DEVELOPING . . .
Your Love Affair With God

INTRODUCTION

This webpage is designed as a launching pad for spiritual growth. For spiritual life to continue, the resurrection power of Jesus Christ must have already sparked within you the miracle of divine life, as detailed in You Can Find Love: What your Fantasies Reveal. http://net.simplenet.com/love/luv.htm If you have not already absorbed this fascinating webpage, I urge you to do so now.

The enormity of what takes place when a person is spiritually born again is so mind-blowing that I can only sketch a few inadequate word pictures. It is becoming a sparkling, totally new person with abilities, status and destiny beyond your wildest dreams. It is:
* falling in love
* discovering a new dimension
* receiving a last minute pardon on death row
* discovering you are of royal decent; heir to a fortune and immense honor
* embarking on life's most exciting adventure
* finding your purpose in life
* stumbling upon the secret of eternal life
* after being the luckless black sheep suddenly becoming the darling of God himself

We had all foolishly rebelled against our Maker; selfishly hurting people and grieving God by violating his holy standards. The result was catastrophic. The God of holy perfection cannot relate to anyone morally flawed. We had cut ourselves off from Creator God and there is nothing we can do to regain the moral perfection required to be rejoined to the God we desperately need. Except for Jesus trading places with us, our predicament is totally hopeless. To be friends with God involves abandoning all hope of ever pleasing God by our own efforts and, instead, relying on Jesus to do it for us. We must trust Jesus to make you perfect in God's sight and to give us the power to please God. We must then choose a life of fulfillment that revolves around God, with all other things being of lesser priority.

CONSTANTLY DESIRE TO KNOW GOD MORE FULLY AND MORE INTIMATELY

The more we fall in love with someone, the more totally we want to know that person. Take Moses and the Apostle Paul as examples. These great men of God, after having already experienced God in a very deep way, both expressed the yearning to know God in an even fuller, more intimate way (Exodus 33:13,18; Philippians 3:8,10).

Knowing God is so basic that it is the essential part of eternal life (John 17:3). It is the one thing worth boasting about (Jeremiah 9:24).

Even in intimate human relationships, getting to know someone fully is a life-long process. How much more should this be the case in getting to know God.

If we probe too deeply into the personal life of a human being, we must brace ourselves for disappointment. We will inevitably find faults in the person, but we never have to fear discovering a flaw in God. He is the most exciting, fascinating and wonderful person there is. His character is so beautiful that the more you know him the more you will fall in love with him.

BE CONVINCED ABOUT GOD'S LOVE FOR YOU

Above everything else, God is characterized by love (1 John 4:16). Read 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 to get some idea of all that this entails. But even more exciting than this is the realization that God personally loves you. The Almighty is not like a giant computer. You are not a statistic to him. He loves you in an exquisitely intimate way.

Were you to combine every form of genuine human love, it would only portray the vaguest shadow of the intensity of God's love for you. (Read Matthew 7:11; Isaiah 49:15; Psalm 27:10.)

God's love is like that which we would expect from a perfect:
* Father (Psalm 103:13)
* Mother (Isaiah 66:13)
* Husband (Isaiah 62:5)
* Brother (Hebrews 2:11)
* Friend (John 15:13-15)

You might feel deeply hurt because others have let you down, but God will never disappoint you (John 6:37; Hebrews 13:5; Romans 10:11). People's attitudes and affections change. God, in contrast, never changes (Malachi 3:17). He remains dependable no matter what.

You are exceedingly precious to God (Isaiah 43:4; 62:3). There is no love as great as God's love and he loves you with all the love he has got. This means that he even loves you as much as he loves his eternal only begotten, sinless Son Jesus Christ (John 15:9; 17:23,26).

The enormity and constancy of God's devotion to you is so staggering that you will probably need to read over and over again the above Scriptures about God's love for you. Keep praying about this and memorizing these verses until you know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that God's personal love for you far exceeds than anything else you have ever experienced.

If someone says that he loves you, you need to know two things before you can believe it.
(1) That he is truthful.
(2) That he isn't mistaken that he fully knows both you and his own heart.

God never lies (Numbers 23:19) and he is never mistaken (Psalms 147:5).

Genuine love is much deeper than mere feelings. You will not always be conscious of an inner feeling that 'says' that God loves you. Feelings are changeable, but God's love is constant.

Your relationship with God should be grounded not on fickle feelings but upon the integrity of God's character. God is the most reliable source of information there is. If he says something, it is true, regardless of temporary and superficial appearances and how we happen to feel at the time. Our physical senses, intuition and emotions are all highly unreliable when it comes to detecting spiritual reality. For instance, virtually every genuine Christian on this planet has at times had an inner feeling that could interpreted to mean that God has deserted them. In reality, you can know he is still with you because God has promised to be always with you (Matthew 28:20) but you will need to trust that promise. To give another example; it is not uncommon for a Christian to be absolutely pure in God's sight and yet still feel guilty.

If a pilot were to place more credence upon his feelings (whether he 'felt' that his plane was upright, etc.) than on his plane's instrumentation he would be in great danger. God's Word is 100% reliable, but our feelings lack that reliability. The only safe thing is to place full confidence in God's Word.

Because of your spiritual oneness with Jesus Christ, God sees you as someone infinitely attractive, desirable and lovable. Before you committed your life to Christ, God loved you, not because he found you spiritually, morally or physically attractive, but simply because it is his very nature to love. He loves even his enemies. However, since you trusted Jesus for the forgiveness of your sins, you are now identified with Jesus. In other words, when God looks at you, he sees the beauty, purity and perfection of Jesus Christ (Galatians 3:27; 1 John 4:17). (Of course, you are not Jesus! But you enjoy an extremely intimate union with him John 15:5; 1 Corinthians 6:17; Ephesians 5:30; etc.) When God looks at you, he therefore sees a person of infinite value, beauty, purity, goodness in fact, all of the virtues of his Son Jesus. For example, your Holy God no longer sees your past sins. He sees you as having the moral excellence of the Lord Jesus (2 Corinthians. 5:21).

It is difficult to illustrate this truth, because what the Lord has done for you is so extensive and miraculous that it is without parallel. But the following example may be of a little help. If a commoner were to marry a king, she would take on a whole new dignity, not because or her own virtues or abilities, but because of her relationship with the king. Likewise, you have suddenly become ever so important because of your relationship with King Jesus.

Also, because you are allowing God to do what he likes in your life, he is gradually changing you (2 Corinthians 3:18) so that one day you will be completely Christ-like (Romans 8:29; 1 Corinthians 15:49; 1 John 3:2). So when your Maker looks at you now, he sees the perfect person that you will become when he completes his work in your life (Colossians 1:22,27).

GOD IS GOOD!

We can't hope to enjoy intimacy with someone whose integrity we doubt. So if you happen to have any uncertainties about God's goodness, wisdom, justice, or whatever, it is important to bring these concerns out into the open. Carefully examine your doubts in the light of Scripture, and pray about them. Continue this process until you are convinced that God is completely 'in the clear', though, of course, you still may not fully understand all of the factors involved. Instead of vainly trying to suppress nagging concerns, endeavor to remove them by getting to know your loving Lord better. It is unwise merely to suppress doubts, because Satan, our spiritual enemy, will not fail to remind you of them at a time when those doubts will do you the greatest harm.

We are often tempted to blame the Creator for things he didn't do. Love is meaningless unless there is the possibility of not loving. (Who of us would be content with a relationship with a doll that said 'I love you' every time a button is pressed?) God has made many things incapable of sinning (rocks, plants, fish, etc.) but they are also incapable of true love. God has also made some beings that are capable of having a love affair with him. They are angelic beings and man himself. But because they are capable of full-blown love, they are also capable of terminating that relationship. This is what both some angels (Satan and his demons) and humanity have done. They were all created good but they deliberately misused God's greatest gift to them and chose to act in a manner contrary to God's goodness.

The devil's dirtiest trick is to do something evil and then try to accuse God for it. Furthermore, many people get themselves into a thorough mess by acting foolishly (such as ignoring God), and then have the audacity to blame God for the resulting disaster (Proverbs 19:3; Job. 40:8) They accuse God of injustice when they themselves are being unjust by falsely accusing God.

If those who hold a grudge against God knew the gravity of their own sin, and the mercy of God, they would (or should) be thoroughly ashamed of their attitude (Romans 3:19; Isaiah 45:24). Our consciences have become so hardened that few of us realize that we each have been so evil that we should have been thrown into Hell years ago (Genesis 2:17; Ezekiel 18:4; Matthew 5:22; Revelation 21:8). If we understood this, we would never again ask God to give us what we deserve! It's a very sobering thought to realize that even if we suffered immensely, we would still be receiving more mercy and kindness than our sins deserve (Ezra 9:13; Psalm 103:10-11; Lamentations 3:22,39). This is a difficult concept to grasp and we tend to rebel against it because it completely crushes our ego, but the more we face this shattering truth, the freer we become.

Some people have the mistaken idea that the Lord of creation is cruel because he sentences people to hell. Regrettably, many people will suffer eternal anguish in Hell (Matthew 7:13-14; 25:41,46; Mark 9:47-48; Luke 12:5; 16:22-28; John 5:29) but this is not because it is God's wish for them (Ezekiel 33:11; Matthew 18:14; 2 Peter 3:9). Our loving God went to the extreme of sending his only son to die so that everyone might be saved (John 3:16; 1 Timothy 2:4,6; Hebrews 2:9; 1 John 2:2). But sin is so evil that Hell is the only alternative for those who ignore God's offer to make them clean (2 Thessalonians 1:8,9; Hebrews 2:2-3; 10:28-29).

The Lord has the right to do whatever he likes with us because he owns us (due to the fact that he made us). But God is not some sort of arrogant tyrant. It is true he expects us to worship him and put him first in our lives, but this is the only thing that will keep us from being self-centered (or earth- centered) and from getting into all sorts of serious problems (Matthew 11:28; John 10:10; 15:4-5).

The King of kings can not only be entrusted with absolute power, he alone fully deserves that power (Revelation 5:12,13; 11:15-17; Romans 3:4-6; Isaiah 26:9; Job 34:12-19). He alone is able to make perfect decisions (Psalm 18:30; 19:7; Romans 12:2) because he knows everything (1 Kings 8:39; Psalm 139:6; Jeremiah 23:23-24). In fact, he is the very Source of wisdom (Proverbs 2:6; Daniel. 2:21). God's sense of justice is flawless (Psalm 51:4; 89:14; Zephaniah 3:5; Romans 9:14; Revelation 15:3,4; l6:5-7). He is absolutely fair (Deuteronomy 10:17-18).

God's knowledge and wisdom are so far beyond us (Isaiah 55:9, Romans 11:33-34) that it would be impossible for us to try to find fault with God's actions (Romans 9:20). To attempt to criticize our Maker is both foolish and morally wrong (Psalm 131:1; Isaiah 45:9; Psalm 131:1). He is our judge, not vice versa (Isaiah 29:16).

But God is not a cold-hearted perfectionist. He is totally good (Psalm 119:68; 145:9,14-17) and compassionate (2 Corinthians 1:3-4; 7:6). He not only understands our human limitations (Psalm 78:38-39; 103:13-14) but he has experienced them (Hebrews 4:15). Like the perfect leader he is, Jesus never asks us to do anything that he wouldn't do himself. But more than this, no matter what he may require of us, he has almost certainly already personally experienced the same sort of difficulties that we may encounter (Luke 6:35,36; John 15:17-20; Philippians 2:5; 1 Peter 2:20-21; 1 John 3:16; Revelation 3:21).

Contrast the lust for power exhibited by Adam and Eve (who wanted to become like God Genesis 3:4-6) with the humility and sacrificial love of Jesus, the Eternal Son of God who, although God, humbled himself to become man (Philippians 2:6-8; John 13:3-5; Mark 10:45). God is so majestic that he has to humble himself to even look at the earth (Psalm 113:4-6), and yet he despises no-one (Job 36:5; Ps 138:6).

TRUST HIM

Relax. Know that you are in God's strong, capable hands. There is no need to fear or fret about a thing. The Lord is in control and he is eager to sort out all your problems.

The tender love of God is shown in the heart of Jesus. Imagine the anguish and frustration Jesus must have felt when he said, '0 Jerusalem, Jerusalem ... How often I have yearned to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her young around her, but you wouldn't let me' (Luke 13:34).

It's the same today. Jesus longs to help you, but it's up to you whether you let him. 'Leave your worries with him ...' (1 Peter 5:7). When we ask Jesus' help but we continue to worry, it's obvious that we have not left our worries with him. We have taken them back again!

Trust (or faith) is one of the most crucial things in your ever-growing relationship with God. The level of a person's faith is extremely important to Jesus. During his earthly ministry he would often seek to ascertain how much faith a person was exercising (Matthew 9:28; Mark 2:5). He was quick to praise those who displayed great faith (Matthew 8:10; 15:28), but one of the things that grieved him greatly was smallness of faith (Matthew 6:30; 8:26; 14:31; 16:8; 17:17; Mark 16:14). On a number of occasions, miracles failed to occur because of unbelief (Matthew 13:58; 14:29-31; 17:16-17).

Faith means believing that God not only can do a certain thing, but that he will do it for you. The power of such faith is not the power of positive thinking. It is the power of the majestic Lord himself. God releases this power on your behalf when you place full reliance upon the fact that God is utterly able and willing to help you. Once you start exercising this kind of faith, everything is possible (Mark 9:23) because everything is possible with your wonderful God (Mark 10:27).

When you hear of God doing the miraculous, don't think that it is restricted to certain eras or people (John 14:12). The Bible is filled with accounts of ordinary people who performed extraordinary feats due solely to their faith in God (Hebrew 11). The God who performed countless miracles in biblical times lives in you (Ephesians 3:20). 'Since your loving Lord has freely given you his most precious possession (his only Son), he will withhold nothing from you' (Romans 8:32). So expect great things from God. But don't let your faith waver (James 1:6-8). Be persistent in your believing.

Faith is vital to every area of your spiritual life. Through it, you receive not only forgiveness (eg. Romans 1:17) and eternal life (eg. John 3:16) but faith is the only means by which you can receive every other blessing that God has promised you (Hebrews 6:12). Your faith must be specific believe that God will at this point in time, meet the particular need that you have brought to God in prayer. Faith is basic to:
* Pleasing God (Hebrews 11:6)
* Receiving the Holy Spirit and growing spiritually (Galatians 3:2-3)
* Overcoming temptation (1 John 5:4)
* Answered prayer (Mark 11:24; James 1:6-7)
* Healing (Matthew 9:22; James 5:15)
* And so on.

RECOGNIZE WHO'S BOSS!

God is God! His decisions are totally wise, good and unselfish. They can never be improved upon. The smartest thing we could ever do is obey them promptly .

You must make Jesus your Lord (absolute master) in order to be saved from the eternal consequences of sin (Romans 10:9 c.f. Matthew 7:21-23). The whole basis of sin, and the reason why this world is in such a mess is because people have insisted on doing 'their own thing' instead of doing what God knows to be best. This has eternal repercussions! If needed, change your attitude now before it's too late. Don't Break God's heart. He only wants what is absolutely best for you (Ezekiel 33:11; John 10:9-14).

DON'T SETTLE FOR A HALF-HEARTED LOVE AFFAIR

Be totally devoted to Jesus. Anything less than total devotion is actually nauseating to him (Revelation 3:16). You are called to be a '100 per cent-er' in a world of '50 per cent-ers'.

The Bible says, 'Whatever you do, do it with all your might' (Ecclesiastes 9:10). Those who are dedicated get immensely more out of life than those who are not. This is especially true of Christianity. And do it for the Lord (1 Corinthians 10:31; Colossians 3:17,23).

Our dedication must be such that, for Jesus' sake, we would be willing to lose all our possessions (Luke 14:33; Hebrews 10:32-36), suffer pain, and even die (Hebrews 11:35-38; Acts 20:24; Luke 17:33).

If you suffer because of your relationship with Jesus, you will share his glory. That glory will far outweigh any suffering you could possibly experience in this life (Romans 8:17,18; 2 Corinthians 4:17). 'But as for the cowards ... their place is in the lake burning with fire and brimstone which is the second death' (Revelation 21:8). In other words, those who are not prepared to suffer severe persecution for their Divine Lover will suffer for it for the whole of eternity in Hell. That is a very sobering thought. But Jesus is worth dying for. He has already suffered and died for YOU. Just trust him. He will give you the strength for every situation. (See Matthew 5:11-12; 10:16-39; 1 Peter 1:6-8).

We must completely leave our old sinful life and not longingly look back to it (Luke 9:62). Wives of political leaders often represent their husbands at official functions. People expect them to reflect the integrity and dedication of their husbands. Similarly, we are God's representatives (2 Corinthians 5:20) and our lives should therefore reflect his integrity.

Only God can remove sin from your life, but as a true lover of Jesus, you will want to do the little you can to rectify matters.

Return (or pay for) anything you have ever stolen (Ezekiel 33:15; Luke 19:8). Don't allow anyone to continue believing a lie you have told. Destroy anything you possess that is associated with the occult, or other false religions, irrespective of its material or sentimental value (Acts 19:19; Isaiah 27:9; 2 Kings 23:4). Where possible, cease having close friendships with those who do not love Jesus (Psalm 1:1; Proverbs 13:20; 1 Corinthians 15:33; 1 Peter 4:3-5). Pay your debts (Romans 13:8).

Offer to pay for any damage you have caused to other people's possessions (eg. Exodus 22:5-6). Apologize to anyone you have been angry with (unless they are unaware of it and your apology merely increased their distress). And so on.

Give yourself (and all you've got time, abilities, money, possessions, and so on.) fully to your Master. Keep nothing back. You will never regret it.

SPEND TIME ALONE WITH HIM

Our aim should be to keep in contact with our wonderful Lord as often as we can throughout the day (by being conscious of his presence, 'thinking to God,' sending up quick prayers such as, 'Help!' or 'I love you, Jesus!' (1 Thessalonians 5:17-18; Philippians 4:6,8). This is a skill that will take an act of God and perhaps a life-time to fully develop, but the more you are able to do it, the more rewarding it will be.

(Hint: you may find it helpful to choose something you do fairly often during the day such as looking at your watch and train yourself to remember to offer a quick prayer every time you do it.)

THINKING about how to solve a problem is helpful, but praying about it is even more effective! If we spend only ten minutes a day (about 1% of our waking hours) praying and thinking about our Lord, we shouldn't be surprised if the problems and affairs of the physical world seem one hundred times more real to us than the spiritual realm!

So it's good to offer up hasty prayers as we go through our busy day, but just as human lovers long to be alone with each other, so your Divine Lover longs for your undivided attention. If every day you set time aside to be alone with him to talk with him and read his Word (the Bible), you will spend the rest of eternity congratulating yourself of your wise choice.

If you are too busy for this, you are TOO busy. I'm told Martin Luther once said "I have so much to do today that I will spend the first three hours in prayer."Not only does giving God quality time delight your precious Lord, it is vital to your spiritual welfare. At times, this practice will take considerable self-discipline, but without it your love for God would gradually cool and the eternal consequences could be devastating.

I suggest that you decide the minimum time you will devote each day to the Lord (for many years I commitment myself sixty minutes pray and Bible reading a day), and determine never to spend less than this minimum, no matter how busy your day is. Decide that on days when there just isn't time for everything, you will even go without food or sleep, if that is necessary to fulfill your personal commitment of time to God.

When Jesus was arrested, the disciples deserted their Lord. Their inability to overcome their natural cowardice was due to a crucial error they had made shortly before this crisis. They had failed to recognize that, even when exhausted, prayer is more essential for success than sleep (Matthew 26:36-45, 56, 69-75).

Since God is now your God, he is more important to you than anything or anyone else. You will therefore give him top priority in your day, every day. Should you begin to lose sight of this, life will gradually slide into a meaningless frenzy of activity that will accomplish little of lasting value. You will be wasting your precious life.

Where possible, it is best to set aside a regular time each day that you will give to the Lord. Getting into such a routine will ensure that God won't get squeezed out of your life. It will always be necessary to MAKE time for the Light of your life and not vainly hope that some spare minutes will arise during the day.

Amazing as it seems, you could never bore the King of the universe by discussing mundane things with him. (On the contrary, you are so precious to him that he actually loves every minute of it!) Share your deepest secrets and thoughts with him. Your powerful God wants not only to listen, but to help in every aspect of your life.

It is true that God already knows all about you before you tell him, but don't let this knowledge discourage you. The mere fact that you took time to talk things over with him is precious to your Maker. If you heard from another person that your friend had a problem, wouldn't you still like your friend to personally confide in you, even though you may already know every detail of the problem?

When you're alone with your Lover, there is no need for archaic language, formal terms or lofty speech. This tends to reduce the spontaneity and intimacy that should be an important aspect of your relationship with him. By all means, highly respect your Lord. (He is so holy that to approach him, without having our sins removed by Jesus, would totally destroy us Exodus 20:18-21; 1 Samuel 6:20; Isaiah 6:5.) But don't be reluctant to use endearing terms. Tell him how much you love him, how precious he is to you, how beautiful his character is, and so on.

Although sharing your heart with your Creator is a wonderful part of your time with him, there is no need to ever feel obligated to keep up an endless stream of words. Of all our Lover's wonderful gifts given in answer to believing prayer, the most precious is his very presence. So, in between times of speaking to him, you will want just to be quiet and enjoy his beautiful presence. Simply relax and focus your mind upon him (Psalm 46:10). Silently love him and let him love you.

One of the highly valued qualities of a good friend is that he is a good listener. So, as an intimate friend of Jesus, you will try not to let prayer slip into a one-sided conversation. Quietly wait for your Lord to reveal Himself to you.

Chances are that you'll be much better at this than me. My 'Type A' personality always has to be doing something even if it's just staggering around in circles fuming. Inevitably I'm in a much bigger hurry than God. It's not fair: God's got all eternity and I have to save the world by lunch time at the latest. My impatience turns into awkward silences what should be comforting times of togetherness. And if the Lord gets around to speaking it's usually on a level deeper than words far too vague for my liking. God usually speaks not to the ear but down in the heart with thoughts and impressions that are hard to distinguish from our own. Yet in my saner moments I know it is right to honor God by giving him to opportunity to speak to my heart, and there is a good chance that even during those times when my patience wears thin, God is doing something within me at a deeper level than conscious thought.

Conditioned as we are by our pressure-packed society, it seems difficult to wait calmly for anything. And yet, because it is so rare in our society, we probably need to learn the art of quiet waiting more than members of any other society. (Possibly, this is a significant factor in the rise in popularity of Eastern meditation, Transcendental Meditation, yoga, and so on. But, as mentioned elsewhere, these practices, despite the propaganda, are opposed to real Christianity. There is no way they can be used in worshipping the true God.)

As you wait for the King of kings to respond, sometimes nothing will seem to happen. But even if you are not always conscious of any benefit, such waiting will always be a source of spiritual strength to you (Isaiah 40:31). Rarely will God reveal Himself in a dramatic manner (such as a visions or audible voice). But just as a smile can be as meaningful and even more precious than a shout, so a mere awareness that you are pleasing your Lord can be as precious as a miraculous revelation from him.

Sometimes you will receive a sense of God's leading to do a particular thing, or a thought will drop into your mind. This will often be so gentle that you may have difficulty in distinguishing it from your own thoughts. If it happened to be contrary to the teaching of Scripture, such as a 'leading' to do something immoral, you can know immediately that it is not from God (Matthew 15:3-6), no matter how blatantly supernatural that 'revelation' may have been (Deuteronomy 13:1-4). Also, if you thought the Lord told you that something would happen and it doesn't eventuate, then again it is certain that it was not God speaking (Deuteronomy 18:21,22).

Despite the clear teaching of Scripture, an amazing number of people have fallen into sexual sin because they failed to recognize its sinfulness. They assumed it must be acceptable to God merely because their consciences didn't greatly bother them. But since our consciences are not divine, and are by no means infallible (Proverbs 16:2,25; 30:12; Jeremiah 17:9; 1 Corinthians 4:4; 1 John 3:20). Our intuitive sense of morality is largely a product of our society and upbringing. We therefore need to have our consciences 'reprogrammed' with the infallible Word of God.

It is Scripture that is our ultimate authority, not our feelings. So whenever the two are not in harmony, we need to ignore other influences and adhere strictly to God's Word. As we do this, our inner feelings concerning morality (such as what makes us feel guilty) will begin to correspond with increasing accuracy to God's perfect conception of morality.

Wherever possible, don't rush into following an inner urge, especially when an important decision is involved. Pray more about it, examine it in the light of Scripture, and discuss it with more mature Christians. Once you are sure that God has spoken then boldly act upon it and persist regardless of opposition.

If you find anything that Scripture says that all Christians should do (such as loving your enemies), try immediately putting it into practice. Don't wait until you feel a particularly strong urge to do it. We should be constantly on the alert for further ways by which we can please our glorious Lord, not waiting until he has to shout at us to get us to respond!

Expect your prayers to be answered. The Lord of Creation wants to meet all your needs, whether moral, financial, marital, health, and so on. (John 15:7; 16:24) and he also wants you to pray for the needs of others (1 Timothy 2:1,2). But faith is an important ingredient of answered prayer (James 1:6-7). On each occasion, try to continue in prayer until you are so sure that God will give you your request that you can with confidence thank him for answering the prayer, even though you have not as yet physically received the answer (Mark 11:24).

Persistence is very important (Luke 18:1-7). Great faith will guarantee an answer, but not necessarily an immediate answer. Some prayers are answered instantly. A few are answered only after years of persistent praying. An apparent delay often reveals much about our faith. Delays also reveal the intensity of our desire for what we are praying. (Often our desires for good things need to become stronger.)

This is another important area in which we need to learn to wait. God's timing is always perfect and as we persist we will receive the answer at the best possible time.

If you find it helpful, you may, of course, bow your head and close your eyes when you pray. (But not while driving!) However, nowhere in the Bible is there reference to closing the eyes when praying. And sometimes bowing the head tends to make prayer seem more like a solemn obligation than a joyful privilege. The relationship between a bowed head and depression is so strong that we use such expressions as, 'downcast' (ie. looking down), 'hang your head in shame', 'keep your chin up', and so on. The Psalmist called his God 'the lifter up of my head' (Psalm 3:3 literal translation) and prayer should usually be enjoyable. So you may find it more helpful at times to follow the example of many people in the Bible (eg Psalm 123:1; Mark 6:41; 7:34; John 11:41; 17:1) and look upwards when praying.

Some people find it easier (and quieter) to pray in a small, private room (Matthew 6:6). Others would prefer to sit or even kneel in a garden (Luke 22:39-41). Some find that walking helps their concentration, but for others it would merely be a distraction. So use whatever method you find the most helpful.

READ HIS LOVE LETTERS

Some people think that the Bible is dry, archaic, irrelevant and hard to understand something more suited to the classical scholar in his ivory tower than a person who is really 'with it'. It's obvious that anyone with that attitude has read little of the Bible, especially in a modern version, since commencing a love-relationship with Jesus. A love-letter addressed to someone else might be boring, but a personal letter from your lover is exciting! And there is much more to it than this.

The Bible is:
* More up-to-date than today's newspaper (Revelation 1:19)
* More exciting than a big lottery win (Psalm 119:162)
* More useful than your education (Psalm 119:97-100)
* More exhilarating than sensual pleasures (Psalm 119:103)
* More valuable than a fortune in gold and silver (Psalm 119:72)
* More reliable than the latest scientific journal (Psalm 119:160)
* More vital to your life than food (Job 23:12; Matthew 4:4; John 6:68).

The purpose of this webpage is merely to tide you over until you discover the same truths in God's Word. You may read thousands of books about philosophy, psychology, religion, sex, human relationships, child-care, health, finance, skills, and so on, but you will not find one nearly as important as the Bible. No wonder this book is the world's all-time best seller!

It might take millions of words to adequately describe how unique and fascinating the Bible really is, but the most exciting and crucial thing is the fact that the Bible is God revealing himself to you.

Bible-reading is essential nourishment for your soul (1 Peter 2:2; Jeremiah 15:16; Job 23:12). Without ANY, you'll starve spiritually. And without SUFFICIENT, you'll suffer spiritual malnutrition. Read God's Word every day.

Understanding the Scriptures hinges on one's relationship with God (Proverbs 1:23; 2 Corinthians 3:14-16; 4:3-4) not one's intelligence (Psalm 19:7, 1 Corinthians 1:18-27; 2 Timothy 3:15). There are many life-changing truths in God's Word that will remain hidden from you until God reveals them to you (Luke 24:45). It is therefore essential to pray for understanding (Psalm 119:18,125). The more you pray about it, the more things God will reveal to you and the more exciting God's Word will become. As time progresses, you may discover that Scripture is gradually becoming less interesting to you. This is a sure sign that you need to pray more diligently that God will increase your understanding. You may soon find it hard to put the Bible down! But even if the Bible seems dry, it is vital to resist the urge to reduce your Bible-reading. Even when it seems to be achieving nothing, Bible reading is like working on a jigsaw. Every time you read you are putting pieces together that will one day suddenly fit into place. The big, exciting picture will snap into place because of your daily plod.

Right from the beginning, you will benefit from Bible-reading but since our Lord insists we spend much time reading, discussing and thinking about Scripture (Deuteronomy 11:18-19; Psalm 1:2) we can't expect to understand much of it until we have devoted considerable time to it. The more you read it, pray about it, think about it and discuss it with others, the easier it will be to understand.

Never lose sight of the fact that the main purpose of Bible study is to help you live the victorious, fulfilling and useful life that the Lord wants you to enjoy (Joshua 1:8; Psalm 119:11). Therefore it is essential that you put into practice what the Bible says (Matthew 7:24,26; James 1:22). Merely reading your doctor's prescription without taking the medication it prescribes is about as helpful as reading God's word without doing what it directs you to do!

Now is the time for serious Bible study. Regardless of your present age, it is almost certain that your memory will never be better than it is right now. So make the most of it! You will discover that memorization of key Scripture verses is of great value.

As you read the Bible and put it into practice, you will grow in wisdom and spiritual strength. Each new truth you discover will make life much easier and more satisfying for you. You'll wish you had learned it years ago. So try to discover the truths as quickly. Be like a man looking for buried treasure! (Psalm 119:162)

The Bible is good and 100% reliable, but some parts of it you may find offensive, at first. The main reasons for this are:

1. Not reading with sufficient care

For example, Exodus 21:29-32 gives the law for a particular situation where a person, though not guilty of willful murder, is partly responsible for someone's death. By comparing verse 29 with verse 32 it looks as though there is a vast discrepancy between the value placed on a free man's life compared with that of a slave. If, due to negligence a free man is killed, the penalty is death, but if it is a slave who is killed, the penalty is merely a large fine. This doesn't seem right! Does God actually place a greater value upon the life of a free person than that of a slave? I must confess that this discrepancy had me baffled for a considerable time until I finally read the text more carefully. In between these two verses (verse 30) it shows that even when the accident victim was a free person, a fine could be substituted for the death penalty. In other words, regardless of whether the victim of negligence were slave or free, the offender could avoid the death penalty by paying a fine. So what I thought may possibly have seemed a questionable judgment by God was merely a figment of my imagination, created by not carefully reading the context.

The answer was literally staring me in the face, but with another difficulty, the solution could be a thousand pages away. So if you come across something doubtful, don't jump to conclusions. Our Heavenly Father's decisions are always right, but the same can't be said for our hasty conclusions!

2. Misinterpretation

For example, the Bible records life as it really is. It pulls no punches. It records evil acts to show the degradation of man (and this often exposes our own sinfulness) but, of course, the mere fact that it's recorded in the Bible does not mean that the good Lord approves of it. Sometimes the Bible mentions an event without bothering to immediately point out that it was immoral, because it assumes the reader is familiar with the teachings of the rest of Scripture and that the reader will therefore immediately recognize the action as being contrary to God's ways.

Failure to realize such principles as the above, will, of course, result in misinterpretation.

3. Your sense of morality is deficient

I used to think that it is morally wrong to ever get angry. If this is so, then God is immoral. My mistake was due to a failure to distinguish between righteous anger (such as anger at injustice) and selfish anger (such as anger because I have been inconvenienced).

'All Scripture is profitable (useful) ...' (2 Timothy 3:16). So, even if you find a passage that seems quite useless, don't let it spoil your appreciation of the Bible. The correct interpretation is not only morally acceptable but, locked somewhere within that passage, are precious truths. Since it may sometimes take years to discover these truths, it is often helpful to discuss difficult passages with those who know God's Word very well. Bible commentaries are also helpful, though, like any preacher or teacher, they are by no means infallible.

There are many different Bible study methods and the choice of method depends largely upon the individual. However, the following hints should help.

Mark your Bible. If you are reluctant to do this (you shouldn't be) buy a cheaper Bible. Underline those parts that are a blessing to you. This simple act helps to impress it upon your mind and makes it easier to find when you next need it. It is helpful to write comments in the margins, question marks besides parts you don't understand at present, and so on. As time progresses, that marked Bible will become far more precious to you than a brand-new or more expensive one.

Choose an easy-to-read version. The original Bible was written mainly in Hebrew and Greek. It is this that is perfect, and not any English translation. But, for practical purposes, almost any translation is reliable (except the Jehovah's Witness 'New World Translation'). If you compare different translations, you'll find little difference in meaning. The main difference is style. The original Scriptures were written mainly in the language of the common people, not some archaic language. I therefore suggest an easy-to-read version such as the New International Version. (There is no virtue in making things unnecessarily difficult for yourself!)

It is usually best to read each individual book of the Bible from beginning to end, in the order that it is written and your aim should be to read the entire Bible. However, I don't recommend that you go from book to book in the order in which they normally appear in the Bible, because the books are grouped according to similarity. This means that books that are side by side (eg. the first four books of the New Testament) are often very similar. It is therefore generally more interesting to jumble the order in which you read the books, and it gives you a broader and more balanced view of the Bible. The only major exceptions, where jumbling is not helpful, are Genesis and Exodus, and those Old Testament books that have names indicating that they have been divided into two (eg. 1 Samuel and 2 Samuel). It's best to read the second book with the same name immediately after completing the first book.

Especially at first, you should find the New Testament more helpful, and so I suggest you read the entire New Testament before starting the old. After this intersperse the New and Old as you jumble the order of the individual books.

A simple way to keep track of what books of the Bible you have read is to tick them off where they are listed in the front of the Bible (the contents).

Most parts of Scripture (especially the book of Revelation) draw on ideas and symbols that are more fully developed in other parts of the Bible. So, the more of the Bible you read, the better will be your understanding of any given passage.

If you average four chapters a day, you will complete the entire Bible in one year. Alternatively, you could set aside a certain period of time that you will spend each day in Bible study. (This overcomes the temptation to rush through a passage just to complete the day's quota). Most of us can find quite a lot of time if we cut down on TV watching or some such thing. All of us can find sufficient time once we get our priorities right. For God to be OUR God, he must be number one priority.

'ANY FRIEND OF HIS, IS A FRIEND OF MINE'

Having a permanent love affair with God does not mean we cease to have close relations with other people. On the contrary, with our deepest needs satisfied by our relationship with God, we no longer have to try to squeeze satisfaction out of human relationships. This frees us to approach human relationships with a new attitude. Our demands upon other people become less and we are then able to focus more on giving to others rather than receiving.

Your Lord loved you while you were still his enemy (Romans 5:8,10). Since in the extravagance of his love God treated us the exact opposite of what we deserved, we have a duty to continue his kindness by loving our own enemies (Matthew 5:44-48). Jesus emphasized that it is vital for your spiritual welfare that you hold no grudges (Matthew 6:14-15; 18:21-35. See also Matthew 5:23-24). We must love others, regardless of their religious beliefs.

Beyond this, however, you have a special obligation to love those who are your true brothers and sisters in Christ. Many people are not (spiritually speaking) God's children (John 1:11-12; 1 John 3:10). Only those who are fully committed to God and are trusting Jesus for the forgiveness of their sins, have God as their spiritual Father. But all of those who enjoy such a relationship with God are brothers and sisters (in a spiritual sense), by virtue of the fact that they all have the same Father. It is God's desire that all of his children appreciate each other and form one, big happy family.

Unless you love all of God's children, you can't love God (1 John 4:20). Since God has an intimate union with each of his children, anything you do to one of them is regarded as if you did it to God himself (Matthew 25:40).

Our love for your spiritual brothers and sisters should be immense (1 John 3:16-18). Those who selfishly refuse to share their material possessions and time with those who need are in great spiritual danger (Matthew 25:41-46; Luke 16:19-25; 1 John 3:14,17).

Even if you don't feel that great love is being expressed by believers that you know, that is no reason for allowing your love to diminish. (Never allow the failings of others to influence you.) Not even true Christians are perfect. Some are easy to like. A few are not. Some will greatly help you. A few may deeply disappoint and hurt you, but we still have to love them. You are capable of such love only by maintaining a close relationship with God and allowing him to love others through you (Romans 5:5; John 15:5).

Of course, people who love one another, enjoy each other's company. You will want to spend much time with your brothers and sisters (Malachi 3:16-17). This will extend beyond church meetings (Acts 2:46; 20:20) but it is important for you to be involved in a good church (Hebrews 10:25; Acts 2:42).

Don't wait for others to take the initiative. Do everything in your power to develop deep friendships with those who really love Jesus.

Those of God's children who are in fellowship with each other, enjoy greater security and satisfaction than those who are isolated from other believers (Ecclesiastes 4:9-12). They are also more likely to experience (in a special way) Jesus' presence and answered prayer (Matthew 18:19-20).

A further advantage is that each individual has greater power than if he were alone. For example, if an individual could overcome 1,000 foes, two (together) could overcome not 2,000 but 10,000 (Deuteronomy 32:30)! This principle also applies to larger numbers. For instance, the power of a group of 100 (when unified and involved in the same task) is much greater than that of 20 groups of five (Leviticus 26:8).

Unfortunately, we can't personally be fully acquainted with large numbers of people. But ensure that you are able to share your inner-most thoughts with at least one or two people who really love Jesus and know him intimately. If you experience difficulty finding such a person, you should make it a matter of earnest prayer.

Praying aloud with other believers can be a wonderful experience. Especially if you are a little shy, this may seem awkward at first. You may, for instance, feel a need to rehearse in your mind what you say. We often do such things when we are a little apprehensive, but the prayer may then seem artificial to you. You are conscious that God knows your prayer before you voice it. But don't let this bother you. Vocalizing your prayer adds power to it because the hearers can add their faith to yours, as they agree with what you pray.

Don't be concerned if your prayer is short. A sincere short prayer is much more effective than a long one that is prayed without sincerity or without faith or is spoken merely to impress others.

Don't be embarrassed. You are with people who love you and have almost certainly gone through the same experiences in learning to pray. But do persevere. It's more than worth it.

Your choice of church is very important. You should pray much about this matter. If at all possible, choose a church that not only teaches the truth (this, of course, is essential and will be explained later), but a church that also puts the truth into practice. For example, it should not only teach that God is all-powerful, but it should act as though it really believes it. Its members should expect God to do for them exactly the same sort of things that God did for his children in Biblical times (see 2 Timothy 3:5). If you really love Jesus and yet still find it quite a chore to go to church, it may be that you need to change churches. Unfortunately, some churches have dull, dry services that make a mockery of the vibrant, exciting life that Jesus died to give us. Going to church should be the highlight of your week.

FUN WAYS TO GROW SPIRITUALLY

No book is as precious, reliable and of such lasting value as the Bible. Modern Christian books, however, are most helpful and I highly recommend them, not, of course, as a substitute for Bible reading but a valuable supplement. Many of these books are most gripping and encouraging. You should find it no hardship to substitute these for television or video viewing and they will do you much more good.

Of course, I recommend my own entertaining book, Waiting for Your Ministry, http://net.simplenet.com/book/ I think you'll get a lot out of it. My all-time favorite Christian book is an usual one: The Final Quest by Rick Joyner. I enjoyed God's Smuggler, by Brother Andrew, although it's getting rather old now. Another old book that inspired me is Born To Reproduce by Dawson Trotman.

Share your book discoveries with friends. Visit some Christian bookshops and have a chat with the staff. Some churches have lending libraries.

At least glance at Evidence That Demands A Verdict, Volume 1 by Josh McDowell. Be aware of this resource. Also become aware either of computer Bibles or Strong's Exhaustive Concordance that allow you to look up original Greek and Hebrew words. Don't trust the dictionary meaning of these foreign words. Instead, look up the different Bible contexts in which these words appear. This gives are much more reliable indication of the true meaning of the words. You'll probably find a Bible College or Seminary that would permit you to visit their library.

Christian music is a great way to learn and be reminded of wonderful spiritual truths. Hunt around and you'll find Christian music catering for virtually every conceivable taste.

If you can find a good Christian teaching cassette library try listening while driving.

Videos, websites, (have a look at http://net.simplenet.com/weblist.htm ) Christian television and radio, are other possibilities.

Another easy but valuable help is simply chatting about spiritual
things to Christian friends.

NEVER 'FLIRT' WITH OTHERS

>1. People

You must love other people, but if ever there is a conflict of loyalties between God and anyone else, you must willingly choose God. If a situation arises where you cannot please both God and someone else you love, then you should choose to please your Lord as decisively as a person would choose someone he loved in preference to someone he hated (Matthew 10:37; Luke 14:26).

Don't give your Divine Lover any cause to be jealous. Love others, but let your attitude be like that of the Psalmist (Psalm 73:25), 'Since I have you, what else could I want on earth?' God must have first place in your affections.

You now belong to Christ, body, soul and spirit. Jesus' sacrificial blood has made you holy. A non-Christian, on the other hand, belongs to Satan and is unclean. In God's sight, sexual union makes two people physically one. How dare anyone take that which is holy and belongs to Christ and try to unite it with that which is unclean and belongs to Satan? It could be argued that such an act would be a perversion worst than bestiality (1 Corinthians 6:15-20; 2 Corinthians 6:14-18).

Yet God so hates divorce (Malachi 2:6) that if you are already bound to a non-Christian marriage partner, he will make the union holy by sanctifying your partner's body (1 Corinthians 7:12-16, 39). In every other sense, however, your partner still belongs to Satan, unless he/she becomes a Christian.

On the other hand, if you are not already one flesh with a non-Christian it is important to shun romance with anyone who does not belong to Christ. Even Solomon, with all his wisdom, fell away from God because of ungodly wives. If you became a Christian only after you had married, you didn't sin by entering a spiritually mixed marriage. You were both non-Christians. God is eager to forgive and to allow the union to continue in holiness. For a Christian to dishonor God by marrying someone he/she knows to be a Christian, however, forgiveness is much harder to obtain. God wants to remove sin's corruption, but he cannot, while a person still want to hold on to his/her sin. God sees right through pretense. Unless a Christian truly regrets having married a non-Christian, forgiveness is not possible.

One of the important themes of Jesus' teaching is that there are basically two, diametrically opposed types of people in the world (Matthew 6:24; 12:30,33; 13:30,48; 24:40; 25:2,32; etc). Humanity is divided into two: those who have Jesus as their master and those who do not. On the surface, there may not appear to be a great difference between these two basic types (hence the many 'shades of gray') but, in reality, the difference is as great as that between light and darkness, or Jesus and Satan, and their final destinies are as different as heaven and hell.

Therefore, those who are united to Christ are not to have close relations with those who are not fully committed to him (2 Corinthians 6:14-18). You should immediately break off any close relationship with a person who has not given his/her life over to Jesus. Naturally, this will be a very difficult thing to do if you have been deeply in love with the person. But the Lord requires that you choose between him and your uncommitted friend. You cannot have both God and your friend unless that person gives his/her life completely over to Jesus' control. Your friend will only drag you into Hell. He/she may be a very nice person, but spiritually he/she belongs to Satan (the only alternative to not belonging to Jesus) and Satan is always opposed to Jesus. It has rightly been said that if you marry a child of the devil, you'll have big trouble with your father-in-law! Any close relationship with the uncommitted is dangerous.

Naturally, you must continue to love, respect and, when needed, look after non-Christian relatives (Ephesians 6:1-4; 1 Timothy 5:8). However, the ideal is to be close enough to non-Christians to influence them for Christ, without being so close that they begin to adversely affect our spiritual lives.

2. Spiritual Powers

You must separate yourself from sin (see 1 Corinthians 6:9-10; Galatians 5:l9-21; Ephesians 5:4-5; Revelation 21:8). This includes envy, hate, anger, greed, bad language, occult practices, dishonesty, sex outside of marriage, homosexuality, stealing getting drunk, and practices that are injurious to health.

Because you have made God your God, you must obey him and look to him alone for direction. It is therefore wrong to resort to horoscopes, palmistry, tarot cards, seances, ouija boards, and so on. (Deuteronomy 18:10-15; 1 Chronicles 10:13,14; Isaiah 8:19). Have nothing to do with things that are associated with non-Christian religions, such as yoga, Transcendental Meditation and the like. Despite the propaganda, these practices are as basic to Eastern religions as prayer and Bible study are to Christianity. The Bible clearly teaches that there are evil spirits, as well as good spirits (eg. 1 John 4:1). God is the Good Spirit and he is in charge of all other good spiritual beings (angels). Since the only way to God is through Jesus (John 14:6), any spiritual experiences that occur without complete reliance upon Jesus Christ, cannot be from God. Such psychic phenomena must therefore be due to the activities of evil spirits. Note that I am referring to actual psychic phenomena and not to instances when trickery is used to simulate these practices. Don't be fooled by the quasi-scientific explanations and the apparent harmlessness of many occult practices Evil spiritual powers that are violently opposed to God are behind such seemingly innocent things as ESP, telepathy, clairvoyance, astral travel, levitation, magic, table-tipping, water-divining, charms, automatic-writing, witchcraft (white and black), telekinesis, parakinesis and psychometry. Most of us have had some association in the past with one or more practices like these. Many of us thought they were quite harmless, but now that we know better we need to break the hidden hold they could have over us by confessing them to God as sin. Ask your Lord's forgiveness and protection and have nothing more to do with such practices.

God is far more powerful than anything in the occult (eg. see Acts 8:9-13:16;16-l9; Romans 16:20; Exodus 7:10-12). When Jesus returns to earth all evil powers will be totally destroyed. With Jesus, you're 'backing a winner.'

WHAT TO DO WHEN YOU GRIEVE YOUR DIVINE LOVER

1. 'Make up' with God straight away

Your wonderful Lord has feelings, and because you are so important to him you can cause him much grief if you neglect him or do wrong. When you discover that you've hurt him, you may feel too ashamed to approach the God of Perfection. Or you may feel so disappointed that you've let him down that you delay your return to God because you think you don't deserve to immediately recommence a close relationship with him. But this only increases God's grief because it extends the period of time over which that sin affects your relationship with your loving Lord.

Some dear people are so aware of the seriousness of sin that they don't feel it's right that God should let them off scot-free and so they try to punish themselves! The most common self-imposed punishment is to deliberately feel miserable and deny oneself certain legitimate pleasures for a period of time. (This generally includes not allowing themselves the right to enjoy their relationship with God.)

On the surface, it seems a noble thing to punish oneself for sin and it indicates a strong desire to please God. However, it is important to realize that your life is not your own (1 Corinthians 6:19). You're God's child (John 1:12) and you belong to him. The way a parent disciplines his child is solely the parent's concern. Just as it would be wrong for you to interfere and punish someone else's child, so it's wrong for you to play God and try to punish yourself for your own failings.

Some people even punish themselves in the vain hope that it may help to secure their Lord's approval. But this only insults Jesus by implying that his death wasn't sufficient to gain your full forgiveness. Furthermore, believing you can help gain the Lord's approval by punishing yourself, puts yourself in a spiritually dangerous situation. It is vital to your forgiveness that you place your complete faith in Jesus alone. Only Jesus is able to obtain God's approval of you, and so you must place no faith in your own futile attempts to please God.

Unforgiven sin separates us from our Holy God (Isaiah 59:1-2). The sooner this rift is healed, the better. So if you happen to sin, return to God straight away, sincerely ask his forgiveness and trust him for the strength to overcome that sin, so that you will not commit it again. Once God has forgiven you, you are obligated to forgive yourself, because you should have God's attitude towards all things. To refuse to forgive ourselves is to imply we have holier standards than God!

2. Don't allow a failure to discourage you

Because Christ is now dwelling inside of you, (Colossians 1:27) you have so much power at your disposal that Satan is terrified of you (James. 4:7; 1 John 4:4). When it comes to a display of power, you will win every time. The only thing the devil can do is to try psychological warfare. If he could trick you into giving up, he has nothing to fear. He will try to discourage you. So banish all thoughts that you are 'no good,' 'weak,' or 'hopeless.' Such lies are from the pit of hell. God believes in you. He is more than strong enough to overcome your every weakness. You're on God's side and that means you're on the winning side (Hebrews 2:14; Revelation 5:12; 12:9-11; 20:7-10). You are more than a conqueror through him who loves you (Romans 8:37 see also Psalm 60:12; Romans 16:20; 1 Corinthians 15:57). Quote this Scripture to Satan: 'Rejoice not against me, O my enemy; when I fall, I shall arise' (Micah 7:8 see also Psalm 34:19; 37:23-24; Proverbs 24:16).

Satan will put evil ideas and desires into your mind (temptation) in order to try to entice you to sin against God. But you can just ignore these thoughts. God has promised that no temptation will ever be too strong for you (1 Corinthians 10:13). Satan, of course, will try to fool you into thinking that his temptation is so strong that you will eventually have to give in to it. He will continue his bluff by trying to convince you with the lie that failure is inevitable and so there is no point in holding out any longer. He will attempt to excuse the evil act or make you feel that you can't stop yourself from sinning. If you were to believe his lies, then you will not bother to continue resisting the temptation and so, of course, you will give in and commit the sin. However, if you believe the Lord's promise (1 Corinthians 10:13) instead of Satan's lies, you won't be bluffed into surrendering to the Satan-inspired urge to sin, even when that desire gets really strong. As you continue to hold out you will find that you will always overcome temptation because God's Spirit dwells in you.

DON'T TAKE GOD FOR GRANTED

God is so wonderful that he far surpasses any other lover, or anything else in existence. Of course, there can be no sexual aspect in your love affair with God, but your relationship can, and should be, far more intimate than would ever be possible between two humans. Here's why:

* Christ's union with you is so intimate that, in a sense, you are actually part of his body (Ephesians 5:29-30).

* The Bible teaches that a man and woman can become so united that they become 'one flesh.' But you can get even closer than this with God. You can become one spirit with God (1 Corinthians 6:16,17; Romans 6:5).

* God is both physically and spiritually closer to us than any other person could ever get. Perhaps you have cuddled someone, desiring to get as physically close as possible and have found that although you are pressed tight against each other, as physically close as humanly possible, you want to be still closer. You would actually like to climb inside each other! But you are in God (Acts 17:28) and God is actually inside you (John 14:17,23; 1 Corinthians 6:19). So when you pray, you don't have to pray to a God who is way out in Heaven somewhere. He is 'closer than hands or feet.'

* Communication is never a problem with your Maker because he knows your thoughts (Psalm 139:1-4). You can discuss things mentally with God without the burden of always having to formulate proper sentences, explaining yourself and using spoken words.

We often say, 'I was just thinking to myself'. When we do this, God listens. But it's exciting to remember this and to direct those thoughts (no matter how mundane) to God. Your Maker can also put thoughts and ideas into your mind. And because God's union with you is so intimate, it's often hard to distinguish between those thoughts that originate with him and those which are purely your own (Philippians 2:13). A vital test, which must be applied to all impressions you get, is whether they are consistent with the Bible. God never contradicts himself!

* The Lord understands what you have experienced, even if no-one else does. Often it is almost impossible for our friends to fully understand significant events which we experienced when they were absent. But, though you may only be beginning to acknowledge God's presence, he has constantly been with you from the moment you were conceived (Psalm 139:7). He knows you so intimately and completely that he always perfectly understands you. Furthermore, Jesus has personally experienced pain, rejection, loneliness, bereavement, disappointment, being misunderstood, and so. (Hebrews 2:17-18; 4:15).

* With God, you need never have an argument. Arguments arise when people differ and both parties think they are right. Such a situation need never occur with the Lord of the Universe. If you disagree with him, you can Know immediately who is wrong – you are! God is 'perfect in knowledge' (Job 37:16).

In human relationships, it's often frustrating relating to a person who always seems to be right. However, it's quite different with your loving God. For example, with him we don't have to pretend that we are better than we really are. He thoroughly knows our every weakness and yet he still accepts us, when we come to him through Jesus Christ.

So agree with God. This means that you should never again confess inadequacy (Philippians 4:13), lack (Philippians 4:19), fear (2 Timothy 1:7), defeat (2 Corinthians 2:14), stupidity (1 Corinthians 1:30, etc.), because the Lord says that he has delivered you from all these things. If God says it, believe it!

* At times, human friends may disappoint you, but your Lord will never let you down. He is fully dependable. He will never change. You can't improve upon perfection! Nor will he ever grow old. The intensity of his love and devotion to you will never wane. In fifty year's time he will still feel the same thrill when you share your heart with him in prayer.

* There are many times when human friends can merely sympathize with us. They are unable to change the situation or meet our needs. But God never finds himself in that predicament! The King of Kings is completely adequate for every situation, no matter how hopeless it may appear. In your relationship with God, you don't just have Someone who loves you more than is ever humanly possible, but Someone who is fully able to rescue you from each and every difficulty you could ever face. God doesn't merely want to please you and do you good, he knows exactly how to do it!

* In your divine love affair you have absolute security. You need never fear that he may become sick or be killed or leave you. And instead of your own death being a great tragedy and robbing you of this beautiful relationship, all that death can do is to bring you even closer to God!

* Another wonderful thing about God is that he is constantly with you and always freely available. You need never be alone again! Whether you are having a shower, traveling to work, playing squash or sleeping, he's always right beside you, smiling upon you, looking after you and eagerly waiting for you to start up a conversation with him.

* Furthermore, you know that your relationship is doing you good. It is constantly making you a better person so that you are becoming of greater and greater value to this world. The greatest good you could possibly do for the whole of humanity is to be in the center of Cod's will. The time you spend with God is never wasted. You'll never regret serving God and what you do under his direction has eternal value.

With other friends, we may enjoy ourselves for a while but later regret the wasted time it caused. This will never occur in your relationship with your wonderful Lord.

We tend to become like our friends. Often, this is a sobering thought but when that friend is God, the possibilities are exciting.

But is all this just wishful thinking? No. In fact, the reason why the above seems so desirable to us is because we were, quite literally, made for this relationship. Our bodies are made in such a way that they can't function properly without exercise. Similarly our minds and emotions are made by our Creator in such a manner that they require a personal relationship with their Maker in order to function properly.

So realize the uniqueness of your relationship with God and never fall into the trap of accepting substitutes or be bluffed into thinking the honeymoon is over!

ENJOY YOUR LOVER'S WEALTH

Jesus tells the story of a farmer with two sons. The elder son remained faithful to his father and worked hard on the farm. His brother, however, demanded his share of the property, sold it, and left home. After wasting his life and his money, he finally saw the error of his ways and returned home, poverty-stricken.

He knew that he has wronged his father so much that he no longer deserves to be treated as a son. He is content simply to become one of his father's hired hands.

But his father, with a great display of love and emotion, joyfully accepted him back as his son, lavished gifts upon him and threw a party to celebrate; killing the prize calf for food.

The older brother, however, was angry and felt his father had been grossly unfair. He had been a faithful son and worked long hours for practically nothing. His father hadn't given him so much as a small goat, whereas the prize calf had been slaughtered for his no-good brother.

When the father learned of his eldest son's resentment he said, 'Son, you are always with me, AND ALL THAT I HAVE IS YOURS' (Luke 15:11-32).

Do you see the older brother's mistake? He imagined his father was stingy! This faithful son was living in virtual poverty because he failed to recognize the generosity of his father. Not just the calf, but all of the stock, land, buildings (everything!) were his to do whatever he wished. And he didn't even realize it!

Jesus mentioned this faithful brother to illustrate the foolishness of not recognizing our loving God's generosity. The following statement describes just one aspect of that generosity.

If you make everything that is yours (your time, abilities, possessions, and so) fully available to God, he will make everything that is his (his time, abilities, possessions, and so) fully available to you.

When I first discovered that everything that is God's is available to us, it seemed too good to be true, and so I made a detailed Bible study on the subject. I would like to share with you some of the results of that study.

The principle is stated in general terms in a large number of different parts of the Bible. For example, in 1 Corinthians 3:21,23 we read, 'All things belong to you . . . and you belong to Christ. (See also Song of Solomon. 2:16; John 16:15,23; Romans 8:32; Philippians 4:13; 2 Peter 1:3.)

The King of kings wants to give you all things! This discovery was just mind-boggling! I had to see for myself if 'all things' literally meant all things! (What else could it mean?)

I learned that a true Christian has Christ (2 John 9) and this includes his:
* Knowledge John 15:15; 16:13-15
* Riches Philippians 4:19
* Glory John l7:22; 2 Thessalonians 2:14
* Throne in Heaven Ephesians 2:6; Revelation 3:2l
* Peace John 14:27
* Kingdom James 2:5; Revelation 22:5; 2 Timothy 2:12
* Joy John 15:11
* Moral purity 2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 Corinthians 1:30
* Miracle-working power John 14:12,13
* Victory over Satan Romans 16:20 (1 Corinthians 15:25)
* Spirit Romans 8:9
* Mind 1 Corinthians 2:16; Philippians 2:5
* Power over death 1 Corinthians 15:55-57
* Likeness 1 Corinthians 15:49; 1 John 3:2
* Inheritance Romans 8:17
* Life Galatians 2:20; 1 John 5:12
* Ministry John 17:18 (John 8:12 compare with Matthew 5:14)
* Presence John 14:23; Ephesians 3:17
* Relationship with God John 17:23,26; Galatians 4:6; Hebrews 2:11
* And much more besides!

Truly, 'in union with Christ, you have become rich in things ...' (1 Corinthians 1:5)! Your potential is limitless (Philippians 4:l3). But you can still make the mistake the older brother made and fail to enjoy what is rightfully yours. You must receive God's gifts.

You already understand the importance of actually receiving gifts from God. The beautiful gift of forgiveness was always available to you but it only became yours when you received it by faith. Similarly, there is now a huge range of gifts which God wants you to enjoy, but it's up to you to accept each one of them by faith and start using them.

Once you have fully given yourself to your Lord, ask for one of his gifts (it's probably best to concentrate on one at a time), receive it by faith, and then act as if you have it.

To receive, for example, Jesus' joy (John 15:11; 1 Thessalonians 5:16, etc.), ignore the way you feel and act joyful. As you continue in faith (ignoring those doubts which will come from time to time), you will gradually receive objective proof that your joy isn't artificial or 'psychological,' but that it is indeed a supernatural gift from your Lover.

If someone gave you an expensive gift, it would be most ungrateful to leave it unwrapped and never use it. Well, God has given you many gifts at great personal cost. (It cost the death of his precious Son to make these wonderful things available to you.) So make sure that you accept, appreciate and use all his gifts. A friend may make the mistake of giving you something you have no use for, but your all-wise God would never do such a thing!

PRAISE HIM

Boast about him. There are many things that we shouldn't boast about, but we should boast about our wonderful Lord (1 Corinthians 1:31). Be proud of him! With God, it's hard to exaggerate!

Appreciate his gifts. When, for example, you see the beauty of a sunset, or a rose, or enjoy a tasty meal, or rest on a nice soft bed, recognize that these are precious gifts sent to you with love from your Creator.

Grumbling and complaining breaks God's heart (Numbers 14:27- 29; Psalm 106:25-26; 1 Corinthians 10:10; Philippians 2:l4; James 5:9; Jude 15,16). The opposite is praise.

It is natural for lovers to spend much time praising each other's beauty, abilities and qualities. (For example, see a book of the Bible called the Song of Solomon.) Similarly, it is natural for you to want to praise the God you love.

Praise is very powerful, for the following reasons:
* It is commanded by God (Psalms 117:1; 150:6).
* Jesus came to earth so that we might praise God (Romans 15:8-11).
* It honors and glorifies your Lord (Psalm 50:23).
* It is the proper way to enter God's presence (Psalm 100:4).
* It increases your faith (Romans 4:20).
* It is a weapon that overcomes evil powers (Psalm 149:6-9; 2 Chronicles 20:21-22).
* It's God's anti-depressant (Isaiah 61:3).
* It empowers you to become God-centered, instead of self-centered (Psalm 115:1).

Praise releases the glorious power of God into any situation.

You should praise your Lord in the presence of non-Christians (Psalm 108:3), fellow believers (Psalm 149:1), and when alone (Psalm 63:5-6).

The Bible contains many encouraging examples of people who have praised their loving God in the midst of absolutely tragic circumstances (eg. 2 Samuel 12:19-20; Job 1:14-22; Jonah 2:1,9; Acts 16:23-25). We should thank and praise God at all times, regardless of how bleak things seem (Psalm 34:1; Ephesians 5:20; 1 Thessalonians 5:18).

You'll praise your Lord forever, but when this world ends you'll never again have the opportunity to praise God in unpleasant circumstances. So make the most of the opportunities that come your way! Praise in the midst of tragedy is particularly precious to your Divine Lover. Praising the Lord of creation in the midst of circumstances which would cause a lesser person to get angry with him, reveals the depth of your devotion. It shows your confident trust in his wisdom and in the integrity of his character. And not only is it pleasing to your Maker, it helps you. It lifts you from depression and self-pity, fills you with joy, and gives you the faith you need to face the difficulty.

Praise to God 'endures forever' (Psalm 111:10). In other words, in the final analysis (perhaps not until the end of the world), when all the facts are revealed, it will be proved that every time you praised God, you did exactly the right thing. You will be eternally grateful for every time you have thanked and praised God, and particularly for those times you persevered in praise, despite the fact that it was hard to do. On the other hand, we will end up ashamed of every time we've blamed our Maker or complained to him (Proverbs 19:3; Isaiah 45:24; Romans. 3:l9). When all the facts are revealed, it will be proved that, in every situation, our Lord was not only 'in the clear', but he fully deserved to be praised.

Imagine a person who is looking forward to his birthday, but when the time finally arrives, everyone seems to have forgotten him. Suppose he gets angry and says unkind things to his friends. Imagine how embarrassed he'll be when he discovers the wonderful surprise party they have planned for him! How he'll wish he'd had faith in his friends, instead of making such a fool of himself!

Be warned! Your wonderful Lord loves giving surprises! Show that you trust him by praising him even when things look black when it seems as though God has let you down, or forgotten you. As time progresses, it will become obvious how much God was loving you and taking care of you, even in that difficult situation. It will then be easy to praise God, but you'll be especially glad that you praised him in the midst of the problem, when you couldn't see God's surprise just around the corner.

The miracles recorded in Scripture indicate that God rarely performs miracles for those who are not in serious difficulty. For instance, you have to be sick before you can be miraculously healed! So rejoice when things seem absolutely disastrous and you can see no way out! A miracle is almost certainly just around the corner!

Biblical ways of expressing your praise:
* Speaking (Luke 1:64)
* Singing (Psalm 108:1; Ephesians 5:19)
* Shouting (Psalm 71:23; Revelation 5:12)
* Musical instruments (Psalm 150:3)
* Percussion instruments (Psalm 150:5)
* Clapping (Psalm 47:1)
* Dancing (Psalm 150:4; Acts 3:8)
* Raising hands (Psalm 134:2; 1 Timothy 2:8)

God loves hearing you express your praise using your own words, but it is quite acceptable to use parts of Scripture which contain praise (eg. 1 Chronicles 29:10-13; Psalm 103; 111; 113; 138; 145; Revelation 4:8-11; 5:9-14; etc.). Whenever you find an expression of praise (perhaps a sentence or phrase) which is particularly meaningful to you, memorize it and it can then become part of your praise vocabulary.

ENJOY HIM

It is very important that you work hard for Jesus, but he wants your love far more than your labors (Luke 10:38-42; Revelation 2:2-5). Since God owns everything and can do anything, he doesn't really need your money or labor. He only wants these things as an expression of your love. (See 1 Corinthians 13:1-3).

One of your new abilities, due to your union with Christ, is that you no longer need be controlled by your emotions. You can rule your emotions (eg. Psalm 42:11; 103:1; 108:1).

So, literally stir up your emotions and get excited about God. This is what is meant by 'delighting' (Psalm 37:4) and 'rejoicing' in the Lord (Isaiah 61:10). God wants us to do this constantly (Philippians 4:4). One way to ensure that God is the Source of your joy (Psalm 43:4) is to regard your most precious possessions or experiences as mere dirt, compared with the joy of knowing God (Job 22:24-26).

Your Divine Lover, above everything in existence, is worth getting excited about! Many people get excited and highly emotional about pop stars, movies, sport, and so on, but these things are nothing, compared with God.

God created your emotions. Use them to bring glory to God. David got so excited about God that he literally danced and jumped for joy. His wife despised him for it, considering that he had brought shame upon himself. But the Lord vindicated David and brought shame upon this woman by causing her to be barren (2 Samuel 6:14-16, 20-23). I wonder how many people are spiritually barren because they don't get excited about the King of kings and even despise anyone who does.) See Ezra 3:11,13; Luke 6:23.

Develop a deep yearning for your glorious Lord. (See Psalms 16:11; 17:15; 21:6; 27:4; 42:1-2; 62:1; 63:1-8; 73:25; 84:2,10). This deep longing may be attained by praying for it and spending time thinking about how much you need your wonderful Lord, and how good and loving he is. It is also important to stop thinking that we would be happier with more money or more friends or some such thing. Realize that what you really need, to satisfy that emptiness within, is an even closer relationship with your Perfect Lover.

Serve the Lord with gladness (Psalm 100:2)! This is most important (Deuteronomy 28:47-48). Rejoice always (1 Thessalonians 5:16)! No more grumbling or complaining (Philippians 2:14 James 5:9) even if everything seems to go wrong (Habakkuk 3:17-18)!

DON'T BE SEDUCED

How I wish this section were unnecessary! It would be so nice to say that you can trust anyone who claims to be a Christian. It grieves me, but I feel personally responsible for your spiritual welfare. If I were writing to you about the joys of eating wild mushrooms, I would have a responsibility to warn you about the poisonous varieties. Spiritual poison, however, is even more dangerous than deadly toadstools because the effects can be eternal.

The first of the ten commandments reads. 'Worship no God but me' (Exodus 20:3). The second commandment forbids idol worship. This is diametrically opposed to the notion that 'all religions are much the same! Sincerity of belief is not enough: you must believe the right things. A vivid example of this is found in the 1978 mass murders and suicides, in Jamestown, Guyana, of the followers of Jim Jones. Their beliefs were so strong and so false that they eventually killed not only themselves but also their innocent children. Jones, is reported to have violently opposed the Bible, spitting on it and stamping on it with his feet. He frequently claimed to be God and advocated sexual immorality.

Jesus warned, 'Beware of false prophets, who come to you dressed as sheep, but inside they are devouring wolves' (Matthew 7:15). Paul wrote, 'Even Satan can disguise himself to look like an angel of light [ie. pure and good]. So it is not surprising if his servants also disguise themselves to look like servants of righteousness' (2 Corinthians 11:14-15). Scripture is full of such warnings (Acts 20:29-30; 2 Peter 2:1; 1 John 4:1 etc).

The Bible teaches that even if a true apostle or angel from Heaven preaches a gospel contrary to the Bible, it is to be rejected (Galatians 1:8). False teaching is to be spurned, even if it is accompanied by supernatural manifestations such as visions (Colossians 2:18; 2 Thessalonians 2:2), or even miracles (Matthew 24:24; 2 Thessalonians 2:9-10).

Don't be surprised to find false teachers quoting freely from the Bible. The Scriptures clearly teach that false teachers often use (or rather, misuse) the Bible (2 Corinthians 2:17; 4:2; 2 Timothy 2:15; 2 Peter 3:15-16).

Satan, in the very act of tempting Jesus, quoted the Bible (Matthew 4:6). Jesus' human opponents also referred to Scripture as a basis for their opposition to him (John 7:50-52 cf John 5:39).

The more familiar you are with God's Word, the easier it will be for you to recognize any distortion of it. Jesus wasn't deceived by Satan's use of Scripture. He quoted right back to Satan a Scripture which the devil had carefully omitted (Matthew 4:7). Similarly, when his opponents quoted the Bible in an attempt to prove their false doctrine, Jesus replied that they did not know the Scriptures. He then proceeded to correct their error by referring to the Scriptures (Mark 12:18-27).

It is therefore most important to continually seek to increase your Bible knowledge. However, even more important protection against deception is a sincere desire to do what God wants (John 7:17) and a full acceptance of the truth when it is revealed (2 Thessalonians 2:10,11).

Many parts of the teaching of false cults have to be true in order to seduce people, but the false parts are deadly. They usually don't mention their false doctrines until you are beginning to let your defenses down. It is therefore important to specifically and politely question people concerning the following things. If they differ from the following beliefs, don't listen to them. Politely ask them to leave and have nothing to do with them (2 Thessalonians 3:14; 2 John 10,11). And remember: any good or any truth to be found in another religion will also be found in Christianity. Furthermore, only in true Christianity will this good or truth be found in its pure form, untainted with evil. (Such evil often appears deceptively harmless, like a beautiful, but deadly toadstool.)

1. THE BIBLE IS 100% GOD'S WORD. It is therefore completely reliable and unique.

* Unfortunately, there are preachers in mainline churches who falsely teach that there are errors in the Bible and that it is historically unreliable. Reject such false teaching (Psalm 119:151; John 10:35; 17:17).

* Watch out for those who teach doctrines which are based wholly or partly upon traditions, writings or visions which are not part of Scripture (Matthew 15:3,6). The Book of Mormon is an example of the teaching which is to be avoided.

* The Jehovah's Witnesses have written a version of the Bible which completely distorts parts of Scripture. (The New World Translation.)

* A blatant example of the type of trickery you can expect when dealing with false cults is found in the writings of Mary Baker Eddy (founder of 'Christian Science'). She appears the epitome of orthodoxy when she claims that the Bible is her only 'authority' and 'textbook'. But, after further examination, you'll find that she claims that her book should be used as a textbook because God was its author. If you probe still deeper you'll discover that she teaches that the New Testament alone has 300,000 errors! In contrast to this, she claims that 'Christian Science' is 'unerring and divine!'

2. THE DOCTRINE OF THE TRINITY

* When we examine all the biblical evidence (too vast to mention here), we are forced to conclude that, in one sense, God is three Persons: God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit (Matthew 3:16-17; 28:19; Hebrew 9:14) but in another sense God is one (Deuteronomy 6:4; Isaiah 45:2l).

For an example of the complexity of the Trinity, carefully read Romans 8:9-11.

We would not expect God to fully conform to what we normally experience in our physical, finite world. God is spirit. He is eternal. He is infinite.

We must not allow our conception of God to be distorted by our puny intellect and experience. There are things about our Creator which we simply can't fully understand (Psalm 145:3; Isaiah 55:8,9; Romans 11:33). But just as you don't have to fully understand how a television works before you can believe in it, and enjoy it, it is not necessary that we fully understand the intricacies of God's nature.

Jesus spoke of baptizing in the name (singular, not 'names') of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:l9). The fact that the three are given only one name is an example of the perfect unity which exists in the Trinity. The Bible teaches that God the Father, Jesus and the Spirit were all involved in creation, Jesus' coming to earth, the coming of the Holy Spirit, our salvation etc. It portrays all three persons as being eternal, all-powerful, all-knowing, present everywhere, holy, good, indwelling believers, and so on.

* Jesus' Deity: Jesus is the eternal (uncreated) Son of God

This truth is denied by many false sects, who claim to believe the Bible. Because of this, it's often a quick way of identifying 'wolves in sheep's clothing'. Many will use the term 'Son of God', but will deny that Jesus is God.

The evidence for Jesus' divinity is vast. There is space for only a few examples.

Jesus is the Creator and Sustainer of every created thing (John 1:1-3; Colossians 1:16-17; Hebrews 1:3).

We are to worship only God (Luke 4:8) but it is proper to worship Jesus (John 9:38; Revelation 5:12-14).

According to Scripture, only God is worthy of the name 'Savior' (Isaiah 43:11; Hosea 13:4) and yet the Bible repeatedly ascribes this name to Jesus. For example, in the book of Titus, God is called 'our Savior', but just a few words later Jesus is given that same title. This happens twice in the same book (Titus 1:3-4; 3:4-6). Even the name 'Jesus' (this name was chosen by God) means 'Savior' (Matthew 1:21).

In Hebrews 1:8 we read, that God the Father says to his Son Jesus, 'Your throne, O God, is forever and ever ...'

See also Isaiah 9:6; Matthew 1:23; John 1:18; 10:30; 14:9; 20:28; Romans 9:5; Philippians 2:6; Colossians 1:15,19; 2:9; 1 Timothy 3:16; Titus 2:13; 2 Peter 1:1.

Jesus is unique. Steadfastly refuse to attribute to anyone any honor which belongs solely to Jesus.

He is the only human who has never sinned (Romans 3:23; 1 John 1:8; 3:5; Hebrews 7:26).

He is the only mediator between God and man (1 Timothy 2:5).

He is supreme. Everything and everyone is subject to him. God the Father is the only exception. (1 Corinthians 15:27; Ephesians 1:20-22; Philippians 2:10- 11).

Although everything that exists was created through him, he was never created (John 1:1-3; 8:58; Colossians 1:16-17). He has always existed. He was living an eternity before he came to earth in human flesh. At most, God used Mary to help give Jesus a human body. Like everyone else, Mary was totally dependent upon Jesus for her life and everything she possessed since it was through him that everything was created and is sustained. Mary owed her existence to Jesus, not vice versa.

Prayer is to be offered in his name (John 16:23-24). Outside of the Trinity, the Bible gives us no other name to pray in and no-one else to pray to.

* The personality and deity of the Holy Spirit

This is denied by Armstrong (Plain Truth Magazine).

Although he has abilities far beyond those of man, the Holy Spirit, like the other members of the Godhead, is not a mere impersonal force or power. He is definitely a person. Scripture makes this fact obvious by repeatedly ascribing to him actions which only a person is capable of performing. For example, he teaches and reminds people of things they had forgotten (John 14:26). He convicts of sin (John 16:8), guides, speaks, declares (John 15:26; 16:13,15; Acts 8:29; 28:25), inspires the Scriptures and speaks through them (Acts 1:16; 2 Peter 1:21), calls and sends out workers (Acts 13:2,4), forbids (Acts 16:6,7), intercedes (Romans 8:26), and so on.

He also has the attributes of personality: thought, knowledge, words (1 Corinthians 2:10-13), will (1 Corinthians 12:11), mind (Romans 8:27), and love (Romans 15:30).

He can be treated as a person: lied to and tempted (Acts 5:3,4,9), resisted (Acts 7:51), grieved (Ephesians 4:30), outraged (Hebrews 10:29) and blasphemed against (Matthew 12:31).

In Greek (the original language of the New Testament), the corresponding pronoun to 'child' is 'it' (not 'he' or 'she'). This, of course, is not because the personality or sex of a child is in doubt. It is simply a grammatical feature of the language. Similarly, the Greek word for 'spirit' should always be given a neuter pronoun ('it'). The Bible sometimes does this. It is just proper Greek grammar and has nothing to do with whether or not the Spirit is a person. However, the startling thing is that sometimes the Greek Bible, in defiance of grammar, refers to the Spirit as 'he.' It seems that the writer was so convinced that the Spirit is a person that he went to the extreme of breaking the laws of Greek grammar in order to convey this truth.

The Spirit also has the attributes of God: He is eternal (Hebrews 9:14), omnipresent Psalm 139:7-10, omniscient 1 Corinthians 2:10,11), holy (Holy Spirit), involved in creation (Genesis 1:2; Job 33:4). Often the words 'God' and 'Holy Spirit' are regarded as interchangeable (eg. Acts 5:3-4).

Jesus refers to the Holy Spirit as his other self (John 14:l6, 17) whose presence will be of greater advantage than his own (John 16:7). To have the Spirit of God is to have Christ (Romans 8:9-11).

3. JESUS DIED ON THE CROSS TO PAY THE PENALTY OUR SINS DESERVED (Isaiah 53:4-12; Mark 10:45, 14:24; Romans 4:25; Hebrews 13:12; 1 Peter 2:21,24).

Christ's sacrificial death on the cross is the central aspect of the Christian faith (1 Corinthians 1:17-18,23; 2:2; 11:23-25; Galatians 6:14). His death was not merely a display of love. It was essential for the forgiveness of our sins and without that forgiveness we cannot have a love-relationship with God.

* The only way to God is through Jesus (John 14:6; Acts 4:12; 1 Timothy 2:5,6; 1 John 5:11-12).

* No matter how much good you try to do, it will never remove your sin.

The 'Christian' Spiritualists, for instance (besides having seances which are forbidden by Scripture Leviticus 19:31; 20:6,27; Deuteronomy 18:11-12; 2 Kings 21:6; 1 Chronicles 10:13; Isaiah 8:19-20) falsely teach that Jesus' death was merely a love offering. They claim that our sins have to be rectified by doing good.

Since they hold these beliefs, it is not surprising that many of them APPEAR to do much good. In reality, however, even their apparent good deeds are disgusting to God (Isaiah 64:6).

We are incapable of doing anything that reaches God's standard of goodness (Mark 10:18; Romans 3:10; Titus 1:16) until after we have been forgiven and united to God (John 15:5). No matter how many good deeds we attempt, they will never outweigh the eternal consequences of just one sin. Our forgiveness can be obtained by nothing but repentance and faith in Jesus.

If we place some of our faith in the good we try to do, believing that living a good life will help us get to Heaven, then we haven't placed our full faith in Jesus alone, and so we cannot be forgiven. No matter how much good we try to do, we can never deserve to be forgiven. The only way we can obtain forgiveness is by giving up any attempt to earn God's approval and simply accept forgiveness as a free, undeserved, gift from God. It is as though we are sinking in quick-sand, and the more we struggle and try to save ourselves, the faster we sink. We must stop trying to save ourselves and place both of our hands in the hands of Jesus, trusting entirely in his ability to save us.

Only repentance and faith in Jesus can cause us to be united to God.

Repentance literally means a change of mind. It means we now want to please the King of kings instead of ignoring or disobeying him. To have faith in Jesus is to rely entirely upon his ability to cause us to be accepted by God, and to place no faith in our own ability to gain God's approval. It is true that our repentance and faith will become obvious to others by our subsequent actions (Luke 3:8; James 2:17), but our Maker, who knows our deepest thoughts and motives (Hebrews 4:13), doesn't have to wait for our repentance and faith to be manifested outwardly.

Once we have the right mental attitude, we are instantaneously forgiven, the moment we ask the Lord for it. (For example, the robber crucified next to Jesus, repented and had faith in Jesus only a few hours before he died. Jesus assured him that he would be with him in paradise, even though, due to his predicament, he was unable to be baptized, join a church or start doing good Luke 23:39-43).

After we are united to our Holy Lord (the only Source of moral goodness) we are then able to do good (Ephesians 2:8-10), but only because it is God working in us (Philippians 2:13). Any true good comes from God, not us, and so we can't get any credit for any good we do. All the honor and praise belongs to the Almighty alone. See Philippians 3:9; Romans 3:19-22; 9:30-33; Galatians 2:16.

4. JESUS ROSE FROM THE DEAD AND IS NOW SEATED WITH GOD, INTERCEDING ON OUR BEHALF. (Hebrews 7:24-25; 9:24; Revelation 3:21).

Christ's resurrection was essential for our salvation from the power and consequences of our sins (1 Corinthians 15:17).

5. Our standards of morality must conform exactly with those of the Bible.

Avoid those who don't treat as sin, things which the Bible says is sin, such as drunkenness, sexual immorality (homosexuality, sex outside of marriage) dishonesty, and so on (2 Timothy 2:1-5).

6. NO SINGLE CHURCH, OR GROUP, HAS A MONOPOLY UPON TRUTH.

Probably all mainline churches have some members which belong to Jesus and some members which do not. The true church consists of all true believers, regardless of what church they belong to. It is important to love, and work towards the unity of, all true Christians irrespective of the name of the church they attend.

Be wary of groups which tend to be exclusive or act as though they think they are almost the only ones whom God approves of.

7. THE TRUE GOD IS A SUPERNATURAL GOD. He performed healings and miracles in biblical times and, of course, he is just as today.

What the Bible records is historical fact – the miracles actually happened. But the Bible is more than an ancient history book. It reveals what God expects from us, in our century, and what we can expect from him.

For instance, Jesus said that if anyone (not restricted to the First Century) believes in him, he would be able to do the things that Jesus did.

Note the similarity between the way Jesus introduced the truths contained in the following two verses, 'Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that be believeth on me hath everlasting life' (John 6:47). 'Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father' (John 14:12).

We must be consistent! Either eternal life and miracles (or 'the works that I do' as Jesus called them) are both available to us today, or neither of them are.

8. THE DEAD SPEND FOREVER IN ONLY ONE OF TWO PLACES Heaven (a place of honor and joy in God's presence) or Hell (a place of shame and misery banished from God's presence).

In this age of permissiveness and calling a spade a spade, there is still one four-letter word so vulgar that when mentioned in seriousness it causes even the most worldly to blush and try to hide their acute embarrassment with a giggle or a crude remark. In our enlightened society with rapidly expanding knowledge, there is one subject about which ignorance is preferred. It seems to be considered too terrifying to be featured in horror movies. You are likely to hear it seriously discussed only in whispered tones behind monastery walls!

Let's face facts! Hell is a most unpleasant subject and almost all of us are tempted to bury our head in the sand and pretend that it doesn't exist, but Jesus repeatedly insisted that there is a literal place of endless torment that is the only alternative for those who ignore Jesus' offer of eternal life (Matthew 8:12; 13:40-42,49-50; 22:13; 25:30,41,46; Mark 9:43,44; Luke 3:17; l6:23,24,26; 2 Thessalonians 1:8,9; Revelation 14:10,11).

Some false cults claim that people can't exist forever in Hell because existing forever is eternal life! This type of thinking shows a complete misunderstanding of the Biblical conception of eternal life. The Bible says that all non-Christians on earth are 'dead' (Ephesians 2:1,5; 5:14; 1 Timothy 5:6; Revelation 3:1) and that only those who are spiritually united to Christ have 'life' (1 John 5:12). In Jesus' parable, the prodigal son, though physically alive throughout the story, was regarded as being dead or alive, depending upon his relationship with his father (Luke 15:24). (In the parable, the father symbolized God.) It is therefore obvious that when Scripture refers to 'life' it means much more than mere existence. The Biblical use of the word 'eternal' refers not merely to the quantity of time, but also to the quality of the life. So the fact that non-Christians exist in Hell after death in no way contradicts the fact that only Christians have eternal life.

Once a person is in Hell it is impossible for him to ever go to Heaven (Luke 16:22-26).

BE EAGER TO HAVE HIS CHILDREN

The concept of having spiritual children is firmly entrenched in the Bible (for example, see 1 Corinthians 4:15; Galatians 4:19: 1 Thessalonians 2:7; Philemon 10). Anyone whom God uses to cause another person to become a true, born again Christian is regarded as being that person's spiritual parent.

The Bible uses both betrothal and marriage to symbolize the relationship God has with his people. But in this case, of course, the marriage analogy is the most appropriate.

Just as it is normal in marriage to have children, so in your spiritual union with Christ it is normal to have spiritual children. Especially in Bible days it was a cause of great shame for a married person to remain childless. But you will be able to have spiritual children, provided you maintain an intimate relationship with Christ.

It takes two persons for a child to be conceived. And it takes two persons (the Lord and at least one other person) to cause a person to be spiritually born (that is, forgiven, John 3:6).

The Lord could have decided to produce spiritual children completely unaided. (He is the only person who, in everything, is able to be totally independent.) But he has given us great dignity by requiring our help in this extremely important act (Ezekiel 33:7,8,11; Matthew 9:38; 2 Corinthians 6:1; 5:18-20).

The spiritual destinies (eternity in Heaven or Hell) of billions of people are at stake. It seems impossible to think of anything more important. Because the Almighty has deliberately restricted himself, he needs you to help save people from Hell. He has entrusted this enormous responsibility to you because your all-powerful God has faith in you and he loves you so much that he wants you to share in his great work. Don't let God down.

The greatest thing we could ever do of a person would be to save his or her life. But, unfortunately, what is normally referred to as saving a life is merely delaying death. It may take decades, but eventually that person who was 'saved from death' will die. However, by virtue of your union with Christ, you can really save lives so that people will receive eternal life and live forever (Luke 20:35,36; John 5:24-29; 6:27, 50-54; 1 Corinthians 15:22,26,32; 2 Corinthians 5:1-6.)

How to have spiritual children:

* Maintain an intimate union with Jesus.

This is, of course, absolutely essential. Without him, you can do nothing of any eternal value (John 15:5).

Children inherit characteristics from both their parents. Do all you can to ensure that your spiritual life doesn't have any defects (such as slackness or sin), or your spiritual children might also share those defects.

* Pray

Ask the Lord to give you spiritual children and also pray specifically for those people you know who have not given their lives over to Jesus. Pray for opportunities to tell others about Jesus and ask in faith, for boldness and wisdom when the opportunity occurs.

* Explain to other people the Christian message

Familiarity with the contents of this webpage should help you know what to say.

* Tell others what Jesus has personally done for you.

* Give people Christian tracts

* Invite them to Church meetings

* Live a life that radiates God's love, joy, peace, kindness and purity

* Seriously consider designing a webpage that will attract and hold the attention of non-Christians

* Contribute to the financial support of those who are spreading the Gospel

What value do you place on human soul?

* Don't give up! (2 Timothy 4:2)

If you are mocked and slandered and jeered at, you will receive a special blessing (Matthew 5:10-12). Even if you are physically attacked, that's no reason for giving up! It's a reason for rejoicing (Acts 5:40-41)! Just keep persisting, no matter how much you are ignored or rejected, and God will reward your faithfulness. Jesus suffered and died for those people you are trying to help spiritually. How much are you willing to suffer for them?

God wants a b-i-g family!

Have many grandchildren!

After being used of God to bring a new Christian into this world, you then have an obligation to help that person grow spiritually.

What would you think of a woman who gave birth to a child and then left it to fend for itself? It is my obligation to the spiritual children the Lord gives me that has caused me to put much time and effort into writing this webpage.

You should do all you can to encourage your spiritual children to spiritually reproduce. By this means, even if you are only a teenager, you can be a spiritual grand-parent or even great-grand-parent!

Amazing as it seems, if you have only one spiritual child every six months, and each of your spiritual descendants reproduce at the same rate, the entire population of the world would be true Christians by the end of sixteen years!

GIVE YOUR LOVER GIFTS

It is a great privilege to give gifts to the Lord. Only because of his great love for us does the Owner of the universe accept and appreciate our gifts. He, of course, lacks nothing, and anything we could give belongs to him anyway (Romans 11:35-36). You could never out-give your Wonderful God!

Give joyfully (2 Corinthians 9:7), liberally (2 Corinthians 8:2) and out of love (1 Corinthians 13:3), because this is the way in which your Creator has given to you (James 1:5).

The greatest thing you can give your Lover is your love. He appreciates the little things you do for him, like missing a meal just so you can spend more time alone with him!. He treasures your gifts and, obviously, the more sacrificial the gift, the more precious it is to him. But a gift given as a solemn obligation (though better than none) is not nearly as pleasing to your Lord as something given joyfully as an expression of love (2 Corinthians 9:7).

It is quite unscriptural to think that we have fulfilled our financial obligation to our Lord once we have given a tithe (one tenth of our income). The concept of tithing is confined almost entirely to the Old Testament. And even in those times, in addition to tithes, offerings were expected (Malachi 3:8), as well as gifts to the poor (Deuteronomy 15:11; Isaiah 58:7), total obedience to God, and so on.

Certainly, a few Old Testament people were rich. One of these was Job, but note his attitude towards money (Job. 31:16-32). He was very generous, and rejoiced in God, not his wealth.

In Luke 3:9-14 we find that three different classes of people asked John the Baptist what they must do in order to avoid the judgment of God. To every group, the Baptist zeroed in on money and possessions.

A rich young man asked Jesus how he could receive eternal life. No doubt, this devout Jew was already giving tithes, but Jesus told him to sell all he possessed and give it to the poor. The young man was not prepared to pay such a high price. And so, even though Jesus loved him, he had to let him leave dejected, with no assurance of eternal life (Mark 10:17-22). Similarly, you cannot be given assurance of eternal life if, when confronted with a similar dilemma, you discovered that money, and not Jesus, is really your God. (The Lord may or may not actually give you this test, but since he thoroughly knows you, he already knows how you would respond.)

I believe many, many people are self-deceived on this point. They are willing to give their Maker a large percentage of their money and time. They believe they are dedicated Christians, and feel certain that they have eternal life. But if God asked for 100%, it would become obvious that Jesus is not their Lord at all. Some of their faith is in Jesus, but the rest of it is in material things. They are like someone who would like to be saved but is not prepared to leave his sinking boat in order to board the rescue ship. What a foolish and highly dangerous situation to be in!

Jesus also required his twelve disciples to surrender 100% of their possessions (Mark 10:28; Luke 5:11,27,28), But God ensured that they never lacked a thing (Mark 10:29-30; Luke 22:35).

Zacchaeus resolved to give half his goods to the poor and decided that anyone he had cheated he would repay four times as much. It was only after this change of attitude towards money that Jesus declared, 'Today, salvation has come to this household' (Luke 19:8-9).

The early Christians in Jerusalem, filled with the love of God, sold their possessions to provide for those in need (Acts 2:44-45; 4:34-37). Apparently, the mere sight of fellow believers with needs greater than their own was sufficient to motivate them to make this sacrifice. As the church grew, this concept of sharing continued (Acts 11:27-30) until it encompassed believers in the entire world (2 Corinthians 8:14-15). God's desire is that there be a world-wide material equality amongst true Believers. (Allowing for the fact that some have greater needs than others.)

Read the principles described in 2 Corinthians, Chapters 8 and 9. Add to them the fact that it is more blessed to give than to receive (Acts 20:35). And add to this total, the effect that a world-wide display of love and unity would have upon unbelievers (John 13:35; 17:21). It then becomes obvious that if God really wanted to bless the church, he would create within it an unequal distribution of wealth. An immense flood of prayer, praise, love, joy, prosperity, and blessing would then result from the equalization of this wealth.

A great, world-wide inequality does indeed exist. It is up to you and me in the rich countries to create such a flow of finance to our needy brothers and sisters that God will be glorified and the whole world will sit up and take notice.

It might seem that you can hardly 'make ends meet' now, but God has promised to take care of all your financial needs when you give sacrificially to him (Matthew 6:31-33; Luke 6:38; 2 Corinthians 9:6; Philippians 4:15-19). And if you already have sufficient, remember that God has prospered you so that you may give to others (2 Corinthians 9:8,11).

Of course, there is nothing basically wrong with money or material possessions, but we must face the realities of life. There are people dying of physical and spiritual starvation who could be saved if we gave them some of our money instead of spending it on ourselves.

The really 'rich' people are those who have discovered the joy of giving. See Proverbs 11:24-25. Because God looks after such people, and they are content with the basic necessities of life (1 Timothy 6:6-8), they always have more than enough. Furthermore, they are storing great riches in heaven (Mark 10:21; Luke 14:12-14).

The poor people (whatever the size of their bank balance) are those who are spiritually bankrupt. They are never content with what they have. They are always craving for more.

Always be willing to obey inner urges to give money, but first ask God, to ensure that the desire is really coming from him. Although the recipient of the money will be human, you are right in regarding it as a personal gift to God (Proverbs 19:17; Matthew 25:40).

Remember how one boy's lunch fed a huge crowd (John 6:1-13). If the lad had ignored Jesus, and tried to meet the great need himself, very little would have been accomplished. A miracle occurred and the great need was met because the boy first offered his gift to Jesus. Tell Jesus that you are giving the gift to him (even though it is also given to a human agency) and ask him to bless and multiply it. God can then use your small gift to meet some of the great needs in this world.

Who to give money to:

* Those who have spiritually helped you (Galatians 6:6, 1 Timothy 5:17,18).

The person or organization used by God to bring you to the Lord, and your church, fits into this category. I believe that, after providing your family with its basic needs (1 Timothy 5:8), your prime financial obligation is to provide for the needs of those who have sacrificially ministered to you spiritually. But this should not normally be done to the extent that you become financially impoverished while your spiritual leaders become rich (2 Corinthians 8:12-13).

* Needy fellow believers (James 2:15-16; 1 John 3:17).

Become aware of your spiritual brothers and sisters in other countries, especially those who are persecuted for their faith in Jesus (1 Corinthians 12:26; Hebrews 13:3). Give to organizations that help these people. The needs in many countries are in such contrast to western affluence that it is almost impossible for us to give so much that we would become poorer than they!

* Needy non-Christians (Proverbs 25:21).

Where possible, channel money through Christian organizations. Usually such groups have lower administration expenses and are more reliable. But, to me, the crucial thing is that the work be done in the name of Christ and not in the name of what in my country is called the 'generous public' or some such thing.

Where possible, give to those who offer spiritual as well as material help. You should also give to Christians who specialize in evangelism (Matthew 10:9-10; 1 Corinthians 9:14; Philippians 4:14-18).

For further study on this important subject of giving, read Psalm 112:5-9; Proverbs 28:27; Luke 12:33-34; 1 Timothy 6:6-11; Hebrews 13:5,16.

LOOK FORWARD TO YOUR WEDDING DAY

In one sense, your relationship with Jesus is presently more like a betrothal than a marriage (2 Corinthians 11:2). In Biblical times, a betrothal was deeper than modern engagements. It was as binding as marriage, without the corresponding privileges. Your marriage to Jesus will occur at the culmination of this age (Revelation 19:7-9; 21:2,9) when Jesus fulfills his promise to return to earth (Matthew 24:30-31; John 14:3).

A girl who is engaged to be married enjoys a close relationship with her fiancé, but she longs for the day when they can be even more intimate. She yearns for the day when he will not just visit her, but actually live with her. It's quite frustrating at times, but she has to wait until they are married.

In a similar way, we now enjoy a beautiful relationship with Jesus, but we yearn for the day of his glorious return, when we shall see him as he really is (1 John 3:2). We cherish those times when we are deeply conscious of his presence but we want such experiences to continue, uninterrupted, forever! We long for our union with Christ to be consummated. (There is, of course, no sexual element in this. In fact, it seems that after death we will no longer have the capacity for sex Mark 12:25; Galatians 3:28.) We know that our honeymoon with Jesus will literally be heavenly and that it will never end. And so we look forward to the day when our Lover will return and take us to himself (John 14:3).

A strong desire for Christ's return to earth was common amongst the early Christians, and it is important that we exhibit the same longings (Philippians 3:20; 2 Timothy 4:8; Titus 2:13; Hebrews 9:28; Revelation 22:20). Those who have this yearning should keep themselves pure (1 John 3:2-3) and ensure that they do not become lax in their service for their glorious Lord (Luke 12:36-47).

Life with Jesus, right now, is great, but it is only a vague shadow of the tremendous things that God has in store for you when his Son returns. You shouldn't be concerned about seeking a nice, easy life now. One of the recurring themes of Jesus' teaching is that if you are not recompensed in this life for sacrifices you make, your reward will be much greater in the next world (Luke 14:12-14).

When the King of kings returns to earth, you will become perfect, just as he is (Romans 8:29; 1 Corinthians 15:49; 1 John 3:2). But as you wait for that wonderful day, there is no need to struggle and strive to try to please your Holy God. Just relax and enjoy your Divine Lover.

If you spend much time examining yourself, you will only find failures and imperfections, but when you look at Jesus, you are looking at the ultimate in success and perfection. As you get your eyes off your problems and failures, and fix your attention upon your perfect Lover (Philippians 4:8), you will find yourself gradually becoming more and more like him (2 Corinthians 3:18). This will occur as naturally (and generally as slowly) as a child becomes progressively more and more like an adult.

But although you will be growing spiritually, it will not always seem that way. Naturally, you will feel strong when things are easy-going, but when you are facing strong temptations you may be plagued with doubts. At such times you may seem spiritually much weaker than a few weeks earlier when things were so much easier. Previously, it seemed as though you were bounding ahead whereas now it seems a major accomplishment merely to keep your head above water! But this is quite normal and no cause for alarm. Quite possibly, if you had been subjected to those same pressures earlier in your Christian experience you would have completely given up. (So you really are stronger than you used to be!). But God is faithful! He has promised to allow you to be exposed to only those trials that he knows you have the spiritual strength to overcome, with his help (1 Corinthians 10:13). And every victory will make you even stronger. But you must persist! This is essential for any development in the spiritual realm. For example, you must keep on forgiving people no matter how much they abuse and exploit you. This ability to steadfastly resist opposition when others would have given up; to remain faithful to God in almost impossible situations, is what some Bible versions call patience but it is really a stronger quality than this word implies (Hebrews 12:1-4). It is vital that you have this ability and so continually ask God to give it to you.

So, although temporary difficulties and hardships may come your way, as you submit to the Lord Jesus and maintain an intimate union with him through faith, you will gradually grow stronger and stronger spiritually (Psalm 84:5,7). In other words, you shall overcome every problem, by the power of your all-powerful God, and things will get better and better!

THE NEXT STEP

Have you now completed the entire webpage? Tremendous! I hope this achievement gives you some of the satisfaction I've felt in completing the writing. In this webpage I've given you some idea as to where you are headed as you continue to develop spiritually. It is as though I've described in detail a very long journey and you may feel almost exhausted at the mere thought of it! But don't worry, you'll get there, a day at a time. I would like to say I've already arrived, but I haven't. I'm still having difficulty trying to integrate some of these things into my own life. But I've made lots of progress. And you will too, as you look to Jesus for the strength.

Are you brave enough to try looking up all of the Scripture verses? It's quite a task. (There are over 700 of them!) Even when I was merely checking them I began to wonder if I'd ever finish! And I must warn that sometimes the connection between the verse and what I've written is quite obscure! But have a go! You've got nothing to lose (except your sanity)! Comfort yourself with the thought that all the time you spend doing it is only the smallest fraction of the time I've spent preparing them for you. God bless you!

© Copyright, Grantley Morris, 1980, 1999.
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