Which Man Are You Feeding?

“For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life.” (Galatians 6:8)

Inside the soul of every Christian man or woman is a dual-nature.

An old Cherokee proverb describes this as a battle between a white wolf and a black wolf inside a man' chest:

“We all have two wolves inside us. And these wolves are constantly fighting each other. There is a white wolf and a black wolf. The black wolf is filled with fear, anger, envy, jealousy, greed, and arrogance. The white wolf is filled with peace, love, hope, courage, humility, compassion, and faith. They battle each other constantly. Which wolf wins?  The one that we feed.” 

The apostle Paul describes this dual-nature well in Romans chapter 7. He said the good things he wanted to do, he was not doing. But the bad things he loathed, were the things he practiced. (See Romans 7:15-25). The bible refers to our two natures as the "old man" and the "new man." (See Ephesians 4:17-24). Our old sinful nature is also referred to as "the flesh." Our new, regenerated, born again heart and nature is the new man.

I personally experienced this past week, and also witnessed in the lives of a few people who are close to me, that the "man" we choose to feed is the one who wins. 

The old man - vs. - the new man.  

If I feed my old man spiritual junk food, worldly garbage, and sensual processed food, he will only grow bigger, meaner and stronger.

However, if I feed my new man intimate time spent with God in prayer, in worship, in time spent reading and meditating on His Word, and through time spent in fellowship with other godly men, my new man will grow stronger, refreshed and revived in Christ.

But you have to choose.

It's one, or the other. A double-minded man is unstable in all of his ways. http://marriage-miracles.blogspot.com/2012/03/double-minded-man.html

“For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish.” (Galatians 5:17) 

Which "man" are you feeding today?

Here's the evidence from Galatians chapter 5.

Feeding the old man:

“Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.” (Verses 19-21)

Feeding the new man:

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such there is no law. And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.” (Verses 22-25)

Self control. 

Even though this is listed last, having, or lacking, self control reveals all. For if I truly love Jesus, I will walk in the Spirit and exercise self control. 

Jesus said, 

"If a man loves Me he will keep My commandments." (John 14:21)

The heart is central. 

God is faithful, and does not allow us to be tempted beyond what we can handle, and with temptation He always provides the way out. (1 Corinthians 10:13)

Jesus is the Way.

Knowing that truth and the faithfulness of God, your love for Him, my love for Him, will be evident in the fruit of our daily choices.

The old man - vs. - the new man.

Which "man" will win the battle within you today? 

      —The one that you feed.

—God is Love, and Love Never Fails.

Faith In Deeper Waters

“In my distress I called to the Lord, and He answered me. From deep in the realm of the dead I called for help, and You listened to my cry.” (Jonah 2:2)

Do you know anyone who is going through really deep water? Through trials so great—so crushing—that you simply don't know how to help them in a way that will actually ease their suffering?

A dear friend of mine is going through such a trial. And it overwhelms me—breaks my heart—that I can't ease his pain.  

When you look at my friend's life, his brutal history going back to childhood, his debilitating injuries and the constant, chronic pain that he must endure daily, and then you look at my puny little trials in light of his, the word "trials" really need to be in two different dictionaries when you compare our situations.

We've prayed for him for many years since we first met. We've loved him, encouraged him, wept with him, and been there with him through the deep waters of his life.

But for His own purpose and reasons, God has chosen at this time not to heal my friend's afflictions.

And I really don't know how to pray for my friend any differently than I've already been praying for him. Don't know how to encourage him in a way that will tangibly help him. Can't find the words or scriptures that will lift my friend up that won't come across as Christian cliches'. Or as more than just 'Christian talk.'

Do you know what I mean?

Please don't get me wrong. I am not in any way trying to diminish the power or importance of prayer or the Word of God. But sometimes, people's suffering is not eased, no matter how much you pray. And it's not a matter of how much faith we have, or how much faith my friend has.  

Because the fact is, God allows suffering.

So what do you do in a situation like this?

You keep praying.  

You keep seeking, asking, and knocking until you get an answer. And if you don't hear an answer, then all we can know, is, God's grace is sufficient. Sufficient for us. And sufficient for my friend whose suffering never sleeps.

That may seem like a cop-out to some. 

But what else are you going to do?

It's not like God can't heal my friend. But for His own reasons and purpose, He has chosen not to.  

And we have to find a way to be 'okay' with that, to trust God in it; to have faith that God has our friend in His hands, and that He knows what to do.

If we're being honest, we all have had times in our lives where we've prayed, and prayed, and prayed to God for something. For healing. For relief. For help. But the healing, help, and relief does not come when you feel like you can't go on another moment.

At times, people will choose to doubt God in their pain and in their weakness. But where else can we go?

The Apostle Peter said, when Jesus asked him; "Will you also leave Me?"

“Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.” (John 6:68)

Truly having faith means to trust in God when we can't see how we can possibly go on. 

The Psalmist wrote:

“The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them; He delivers them from all their troubles. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” (Psalm 34:17-18)

This is just one among many, many promises from God to His people. The Lord does hear us when we cry out to Him. He does deliver us from all our troubles. But we don't know when our deliverance will come. Will it be a few months after we have suffered? Will it be years?

Or will deliverance only come in the next life?

Only God knows when He will perform His will in our lives. He alone knows the end from the beginning,

“The judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether.”  (Psalm 19:9)

True "faith" is trusting in God when we can't see the outcome of our trials. True faith is proclaiming Psalm 19:9. 'True and righteous are Your decisions O' Lord.'

Having faith is trusting in the Lord to manage our life—to surrender our hearts and hurts to Him. He alone is faithful and good and He will keep His promises to us.

I had a discussion this morning with my daughter about one of the great Christian authors, and about what is perhaps his most well known book. When asked what my thoughts were about the book, I replied: 

I love the opening chapters. There are some statements so profound; so timely, that I felt like God put this book on my table, at this time, for a great purpose in my life. And I'm sure He did so. But the middle section of the book left me discouraged. The profound quotes I found in the front of the book, I did not see in the middle or at the back. So much knowledge and information; but zero true life application. Facts about God and about His nature. But the true "how to" really have a personal, intimate, one-on-one relationship with God, I did not find. And I think that's the message that God wants me to learn; that I won't find an intimate, personal one-on-one relationship with Him in other men's books, but rather, by crying out to Him. By getting alone in my prayer closet, or in my car parked up in the hills, and really seeking His face.

 And that is the purpose of this blog entry and my encouragement to you today.

As Psalm 34 says,

"The righteous cry out and the Lord hears them; He delivers them from all their troubles."

God promises to hear His children when we cry out to Him. He promises to, in His own time, deliver us from all our troubles.

And that's the answer to my prayers—made in times of anguish—in times of being overwhelmed for my suffering friend.

Keep praying. Keep seeking, keep asking and keep knocking.

Call upon the name of the Lord.

God hears the cries of the afflicted. He answers their cries. He delivers the afflicted from all their troubles.

Trust Him in this.

—He loves you.

—God is Love, and Love Never Fails.

Faith in Deep Water

"Hope itself is like a star; not to be seen in the sunshine of prosperity, but only to be discovered in the night of adversity." (C.H. Spurgeon)

Are youexperiencing a time of real trial and adversity in your life?

By "real" trial and adversity, I don't mean discontinuing your satellite dish service because the economy stinks. I'm  not talking about the 'sacrifice' of giving up the Range Rover, or your summer house on the lake, because times are tough.

No, I mean real adversity. Crushing trials.

Crushing adversity; such as, your spouse, your child, or your best friend just passed away after a long battle with cancer. Real adversity; such as your wife just dumped you like yesterday's garbage and ran off with another man, leaving you alone with your children. Real trials; such as losing both your parents in a horrific car crash. Real adversity; such as suffering through mental illness or a life-changing, painful medical condition, but no one can relate with what you're going through and you feel rejected and alone. Crushing trials; such as, enduring a bitter divorce and a family torn apart by sin, adultery and unfaithfulness. Crushing adversity; such as you saw your brothers in arms killed in war in the Middle East, and you yourself lost limbs, and now you're suffering through Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome. Crushing trials; such as your child or grandchild just committed suicide.

We can't even begin to understand what someone else is going through until we have walked in their shoes.

When you're young and strong, it's no problem to take that hill. When your marriage is rocking, you feel invincible. When your health is perfect—can't touch this. When you have a great job and plenty of money in the bank, you can kick back in the hammock with your iced tea and relax. 

Having faith is easy when life is easy.

But when you are really tested—when your life, marriage, family, or health is in serious jeopardy, you really have to trust in God. When things get so bad that you can't possibly fix it by yourself—when all you have is your faith.

Hence the old saying:  "You'll never know Jesus is all you need until Jesus is all you have."

Having faith means to trust in, believe in, to have reliance upon. As followers of Christ, it isn't about "our great faith"... since faith itself is a gift from God.  It's all about Who we place our trust in. My faith is not in my faith. My faith, trust, reliance upon—is fully and only in Jesus.

Here's an account from Paul, a fellow brother in Christ, who was no stranger to trials and adversity:

“Three times I was beaten with rods; once I was stoned; three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I have been in the deep; in journeys often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils of my own countrymen, in perils of the Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; in weariness and toil, in sleeplessness often, in hunger and thirst, in fasting often, in cold and nakedness.”  (2 Corinthians 11:25-27)

How did Paul endure these perilous times of intense trials and suffering? When he asked God three times that a painful "thorn in the flesh" might be removed from him, God's response to Paul was:

“My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” 

 Paul went on to say:

"Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” (2 Corinthians 12:9-10) 

When we have no strength; when we can't fix it any longer; when Jesus is all we have; then we are strong: because Christ is strong in us.

"Take pleasure in my infirmities?! How can I possibly do that?! Can't you see how much I'm hurting?!"

Jesus said:  

“I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit—for without Me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5)

The longer I live—the longer I walk the narrow and difficult path of following Christ—the more I'm painfully aware of just how desperately I need Jesus; every minute, of every day. Truly, without Him—I can do nothing good. 

For years, throughout my life-struggles, I sought comfort and solace in men's bible study groups. And there were some good moments and friendships in those groups. We are told in scripture to study the Word.

“Study to show yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” (2 Timothy 2:15)

However, if we're not careful, we can get so caught up in the intellectual 'study' of the word of God, that we miss the God of the Word altogether. The bible is not a college text book. It is the living word of God. 

Jesus said:

“You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me—But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life.” (John 5:39-40)

The whole purpose of Jesus coming to earth and dying on the Cross was to restore intimacy between God and man. He wants us to come to Him. It's personal. He wants a relationship with you, with me. He gave His life on the Cross for that intimacy of personal relationship with us.

Don't drive yourself crazy trying to understand why she left you. Stop trying to figure out why God would let him die. You won't understand it. It won't make sense now. It may later. It may never.

God's thoughts are higher than our thoughts. His ways, higher than our ways. Only God knows why He allows things to happen in our lives. He has a purpose for allowing them to happen. Just trust Him in it.

All you can do, should do, by far the best thing to do; is call out to Him. Come to Him—that you may have life.

As a friend once put it;

"Sometimes the best place to be is flat on your back, looking up, crying out to God—"Help!"

Here is an old song that really speaks to me of God's love and faithfulness to us:

“I have journeyed through the long dark night,

Out on the open sea, by faith alone, sight unknown,

And yet His eyes were watching me.

The anchor holds, though the ship is battered,

The anchor holds, though the sails are torn.
I have fallen on my knees, as I faced the raging seas,

The anchor holds, in spite of the storm.

I've had visions, I've had dreams,

I've even held them in my hand,
But I never knew, they would slip right through,

Like they were only grains of sand.

I have been young, but I am older now,

And there has been beauty that these eyes have seen.
But it was in the night, through the storms of my life,

Oh, that's where God proved His love to me

The anchor holds, though the ship is battered,

The anchor holds, though the sails are torn.
I have fallen on my knees, as I faced the raging seas,

The anchor holds, in spite of the storm.”

Sometimes we can help each other. We should always try. But while we may mean well, we are still imperfect human beings. The Word does tell us though, that part of the beauty of the Body of Christ is that we can comfort others who are going through the same kind of troubles that we've been through:,

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.” (2 Corinthians 1:3-4)

But only Jesus can truly fill the empty places in our hearts. Those dark places of pain, loneliness, rejection, sadness, grief, depression, and hopelessness.

God has always been with me through every trial I've faced. He doesn't always take away the pain and suffering. Sometimes He does. But not often. I used to really struggle to try and understand why.

One day I cried out to Him in my desperation and said, "Lord, You can do all things! You could change us in an instant, and we would no longer sin and struggle any more. Why do You leave us in this condition?!!"

He said:  "So you'll stay close to Me." 


I love the picture of Jesus sleeping in the ship while His disciples are freaking out thinking they are going to perish in the tempest. But Jesus is fast asleep. After they wake Him up He rebukes the wind and waves saying, "Peace, be still."

For me the take away from this story is that while we tend to freak out and worry that we wont survive the current trial we are going through, but Jesus is at rest. He is not worried. He is not freaking out. He is fully in control of the ship, the wind, the waves, the storm. And we are with Him in the ship.


There's no place I'd rather be, than here is His love.


"Peace, be still."




—God is Love, and Love Never Fails.

Why Do We Still Struggle With Sin?

“For the flesh lusts against the Spirit and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another.” (Galatians 5:17)

Why do we as Born Again Christians still occasionally struggle with sin?

I believe this is one of the most important questions of our time, and one that must be examined, dealt with, and answered by God's Word.

One of the key words in Galatians 5:17, is "against." 

Our flesh (sinful human nature) lusts against the Holy Spirit, who now indwells our hearts. And the flesh also lusts against our new spirit that God put in us at rebirth, when we were born again by the Holy Spirit. 

For more on the Spirit indwelling us see: (Ezekiel 36:25-27, 1 Corinthians 3:16, Romans 8:11, Colossians 2:9, 2 Timothy 1:14, Ephesians 3:17).

Galatians 5:17 helps give me a clearer understanding of what Paul was saying in Romans chapter 7 when he said:

“But now, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells.” (Romans 7:17-18)

'It's not the new spiritual "me" who is sinning—it's my old sinful nature that still dwells in my fleshly body that does it.'  -It's the flesh that lusts against the Spirit—and against my new, born again spirit—that causes this internal struggle within me.

It's the 'old me' warring against the 'new me.'  

One of the other key words in Galatians 5:17 is "contrary."

“And the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another…”

This word "contrary" means, "opposed to, against, adversary."

I would think all followers of Christ can relate to that internal struggle. My flesh (the old sinful nature) is an adversary to my new spirit that God placed in me, and is opposed to the Holy Spirit who now indwells me.

Here's a passage from Romans chapter 8 that further clarifies this for me:

“For to be fleshly minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the fleshly mind is an enemy against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God.” (Romans 8:6-8)

The opening sentence is also translated, "For the carnal mind is death." 

Carnal literally means, "Human nature; flesh—as opposed to spirit."

The old sin nature constantly warring against our new spirit is a spiritual tug of war.

But it's not a battle that we cannot win, because we have a choice; we can choose to serve the flesh, or we can choose to serve the Spirit.

“Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts. And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace. What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? Certainly not! Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness?” (Romans 6:12-16)

The Devil cannot "make you do it." He can't force you to sin. The Bible says God "provides a way of escape" whenever we are tempted by the tempter. (Romans 10:13)

You can choose to not "let" sin reign in your mortal body. You can choose to not "obey" sin that dwells in your flesh. Paul said he fights his own fleshly body to bring it under subjection:

“Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air. But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.” (1 Corinthians 9:27)

The key is; you need the resurrection power of Jesus that lives only in born again followers of Christ, to win these moment-by-moment struggles with the old fleshly sin nature. Jesus said:

"Without Me, you can do nothing." (John 15:5)

You have to know and believe that in Christ, you can do all things as He strengthens you.

• In Christ, you can put off the 'old man' (flesh/sin nature). (Ephesians 4:22)
• You can put on the 'new man' (new spiritual inner man). (Ephesians 4:24)
• You can walk in the Spirit, and not fulfill the lusts of the flesh. (Galatians 5:16)
• In Christ, you can manifest the fruit of the Holy Spirit: (Galatians 5:22-25)

Jesus said:  "I have come that they may have life—and have it more abundantly!" (John 10:10)

He is not talking about humongous paychecks and luxury cars here. 

Jesus is talking about the abundant life of love, joy, peace, and purpose, that He came to live in, and through us. To advance His kingdom. To preach the Gospel to the poor. To heal the brokenhearted. To proclaim freedom to the captives. And recovery of sight to the blind. To set free those who are oppressed. (Luke 4:18)

But, as we are often quick to forget—we have an Adversary—who is opposed to God fulfilling His purposes in us.

The first half of John 10:10 says: “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy.”

Seriously. Who doesn't love the part that says Jesus has come to give us life, and life more abundantly!

But it's so easy to ignore the first part that says our Adversary, the devil (the thief) only comes to steal, to kill, and to destroy.

Where did you think your opposition was coming from?

Somehow, Satan can put evil thoughts in our minds and then tries to convince us it's our fault. He is the Tempter, and somehow has the ability in the unseen realm, to dangle the seductive carrots that he knows each of our 'old fleshly selves' would love to devour. He is the Accuser of the Brethren, and somehow he knows how to sow penetrating seeds of discontent, blame, bitterness and resentment in the minds of God's people, to cause us to not forgive each other. He's been causing division in marriages since day one. Just look at the divorce rate among "Christians" today. -He's been pretty effective at what he does.

But we are not ignorant of his schemes.

We are at war.

However, you cannot defeat the devil in your own strength.

But you can stick close to Jesus—the Author and the Finisher of your faith. You can pray with the gift of faith that God gave you. You can, as a child of God, bring the name, power, authority, blood, and finished work of the Cross of Jesus Christ between you and the spirits of division, accusation, betrayal, infirmity, and lies.

Paul wrote:

“For the weapons of our warfare are not fleshly but mighty in God for demolishing strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.” (2 Corinthians 10:4-5)

We have spiritual dynamite for demolishing the strongholds Satan tries to use against us, in his battle for our new hearts that God placed in us. 

Our weapons "Mighty in God" are:

• Full access, 24/7/365 to "Abba" our Father—God
• Prayer—in the name and authority of Jesus Christ
• The indwelling Holy Spirit of God in us
• Faith—which is a gift from God
• The Word—the Holy Scriptures
• Our Christ-like love for one another
• Fellowship with other believers—united in one accord.
• Worship—singing praises to God who alone is worthy
• Putting on the Whole Armor of God—(Ephesians 6:1-18)

And when any of us do sin in our flesh, we have an Advocate with God the Father—The Lord Jesus Christ.

“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9)

Amen.

Know who you are in Christ.

Through the spirit of adoption we can cry out, "Abba, Father!"  God said He will bring to completion, the good work that He began in us.

Don't let your Adversary the Devil—the Accuser of the Brethren—try to tell you that God doesn't love you. Don't listen to the Father of Lies who is trying to tell you that the new heart God gave you is still desperately wicked. Satan was a liar from the beginning. All he knows how to do is to lie, deceive, accuse, and to steal, kill and destroy.

But praise God, "Greater is He who is in you—than he who is in the world." (1 John 4:4)

—Jesus Christ is our very present help in time of need.

—God is Love, and Love Never Fails.

What is The Heart?

"I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a tender heart."  

(Ezekiel 36:26)

In my last entry, "A New Heart of Love" http://marriage-miracles.blogspot.com/2013/01/a-new-heart-of-love.html I shared on the New Covenant promise God makes to believers—to those who now are in Christ.

He said He will take the hard, heart of stone out of us and replace it with a tender new heart.

And from that article, many interesting, and at times spirited, discussions have ensued.

I have been shocked though, to learn that not everyone believes that God gives us a new heart. But instead, some think that even though we as Christians are "born again" our hearts are (supposedly) still desperately wicked. (See Jeremiah 17:9).

Being faithful to write what I believe God led me to write, I spent a lot of time and study of the Bible, and made a case for why I emphatically believe that God has in fact, given us new hearts, just as He promised.

And in some of the discussions I had with other people, at times it seemed like we were mostly on the same page, but were often saying things using some very different terminology.

But for all the years I have been a Christian, it never seemed to be at all logical or true that God would come to indwell a heart that He did not first purify and make new. It doesn't bear witness with my spirit today that I could possibly love God, or love my neighbor as myself, or love my wife as Christ loved the Church, if my heart were in fact still desperately wicked. 

So I prayed and asked the Lord for His wisdom and revelation on, "What does it mean to be born again?" And, "What is the heart?"

Here is just a snapshot of what the Bible says about our heart: 

1.  Christ dwells in the hearts of His people:

“That He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man,  that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love…” (Ephesians 3:16-17)

2.  Our heart is the inner, or "hidden" person within us:

“Let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God.” (1 Peter 3:4)

3.  God has purified our hearts:

“So God, who knows the heart, acknowledged them by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He did to us,  and made no distinction between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith.” (Acts 15:8-9)

4.  It is with our heart that we believe in God for salvation:

“For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” (Romans 10:10)

5.  As children of God, He has sent His Holy Spirit in our hearts:

“And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, “Abba, Father!” (Galatians 4:6)

6.  Out of a new heart that believes in Christ, will flow Rivers of Living Water:

“He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” (John 7:38)

7.  God gives us understanding of His Word in our heart:

“The Lord opened her heart to heed the things spoken by Paul.” (Acts 16:14)

8.  God pours out His love into our heart by His Spirit:

“Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” (Romans 5:5)

9.  God places the good news of His Word in our hearts:

“The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith which we preach).” (Romans 10:8)

10.  Our hearts must be guarded:

“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;  and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” (Ephesians 4:6-7)

11.  We worship God with singing from our heart:

“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.” (Colossians 3:16)

12.  God writes His laws on our heart:

“For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws in their mind and write them on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.” (Hebrews 8:10)

13.  We can freely draw near to God because our hearts have been cleansed:

“Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.” (Hebrews 10:22)

14.  Being born again, we can now love one another with a pure heart:

“Love one another fervently with a pure heart—having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever.” (1 Peter 1:22-23)

15.  By our love for one another we know that our hearts are assured before God:

"My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth. And by this we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before Him.” (1 John 3:19)

16.  Jesus has given us new hearts to love each other just as He has loved us:

“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.  By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13:34-35)

17.  Because God has purified our hearts, we shall see Him:

“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” (Matthew 5:8)

18.  God removed our hard, stony heart and gave us a tender new heart:

"I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a tender heart." (Ezekiel 36:26)

19.  Because we love each other from a new heart, we know we are saved:

“We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren.” (1 John 3:14)

20.  We know God lives in us and we abide in Him because He gave us His Spirit:

“By this we know that we abide in Him, and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit.” (1 John 4:13)

For any follower of Jesus who may have doubts about God giving you a new heart, I want to encourage you to read all these passages from the Bible and pray about them. Search the scriptures to see if these things are so. Ask God to give you the spirit of wisdom and revelation about your heart. Ask Him did He really promise to give you a new spirit and a new heart, as it says in Ezekiel 36:26? Ask Him if your born again heart is still desperately wicked? 

Ask God this question,

      "Father in Heaven—what does it really mean to be born again?"

May the Lord bless you as you draw near to Him and seek His face.

—God is Love, and Love Never Fails.

*For an essay on the old nature -vs.- the new nature, and about what the "flesh" is, please read my article entitled "A New Heart of Love." http://marriage-miracles.blogspot.com/2013/01/a-new-heart-of-love.html

A New Heart of Love

"I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a tender heart."

(Ezekiel 36:26)

This amazing New Covenant promise from God to all those who are His—born again by His Spirit—gives me so much joy in Christ, and promises me absolute hope, and God's never-ending peace for my life.

*Note: I have not taken Ezekiel 36:26 and used it here as a "proof text" to prove my point of view. On the contrary, I have been moved and inspired by the eternal truth of the precious New Covenant promise from God, in this verse in Ezekiel chapter 36 to give us a new spirit and a new heart. And then I sought out through the Bible, further confirmation of that promise. And what I have found, and continue to find, is that our hearts have been made new.

One of my most precious memories of my relationship with my mom, was her sharing with me how God had given her a new heart.

"Mark, there's one thing I know for sure, and that is, God changed my heart; and that was something I could not do for myself."

The new heart that God gave me, is so profoundly real to me today and I can rejoice, because I know it's not the old "me" - It's, "Christ in me." (Colossians 1:27)

I think back with sad regret on just how selfish, arrogant, cynical, and hard-hearted I was before Jesus drew me to Himself and saved me. Before He changed me, my heart was bitter, mean-spirited, and deceitful. I used to do "nice things" for my wife, but I always had a selfish agenda for doing so. 

I was incapable of loving anyone unconditionally.

But, because Jesus took the heart of stone out of me, and gave me a new tender heart, now I am free to love unconditionally.

Now, I am not saying that when we're born again that we're "perfect" just like God is perfect. But my new tender heart that God gave me—my new inward man—no longer wants to want to sin.  Before Christ was in me, my heart desired to sin continuously. But no longer. 

Now when sin rears it's ugly head in my life, it's not me that wants to sin, it's the old man/sin nature that dwells in me that wants to do evil. 

There's a big difference. 

Sadly, a number of Christians today believe that even after getting saved, our hearts are still wicked. The following passage of scripture is one that I believe is being wrongly applied to born again believers today and is causing problems in the Church:

“The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it?” (Jeremiah 17:9)

Before we were saved and born again by God's grace through the gift of faith, yes; absolutely, our hearts were wicked and deceitful. But that was before God Himself came in to dwell in our hearts. That was before He took the heart of stone out of us and gave us a new tender heart and put His Spirit in us. 

But not everyone believes God's promises.

After Jesus was resurrected, He came upon two men walking along the road to a village called Emmaus. They were discussing the events of His crucifixion. As they walked along the road it says they talked and reasoned together of all these things which had happened and were sad. Jesus came alongside them, though they didn't recognize Him, and He asked them what they were talking about?

After one of them basically dismissed Him as someone who should have known what happened in Jerusalem over the last few days, they recapped the events of the crucifixion, the burial and the empty tomb, and how they had hoped that (He) was the one who was going to redeem Israel.

Jesus responded to them, and I believe He did so with love and warmth in His eyes and voice, saying:

“O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken!” (Luke 24:25)

The point is, the Scriptures are full of promises of His coming, crucifixion, resurrection. But they were slow of heart to believe God's promises.

Why are we sometimes like that today? 

What is this "heart" that the Bible speaks of? Paul writes that we are the dwelling place of God—the temple of the Holy Spirit:

“Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?” (1 Corinthians 3:16)

In the physical Temple in the Old Testament, God's presence dwelled in the innermost chamber, in the center of the Temple: The Holy of Holies.

Our heart is the deepest innermost part of our being—the holy of holies of our temple—if you will. And our heart—the dwelling place of God in us—has been made new.

I believe this promise from God's Word:

“That He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height—to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.” (Ephesians 3:16-19)

And this promise:

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new." (2 Corinthians 5:17)

Jesus Christ—God Himself—dwells in my heart. In Him, I am rooted and grounded in love. In Him, I know the love of Christ which passes all knowledge. I don't believe that Jesus would come to indwell a heart that is still wicked.

I believe that Jesus came to heal our broken hearts—to make our hearts whole:

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed.” (Luke 4:18)

The naysayers continue to insist that our hearts are still wicked. However, I believe the solution and answer to this centuries-old debate rings loud and clear in a single word:

LOVE

If our hearts were still wicked, we couldn't love God with all of our heart, or love our neighbor as ourselves. We couldn't love our enemies and pray for those who curse us and spitefully use us. We couldn't have God's mercy or compassion on the lost or hurting. And we couldn't love sacrificially as Jesus did.

Jesus said:

“He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” (John 7:38)

Jesus' Rivers of Living Water cannot flow out of a wicked heart. And the notion that our hearts are still  wicked is, in my opinion, a lie from Satan.

Think about it.

Who stands to gain anything by trying to get us to believe that God broke His promise to give us a new heart and a new spirit?  Satan.

Now, some of you will be saying, "Yeah, but I still have wicked thoughts or desires. So where does that junk come from!"

From your old flesh—not from your new heart. 

What is the "flesh?"

It's your old sin nature, also called "the old man." It's part of the fleshly body that we all still inhabit, with all of its impure appetites and evil desires. 

Paul writes:

“But now, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find. For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I don't want to do, that I practice. Now if I do what I don't wish to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. I find then a law, that evil is present with me, the one who wants (wills) to do good. For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man.  But I see another law in my members (flesh), warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members (flesh).” (Romans 7:17-23)

Some key points Paul makes in this section of Romans 7:

1.  "But now (i.e. now that I'm born again), it is no longer "I" (the "I" Paul is talking about is the new man) who do it, but sin (the old man/sin nature) that dwells in me." - Paul says it twice: "It's no longer me, it's sin that dwells in me."

2.  "I delight in the Law of God according to the inward man."  The old man/sin nature does not delight in the Law of God, but the new/inward man does. Some people don't like the phrase "dual nature" saying it's unbiblical, and that we do not have a dual nature as Christians. But I believe Paul's teachings clearly show that we do. The old man and the new man.

3.  "With the mind (i.e. the mind of the new man/inward man) I serve the law of God. - But with the flesh (my old man/sin nature) (I serve) the law of sin."

When I read these verses it becomes clear to me that Paul is saying, 'There's this new spiritual "me" that delights in serving God in my (new) inward man."   - But there's this old man/sinful nature; i.e. my flesh that serves sin. And, when I do sin, it's no longer "the new Me" who does it, it's the old flesh-man who does it. 

This clearly illustrates a dual nature that lives in a man. One man; with two co-existing natures.

Pastor David Guzik said the following, in the "The Battle Between Two Selves" in his commentary on Romans 7:

“Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. I find then a law, that evil is present with me, the one who wills to do good. For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man. But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.

a. I find then a law, that evil is present with me: Anyone who has tried to do good is aware of this struggle. We never know how hard it is to stop sinning until we try. “No man knows how bad he is until he has tried to be good.” (C.S. Lewis) 

b. For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man: Paul knows that his real inward man has a delight in the law of God. He understands that the impulse to sin comes from another law in my members. Paul knows that the “real self” is the one who does delight in the law of God. 

i. The old man is not the real Paul; the old man is dead. The flesh is not the real Paul; the flesh is destined to pass away and be resurrected. The new man is the real Paul; now Paul’s challenge is to live like God has made him.”

I believe the old man (flesh) and the new man (spirit/heart/inward man) are present in each of us, and we have to decide daily, moment by moment, "Am I going to put on the new man? Or the old man?"

Your new nature - the "new man" is the Born Again, spiritual person God has now made you to be. But you still have that old fleshly body attached, with all of  it's sinful desires. And it is the weak, old sin nature that Satan tries to tempt.  

But your new heart—your new man—doesn't want anything to do with that filthy junk. The new man wants to submit to God, and resist the devil. The new man desires to draws near to God. The new man wants to love, praise and glorify God.

Do you see?

It's your flesh...your old sin nature that is bad. It's the old man; the flesh that sins. Paul made this very clear in Romans 7, "It is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me."

But the writer of Hebrews 10:22 speaks of the new heart, (the new man) and says, “Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience…”

We can draw near to God with a true heart in full assurance of faith because our hearts have been washed clean and made new by the Blood of the Lamb—Jesus Christ—"sprinkled from an evil conscience." 

—God is Love, and Love Never Fails.

  

Life More Abundantly

“I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.”

—Jesus  

What does that promise from Jesus of having "Life more abundantly" mean to you personally?

I've been having a great discussion with a close friend on what that means to each of us. Here is what it means to me.

When I read that passage in my morning devotion, the first thing that popped into my heart was: 

"Christ in me; the hope of glory."

Here's the entire passage:

“The mystery which has been hidden from ages and from generations, but now has been revealed to His saints. To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.” (Colossians 1:26-27)

God Himself—Jesus Christ—lives in me. 

His peace is always with me, no matter what dire circumstances the world throws at me, or whatever fiery arrows the Enemy launches at me. Because Jesus Christ dwells in me, I know I am loved, and that I am His. I have Hope that cannot be quenched. And because I am in Christ, and He is in me, when the Father sees me, He doesn't see Mark the filthy, lying, sinner; He sees His Son. 

Because Christ lives in me, I am truly free—free indeed. I am no longer a prisoner of my sin. Jesus paid it all, covered my sin, took my death sentence and put it on Himself. I have been set free from the law of sin and death. I am free from my guilt and shame of all the horrific things I have done in this lifetime.  

For me, that reality of freedom is "life more abundantly."

Therefore, I am free to love. 

Free to give to others what I have freely received. Free to enjoy all things that God has given me. Free to enjoy a day on the river, fishing with a friend, because I don't have to jump through any religious hoops to gain my Father's approval. 

I am Free by the spirit of adoption, by which I can now cry out, "Abba Father!" And I have access to my Heavenly Father 24/7, because I am now a son of the Most High God. 

And whenever I stumble and fall, He picks me up, dusts me off, and sets me back on the right path.

Because I have Christ in me, the hope of glory, I am free to rest in His love, His promises and His plan for my life. He has fore-ordained my steps, and The Pressure Is Off because it's not up to me to finish the good work that He began in me. He said that HE will complete the good work that He began in me. HE is the Author and the Finisher of my faith. I don't have to perform like a cowering employee or a trained circus dog. I am now His son because Christ is in me.  

And Jesus said He came to heal my broken heart, and to make my heart whole.  

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives And recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed.” (Luke 4:18)

He also helps me to turn my focus off of myself, and my problems, and to seek first His Kingdom, and then the things that I need will be added unto me. He turns my focus onto others who need His love, mercy, compassion, and encouragement, and sometimes even His admonishment. 

He strengthens me to do whatever He calls me to do. 

And because He lives in me, He helps me to delight myself in Him. I know by His Word that He will give me the desires of my heart when I delight myself in the Lord.

Life more abundantly from Him also gives me the love, wisdom, strength, mercy, and compassion to reach out to others, such as through this little Love Never Fails blog. 

Life more abundantly from Him helps me to love my wife with His Agape love, rather than with my own conditional love. 

It's those Rivers of Living Water that Jesus promised us in John 7:38.

 “He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” (John 7:38)

Life more abundantly from Him humbled me to talk with compassion, to a nice Mormon girl who just happened to show up at our church on Sunday night, and for me and my wife to encourage and pray for her and her new Christian friend who invited her there.

But after the gift of salvation and Christ living in me, perhaps the next greatest blessing of being a follower of Christ is having meaningful relationships with my eternal family now. 

Our close friends, with whom we have fellowship on a regular basis, and the godly men that Jesus has placed into my life, are priceless. 

If I did not have the small group of 'band of brothers' in my life, who are true friends who stick closer than a brother—friends who have my back, who pray for me, who come alongside me and encourage me—who are there with me in the foxhole of life—I don't think I could make it in this difficult life. 

I know that I am not in this battle alone.

Because Jesus lives in us, we can have amazing, beneath the surface, meaningful relationships with other like-minded people who love God, and who want to see His kingdom come, and His will be done.

Because Christ lives in me, I can rest in His faithfulness.

"Christ in me; the hope of glory."

—God is Love, and Love Never Fails.

—What does Jesus' promise of "Life more abundantly" mean to you personally?