A WORD IN SEASON - 2006 ARCHIVE

Study God’s word: the Bible - PUBLISHED 1 DECEMBER 2006

False teaching abounds in the Church today. It is deceiving God’s people and leading them away from the truth. Yet many Christians are unaware that they are being mislead because they have not sought to study the truth for themselves. In their laziness they have relied on others to teach them and in doing so they leave themselves open to be caught up in the devils web of deceit. While it is true that God raises up teachers to teach His word ( and there are many fine expositors of the Word), it also says in 1 Thessalonians chapter 5 verse 21, “Test all things; hold fast what is good.“

Listed below are a few Bible verse references that will hopefully encourage you to study God’s word for yourself. Look them up. Learn from them. And make it a habit to continue studying God’s word.

If you would like advice on studying the Bible please email contactus@outreachforchrist.info

Joshua chapter 1 verse 8

Psalm chapter 119 verse 105

Psalm chapter 25 verse 4

Proverbs chapter 30 verses 5 and 6

Isaiah chapter 55 verse 11

John chapter 1 verse 1

John chapter 6 verse 63

John chapter 8 verse 32

John chapter 14 verse 26

1 Corinthians chapter 2 verse 13

1 Timothy chapter 6 verses 3 to 5

2 Timothy chapter 3 verses 16 and 17

Do not worry about anything - PUBLISHED 31 OCTOBER 2006

Are you worried about your life? Do you get anxious about tomorrow? It is natural, in the flesh, to worry and get anxious. And we should remember that a Christian’s temporary home is the flesh. You should also be aware that the devil will try to use your worry and anxiety when and where he can to disrupt your relationship with the Father. The devil wants to make you ineffective in your ministry and gifting. By bringing you down mentally and causing depression to overtake you, he can often succeed.

In Proverbs chapter 12 verse 25 it says, “Anxiety in the heart causes depression...” If that verse ended with just those few words, you would indeed be without hope. However, the verse goes on to say, “...But a good word makes it glad.” Do you want to read a good word? Then one of many places to go is Matthew chapter 6 verses 25 to 34. Here you will find the strategy for dealing with worry and anxiety. Verse 33 provides the key with which to open the door of your mental prison. It says, “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness...”

Whatever you do in life make it a rule to first seek God over and above everything else. It will bring you peace and joy even the most trying of times. Remember Paul and Silas singing joyfully to the Lord while chained and imprisoned for their faith. They were flesh and blood just like you. Ordinary men made extraordinary by their faith in the risen Saviour.

So how can you turn from your anxiety and worry and experience His peace? You’ll find the answer in Philippians chapter 4 verses 6 and 7. Pray, pray, pray. Get before God in prayer and make your requests known to Him and His peace will guard your hearts and minds in Christ against the devil’s attempts to bring you down. Go on, try it, and you will find God faithful to His word. And remember, greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world.

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Your purpose in life - PUBLISHED 2 OCTOBER 2006

If somebody asked you what your purpose in life was what would you answer? To be a good Christian? To fulfil your gifting? To serve God? There is nothing wrong with these responses but they fall short of the answer God is looking for.

The only answer you should give is the same one that Jesus gave in John chapter 6 verse 38, “For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of Him who sent me.” Ultimately God calls you to do His will, nothing more nothing less.

It will come at a price and that price is your life. Are you prepared to surrender it to God so that He can use you for His glory? This is the acid test that even Jesus faced in Gethsemane when He prayed, “Father, if it is Your will, remove this cup from Me; nevertheless not my will, but yours be done.” He would not put His own will above Gods call on His life and neither must you. Why? Because, “it is God who works in you both to will and do His good pleasure” [see Philippians chapter 2 verse 13]. It is so you can fulfil His purpose and plan for your life that you are to submit to His will.

But notice it is God’s will that you must do and not man’s. Nowhere in scripture does it say that man’s will usurps God’s. You must be very clear on this point. For there are false teachers abroad in the church today who would seek to bind you to their will through their false teaching. Test everything against the word of God.

The outcome of doing His will is to abide with Him forever [see 1 John chapter 2 verse 17]. But as was mentioned earlier you have to deny yourself. Jesus, speaking in Mark chapter 8 verse 34, makes this very clear, “Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.”

Ask God to make clear His will for your life and then wait on Him until He reveals it to you [see Psalm chapter 32 verse 8 and Proverbs chapter 3 verses 5 and 6].

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Deceit and a revolutionary act - PUBLISHED 30 AUGUST 2006

The English author George Orwell said that, “During times of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act.”

But what is deceit? Well the English dictionary describes it as:

- Deception
- Fraud
- Duplicity
- Misleading
- Deluding

Some examples and warnings about deceit can be found in the following Biblical verses:

- Proverbs chapter 12 verse 20

- Jeremiah chapter 8 verse 5

- Matthew chapter 13 verse 22

- Matthew 24 verse 11

- Matthew 24 verse 24

- Acts chapter 13 verse 10

- 1 Corinthians chapter 3 verse 18

- 2 Corinthians chapter 11 verse 13

- Ephesians chapter 4 verse 14

- Ephesians chapter 5 verse 6

- Colossians chapter 2 verse 8

- 2 Timothy chapter 3 verse 13

- Hebrews chapter 3 verse 13

- 1 John chapter 1 verse 8

- 2 John verse 7.

The world has known no greater deceit than that perpetuated by the devil himself, the source of all deceit. It started in the garden of Eden when he said to Eve, “You will not surely die.” [see Genesis chapter 3 verse 4] and has carried on to this day. Ever since that moment in the garden man has fallen totally for his deception. And Christians are not immune to it either which is why Jesus warned in Matthew 24 verse 4, “Take heed that no one deceives you” because sadly deceit is abroad in the church today - whether it is embracing other religions, accepting practices that are contrary to the word of God or selling items for blessing. Be warned and take heed!

So why is proclaiming the truth revolutionary? Because it exposes deceit for the lie that it is [see John chapter 1 verses 1 to 5] and it raises the dead to eternal life through the living Saviour Jesus Christ [see John chapter 3 verse 16 and John chapter 14 verse 6]. Christians are called to proclaim that truth which God revealed to those who are His [see Mark chapter 16 verse 15]. In a dead, dark and deceived world this is indeed light and life!

But are you prepared to pay the price? The devil, the world and false teachers do not want their deceit revealed. They will do everything in their power to silence you. You could suffer scorn, ridicule, rejection, loss of job or family, imprisonment or even death for uttering the truth. Does that scare you? Jesus told us to fear not for He is with us and will keep us [see Isaiah chapter 35 verses 3 to 4, Matthew chapter 10 verses 27 to 31, John chapter 17 verses 6 to 26 and Revelation 2 v 10]. Whatever adversity you face because you have made a stand for the truth, in Christ you will overcome it [see Psalm chapter 94 verses 12 to 14, John chapter 16 verse 33, 1 John chapter 5 verses 4 and 5 and Revelation chapter 12 verses 7 to 12].

The message every Christian carries in his or her life is revolutionary. May Christians unite in the command to proclaim that message so that individually and collectively you can revolutionise the world in and through the power of the Holy Spirit.

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Walk by faith - PUBLISHED 15 JUNE 2006

As you look around at the state of the world today, you could be forgiven for thinking that it is out of control. Indeed, just glancing at newspaper headlines or watching news bulletins does give credibility to that view - where hardly a day goes by without wars and rumours of wars, diseases, famines and earthquakes being reported. Therein lies the danger for the Christian. If you allow what you see going on in the world to affect your belief in God’s sovereign control, doubt may creep in and your faith could be undermined .

A man was once laying paving slabs for a patio in his garden. He checked the level of the slabs by eye and thought they were sloping. But when he used his spirit-level he found they were all laid flat. If he had trusted what his eyes were telling him, he might have been tempted to doubt his work, pull them up and start again. Instead he trusted the spirit-level and the patio was laid perfectly.

As Christians we should, “...walk by faith not by sight” [see 2 Corinthians chapter 5 verse 7] because we know that the Bible, our spirit level in this world, says that, “In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world” [see John chapter 16 verse 33] and in Revelation chapter 22 verse 13 Jesus says, “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last.”

You can be confident in the knowledge that God is in control and that all things, “...work for good to those that love God...” [see Romans chapter 8 verse 28]. Do not look to the things that you can see, but to the one true God that you cannot see with the eyes of your flesh but can see in His book the Bible with the eyes of your spirit. Trust Him at all times and one day you will see all things made new [see Revelation chapter 21 verses 1 to 8]. Praise God!

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A quiet time - PUBLISHED 12 APRIL 2006

Many Christians make their quiet time the basis of their relationship with God. Indeed a quiet time is a very important part of a Christian’s daily life and should be our regular practice. But we must not put our faith in it. Neither should we consider the day a failure that does not contain a quiet time. It is not necessary for us to have a quiet time in order to feel close to God and be aware of His presence throughout the day.

To base our relationship with God on a quiet time is legalistic and legalism will hinder this relationship not prosper it. As a son will have a relationship with his father all the time and not just at the times when they are together, so we should be aware of God’s presence wherever we are and whatever our circumstances.

It is not enough to know God as God, we must also know Him as our Father.
As the apostle Paul put it in Galatians chapter 4 verse 6,”And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, Abba, Father!” This experience is one of the greatest evidences of our salvation. It is also evidence of a deep relationship with God.

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