Tag Archive | witness

Holy Spirit Qualified

Mar14

Requirement for leading people to the Lord:

for he (Barnabas) was a good man, and full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And considerable numbers were brought to the Lord.
Acts 11:24 NASB

And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit was giving them utterance.
Acts 2:4 NASB

but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.”
Acts 1:8 NASB

And with great power the apostles were giving testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and abundant grace was upon them all.
Acts 4:33 NASB

Have you received the Holy Spirit? Then you are qualified to share the gospel.

🌹For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline. Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord or of me His prisoner, but join with me in suffering for the gospel according to the power of God, who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity, but now has been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel,
2 Timothy 1:7‭-‬10 NASB

Continually Seeking Him,

Sharon

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You Will Know. Don’t Wait.

Nov7

I am reading through Ezekiel right now and got curious as to how many times it is written, “Know that I am the Lord”. It may be preceded by “They will”. . . Or “You will”. . . Or “The nations will”. . . Or “Israel will”. . .
63 times in Ezekiel out of 77 in the entire Bible.

God desires His creation to know Him. Why? So He can pour out blessings, the greatest of these being salvation so we can spend eternity with Him instead of eternity in Hell, separated from the One who created us to know Him.

“You are My witnesses,” declares the Lord, “And My servant whom I have chosen, So that you may know and believe Me And understand that I am He. Before Me there was no God formed, And there will be none after Me.
Isaiah 43:10 NASB

There is no other God. There is no other way. Eternity awaits those who seek eternal happiness, joy, peace, etc. found only through belief in Jesus Christ.

You need to know that one day you will bow and “know that I am the Lord” whether you choose to now in surrender and humbleness or later when you are judged and sentenced to eternal life in Hell. Remember, the choice is yours. You have no one to blame but yourself.

Do not tremble and do not be afraid; Have I not long since announced it to you and declared it? And you are My witnesses. Is there any God besides Me, Or is there any other Rock? I know of none.’ ”
Isaiah 44:8 NASB

Who has performed and accomplished it, Calling forth the generations from the beginning? ‘I, the Lord, am the first, and with the last. I am He.’ ”
Isaiah 41:4 NASB

Pray: I confess that there is but one God, through whom I can be saved and I want to know that You are the Lord. Forgive me of my unbelief and living in sin. Help me to follow Your ways my Lord by seeking You continually through Your word, the Bible, and to seek a Bible believing church so I can know You more and grow in understanding and wisdom of Your ways. In the name of Jesus I pray, amen.

🌹I have sworn by Myself, The word has gone forth from My mouth in righteousness And will not turn back, That to Me every knee will bow, every tongue will swear allegiance.
Isaiah 45:23 NASB

Continually Seeking Him, 

Sharon 

Redeemer

Apr20

As for me, I know that my Redeemer lives, And at the last He will take His stand on the earth.
Job 19:25 NASB

Most High God, my Redeemer, I acknowledge that You are my rock. Even now, Jesus is my witness who is in heaven, and my advocate on high. You are my strong Redeemer who will vigorously plead my case against those who try to rob my soul. I have bore Your indignation because I have sinned against You. Thank You, Jesus, for pleading my case before the Father and executing justice for me. You have brought me out to the light to  see Your righteousness. My heart faints within me longing for the day when I myself shall behold, And my eyes will see my Redeemer take His stand on the earth. To You, Lord God, be the glory as I pray in the name of Jesus, my Redeemer. Amen.
Psalms 78:35/Job 16:19 /Jeremiah 50:34/Micah 7:9/Job 19:27 NASB

🌹Continually Seeking Him, 

Sharon 

Witness

Jan12

When they had brought them (the apostles), they stood them before the Council. The high priest questioned them, saying, “We gave you strict orders not to continue teaching in this name, and yet, you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and intend to bring this man’s blood upon us. “But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men. The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom you had put to death by hanging Him on a cross. He is the one whom God exalted to His right hand as a Prince and a Savior, to grant repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins. And we are witnesses of these things; and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey Him.”
Acts 5:27‭-‬32 NASB

The apostles had witnessed the life of Jesus. They walked with Him, talked with Him, experienced Him and knew He was the Son of God sent to redeem. They were “witnesses of these things”.

But God . . . “has given to those who obey Him the Holy Spirit” who is a witness of these things.

Do you have the Holy Spirit residing in you? Then you are a witness to Jesus’s redemptive power.

🌹What are you doing with the Witness residing in you?

Continually Seeking Him,

Sharon

Get Up And Go

Dec1

And the Lord said to him, “Get up and go to the street called Straight, and inquire at the house of Judas for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying,  15 But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of Mine, to bear My name before the Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel; for I will show him how much he must suffer for My name’s sake.” So Ananias departed and entered the house, and after laying his hands on him said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road by which you were coming, has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” And immediately there fell from his eyes something like scales, and he regained his sight, and he got up and was baptized; — Acts 9:11, 15-18

It is the Lord Jesus who does the saving. Saul prayed. How many of us have been at dire straits and called out to the Lord in prayer? Jesus called on Ananias to go to see Saul. How many of us have heard the call of God to go and witness to others? Ananias obeyed Jesus and went to Saul. Ananias laid hands on Saul , but Jesus did the work. How many opportunities have we passed by not obeying God and going and sharing the gospel with somebody who needs it?

Jesus can do His work without us but isn’t it an honor and a privilege that He asks us to be a part of the salvation of others?

Can’t help but wonder what would have happened if Ananias had not obeyed the call or Paul had not prayed. You can make a difference in the life of others. Are you listening to the call of God?

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon

Blessed Be The Lord

Sep18

Blessed be the Lord, who daily bears our burden, The God who is our salvation. Selah. 20 God is to us a God of deliverances; And to God the Lord belong escapes from death. — Psalm 68:19-20

“Jesus is the rescuer for sinners, the ransom from heaven” from a song (wish I could tell you the name of it or the artist but alas I just know I love the song). We have a lot to be thankful for. He is our escape from death, our deliverance from sin, the bearer of our burdens, our salvation. Are you thankful and blessed by this? Are you telling anyone of the wonderful good news? My heart is heavy for the lost. Pray with me for them and ask God to place individuals in your life that you can witness to of the wonderful salvation of our Lord.

O God, You are awesome from Your sanctuary. The God of Israel Himself gives strength and power to the people. Blessed be God! — Psalm 68:35

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon

Adorned

Jun8

Adorn: to make more pleasing, attractive, impressive, etc.; enhance:
Synonyms of adorn: embellish, beautify, enhance, enrich, array

that they may adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour in all things. — Titus 2:10

How do you wear the doctrine of God our Savior? Are you aware of your speech and actions at all times and how they could affect your witness of the One you represent? What is your first response when you realize you haven’t represented the holy, perfect, worthy God? Does it tear at your very soul and crush your heart? Do you run to the throne of God seeking His forgiveness?

Let us be so entwined in our relationship with Jesus that every deviation from His teachings makes us sorely regretful. Let us adorn the doctrine of God in all things. In this way we are a witness of a wonderful, merciful, holy, loving God.

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon

Work – Ugh?

Jun2

With good will render service, as to the Lord, and not to men, — Ephesians 6:7

If you work for a living you “render service”. What does your service look like? Is it an example to others that you serve God? Is your day filled with grumbling and complaining about how the “company” or “boss” is unfair and doing you wrong? Do you look at your day as “I can’t wait to get through it so I can do what I want after work”? Are you always in a hurry for the weekend? In a state of hurry do you mistreat people or grumble under your breath that they are slowing you and your productivity down?

OR

Do you look at your work as a gift from God to meet the needs of your family and yourself? Do you face each day looking to see how you can fulfill God’s plan of salvation through your actions and attitude? Do you respect your authority as much as you respect God?

Is God not in control? Are the people in your life who slow your productivity not put there for a purpose? The purpose may be to teach you patience or perseverance or trust that God is in control. Or is that person there so you can be a witness of God’s awesome mercy and grace?

It really is all about God. May God bless your work day.

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon

What Is Your Altar?

May19

stone-altar   

The sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad called the altar Witness; “For,” they said, “it is a witness between us that the Lord is God.” — Joshua 22:34

What is our witness today that the Lord is God? Altars were built to God many times in the Old Testament — by Abraham, Joshua, Jacob — and for many different reasons and purposes. In this particular scripture the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad built an altar as a witness that the Lord is God.

Visiting Mt. Rushmore brought first to mind idols. Then I heard and read the speech by President Coolidge and realized that this monument is an altar of sorts to remind us of our country’s history, the sacrifices made, the people who worked to make America the land of the free. The monument is not to be worshipped but to be used to remember what America was, is and can become. A remembrance of hope.

It really got me thinking about what altars are in my life that remind me that the Lord is God. As I see the deterioration of mankind, falling away from the beliefs of God, from truly seeking the Lord who is God, I wonder if we should build some altars as a witness that the Lord is God. An altar of witness of the work of God in me —  from who I was to whom I have become to whom God is molding me to be. The hope that is found in Him. What is your altar of witness?

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon

Testimonies Of Faith

Feb28

Their belief in the truth that they have been taught must be strong and steadfast so that they will be able to teach it to others and show those who disagree with them where they are wrong. — Titus 1:9

Is this discipleship? You bet. We are to pass on what we have learned. As much as I love the Word of God it does not do much good for me or those around me if I don’t live it out. When I live the Word of God my life becomes filled with testimonies of God, testimonies to share of His glory, to tell of the things which my eyes have seen.

To live out the testimonies of God I need to implant His Word in my heart. This helps me to keep the faith and a good conscience. It helps me retain the standard of sound words which I have heard, in the faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. I must hold steadfast and strong to the word I have been taught through God’s Word, through other brothers and sisters in Christ, and an intimate relationship with Jesus.

We are not only to teach and learn from one another but to also be a witness to those who do not know the Lord.  We can help those who disagree with the Word by our faithful walk as it makes them aware of their wrong thinking. Let us shine for Jesus and pass His Word on to others by our actions and the testimonies of God’s work in our lives.

Testimonies are encouraging and uplifting to others. Please feel free to share testimonies of God’s work in your life. I would be encouraged by them as I know others would be too.

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon

 

“Only give heed to yourself and keep your soul diligently, so that you do not forget the things which your eyes have seen and they do not depart from your heart all the days of your life; but make them known to your sons and your grandsons. — Deuteronomy 4:9

keeping faith and a good conscience, which some have rejected and suffered shipwreck in regard to their faith. — 1 Timothy 1:19

Retain the standard of sound words which you have heard from me, in the faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. — 2 Timothy 1:13