JESUS TALK

  W hy does the Great Commandment instruct us to love God first, others second? Because this is the order in which God himself loves. Genesis 1:1 is not where God's love first began. His love is eternal, and always existed before creation, and it has always existed in the Trinity. God ’ s love didn't call for anything outside of the Godhead. Because Christ first loved us, we love. He loves us because he first and always loved himself. In humans, Self-love is not always admirable. Even if accurately loving oneself is excellent and even required for loving one's neighbor, the Bible also addresses the negative of people who are lovers of self. 2 Timothy 2:3 - For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, slanderers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy I ’ m sure we all have met individuals we would categorize as egotists, those who look at themselves more highly than they are. But, with God, it is impossible to be egotistical. God alone...

D id you know in addition to Satan speaking to Eve, he was also attacking God? Satan aimed to in 3 areas of his character and attribute. Satan not only wanted to deceive Eve but by deceiving Eve tried to discredit God. Let’s look at three things here.   1.     Challenging God’s Wisdom      He began by criticizing God's wisdom. He demonstrated to Eve that only one tree is prohibited by comparing all the trees. This created uncertainty in her thoughts. He was essentially asking, "Why would God plant a tree and then forbid you from eating from it?"   2.     Creating Doubt of God’s Word       Satan disputed the veracity of God's Word. He warned Eve that God was exaggerating the consequences of eating from the tree. The serpent charged that the Lord's description of the outcomes of acquiring this new knowledge was untrue.   3.     Attacking the Character of God. Satan made attacks on God's integ...

A re you Overcoming Fear? Everyone experiences fear in their life. Some may have a fear of failure or even a fear of death, or some may fear not having enough to get by, but the truth is they do exist. I know this is a big topic to cover, but I believe we have to understand what our fears are before we can truly learn to conquer them. 2 Tim. 1:7 - For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. Satan’s scheme Fear is a tool Satan uses against us to keep our focus off God and ultimately destroy our lives. He studies our thought patterns and stirs up emotions within us that can control us. Sometimes, it is so strong, we can even make wrong decisions or wrong choices. I admit, I have made many foolish decisions in my life as a way to camouflage my fears, only to create more problems for myself. I put more focus on my setbacks, rather than believe God’s word and what he says about me. I finally realized and accepted that only God is in con...

What is the important of knowing God? Your life depends on it. Jesus says in (John 17:3 NKJV) "And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. Our life is hidden in Christ and is revealed to us through knowing Him. (Colossians 3:1-4 NKJV) If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. {2} Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. {3} For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. {4} When Christ who is our life appears, and then you also will appear with Him in glory. God desires that we know Him and love Him   (Mark 12:30 NKJV) 'And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.' This is the first commandment. The more we come to know God, the more we come to know love, because God is Love. The more realization and awareness we have...

  W hat is the purpose and importance of a prayer life?   Our spiritual lives began as the result of prayer “whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Romans 10:13) and must be maintained and nourished by prayer. Someone once said, “A Christian is only as strong as his prayer life.” There is a great deal of truth in that statement because prayer is our direct access to God. As we learned in lesson number five, “Quiet Time,” prayer is an essential part of our relationship with the Lord. Therefore, one of the primary purposes of prayer is to sustain and strengthen our fellowship with our Heavenly Father through intimate communication, without which the relationship will be greatly hindered.  Prayer establishes an attitude of dependency; it teaches us to draw close to God so that He can prove His sufficiency for our every need. “Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and...

T he New Testament makes it abundantly clear that as believers, we are no longer under any law; rather, we are under God’s grace. However, many believers take advantage of this freedom because they believe it gives them the liberty to sin however they like. Can we do what we want? We have free will and are at liberty to make our own choices - John 8:36, Romans 14:22, Joshua 24:15 We are eternally secure in Christ. We cannot lose our salvation by our actions since salvation is the gift of God. It is given because of faith in Jesus Christ, not because of any good that we have done, nor can we lose it because of any wrong we may do - Ephesians 2:8-9, Galatians 2:16 We are not bound by rules and regulations “Legalism” - Romans 8:1-3, Galatians 3:24-25 What is the purpose of freedom in Christ? Our liberty is not given to satisfy our sinful flesh - Galatians 5:13 But rather provides the opportunity to reach people for Christ - 1 Corinthians 9:19-22 Freedom in Christ allows us to act morally ...

N o one likes being confined. You feel smothered, squeezed in, and as if there's no way out when you're stuck. Many Christians live with the impression that they are enslaved by sin. While we rejoice in the joy of Christ changing us through the power of the Spirit, there appear to be certain sins from which we all struggle to break free. No matter how hard we try, no matter how much we resolve, that sin returns to us like grass springing through holes in the pavement. Even when we have a long period of victory, sin seems to lurk just beneath the surface, ready to attack the moment we let our guard down. God’s word has a sweet, refreshing, liberating, hope-infusing word for those who feel trapped in stubborn sins. In Colossians 2:11-12 Paul proclaims to us that, if we are in Christ, we are never trapped in sin. No matter how defeated or wrapped in a sin we may feel, its hold on us is never, ever stronger than the power that surges in us through our union with Christ.  In Colossi...