The Gospel of Christ vs. Legalism: What Ground are you Standing On?

We are in an era of uncertainty, doubt and fear. Many are questioning their life and the way they have been living. I believe we all should constantly evaluate our lives and what we do with the precious gift of life. Everywhere you turn now someone is talking about being "Woke". Information and knowledge is so easy to obtain, because of this a lot that we were in the dark about has been revealed to us. But, what do we do with all this information? Are we as Christians (followers of Christ) allowing it to make us stronger or are we allowing it to deconstruct our faith in the True and Living God? Often I've found that it's the latter and that tells me " Houston, we have a problem". Many are waking up to the fact that they have been living out "Legalism" and not Grace by Faith in Jesus Christ. 

What is Legalism? 

According to Thomas R. Schreiner “Legalism exists when people attempt to secure righteousness in God’s sight by good works. Legalists believe that they can earn or merit God’s approval by performing the requirements of the law,” I will speak for myself, I knew that Jesus died for my sins from a little girl. I knew I could be forgiven for my sin because Jesus died, but I didn't have a true understanding of what Jesus actually did on the cross. I only understood when I begin to search God for myself and ask questions that others couldn't really answer. I realized I really didn't understand the God that I served. Many are waking up to this fact, which is not a bad thing. What is bad is that they're turning on the Most High God because of misunderstandings. They feel they are going crazy trying to keep a law that God isn't holding them to. I was raised going to a Church building every Sunday, Bible class on Wednesday and Choir rehearsal. I was taught a gang of things we are not supposed to do as a "Christian".  I wasn't told why really, I just knew not to do it because that's what I learned from people not God. This is what Legalism is and why many are leaving. You will run yourself crazy with the do's and dont's. This is also why many who think they are saved are not really saved. I say that because many came to the faith out of being condemned by people, many just believed what their parents said believe and some merely was afraid of going to hell so they said " I believe" without a repented heart.  It's time that we make our foundation sure by building a relationship with Christ and not rules.

The Gospel of Christ: Saved by Grace

See Legalism will not sustain you or me because there is nothing we can do to be justified. Justified means we are declared righteous because Christ took our guilt and shame. He took our penalty for sin. To give a small synopsis. God made Adam and Eve perfect without sin. They were made holy and righteous. He put them in the garden of Eden. This was a paradise for them with beautiful trees filled with fruit for them to eat. There was one tree that they were instructed not to eat from and that was the tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. Satan tempted Eve to eat from the tree by deceiving her. She then took the fruit to Adam and he ate it knowing it was forbidden. All mankind came through Adam, so because he sinned through him sinned entered every human since. We are born in sin. We are born with the desire to sin. God who is Holy, Righteous and king of kings has his rules that he never breaks. One rule is that Romans 6:23 the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life. Also the Bible says Hebrews 9:22 Without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sin. In the old testement we can see all the sacrifices they had to make for sin (uncleanliness). God sent a way of escape for us because he so loved the world his creation, that he sent his son Jesus because he could satisfy the requirement for sin. His blood was sufficient because he had NO sin. So he died and was buried and rose on the third day with power over death. We can't do that no matter how "good" we try to be. It's God's grace, his undeserved favor that we are saved. That's it. The requirements to be saved is to believe that God sent his son Jesus to die for you, Repent which means that you have a change of heart through a contrite (sorrowful) spirit and turn your eyes from the world to God. You make a decision to allow Jesus to be Lord of your life, to live for Christ. Then be baptised and filled with the Holy Spirit. 

Works vs. Grace

Jesus said those who love me follow my commands. Jesus is telling us that this walk is relational. We can't work our way into Heaven. Jesus is the way , the truth and the life. No man can enter except by him. We follow God's Kingdom culture because we love him. That's It! When we become saved we began the process of sanctification. This is not anything we do, this is done by the word of God and the blood of Jesus. Sanctification means you are set apart through the transformation of your mind. Our mind is transformed the closer we get to God, he begins to reveal himself to us and his original plan for our lives. We are washed, cleaned through the blood of Jesus and the reading of God's Word. We are faithful to our spouse because we know it the right thing to do, not because we don't want to go to hell. We don't curse because this is not pleasing to God. We don't murder because it's wrong. We don't steal because it's wrong. I could go on and on. We love God and want to please him because he loved us not because we are scared into it. God wants the best for us because he loves us unconditionally. I also love my children unconditionally, but I'm not pleased with everything they do. I also don't allow them to do whatever they want in my presence because I have a moral code that I stand by. Now, I am in noooo way comparing myself to the most high God. I'm trying to give you a picture of our father in Heaven. You should never feel condemned because Jesus didn't come to condemn us, he came to save us. Condemnation comes from satan not God. When we sin we can go to God and repent and ask for forgiveness. Our God is faithful and Just and will forgive us of all unrighteousness. He loves 👉you. 

If you are confused right now because it feels like you just can't get it right. Stop right now and talk to God, tell him everything you are feeling right now. If you've been taught not to question God, throw it out the window with legalism. We can go to God and talk to him about anything and he will answer us. Tell God that you want a relationship with him, you want to know him without the do's and don'ts. You just want to know his character, love, and his son Jesus Christ. Keep it real with God, he loves your transparency. Don't allow satan to deceive you into thinking you're not good enough because you sinned. We all have sinned and fallen short of the Glory of God. There are good people of God that are giving the answers to the questions you have. You are not suppose to believe anything just because someone told you to. You are suppose to know why you follow Christ. Below are scriptures to help you drop legalism and build on your faith in Jesus for eternal salvation. 

Colossians 2:14 Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;

Galations 3:13-14 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us- for it is written, cursed is everyone who hanged on a tree 14He redeemed us in order that the blessing promised to Abraham would come to the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit.…

John 3:16-17 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believe in him should not perish but have everlasting life. 17. For God sent not his son into the world to condemn the world ;but that the world through him might be saved. 

Romans 8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the spirit. 

John 17:3 And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God and Jesus Christ, whom thou has sent.

Please leave a comment if this blog has helped you in any way. Share so that others that are struggling in their faith may be helped. If you have any questions please ask, if I don't know I will definitely point you to someone who does. Be Blessed my sister, my brother💖

Prayer: How to enter into God's presence

Did you know you were created to live in God's presence? Adam and Eve was in God's presence daily because there was nothing separating them. Everything they did coincided with God's will and purpose for them. God guided there decisions until they fell for deception. Mankind was pure, blameless, without spot or wrinkle. We were perfect! We had no sin, wickedness, blemishes or transgressions. We were created to reflect God's character and personality, which is his nature and moral character. We are made of three parts: Body, Soul and Spirit. Because man has a spirit we are able to communicate with God in spirit as he is spirit. The Bible says God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.(John 4:24) Even though we were created in God's image, we can't reflect that image if we don't have a relationship with him. Remember our image changed once mankind fell because we became slaves to sin. We became enemies of God Romans 5:10 For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled (restored back) to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his (Jesus) life. Therefore the very 1st step to getting in God's presence is accepting his son Jesus Christ as your savior. Without Jesus blood there is no remission of sin. No Jesus, No God! The only way to be restored back from our fallen state is through his son Jesus. 

God's plan was for man to desire what he desired, for man's will to line up with his will. When this happens your prayers will be asking God to accomplish his will on earth as it is in heaven. Then goodness and truth will reign on earth instead of darkness and evil.  When we are born, we are born in sin. We are born conforming to the world and its systems. Thus we are born following satan whether we choose to or not. The only way to change that is to be reborn by dying to sin and raised in righteousness through Christ. This is what baptism does. This is not a quick fix pill though, the transformation is an ongoing process. In this blog I'm going to list some principles that are essential to having effective and powerful prayers that God honors. 

1. Deal with your sin- We must first deal with our sin when we prepare to pray. We must evaluate our day and actions to see if we have done anything God would be displeased with. Then ask for forgiveness of those sins. We can even ask God to forgive us for sins we don't know about because what's right to man is wicked to God. This means sometimes our decisions are not in alignment with God unknowingly. Psalms 19:12 David asks God to forgive him for his hidden faults, meaning sins he's unaware of.  1John 1:9  says that if we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive us. This is very important not to skip repentance because sin causes God to separate from us and not hear our prayers.

2. Put on Righteousness- This means being right with God through the righteousness of Jesus Christ. Your life should be reflecting his light and moral code. Remember we all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, there will be areas you slip in, this is your opportunity to ask God to help you in those areas. We can do nothing by our self but through God all things are possible. 

3.Be Honest with God- Remember God knows everything 😉 we sometimes forget this and try to tell " little white lies" or " extract information" in our prayers. This will get you no where with God because that is sin. Remember the Bible says we must worship him in spirit and truth. God doesn't judge us like man. He loves us unconditionally. You can go to him with your darkest secret, in fact that gets you closer because you're laying it all at his feet and this is what he desires. 

4. Read your Word (Bible)- The word of God cleanses us. This is why God tells us to meditate on his word day and night. This just means keep God's word on your mind. The word of God is for reproof, correction, and instruction in righteousness so that we may be perfect, thoroughly furnished for all good works( 2Tim. 3:16-17) Without God's word we can't truly know him. The only way we can truly live in righteousness as God desires is by living according to his word (Psalms 119:9-11). When we read the word it also trains our senses to discern between good and evil (Hebrews 5:14). Lastly, we can remind him of his word. Because he values his word above himself he will honor it always. 

5. Separate Yourself- When you prepare to pray you must separate yourself from outside interference. You can't have a powerful and effective prayer while watching television or listening to the radio (unless you have certain worship music to set the atmosphere). Your total attention need to be on your time with God. Adam and Eve didn't have interference remember but we do. We have work, school, kids, worries, Fbook, instagram, etc. We have to shut all that out for alone time just to bask in his presence. This allows your spirit to become one with his and he will speak to you and through you in prayer (this may not happen every time). The more you build your relationship with God, the stronger your prayer life will be. 

6. Have Faith- We must have Faith in God's promises when we pray. Remember, you can only know his promises if you read the Holy Bible for yourself. The Bible says without Faith it is impossible to please God. One reason is because you have to first believe that he is and that he sent his son to die for the sins of world. When you pray, you must believe that it is done. This means you live as if it is a reality for you that just has to manifest. Many pray and get off their knees and speak death to the very thing they just prayed for. The Bible says in James 4, that is like a man that look in the mirror and turns around and immediately forget what he looks like. This is another reason his word is so important because it builds your faith in him. Go into your prayer knowing that God hears you and will answer you. 

7. Give God glory & remain in Righteousness- Take some time to just praise and worship him for who he is to you. Your prayer shouldn't be all about petitions only. Praise God  for his mercy, grace, and atonement for your sins. This is just examples, but just as you like praise God does too and he totally deserves that and more. Often people try to live righteous just to get something from God, once it's done they regress to worldly living. How do you feel when you've been used? I never want to grieve God. He's done to much for me. Romans 12:1 say to present our bodies as a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, because this is our reasonable service unto him. This is my daily goal. 

I don't profess to know it all. I'm learning daily as you are.  I'm a fellow believer trying to grow in Christ and sharing with others what I've learned on this walk. My goal is to strengthen my prayer life to take it to a higher level. I want my will, purpose and pleasure to line up with his so we can do amazing miracles in the earth just as Jesus did. In fact we are instructed to do greater works than Jesus. This means if God said that, I can trust that I will be able to accomplish it because he honors his word over himself. When we position ourselves by making our vessel (body) available to him we will be awesome change agents in this earth and the earth to come. Please post in the comments about your prayer life or any questions or advice you may have for me or others. Be Blessed.  

Why Do I Still Live Bound If I'm Free From Sin?

First let's begin by explaining what Sin is. Sin is any lack of conformity to the moral law of God, either active or passive, whether in act, thought or disposition. Hamartiology is the study of sin. This tells me if a study is devoted to sin it must have some importance. According to the Christian Bible reference site the word "Sin" is mentioned over 400 times in the Bible. This tells me that God thought it was important to speak on it so often. Therefore if there is a study devoted to it and God says its important then I need to understand it to know what it means to be free from it.

Sin the old ball and chain

God created this world sinless. The world was a place of utopia (heaven on earth). Humans were able to talk to animals without fear. Animals ate vegetation, they didn't desire flesh and blood. Can you imagine petting a lion without fear of being eaten. Can you imagine cattle not worrying about being eaten by us. We too had no desire for flesh. All of our food grew on trees. We had no need for clothes because we were clothe in the righteousness of God. This had to be amazing to never feel guilt, shame, fear, low self-esteem, lust, rage, etc. The only feeling were those of peace, joy, serenity, kindness, love, truth, godliness, worship, etc. Just stop and think for a second how different the world would be. There were no religions. It was just God and his creation. We knew who our creator was because we had an intimate relationship with him. There was no interference or competition. Then entered Satan our enemy and God's enemy who was once one of his most treasured Cherubs. 

Bound By Sin

We can't talk about sin without talking about the cause of it. Satan wanted to be like God so he rebelled and took a third of the angels with him. These angels are now called fallen angels. Satan hates us because he has no chance to repent, he will never inherit the kingdom of heaven. His inheritance is to be locked in hell with his fallen angels. Therefore he wants to make sure we never inherit it either. When Adam made the decision to eat the fruit sin entered the world. Having knowledge of what sin was meant you had to choose sin or godliness. We are now all born into sin because of Adam's choice. For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God Romans 3:23. God looked down through generations and saw that the law he created with Moses couldn't be kept. There could never be enough animals sacrificed to totally cover our sin. So God sent the ultimate sacrifice, his son Jesus Christ the Messiah. For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.John 3:16 This broke the chains of sin on our lives. Instead of being mastered by sin, when we believe and accept Jesus as our Savior we are mastered by righteousness. 

Walking in the Newness of Life

Paul asks a question in Romans 6:1 What shall we say then? Shall we continue to sin, that grace may abound? In layman's terms Paul is asking " So do you think it's o.k to sin since we are now covered under Gods grace?" "Should we sin so his grace can increase more and more?" So before we answer that question let's talk about grace. Grace is the unmerited favor of God. Grace is God showing his mercy, patience, and kindness instead of our just punishment for sin which is death. Grace isn't earned, it's a part of God's character. Remember "For God so loved the world", his heart toward us is to give us a choice to choose him and be free. Now back to Paul's question. In Romans 6:2 he answers his rhetorical question. His answer: God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein? Again in layman's terms, Paul is saying " God refuses to allow us to walk in sin after his ultimate sacrifice for you to free. Why would you want to live in sin after being freed from it?"

The problem is that Sunday after Sunday we here we can never live up to God's standards. This doesn't mean we should live carelessly. We hear REPENT but we don't hear change and turn. Therefore we cry at the alter repenting but never changing. We get baptized but never open the book on how to live. We barely pray and often don't understand what prayer is. How can we live free from sin when we never open the manual (Bible)? Our mindset should be to love God with all our heart, soul and mind, not for what he can do but for what he already did. When we have a love for God like this our desire changes from a sinful nature to wanting to please God. We have a zeal to read more about him and his standard(will) for our lives. We begin to talk to him more and get to know his character. Then chains begin to fall off because we begin to say GOD I CHOOSE YOU! He already chose us with his sacrifice, now we must choose him to be able to walk in total freedom. We must take the power back from our enemy. Romans 6 (read full chapter) tells us that we must die with Christ and be raised with him by the glory of God . This means that our old sinful nature must die in order that we walk free from sin. Walking free from sin means we no longer serve sin but the father who loves us. We have the victory through Christ's death. We should live everyday manifesting our resurrected life free from sin's control. 

 Now that you know what sin is, where it comes from and what God did to free you from it, Here are some steps you can take to walk in the newness of God and become a servant of righteousness.

• Read your Bible daily. It doesn't have to be a whole chapter. Start where you are and increase as the spirit leads you.
• Pray daily, morning, midday and before you sleep. Very important to pray before you sleep. Prayer is just talking to God, nothing fancy.
• Try to connect yourself with other believers. You will be able to strengthen and encourage one another. In addition, they are seeking the same thing you are which is to live a righteous life. Ungodly people will never steer you towards God and his desire for your life.
• Always ask God to give you wisdom, knowledge and understanding so you never put your own interpertation  to his Word.
• Ask God to fill you with his Holy Spirit which will lead and guide you in God's truth. 

As you begin to implement these steps in your life God will begin to reveal himself to you. He will begin to show you the areas that need cleaning. This is what he did for me once I asked him instead of trying to do it on my own. I found that I can only do what God wants through his power. Through him we can do all things. Nothing is impossible with God. The Joy of the Lord will be your strength. If you have any questions feel free to leave them in the comment section. I look forward to hearing your testimony. 

God isn't a Religion: He is our Creator

God isn't a religion. Many are turning from God because of religion. We are putting the two together and it should not be so. God stands alone, he can't in any way be put in a box. Religion can. God isn't an institution of belief or organized system based on man. If no one believed in God he still would be God. God doesn't exist based on our belief in him.

Who is God?

God is the creator of all things. He was not born and will never die. He is not subject to time. He exist outside of everything we know to exist. There was no time before him. He isn't affected by time, space or matter. Nothing was created without him. By his word everything was created. Read Genesis for God's recap of the beginning. God is a spirit being, he doesn't have flesh like we do. He doesn't sleep or get tired. He is everywhere at once. He knows all, sees all, and he is all powerful. There is no power greater or equal to his.

God is Love

God is love. He's full of mercy and grace for his children. John 3:16 For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believe in him should not perish but have everlasting life. God's will for us all is to have eternal life with him. Through Adam, sin entered the world and caused us to be separated from God. God is holy so he cannot be in the presence of sin. The penalty of sin is death and there is no remission of sin without blood so he sent his son to do what we couldn't because we all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.(Romans 3:23) All of us like sheep have gone astray , each of us has turned to his own way; But God has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on Jesus.(Isaiah 53:6) Even though mankind has turned from God in so many ways he still loves us and pleads with us to come to him. 

Attributes of his Spirit

Kindness, Meekness, Long suffering, Just, Self-Control, Patient, Gentle, Good, Joy, Peace

God is unchanging, His word stands, He doesn't rewrite it, His word is life to our being. He sent his word to teach, rebuke, correct and train us in righteousness.  He is holy, there is no sin in him. There is no darkness around him. He is also a God of judgment. Eccl 12:14 For God will every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing whether good or bad. Our thought, motives, actions and words will all be accounted for. He even knows every hair on our head. He is amazing, almighty, magnificent, and though him we have our being. 

Don't allow anyone to put God in a box through religion. It is very important to read your Bible, Pray without ceasing and fast. Always equip yourself with the Armor of God Ephesians ch.6. The only way to God is through Jesus Christ. There is no belief in God without believing in his son. It is Jesus blood that justifies us. Don't listen to people who say there are many paths to God. It is not. This is a lie from satan because he wants to steal, kill and destroy you. This has been his plan from the beginning. He knows if he can keep you from Jesus, he has kept you from God because there is no other way. God is not a religion, he is the first and the last, the alpha and the omega, the beginning and the end. HE IS THE CREATOR OF ALL THINGS. Colossians 1:16 For in him all things were created, things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers and authorities. All things were created through him and for him.