Will no longer post this blog

I have created a new blog called "Jim's Devotional Blog". Only people close to me will be able to read this blog.

JOURNALING Quotes

Keeping a thoughtful record of your spiritual journey can promote godliness. It can help us in our meditation and prayer. It can remind us of the Lord’s faithfulness and work. It can help us understand and evaluate ourselves. It can help us monitor our goals and priorities as well as maintain other spiritual disciplines. Donald Whitney, Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life, 1991

Here are some reasons for writing out our thoughts:

1. We more easily discipline our minds to sustain our thoughts without interruption.

2. If interrupted, because we have written our thoughts, we are able to return to them again for further contemplation and development.

3. We can also return to our reflections in the distant future, when otherwise they might have been totally forgotten.

4. Writing demands that we organize our thinking connectedly or cohesively on a subject.

5. We train our minds to express ourselves meaningfully and accurately.

6. We build a reserve of good thoughts for a time when our thinking is more vacuous, or our spirituality is in decline.

7. We teach ourselves the significance of learning by demonstrating to ourselves that cogent, biblical thinking is worth writing down.

8. We find that our developed thoughts sometimes emerge in our public speaking or private conversations, even though we did not prepare to use them.

9. We have a cache of mature thoughts to peruse as seed for public writing or speaking.

10. We leave our thoughts to future generations when normally the preponderance of them, if not every last one of them, would have vaporized upon our death or mental decline.

Jim Elliff
Writing Down Our Thoughts, Christian Communicators Worldwide

Quotes on Meditations

By meditating on Scripture you are transformed into the person God intends you to be. Meditation is a blend of your words to God and His Word to you; it is loving conversation between you and God through the pages of His Word. It is absorption of His words into your mind by prayerful contemplation and concentration.
Jim Elliff
Returning to Your First Love

Meditation is a help to knowledge; thereby your knowledge is raised. Thereby your memory is strengthened. Thereby your hearts are warmed. Thereby you will be freed from sinful thoughts. Thereby your hearts will be tuned to every duty. Thereby you will grow in grace. Thereby you will fill up all the chinks and crevices of your lives, and know how to spend your spare time, and improve that for God. Thereby you will draw good out of evil. And thereby you will converse with God, have communion with God, and enjoy God. And I pray, is not here profit enough to sweeten the voyage of your thoughts in meditation?
William Bridge
The Works of the Reverend William Bridge

The kind of meditation encouraged in the Bible differs from other kinds of meditation in several ways. While some advocate a kind of meditation in which you do your best to empty your mind, Christian meditation involves filling your mind with God and truth. For some, meditation is an attempt to achieve complete mental passivity, but biblical meditation requires constructive mental activity. Worldly meditation employs visualization techniques intended to “create your own reality.” And while Christian history has always had a place for the sanctified use of our God-given imagination in meditation, imagination is our servant to help us meditate on things that are true (Philippians 4:8). Furthermore, instead of “creating our own reality” through visualization, we link meditation with prayer to God and responsible, Spirit-filled human action to effect changes.
Donald Whitney
Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life

The challenge before us then is not merely to do what God says because He is God, but to desire what God says because He is good. The challenge is not merely to pursue righteousness, but to prefer righteousness. The challenge is to get up in the morning and prayerfully meditate on the Scriptures until we experience joy and peace in believing “the precious and very great promises” of God (Rom. 15:13; 2 Peter 1:4). With this joy set before us the commandments of God will not be burdensome (1 John 5:3) and the compensation of sin will appear too brief and too shallow to lure us.
John Piper
How Dead People Do Battle With Sin

My Personal Spiritual Meditation in my Christian Faith

Psalm 19:14
Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.

Psalm 49:3
My mouth shall speak wisdom; the meditation of my heart shall be understanding.

Psalm 104:34
May my meditation be pleasing to him, for I rejoice in the Lord.

Psalm 119:97
Mem Oh how I love your law! It is my meditation all the day.

Colossians 4:2-4
Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving; praying at the same time for us as well, that God will open up to us a door for the word, so that we may speak forth the mystery of Christ, for which I have also been imprisoned; that I may make it clear in the way I ought to speak

My Personal Meditation Thoughts
My heart is like a garden with beautiful flowers and plants. As with all gardens, the hearts must be kept free from weeds and insects. For me, both because I need to look at my whole being. I need to focus on God with all of my heart and mind. I am not a perfect Christian but I am a forgiven Christian who is still learning. I need to remind myself that God wants me to have free and responsive hearts, "Beloved, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God." In Romans 12:2 says “Do not be conformed to this world,but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” Sometimes I just feel a complete hypocrite in my Christian life. The book of Hebrews raises many questions in my mind. If it does not raise questions in my
mind, it is very likely that I have already grown dull of hearing and are in a serious spiritual condition. I stop growing spiritually. Drifting and coasting and inactivity in spiritual things is very dangerous by becoming hardened to spiritual convictions. If a Christian don't feel the conviction and didn't have the motivation to change from "within", then we should be concerned whether we are truly saved or not. "If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit." The condition of the heart determines how receptive a person is to God's commandments.

Whether I am a new Christian or an old one (I am old Christian), I never stop the process of spiritual maturity. A Christian who is committed to Christ is going to grow. Growth will only take place when Christians are spiritual, not carnal, and when they are living for the glory of God, not for themselves. I have to understand my spiritual hindrances so that I can have spiritual growth because I am dealing with the thing that keeps me from growing. Carnal person is a Christian who still has self on the throne (selfishness). Christ is still in there somewhere, running around, but He is not in charge, and the life is still in chaos. There's no Lordship. For a Spiritual Christian, Self is off the throne (self-less), Christ is on it, and the life is all in order.

Sometimes I struggle to know the will of God for my life and often I try to have a conversation with myself (= meditation) along with God's Word. The word "meditation" in Hebrew means basically to speak or to mutter. When this is done in the heart it is called musing or meditation. So meditating on the Word of God day and night means to speak to myself the Word of God day and night and to speak to myself about it. A Christian must build into my life a regular encounter with God, personally and quietly over the Word. In John 15, Jesus was talking about "abiding" Him and His word. The word "abide" simply means "to remain." Jesus is saying, "Be for real, and give evidence that you're for real by remaining with Me." To abide as a believer simply means to stay close to Jesus. A branch is much better off if it's connected to the vine. Being only a half an inch away from the vine doesn't do a branch any good. To abide is to be totally connected to Jesus Christ. As the vine sends its energy through the branch to bear fruit, so Christ can send His energy through me. The word translated "abide" (Gk. meinete) is in the aorist tense and implies in this context a permanent fact. In 2 Timothy 2:15, "Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, handling accurately the Word of truth." What is true in God's Word. Jesus said, "Sanctify them in the truth; Thy word is truth" (John 17:17; cf. Ps. 119:151). The truth is also in Christ: "You did not learn Christ in this way, if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught in Him, just as truth is in Jesus" (Eph. 4:20-21). Dwelling on what is true necessitates meditating on God's Word.

I have to remind myself that by renewing my mind through regular meditating on God's Word. Doing so will bring into my mind what is spiritually healthy and lead me away from what is harmful. The Holy Spirit awakens my life and faith and personal transformation (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, and more, Galatians 5:22). God the Holy Spirit does that. But Holy Spirit does it through the word of God (1 Peter 1:23; John 17:17). God gave me a conscious mind. He gave me volition and emotion. God gave us conscience. If the truth of God's Word opposes the world's wisdom on a certain issue, you must align yourself with God's Word. When a Christian who is saved by the conviction of the Holy Spirit, this Christian is living in a new Creature with holy conscience rather than sinful conscience. If we didn't feel the conviction and didn't have the motivation to change from "within", then we should be concerned whether we are truly saved or not. "If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit." I know that progressing in my sanctification and my spiritual growth and it only happens as I live in the environment of the truth and respond to that truth, and obey that truth, and avoid anything that diminishes my understanding of that truth or perverts that truth.

The Holy Spirit makes the words of Jesus effective when they attach with understanding to my mind and then to my will and emotions. Christ is glorified when His word is heard and understood and affirmed and enjoyed. So that is how God has ordained for change to happen. My own spiritual level will always be different from others. Others may be more spiritually mature while others are not as matured. We are in different stages of life with different demands on our days. We are at different levels of spiritual maturity, and no one matures over night. I am always searching and identifying my strengths and weaknesses rather than dwell solely on the negative aspects of my weaknesses. I will have to remember that I will often fall short of God's holiness that the world will not come to an end it that happens. Failures are just lessons of bad habits that I keep bringing back. I just need to pick myself up and start again. Let the mistake be a lesson and learn to make adjustments as I go along. I know that God's love hopes all things (1 Corinth 13). I understand that God's Grace with love refuses to take human failure as final. With Christ in me, my human failures are never final. He is not finished with me yet.God gave me the grace to sanctify me. In sanctification God has to deal with me on the death side as well as on the life side. The struggle begins. "If any man come to Me and hate not his own life, he cannot be My disciple." Being sanctified means “to be separated from sin”. The key to sanctification then, is to know and obey the truth which is the Word of God in my heart. When I got saved, I am justified which is "declared righteous". Justification cannot be separated from sanctification. I am declared righteous in justification, and then the process of making me righteous begins to function in this sinful world. Sanctification is a progress towards holiness which is spiritual growth. God uses thorns to perfect His "power is perfected in weakness". Through GRACE, "Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." (James 1:4). Grace of heart is a gift from God and this has nothing to do with the thorns because God change our circumstances by changing us internally, by allowing Him to lift us above our present thorn and He will lead us into His will. James says count it all joy when you fall into various trials cause trials have a perfecting work. Peter says after you've suffered a while the Lord will make you perfect.

Reading my BIBLE: The Bible illumines the dark corners of my heart and my mind by exposing sin but reveals the way towards His holiness. The Word of God (Bible) rebukes in order that I may see myh faults. God's Word (the Bible) sometimes wounds me deeply and it is imperative because through the Bible, God speaks loudly. I need to be convicted, respond in repentance and ask for forgiveness.

God is really teaching me lately.......

In relation to justification and sanctification, there is a substantial difference and that Luther did not protest in vain. Scripture teaches that justification is a declarative act of God, not a process. Jesus promised immediate salvation to believers: “He who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life” (Jn. 5:24). That verse clearly states that on the basis of faith alone, sinners pass out of death and into eternal life. Sanctification is a result, not a prerequisite. “We are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them” (Eph. 2:10). As a part of His saving work, God will produce repentance, faith, sanctification, yieldedness, obedience, and ultimately glorification. Since He is not dependent on human effort in producing these elements, an experience that lacks any of them cannot be the saving work of God.

Those who have been born again are new creatures in Christ; they are the products of grace, not the achievers of it in any way, shape, or form. We are saved by grace alone through faith alone, not by human works or human merit of any kind or to any degree (Eph. 2:8, 9). And yet, we are saved unto good works, as Ephesians 2:10 makes so abundantly clear. And the ability to do these good works is the result of the washing and renewing work of the Spirit within us (Titus 3:5). That cleansing work (called regeneration) is also a work of transformation. If we have been truly transformed on the inside, it will affect our outside lives as well.

John 10:26–27. Here, Jesus plainly says to his unbelieving listeners: “You do not believe because you are not of My sheep. My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.”

The word used here for “follow” is akoloutheo. Whenever it is used in a religious context in the New Testament, it refers to discipleship. The Theological Dictionary of the New Testament says this about the term:

The distinctive statistical evidence shows that the special [meaning religious] use of akolouthein is strictly limited to discipleship of Christ; apart from a single reference in Revelation it is found exclusively in the four Gospels. … The disciple leaves everything to go after Jesus (Mk. 10:28; cf. 1:18; Lk. 5:11). This implies, however, that akolouthein signifies self-commitment in a sense which breaks all other ties (Mt. 8:22; Lk. 9:61 f.). … The exclusiveness of the NT use arises from the fact that for primitive Christianity there is only one discipleship and therefore only one following, namely, the relationship to Jesus. The demand akolouthei moi in Mk. 2:14 and par. is a Messianic demand (–> sunakoloutheo). Because it signifies following the Messiah, this discipleship is essentially a religious gift. Akoulouthein means participation in the salvation offered in Jesus. (Gerhard Kittel, TDNT, vol. 1, pp. 213–14; Greek terms transliterated).

So Jesus’ Himself uses a term for discipleship to refer to the characteristics of His sheep (true believers). If I am truly born of God, I have a faith that cannot fail to overcome the world (1 John 5:4). Even though I may sin (1 John 2:1)—I will sin—but the process of sanctification can never stall completely. God is at work in me (Phil. 2:13), and He will continue to perfect me until the day of Christ (Rom. 8:29-30; Phil. 1:6; 1 Thess. 5:23–24).

Justification is free (Jn. 4:1)
Sanctification is costly (Lk. 14:25-33)

Justification is instantaneous (Jn. 3:8)
Sanctification is a life-long process (Jn. 8:31)

Justification is by faith (Eph. 2:8)
Sanctification is by faithfulness (1 Cor. 4:2)

Justification is not of works (Eph. 2:9)
Sanctification is of works (Eph. 2:10)

Justification involves Christ’s love for me (Jn. 3:16)
Sanctification involves my love for Christ (1 Jn. 4:19)

Justification concerns Christ’s righteousness (2 Cor. 5:21)
Sanctification concerns my righteousness (Lk. 14:25-33)

Justification involves my position in Christ (Col. 2:11-14)
Sanctification involves my practice (Col. 3:1-11)

Justification considers what God has done (1 Cor. 15:3-4)
Sanctification considers what I am doing (Lk. 14:25-33)

Justification is God’s commitment to me (1 Jn. 5:9-13)
Sanctification is my commitment to God (Jn. 14:15)

Justification requires obedience to one command: to believe the Gospel (Ac. 6:7)
Sanctification requires obedience to all of Christ’s commands (Matt. 28:19-20)

Justification focuses on the cross which Jesus took up once and for all (1 Cor. 1:18)
Sanctification focuses on the cross which I am to take up daily (Lk. 9:53)

Justification is finished at the moment of faith (Jn. 5:24)
Sanctification is not finished until I go to be with the Lord (1 Cor. 9:24-27)
Author Unknown

Quotes from theologians
You cannot take Christ for justification unless you take Him for sanctification. Think of the sinner coming to Christ and saying, “I do not want to be holy;” “I do not want to be saved from sin;” “I would like to be saved in my sins;” “Do not sanctify me now, but justify me now.” What would be the answer? Could he be accepted by God? You can no more separate justification from sanctification than you can separate the circulation of the blood from the inhalation of the air. Breathing and circulation are two different things, but you cannot have the one without the other; they go together, and they constitute one life. So you have justification and sanctification; they go together, and they constitute one life. If there was ever one who attempted to receive Christ with justification and not with sanctification, he missed it, thank God! He was no more justified than he was sanctified.
A.A. Hodge
Evangelical Theology.

If you do not put a difference between justification wrought by the Man Christ without, and sanctification wrought by the Spirit of Christ within…you are not able to divide the word aright; but contrariwise, you corrupt the word of God.
John Bunyan

My final thoughts:
I have to remember that its not the scriptures that are corrupted so before I blame, I am to lay blame where it is deserved. This is where I should have a serious responsibility in this matter to search in my heart about my motives when I try to glorify God. Paul said, "But if we judged ourselves, we would not come under judgment" (1 Corinthians 11:31). I can learn from others who believe such doctrines and examine my own. I am to allow the Holy Spirit to lead me and convict me the truth. Often my flesh's desires gets in the way of spirit-lead truth. Spiritual truth is so necessary to understand God as who He is, not the way I want to think. I have been thinking, like most Christians,I often question myself about my own spiritual issues and motives. Is the whole of my thinking governed by Scripture, or do I come with my reason and pick and choose out of Scripture? Thinking theologically is a tough thing to do. It works against my human (sinner) and horizontal perspective on life. I will never forget C.S. Lewis' quote: "You never know how much you really believe anything until truth or falsehood becomes a matter of life and death to you." I remember that it is not the scriptures that are corrupted. Its a man's heart (as in my own) that is corrupted in all areas such as in intelligence, reason, and choice. Even forgiven sinners who are not sanctified in the renewal by the Holy Spirit even though they are justified by faith. The Scriptures aim to affect my heart and change the way I feel about God and His will. It is the will of God that His Word crush my own feelings of arrogance and self-reliance and that it give hope to the poor in spirit. Christianity will always be running against the prevailing movement of society with individualistic doctrinal beliefs. I am in the world of self-deceit that sometimes I am too focused on myself to see the eternal truth.

Sin and Grace

I am thinking of my life and I am sure this is affecting many other Christians. Why is it that so many us professing Christians make no spiritual progress, and indeed make no efforts to grow in grace? Is it possible to be a Christian and yet ignore the desire to grow in grace? If I have no concern to grow in grace then I am not abiding in Christ. Grace is the enabling gift of God not to sin. Grace is power, not just pardon. Grace does not grant permission to live in the flesh; it supplies power to live in the Spirit. Sometimes I am too apt to rest on faith, and to think that this will save me (without Grace). I have been saved by Grace and Grace is free, but it is not cheap because this requires discipleship. To fully understand the sufficiency of God’s grace, I must learn the insufficiency of myself by looking at my sinfulness. Seeing my sinful life, I have learned over the years to appreciate grace in its basic meaning of God’s undeserved favor for me. Grace is the enabling gift of God not to sin. Grace is power, not just pardon. To live by grace is to live solely by the merit of Jesus Christ. The spiritual life is lived between two polarities: our sin and God’s grace.

To live by grace is to base my entire relationship with God. As a born sinner, I didn't naturally seeks after God(cf. Romans 3:9-18). I am to pursue intimacy with Jesus and the inner transformation to Christ-likeness when I look to Him through the spiritual disciplines. God uses means of grace to sanctify me, chief of which are the personal and corporate spiritual disciplines. As a result of grace, I have been saved from sin’s penalty. One day I will be saved from sin’s presence. In the meantime I am being saved from sin’s power through grace. God is in the business not of whitewashing sins but of transforming sinners like me. When God’s grace changes my nature (from old to new), it doesn’t change the nature of the flesh. I am delivered from the penalty of sin and from the authoritative power of sin, but not from the continued presence and influence of sin. Sin is no longer reigning, but it is remaining. My Christian life is a war in the fiercest battles. Spiritual birth is followed by growth, and that growth involves warfare. I am in spiritual warfare. Anything that springs from myself, however small it may be, is sin. I am not simply a sinner because I sin; I sin because I am a sinner. Indwelling sin remains in me even though it has been dethroned by Jesus Christ. And though it has been overthrown and weakened, its nature has not changed. Jesus saves me from my sins. He saves me from the guilt of sin, by washing me in His own atoning blood. He saves me from the dominion of sin, by putting in my heart the sanctifying Spirit. He saves me from the presence of sin, when He takes me out of this world to rest with Him.

The Believer’s Warfare are internal, with the flesh- Gal. 5:17; Not after the flesh- 2 Cor. 10:3; with the armor of light- Rom. 13:12; external, with the world- John 16:33; not by resistance but submission- James 4:7; with the armor of righteousness- 2 Cor. 6:7; infernal, with the devil- Eph.6:12; with the whole armor of God- Eph. 6:13. I understand a spiritual process begins in my life in the process of sanctification in which Paul refers to it as "inner man being renewed day by day." The Bible explains the promise of God that when I am saved, the sanctification process begins. There is a continual working of the Holy Spirit in my life that renews that believer from one level to another level spiritually to be conformed to the image of Jesus Christ. During my sanctification over the years, I have faced groanings in my life, and longing to be delivered from sin and the debilitating power of temptations.

It is a sure mark of grace to desire more. All grace grows as Love to the Word of God grows. The Scripture is both the breeder and feeder of grace. How is the convert born, but by “the word of truth”? (James 1:18). the out-flowing of the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit, we, like Peter, will fail (Mt. 26:31-34). As Jesus said to his disciples, “without Me you can do nothing” (John 15:5), it is my responsibility to exert the effort and develop the essential disciplines of the Christian life if I am to become more like Christ. Christian life comes not by the work of the Holy Spirit alone, nor by my work alone, but by my responding to and cooperating with the grace the Holy Spirit initiates and sustains. Grace is we live in the Spirit AND also walk in the Spirit. The Holy Spirit dwells in us with all the power and gifts of God, necessary to enable us to walk the noble, spiritual, Son-like life with God. Many Christians seem to understand the concept of being saved by grace, but they have missed the concept of being sustained by grace.

I am still spiritually ignorant.........

We have to remember that its not the scriptures that are corrupted so before we blame, we are to lay blame where it is deserved. This is where we should have a serious responsibility in this matter to search in our hearts about our motives when we try to glorify God. Paul said, "But if we judged ourselves, we would not come under judgment" (1 Corinthians 11:31). We can learn from others who believe such doctrines and examine our own. We are to allow the Holy Spirit to lead us and convict us the truth. Often flesh's desires gets in the way of spirit-lead truth. Spiritual truth is so necessary to understand God as who He is, not the way we want to think. I have been thinking, like most Christians,I often question myself about my own spiritual issues and motives. Is the whole of my thinking governed by Scripture, or do I come with my reason and pick and choose out of Scripture? Thinking theologically is a tough thing to do. It works against my human (sinner) and horizontal perspective on life. I will never forget C.S. Lewis' quote: "You never know how much you really believe anything until truth or falsehood becomes a matter of life and death to you."

The more I know God's love letters to us (Bible), the more I struggle

with understanding my sins against Him.

Martin Luther's Quote: The great difference between doctrine and life is obvious, even as the difference between heaven and earth. Life may be unclean, sinful, and inconsistent; but doctrine must be pure, holy, sound, unchanging ... not a tittle or letter may be omitted, however much life may fail to meet the requirements of doctrine. This is so because doctrine is God's Word, and God's truth alone, whereas life is partly our own doing.... God will have patience with man's moral failings and imperfections and forgive them. But He cannot, will not, and shall not tolerate a man's altering or abolishing doctrine itself. For doctrine involves His exalted, divine Majesty itself (WA, 30 111, 343 f.)

We all are still sinners because we still make mistakes.It is just that people do not so willingly acknowledge that fact (for an example, Christians are divided by sin through errors). The sins of the godly are worse than others, because they bring a greater reproach upon Christianity. Sin is still here. It is just that people do not so willingly acknowledge that fact. A sin is two sins when it is defended.All sin, not least sexual sin, begins with the imagination. Therefore what feeds the imagination is of maximum importance in the pursuit of kingdom righteousness (Phil. 4:8). Though sinning itself is bad enough, denying sin is an additional sin, so that those who deny sin are actually double sinners.

The first degree (of temptation) relates to the mind – it is dragged away from its duties by the deceit of sin. The second aims at the affections – they are enticed and entangled. The third overcomes the will – the consent of the will is the conception of actual sin. The fourth degree disrupts our way of life as sin is born into it. The fifth is the flesh’s goal, a hardened life of sin, which leads to eternal death (James 1:14-15). Our life as a Christian is seemingly full of Christ and there is no room for self, but an aggressive sin comes in and wiggles his way in, crowding out Christ just a little bit. We give place to this sin and soon another does the same thing. Sin by sin, error by error, selfishness by selfishness, the backsliding continues until you are virtually empty of Christ and full of self. The root of our sinfulness is the desire for our own happiness apart from God and apart from the happiness of others in God. Especially when you desire something that is contrary to God's will. Sin dwells in hell, and holiness in heaven. Remember that every temptation is from the devil, to make you like himself. Remember when you sin, that you are learning and imitating of the devil. Sin is what you do when you are not satisfied in God. Sin arises when things that are a minor good are pursued as though they were the most important goals in life. If money or affection or power are sought in disproportionate, obsessive ways, then sin occurs. No matter where it ends, sin always begins when an evil thought is sown in the mind and heart. Sin in the mind goes to work in the emotions which incites the will, which yields the act.

As a result of grace, we have been saved from sin’s penalty. One day we will be saved from sin’s presence. In the meantime we are being saved from sin’s power.When we sin as Christians, we do not sin as slaves, but as individuals with the freedom of choice. We sin because we choose to sin. When our flesh and mind wants to know God, the flesh imposes ignorance, darkness, error and trivial thoughts. The truth is, our evil desires are constantly searching out temptations to satisfy their insatiable lusts (James 1:14).The Believer’s Warfare are internal, with the flesh- Gal. 5:17; Not after the flesh- 2 Cor. 10:3; with the armor of light- Rom. 13:12; external, with the world- John 16:33; not by resistance but submission- James 4:7; with the armor of righteousness- 2 Cor. 6:7; infernal, with the devil- Eph.6:12; with the whole armor of God- Eph. 6:13

Jesus saves us from our sins. He saves us from the guilt of sin, by washing us in His own atoning blood. He saves us from the dominion of sin, by putting in our hearts the sanctifying Spirit. He saves us from the presence of sin, when He takes us out of this world to rest with Him. He will save us from all the consequences of sin (including future ones), when He shall give us a glorious body at the last day (resurrection day or eternal life). . When God’s grace changes our nature (from old to new), it doesn’t change the nature of the flesh. Once regenerated, we are delivered from the penalty of sin and from the authoritative power of sin, but not from the continued presence and influence of sin. Sin is no longer reigning, but it is remaining. The Christian life is a war, and the fiercest battles are those hat rage within the heart of every believer. Our new birth radically and permanently changes our sinful nature, but it does not immediately liberate that nature for all of the remnants of sin. Birth is followed by growth, and that growth involves warfare. We are in spiritual warfare. Anything that springs from self, however small it may be, is sin. We are not simply sinners because we sin; we sin because we are sinners. Indwelling sin remains in us even though it has been dethroned by Jesus Christ. And though it has been overthrown and weakened, its nature has not changed. Sin is still hostile to God and cannot submit to His law (Romans 8:7). Although sin no longer rules us, we still are naturally sinful. God considers us righteous and credits us with the spotless record of Christ, but we still do sin. In fact, the battle with our indwelling sin starts at our conversion. Through justification we are declared righteous, and it is at this point that our sanctification – our growing in sanctification (holiness) – begins.

The atonement is the work of God from beginning to end. God alone provides the means of salvation through the incarnation, life, death, and resurrection of Christ; through the call of God for all to repent and don't reject; and through the God-given restoration. God wants our hearts more than He wants us to follow rules. If we give our hearts to God, then we will know what is sinful and what is not sinful. One of the greatest examples I have learn is from Lot's wife. Lot's wife died when she looked back. Looking back means you rely on flesh's desires more than God's commands and desires.

When I became a Christian, I understand a spiritual process begins in my life in the process of sanctification in which Paul refers to it as "inner man being renewed day by day." The Bible explains the promise of God that when I am saved, the sanctification process begins. There is a continual working of the Holy Spirit in my life that renews that believer from one level to another level spiritually to be conformed to the image of Jesus Christ. During my sanctification over the years, I have faced groanings in my life, and longing to be delivered from sin and the debilitating power of temptations. I need to look into God’s gracious means of sanctification are revealed to us in Scripture. I understand that there is no sanctifying power in human intuition, there is no sanctifying power in insight and also there is no sanctifying power in experience. It is all in the Scripture with the help from Holy Spirit. Only the truth of God revealed in Scripture sanctifies through sound teaching accurately interpreted, understood, applied. And as I embrace the truth, I progress spiritually. By doing that, my Christian life is no longer defined by my theology because it is defined by my adoration and passion for God. All my biblical knowledge has introduced Him to me and now I’ve engaged in a communion with Him that has deepened. I don’t want to be ignorant about great truth. I don’t want to be ignorant about it because I want to be able to thanking God for everything He’s done.

Grace is we live in the Spirit AND also walk in the Spirit. The Holy Spirit dwells in us with all the power and gifts of God, necessary to enable us to walk the noble, spiritual, Son-like life with God. Many Christians seem to understand the concept of being saved by grace, but they have missed the concept of being sustained by grace.

Chief Evangelist

The Scriptures say that God Himself is the chief evangelist. For the Spirit of God is the Spirit of truth, love, holiness and power, and evangelism is impossible without Him. It is He who anoints the messenger, confirms the word, prepares the hearer, convicts the sinful, enlightens the blind, gives life to the dead, enables us to repent and believe, unites us to the body of Christ, assures us that we are God’s children, leads us into Christ-like character and service, and sends us out in our turn to be Christ’s witnesses. In all this the Holy Spirit’s main preoccupation is to glorify Jesus Christ by showing Him to us and forming Him in us. John Stott, Making Christ Known: Historic Mission Documents for the Lausanne Movement, Eerdmans, 1996, p. 238.

Only a disciple can make a disciple. Cultural change can be difficult, after all, things have changed a lot in the last 2,000 years and they will continue to do so until the return of Christ. In order to see God’s church grow, we should use the means God has given to us. We ought to acknowledge, in humility, that any growth that comes does not ultimately come from us. It is the Holy Spirit who gives assurance of life in Christ, not the evangelist (Rom. 8:16). We are to relate the basis of assurance but leave the actual assuring to the Spirit. God, and God alone, can read the human heart. Our gaze cannot penetrate beyond the outward appearance. We may worship through evangelism, but never are we instructed to evangelize through worship. Evangelism is indeed an act of worship. It is an act of worshipful obedience to the Great Commission of the risen Christ (Matt 28:19-20, cf. Acts 1:8). Lutherans are a sometimes neglected group of evangelicals because we are are not known to be "evangelicals" but we are. We are not like other evangelicals because what I see is that we "disciple". Christianity without discipleship is always Christianity without Christ. Personal discipleship takes months while Church discipleship takes years. God commanded us to disciple but there are those whose mission is to "save" rather than disciple. God knew making disciples is the best way to go.

Matthew 28:19 Therefore go and make disciples. A disciple is literally a follower, a pupil, a learner, an apprentice. He is one who has dedicated not only to follow his master but also to become like Him. In the Christian life, thinking is crucial, emotions are crucial and serve is crucial. Jesus touches our lives (inward) and enables us to touch others (outward). And since the Gospel so transforms us with the power of the Word, we can demonstrate God's grace power with the reality of our lives. Through Jesus Christ through the guidance of the Holy Spirit, we have apostolic succession, but it is not in a line of men who pass along authority from one to another. It is the passing on of apostolic truth that goes from one generation to the next, in the context of the ministry of the truth in local churches around the world. God reveals Himself primarily through the pages of Scripture; that is why I believe the Bible as my absolute authority. The idea that Jesus Christ has absolute and final authority over all of us in every detail of our lives is simply having faith in Him and His power of Grace. God will guide us into all truth. God is spirit and faith is required to know Christ and then, the Holy Spirit will reveal who God really is through His grace and power.

One thing I have learned over the years relating to the "doctrine of salvation". I have to remember that the Bible does not present faith as simply "mental assent to the facts of the gospel" but rather true saving faith involves repentance from my own sin and a complete trust in the work of Christ to save me from sin and make me righteous. Through the doctrine of Soli Deo gloria: All glory is due to God alone, since salvation is accomplished solely through His will and action—not only the gift of the all-sufficient atonement of Jesus on the cross but also the gift of faith in that atonement, created in the heart of the believer by the Holy Spirit.

The atonement is the work of God from beginning to end. God alone provides the means of salvation through the incarnation, life, death, and resurrection of Christ; through the call of God for all to repent and don't reject; and through the God-given restoration. God wants our hearts more than He wants us to follow rules. If we give our hearts to God, then we will know what is sinful and what is not sinful. One of the greatest examples I have learn is from Lot's wife. Lot's wife died when she looked back. Looking back means you rely on flesh's desires more than God's commands and desires.

The sacraments are visible means through which we and Christ commune. They encourage us to be like Christ in all His holiness. The grace received through the sacraments is no different from that received through the Word. Both convey the same Christ. Many people are forgetting the REAL purpose of the CHURCH. Through the Old Testament, we learned that man's destiny revealed by God, man's destiny restricted by sin, and through the New Testament, we learn that man's destiny recovered by Christ. Jesus Christ died the death that you deserved. He became sin who knew no sin. He died in our place. He is our substitute. He had to be man to die as man, He had to be God to overcome death and sin. And so the God/Man had to suffer. Jesus said, "The Son of Man must suffer and be killed."

Through communion, we are to examine ourselves that we are sorry for our sins; we believe in our Savior Jesus Christ and in His words in the Sacrament; and we plan, with the help of the Holy Spirit, to change our sinful lives. ts a reminder that the life of the church is made up of spiritual attitudes and spiritual motivations, spiritual graces that come from deep within the community. Its a reminder of this verse in Ephesians 4:4, "There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all." Jesus is the one who does the real cleansing on the inside. He does that constantly, as we appropriate His forgiveness. At a church communion service, this is pictured in a very meaningful, Christ-like way.

Grace is we live in the Spirit AND also walk in the Spirit. The Holy Spirit dwells in us with all the power and gifts of God, necessary to enable us to walk the noble, spiritual, Son-like life with God. With Grace, we can show mercy and help others (Heb. 4:13-16).

Living in the Word as in Living in Spirit

I have to remind myself that in terms of "living in the Word", every one of us have different interpretation of the Word. When (we interpret Scripture by focusing) on our inner voice, we risk losing the original voice of Scripture. The task of hermeneutics is to discover the meaning of the text in its proper setting; to draw meaning from Scripture rather than reading one’s presuppositions into it. A person who intends to manage his own affairs, maintain his pride, and secure esteem and glory from his fellow human beings will twist the words of Jesus to support his own self-esteem. Compare Scripture with Scripture. False doctrines, like false witnesses, agree not among themselves. We have to remember that its not the scriptures that are corrupted. Its a man's heart that is corrupted. Intelligence, reason, and choice.

The Scriptures aim to affect our hearts and change the way we feel about God and his will. It is the will of God that his Word crush feelings of arrogance and self-reliance and that it give hope to the poor in spirit. Christianity will always be running against the prevailing movement of society with individualistic doctrinal beliefs. We are in the world of self-deceit that we are too focused on ourselves to see the eternal truth.

As you can see around the world, you see difference of opinions of Scriptures based on their own interpretations OR what they they have learned over the years through their denominational teachings. We all victimized because we grew up in a certain theological system and we became indoctrinated by what we have learned over the years that we have struggled by defending what we have learned and can't seem to let go of it.

Interfaith

Changing my denominations over the years have been difficult but I was willing to compromise for the sake of my marriage. I now accept that there will be interfaith marriage. Now that I have learned Lutheranism and accepted Lutheranism doctrines. I understand there are some differences between Lutherans and Catholics about the meaning of doctrines in relationship to Christian life within an interfaith marriage. We will learn to overcome the unknowns involved in Lutheran-Catholic interfaith relationship. We both will be patient, communicate as one with acceptance, and respectful humor.

Spiritual thoughts

When I became a Christian, I understand a spiritual process begins in my life in the process of sanctification in which Paul refers to it as "inner man being renewed day by day." The Bible explains the promise of God that when I am saved, the sanctification process begins. There is a continual working of the Holy Spirit in my life that renews that believer from one level to another level spiritually to be conformed to the image of Jesus Christ. During my sanctification over the years, I have faced groanings in my life, and longing to be delivered from sin and the debilitating power of temptations. I need to look into God’s gracious means of sanctification are revealed to us in Scripture. I understand that there is no sanctifying power in human intuition, there is no sanctifying power in insight and also there is no sanctifying power in experience. It is all in the Scripture with the help from Holy Spirit. Only the truth of God revealed in Scripture sanctifies through sound teaching accurately interpreted, understood, applied. And as I embrace the truth, I progress spiritually. By doing that, my Christian life is no longer defined by my theology because it is defined by my adoration and passion for God. All my biblical knowledge has introduced Him to me and now I’ve engaged in a communion with Him that has deepened. I don’t want to be ignorant about great truth. I don’t want to be ignorant about it because I want to be able to thanking God for everything He’s done. I want to appreciate Him in all His fullness. I want to go beyond just appreciating the things that are true about Him and I want to know Him in the fullness that I can. Through cognition, it starts with understanding what the Bible says and what it means. The meaning of the Scripture is the Scripture. Sanctification begins with renewing my mind. It’s about understanding truth so that I can obey it and praise God for it, as His Son did. The discipline of putting the truth constantly in my mind is critical because lack of knowledge retards my spiritual growth, it retards sanctification and there isn’t any way I can make it up. Legalism won’t get me there (I went through this). Mysticism won’t get you there (I went through this). All Christians acknowledge that life in Christ begins by the work of the Spirit. It cannot be perfected or brought to maturity through the flesh. Yet many in the church today seem to believe that it can. We must turn to the Spirit of God and learn to walk in the Spirit and know the power of the Spirit. We must reject man-centered, humanistic, psychological solutions to problems. Built into such solutions are false impressions of man's ability, which create the illusion of sanctification by intellectual achievement. In Galatians 3:1-3, Paul explains that sanctification comes by trusting in the power of the Holy Spirit by faith.

From cognition in understanding the Bible and move to conviction as in accepting. As I learn the Bible, I develop conviction to the things that I believe. Biblical truth establishes cognition in the mind and develops conviction in the conscience. You cannot achieve a spiritual goal by natural means. The Holy Spirit produces spiritual life initially and He also sustains it. The Holy Spirit is to the Christian what the Creator is to the creation. In reading Isaiah's prophecy Christ was saying, "I am the true Sabbath rest, the One who proclaims a spiritual Jubilee by freeing sinners from bondage to sin." That's why Christ said, "Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest" (Matt. 11:28). Through His atoning work on the cross, Christ inaugurated a new covenant, which did away with the sabbatical system (Col. 2:16-17). The righteous have entered Christ's salvation rest and look forward to ultimate rest in His presence (Heb. 4:9-11).

Many Christians seem to understand the concept of being saved by grace, but they have missed the concept of being sustained by grace. James D. Mallory, Jr.

Change

I need to focus another way to reflect on what I am facing and what I am learning. A blog is a great way to let people know my side of the story. Many times, I go back and read the my blogs to help me remember what I faced and how I am doing today than I was back then. Life's experiences encouraged me to examine my own beliefs. They help me think, explore and examine. It’s also a great step of becoming a better person, it is about learning from your failure. To learn, it’s not enough with a promise not to repeat only, we also need to make some actions to ensure that we really learn from our failure. Sometimes blogging and networking can cost me true relationships. I have made mistakes over the years. should "learn" from the past rather than "holding on to the past". It would be nice not to have any regrets. If I had no regrets, I would never grow.

Another reason why I blog. For years, I had to struggle with the conditions that affect the development of my communication skills within personality and intelligence. Bogging or networking are particularly useful for the introverts like me, that we know that we are not so good with words, especially when we have to speak. Writing is much more comfortable because we can think without pressure for the right words to say.

I enjoy having deep thoughts about God and put down what I actually think about so I can come back and look what I said. I am always learning about theologies and doctrines. I don't know everything biblically but in faith, I am willing to learn. Its easy to be a Christian but not easy to become a Disciple. For over 30 years, I had the passion to study the Bible and understanding God. I had the passion but I didn't have the commitment of what it means to be a disciple.

Time for a change.

Mistakes

In my life, I have encountered a lot of consequences for bad choices and decisions in my life. I have reaped what I have sowed. I am not sure what happened but I know I need God's grace to help me what I am facing today. I can tell you without any fear of contradiction or oversimplification that the root cause of all marriage conflicts is selfishness. I can say that because there's probably no better practical synonym for the concept of sin than selfishness. We keep forgetting that we took one another as sinful, frail, imperfect persons, and not as angels, or as blameless and perfect. There is no immunity from conflict.

Never look back; never waste your time in the present; never waste your energy; forget the past and rejoice in the fact that you are what you are by the grace of God. God does not want to remove your memories; he wants to redeem them. He wants to transform them into something good, something that will make you more like Jesus. Do you see the hope this offers Christians? Your bad memories of your past sins - even the worst ones - can be opportunities for life-changing growth. You do not need to avoid, run from, cover over, or get rid of your past.

Mistakes that are understood but require effort to prevent. The kind of mistakes that defines me and my character. I am going to have to start accepting responsibility makes learning possible and don’t equate making mistakes with being a mistake. I know that I can’t change mistakes, but I can choose how to respond to them.

I like these two quotes by John Calhoun:

* In looking back, I see nothing to regret and little to correct.

* Learn from your mistakes and build on your successes.

John Caldwell Calhoun (March 18, 1782 – March 31, 1850) was a prominent United States politician from South Carolina during the first half of the 19th century. He served as the seventh Vice President of the United States, first under John Quincy Adams (1825-1829) and then under Andrew Jackson (1829-1832).

I took a test on this site: Christian Denomination Selector

Its very accurate. I expected to be 1. Lutheran LCMS, 2. Presbyterian/Reformed (PCA), 3. Anabaptist 4. Baptist 5. Church of Christ

My #1 is: Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod
My #2 is: Evangelical Lutheran Church
My #3 is: Presbyterian Church in America/Orthodox Presbyterian
My #4 is: Reformed Churches
My #5 is: Methodist/Wesleyan Church
My #6 is: Presbyterian Church USA
My #7 is: Reformed Baptist
My #8 is: Church of Christ
My #9 is: Mennonite Brethren (Anabaptist)
My #10 is: Southern Baptist