully. He displayed a perfect example on how to walk by faith (see Matthew 4:1-11 to get started). Therefore, He cares about how you run the race of faith.

3. Rewards for Running - Any type of competition you participate in there is always a motivating reward. The Bible informs you of at least two rewards in the race of faith.      

  1. Faithful Christians are honored by God -Read through the “hall of faith” in Hebrews 11 and give special attention to verse 6, “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 rewarded that diligently seek him.” God rewards those who have a keen desire to pursue Him.
  2. Faithful Christians receive an incorruptible crown -Read 1 Corinthians 9:24-25. God gives rewards that do not rust or break. For a brief time I worked as a termite technician, in other words, I killed bugs! Every new start (new customer) I was required to inspect and if needed treat the attic for insects. While doing that I noticed that many homeowners store a lot of “junk” in their attics! Sound familiar? Among many other things I saw many old trophies, plaques, medals, certificates, etc all from the past sitting in a box collecting dust! Something that was of extreme value is not worthless junk! Many times you get caught up in pursuing earthly treasures that you neglect pursing God’s incorruptible trophies that will last forever and bring Him mega-enjoyment! Let’s pursue God’s trophies!

There is no greater joy in living your life by faith proving to God that you daily trust Him. Are you running the race of faith God’s way? Remember, faith honors God and God honors faith!

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