EMBRACING GOD’S PURPOSES: BEING AND BECOMING A LIVING EPISTLE!

Copyright © 2012 by Dr. William Valmyr

“For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. 27 But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; 28 and the base things of the world and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, 29 that no flesh should glory in His presence.” (1 Corinthians 1:26-29, NKJV) 

Friends, God has a purpose for your life. I am convinced that “No weapon formed against you shall prosper, and every tongue which rises against you in judgment you shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is from Me,” says the LORD” (Isaiah 54:17, NKJV). Your life is to be a witness of the power of God to fulfill His plan on the earth. You are part of God’s strategic plan to reach the world for His kingdom. You have been given the charge to walk in the will and the purpose of God for your life.  It is a humbling thing to know that you and I have been chosen by God to represent Him around the world.

Is your Christianity a private matter only—personally comforting but culturally irrelevant? Are you touching lives through your spheres of influence? As Christians, we are expected to be witnesses for Christ. And as followers and disciples of Jesus the Christ, we are challenged to be relevant, authentic and consistent in that witness. No matter what you are going through remember that you are Christ’s epistles, known and read by all men. As the Apostle Paul says “You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts” (2 Corinthians 3:2-3, NIV). Love ones, you are significant in God’s eyes, and He is counting on your obedience so that He can show Himself strong in your life.

I encourage you to be ambassadors of Christ wherever you are. Embrace God’s purposes today. Be the light that shines in a dark and broken world. There are 7 billion people on this planet; someone is waiting to see Christ through your life. I love you and I am praying for you. I hope that you are praying for me as well. Grace and peace be multiplied to you!

BIBLE STUDY: YOUR SPIRITUAL PROTECTION FROM DECEPTION IS IN KNOWING AND APPLYING GOD’S WORD FOR YOURSELF!

By Dr. William Valmyr

Friends, we are living in perilous times! I am more convinced that Christians need to pick up the Bible and read it for themselves. We are seeing too many believers being misled by the craftiness of some who claim to be prophets, or messengers of God.

The Problem

The spirit of deception is at work in the church and throughout the world; unfortunately, so many Christians are falling into the snares of the devil. So many believers have not grown to the fullness of Christ because of a lack of spiritual growth and maturity; they are still spiritual infants with no ability to discern the solid food of the Word of God. Many are being “tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting” (Ephesians 4:14, NKJV).

We are living in the last days and so many people have a form of godliness but deny the power thereof.  Paul says, “For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. 14 No wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. 15 Therefore it is not surprising if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness, whose end will be according to their deeds.” (2 Corinthians 11:13-15, NASB).  What can we do to protect ourselves from the spirit of deception?

The Solution

Brothers and sisters, the discipline of study is not an option; but it is an imperative for the Christian.  Bible study is not another item in our to do list, it is a practice that God has commanded for our spiritual protection. “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15, KJV).  It is a safety measure to keep our souls from spiritual harm! I am praying for you!

GOD’S PURPOSES, PAIN AND SUFFERING IN THE LIFE OF THE BELIEVER! PART ONE

Copyright © 2012 by Dr. William Valmyr

 “18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. 37 Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. 38 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, 39 nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:18, 37-39, NKJV)

Biblical Answers to Suffering

Before I begin, let me just say that God is not the author of pain, confusion and suffering. Although God may use them for our good; these human quandaries are the result of the Fall of man (see Genesis 3) and too often the consequences of our own sins. Are you enduring pain and suffering caused by people or spiritual warfare? Do not be ignorant of Satan’s devices. In times of affliction, do nothing, say nothing, and write nothing that you would not be willing to embrace the consequences. God never promised that the Christian life would be easy.

The apostle Peter writes, “Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care [anxieties] upon Him, for He cares for you” (1 Peter 5:6-7, NKJV).  Do not lean on your own understanding but trust in the Lord always. The writer of Hebrews states that “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet He did not sin. 16 Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need” (Hebrews 4:15-16, NIV). In times of unimaginable suffering, Christ promises to be real and a lasting hope!

Friends, I encourage you to search the Scriptures and learn to trust Him even in the face of doubts. This is the essence of the life of faith and herein lays the power of trusting in God’s unfailing love through His word.  It means becoming doers of God’s Word by applying the principles of Scripture in your area of needs.  God cares about you, He loves and He wants to make you whole. I will continue this teaching tomorrow, in the meantime God bless you in your journey of faith. God’s grace is sufficient for you. I love you and I am praying for you!

 

SOUL CARE: HOLINESS IS NOT AN OPTION BUT AN IMPERATIVE FOR THE FOLLOWER OF CHRIST!

Copyright © 2012 by Dr. William Valmyr

“Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord” (Hebrews 12:14, NIV).

A Biblical Definition

Holiness is not just the absence of immoral acts such as fornication, adultery and all kinds of sexual sins; but holiness is the cultivation of purity in the human mind and heart. Holiness is first an on-going internal work of transformation, a godly fear and sensitivity to the presence and voice of the Holy Spirit that is manifested through godly living. Truth be told, God is more interested in our holiness than He is in our happiness.

God’s Picture of Holiness

“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God” (Matthew 5:8, NKJV). As Christians, we are called to spend our lives seeking to live holy lives rather than seeking happiness in all the wrong places.  Friends, I am afraid that we are out of the will of God, when we neglect God’s admonition to live holy lives by sacrificing our souls at the altar of happiness:

 “And may the Lord make you increase and abound in love to one another and to all, just as we do to you, so that He may establish you blameless in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all His saints. Finally then, brethren, we urge and exhort in the Lord Jesus that you should abound more and more, just as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God; for you know what commandments we gave you through the Lord Jesus. For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you should abstain from sexual immorality; that each of you should know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor, not in passion of lust, like the Gentiles who do not know God; that no one should take advantage of and defraud his brother in this matter, because the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also forewarned you and testified. For God did not call us to uncleanness, but in holiness. Therefore he who rejects this does not reject man, but God, who has also given us His Holy Spirit” (1 Thessalonians 3:12-13—4:1-8; NKJV).

A prayer of Repentance

Beloved, if you do not mind, would you pray this prayer with me? “Dear Heavenly Father , I desire to deal with my own sins, and how often we have grieved your Holy Spirit by our [my own] lack of holiness.  Lord, I pray that we (Your children) would hear and respond to Your plea for purity. Father, I pray that we would move toward Your grace through a heart of repentance. Lord, please forgive me of my sins (impurity, immorality and uncleanness); and please forgive us all for sinning against Your holy character. And Heavenly Father, please strengthen me by Your Holy Spirit so that I may be empowered to possess my own vessel in sanctification and honor to You. I pray this in the matchless name of Jesus Christ!”

Friends, today if you can hear God’s voice, do not harden your heart. I plead with you for the love of Christ, to live a holy life before God and man. God cares for our souls more than our momentary pleasures or anything else in this life. I love you and I am praying for you!