Salvation

            Jesus loved the Holy Scriptures written by his Jewish forefathers.  Jesus didn’t merely read the Bible with his mind—his innermost being cherished it.  The Word of God filled him with inexpressible joy that saturated him with an affection for it.  He delighted in God’s commands because he loved them.

Our record of Jesus’ life shows him constantly quoting Scripture or referring to it.  He once pointed out that, “It is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God,’” Deuteronomy 8:3.  Jesus’ quotations of the Hebrew Bible and constant references to it fill the pages of the Gospels.

When Peter attacked the mob that arrested Jesus, our Lord commanded him to put away his sword.  Then, he explained why he refused to allow his followers to resist his arrest.  “This (arrest) has all taken place that the writings of the prophets might be fulfilled,” Matthew 26:56.  Jesus devoted himself to the fulfillment of all prophesies about His life.  What tremendous dedication to the Scriptures!

How can we enjoy the Bible that Jesus loved?

Appreciate the Bible Jesus Loved

Jesus only had access to what Christians called the Old Testament.  His reading of the Bible was confined to something between Genesis and Malachi.  The New Testament did not exist in Jesus’ day.

Many Christians fail to appreciate what Jesus loved.  They seldom read the Old Testament because they find it exceedingly boring and see no application to their lives.  How different from our Lord Jesus!

In reality there is not a Hebrew Bible and a Christian Bible.  The division into Old Testament and New Testament is artificial.  “All Scripture is God breathed,” 2 Timothy 3:16 refers to both testaments.  What we call the New Testament did not replace the Old Testament, the Bible Jesus loved.

The Old Testament is the foundation of the New Testament.  The New Testament depends entirely on the Hebrew Scriptures, written by Jewish people.  The Jewish Jesus declared “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished,” Matthew 5:17-18.

Refuse to discount the Bible Jesus loved.  There will be lots in the Old Testament you will find boring, but that is also true of the New Testament.  You will not always understand what you are reading, but isn’t that the same with the New Testament?  Ask the Lord to open your heart to a new appreciation of the Bible Jesus respected and loved.

Look for Phrases, Not at Verses

The New Testament quotes the Old Testament hundreds of times but never mentions a chapter or verse number.  That’s because chapter numbers and verse numbers were not included in either the Old or New Testament writings.  These numbers were added hundreds of years after the last book of the Bible was written.  Chapters and verses help us locate sections of the Bible that interest us.  However, they also focus our attention on huge chunks of text.  In this mass of words are buried wonderful phrases that apply to our 21^st century lives.

For example, I read Isaiah 49:23 many, many times.  Regrettably, I regarded the fifty words of this verse as a unit.  Therefore, I failed to pick out the phrase that applies to all of us.  Please notice the last part of Isaiah 49:23: “I am the Lord; those who hope in me will not be disappointed.”  Can’t we in the 21^st century make the same declaration?  We accept God as our Lord, and because we hope in him we will not be disappointed!

Apply the Promises not the Curses

            Multitudes of wonderful promises fill the pages of the Bible Jesus loved.  The Old Testament also records lots of consequences for disobeying God.  We usually refer to these consequences as curses.

I continually share with people promises recorded in the Old Testament.  Some of these folks question why the promises apply to them but not the curses.  Here’s my explanation.

First, Jesus bore all the consequences of our disobedience to God.  Galatians 3:13 declares that, “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us.”  Then, the apostle explained that, “It is written: cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.”  The curses pronounced on the disobedient no longer apply to us after Jesus’ blood washes away our sin.

Jesus “redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles,” Galatians 3:14.  You see God’s promises to his Old Testament saints can be applied to us in this age.  We should feel completely comfortable trusting in Old Testament promises while not fearing Old Testament curses.

Be Filled with the Spirit of the Author

            God used about 45 people as his partners in writing the Scriptures.  Here’s how Peter described the partnership between God and humans that resulted in the writing of the Bible.  “Men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit,” 2 Peter 1:21.  No, they weren’t puppets or dictation machines.  God incorporated their personalities, education, vocabulary and experiences in writing Scripture.  Nevertheless, God’s Spirit superintended the work of compiling the Bible.  His infallibility enabled fallible men to record words we can confidently call the Word of God.

Now, we can be filled with the Spirit of the Author.  The One who superintended the recording of Scripture dwells in everyone who trusts Jesus as Savior.  As we persistently read the Bible the author who lives in us explains it to us, little by little.  He makes the Bible come alive.  He opens our hearts to understand Scripture and shows us personal applications that help us in everyday life.

Be greatly encouraged,

Pastor James Fields

Your eyes and ears are gatekeepers for your brain, your thoughts.  Your eyes and ears are doorways through which ideas, desires and thoughts enter your mind.  Therefore, as a follower of Jesus, you must watch over your eyes, ears and thoughts.  Basically, you are a gatekeeper in charge of what enters your mind and resides in your thoughts and controls your desires.

Your Creator entrusted to you the control of what you think, what you desire and what you pursue.  The Lord assigned you the position of guarding your thoughts so they would please him and keep you free from sin.  Then, you will live a victorious life free from sin, discouragement and defeat.  So, regard yourself as a gatekeeper in charge of your eyes, your ears and your thoughts!

Be Faithful to Your Creator

“The gatekeepers had been assigned to their positions of trust,” 1 Chronicles 9:22.   God loves you and wants to guide and lead your life into the victory that originates in overcoming sin.  He entrusts you with the power to faithfully say “No” to sin that attempts to fill your thoughts.  On the other hand, he empowers you to say “Yes” to the purity that Scripture describes.  Therefore, as gatekeepers of our thoughts we say “No” to thoughts that contradict God and His Word and “Yes” to all that agrees with His Word.

Do you recall Jesus’ temptation?  Satan placed sinful thoughts in Jesus’ mind, but Jesus always rebuked him and quoted scripture that defeated every anti-God idea.  Matthew chapter 4 describes the mental battle that Jesus fought against Satan’s wicked suggestions.  Well, Jesus’ Spirit lives in you.  So, you can win every mental battle you will ever face!  You can keep yourself victorious no matter what comes your way!  The Spirit of Jesus in you coupled with the Word of God makes you more than a conqueror!

You are in Charge of Keeping Yourself Victorious

When you became a child of God he appointed you a gatekeeper in charge of your eyes and ears, your thoughts and desires.  In fact, God placed you in charge of guarding your eye gates and ear gates and whatever resides in your thoughts and attitudes.  Heavenly Father placed in you the power of Jesus’ presence so you can remain in charge of what happens in your mind, your attitudes and your thoughts.  1 Chronicles 9:23 declares that the priests “we’re in charge of guarding the gates of the house of the Lord.” So, you are in charge of guarding your eye gates and ear gates.

“Your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have received from God,” 1 Corinthians 6:19.  You are in charge of guarding your eye and ear gates!  Your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit and so you are empowered by the Holy Spirit to guard what enters your mind and thoughts.  You cannot always prevent ungodly thoughts from entering your mind but you say “no” to these thoughts.  Remember that “in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us,” Romans 8:37.   You are in charge of keeping yourself victorious through the power of the Lord who lives in you!

You are a Winner!

When you received Jesus as your personal Savior, you became a gatekeeper in charge of whatever enters your eyes and ears and resides in your thoughts.  “The gatekeepers…are entrusted with the responsibility for the rooms and treasuries in the house of the Lord,” 1 Chronicles 9:26.

When you received Jesus as your personal Savior the power of God entered you and bestowed on you Jesus’ ability to defeat impure thoughts, discouragement, attraction to sin and everything else that is ungodly.  You are a house of God in which he dwells by his Spirit.  You can defeat every thought that is against the Lord and his Word and his will.  He empowers you by his Spirit to destroy every ungodly feeling, idea or attraction that touches you.

Yes, we cannot control everything we hear and see, but through the power of the Holy Spirit we can reject all these impure thoughts from residing in us.  Jesus’ presence in you equips you with his super human ability to defeat every thought that damages your relationship with the Lord.  When God assigns divine responsibility to us, he accompanies the responsibility with divine power to guard the godly life he entrusted to us.  Jesus in us is more than a match for all Satan throws in our path.  We keep our bodies and our minds sinless through the irresistible power of Jesus who lives in us!

Be greatly encouraged,

Pastor James Fields

The apostle Paul pointed out to the Corinthian believers that he valued his ability to speak in tongues.  “I thank God that I speak in [strange] tongues more than…all of you put together,” 1 Corinthians 14:18 AMP.  On the other hand, he made it plain to the church that he rarely spoke in tongues during church meetings.  “In the church I would rather speak five intelligible words to instruct others than ten thousand words in a tongue,” 1 Corinthians 14:19.

If Paul spoke in tongues more than all the Corinthians put together and yet didn’t speak in tongues in church meetings, when did he speak in strange languages?  Well, obviously he spoke in tongues during his private time with the Lord.  Not only that, but his claim that he spoke in tongues more than all the Corinthians put together required him to employ tongues a lot.  Why did he bother with tongues?  Why did he thank God that he spoke in tongues outside the church walls?  Paul understood the primary purpose of tongues!

Speaking to God from the Human Spirit

“If I pray in tongues, my spirit prays,” Paul testified (1 Corinthians 14:14). Through tongues the Holy Spirit equips the human spirit to commune with God who is spirit.  Basically, the Holy Spirit gives a voice to the human spirit so it can pour forth praise and adoration for Jesus.

On the Jewish festival day of Pentecost, one hundred and twenty of our Lord’s followers gathered in Jerusalem.  “All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them,” Acts 2:4.  The Holy Spirit gave them the ability to speak from their human spirits.  What were they saying?  Acts 2:11 concisely records that the 120 were “declaring the wonders of God….”  They were praising the Lord, not with their minds, but with their spirits.

Brother Paul loved Jesus supremely.  Nevertheless, he found it impossible to adequately express his feelings for Jesus from only his extensive human vocabulary.  So Paul, like the believers on the day of Pentecost, spoke his admiration of Jesus from his human spirit as the Holy Spirit supplied him with limitless vocabulary.  How good it felt to speak the overflowing love for Jesus that dwelt in his heart!

When by himself Paul communed with the Lord using both his mind and his human spirit.  “I will pray with my spirit, but I will also pray with my mind; I will sing with my spirit, but I will also sing with my mind,” 1 Corinthians 14:15.  His mind and spirit took turns worshipping his redeemer who mercifully met him on the road to Damascus.  This undemonstrative communion with Jesus satisfied his spirit’s need for the Lord’s presence.

Focusing on the Primary Purpose of Tongues

“Anyone who speaks in a tongue speaks not to men but to God,” Paul wrote (1 Corinthians 14:2).  How plain can it be?  Tongues are primarily for communing with God, not speaking messages to people.

The immature Corinthian believers misused the gift of tongues in church. As a result, Paul recorded detailed rules governing the use of tongues during public meetings.  These guidelines occupy the majority of 1 Corinthians Chapters 12 and 14.

Consequently, many modern era Christians mainly focus their attention on the gift of tongues.  Regrettably, this stress on tongues during public meetings diverts our attention from the primary purpose of tongues.  Then we devalue the importance of tongues as a means of communing with God from the human spirit.

Many dear Christians who experience the baptism with the Holy Spirit speak in tongues when initially filled with the Spirit.  After that, they use tongues less and less.  This neglect of our God given ability to speak to the Lord from the human spirit robs us of the benefits of using tongues in private.

Unrestrainable Joy

Paul experienced huge disappointments and massive doses of physical pain.  He stated, “I have…been in prison…frequently, been flogged…severely, been exposed to death again and again,” 2 Corinthians 11:23.  We would naturally expect Paul to drag from one degree of depression to another.  However, he plainly declared, “In all our troubles my joy knows no bounds,” 2 Corinthians 7:4.  Where was the depression?  How could he experience unrestrainable joy when Christians disappointed him and unbelievers tortured him?

Part of the answer lies in his frequent use of tongues.  Paul pointed out, “He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself,” 1 Corinthians 14:4. Speaking from his spirit in languages supplied by the Holy Spirit reinvigorated Paul’s God-given joy.  His joy didn’t originate in this world, his circumstances or his feelings.  Joy that flowed from the throne of God sustained his unbounded happiness!  It’s the same with us in the twenty-first century.

Due to legal blindness, I lost my driver’s license when only 29 years old.  By age 34 I began using electronic recorders for achieving more and more of my office work.  My secretary printed my sermon outlines in ever larger letters.  Many other setbacks have occurred in my personal life and ministry because of my decreasing vision.  I admit that depression and discouragement often attempted to smother my determination to continue in ministry.  Fortunately, during my early twenties I began daily using tongues during my private communion with the Lord.  As a result, I experienced Holy Spirit edification that beat back attacks of despondency and despair.

I think that many ministers of the Gospel have failed to latch on to 1 Corinthians 14:4: “He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself.”  They miss the self-edifying effect of partnering their spirit with the Holy Spirit in tongues.  In partnership with the Holy Spirit, our spirits praise, magnify and glorify the God in whose presence is the fullness of joy.  These expressions of our delight in God allow superhuman joy to flood our feelings and our thoughts.  Depression loses its grip on our hearts and minds and “in all our troubles [our] joy knows no bounds.”

Self edification isn’t selfish. The Lord who placed us in ministry edifies us by his presence so we can edify others by his power.  Let’s return to the primary purpose of tongues and use our spirits in communing with the God who depends on us to bless people.

Be greatly encouraged,

Pastor James Fields

May I suggest my book Demystifying Speaking in Tongues if you would like to learn more about this gift from our Heavenly Father.  Click here to order it for $5.00 plus shipping and handling.

The Spirit of Jesus lives in every human who surrenders themselves to his lordship.  “Whoever is united with the Lord is one with him in spirit,” 1 Corinthians 6:17.  We do not become Jesus and Jesus doesn’t become us.  However, his dynamic life imparts life to our spirits which were formerly dead because of sin!  When Jesus’ Spirit moves into our dead human spirit, we experience what Scripture calls the “new birth.”

Isaiah 9:6 lists several descriptive names to the Jesus who lives in us.  Knowing these names builds our faith in his commitment to helping us.  Our reliance on his help builds our confidence in our ability to live victoriously no matter what goes on around us.  Instead of succumbing to defeat, discouragement, hopelessness or confusion, we stand fast with confidence in the Jesus who dwells in us.

The Jesus in Us is “Wonderful” (Isaiah 9:6)

The Hebrew word for wonderful means “a miracle, miraculous thing, a wonder or great.” (Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance) All these adjectives describe the Jesus who moved into your spirit the moment of your new birth!  The word impossible never deters Jesus from doing or being anything.  “All things are possible with God,” Mark 10:27. “With God all things are possible,” Matthew 19:26.  

“Wonderful” means to be full of wonders.  “Wonders” exceeds human comprehension and therefore are inexplicable; wonders are extraordinary or superior to the usual.  Well, since all things are possible with God, we can afford to go beyond our human understanding and expect better than the best and more than the most.

When Delores and I chose to leave a very prosperous church we had pastored for 15 years, move to Houston and prepare for ministry in Southeast Asia, we needed miracles.  Approximately two weeks after moving to Houston, I woke up one morning about 1 a.m.  I couldn’t sleep—I was terrified.  What had I done?  How did I ever expect to make it to Southeast Asia without a national mission’s department supporting us?  Since I couldn’t sleep, I arose, walked to our living room, sat on the couch and began worrying.  Worry was conquering me that morning, but the Lord, the Wonderful Counselor, asked me a question.  “Are you going to live by my promises or your explanations?”  I thought about the question for a while and then looked up and said to the Lord, “I am going to live by your promises and not my explanations.”  Total peace immediately enveloped me.  I returned to bed, slept the rest of the night and the rest is history.  We not only ministered in several Southeast Asian countries, but also pastored in Japan.

Friend, I don’t know what miracle you need. I can’t imagine the disappointment you feel.  But I can recommend that you turn your attention to the God of wonders who lives in you.  Quit trying to figure life out and depend on the Spirit of Jesus who lives in you to perform miracles for you and your family.  He appointed you a winner, not a loser!

The Jesus in Us is “Counselor” (Isaiah 9:6)

The God who created the first humans immediately began counseling them about life.  “Counsel” means “to warn, instruct, admonish, and guide.”

In the biographical sketches of Jesus, he is often referred to as teacher.  In fact, Jesus was the ultimate Teacher whose instructions guide us, warn us and cheer our hearts.  Not only does Jesus counsel us through the Holy Spirit, but he provided the Bible for us.  This book offers direction from our Creator which shields us from falsehood and keeps us on the path of divine truth.  Jesus’ words in John 14:6 are so reassuring.  “I am the…truth…. No one comes to the Father except through me.”  Notice that Jesus did not say, “I teach the truth,” but, “I am truth.”  He is the personification of eternal divine truth!

We rest in Jesus!  Every human teaching that disagrees with Jesus is a lie.  Every human teaching that substitutes anything for Jesus is wicked.  So, we rest in the Jesus who is the embodiment of truth, eternal truth that doesn’t change according to convenience or selfish ambition.  Everything we need for victory lies in Jesus, the wonderful Counselor!

The Jesus in Us is “Mighty God” (Isaiah 9:6)

Humans find it so easy to concentrate on personal weaknesses.  That’s understandable since we are so prone to every kind of emotional, physical, spiritual and all other types of deficiencies.

But the Jesus who moves into our spirits is “mighty God.” True, our Lord Jesus surrendered himself to human weakness and died a horrible death.  But he was raised from the dead and seated at heavenly Father’s right hand!  There is no frailty whatsoever in the man Christ Jesus whose Spirit lives in us.

Listen to what Scripture says about God’s children.  Through Jesus “we are more than conquerors” in everything that happens to us. (Romans 8:37).   The Spirit of the Ruler of the universe brought his conquering power into God’s children.  He is undefeatable so we are winners because of his presence in us.

While in prison the apostle Paul declared, “I can do everything through him who gives me strength,” Philippians 4:13.  Can you imagine that?  A prisoner of the Roman Empire saying he can do everything?  Paul’s words “through him” are the key to this seemingly absurd statement.  However, Paul’s declaration is not absurd because it stands on the “mighty God” whose Spirit indwelt Paul’s human spirit.  Guess what?  You can make the same statement about yourself.  You are God’s child because the Spirit of Jesus dwells in you.  Your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, so train yourself to expect to be a winner! (1 Corinthians 3:16)

The Jesus in Us is “Everlasting Father” (Isaiah 9:6)

Jesus is not heavenly Father and heavenly Father is not Jesus.  They are two different persons of the Trinity which includes heavenly Father, Christ Jesus and Holy Spirit.  But in Isaiah 9:6, “father” refers to Jesus as the Provider, the Guardian and the Creator of everything.  Colossians 1:16 points out, “By [Jesus] all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, all things have been created through him and for him.”  Heavenly Father, eternal Christ and Holy Spirit worked as a unit bringing creation into being.

As Creator of everything, the eternal Christ Jesus is “sustaining all things by his powerful word,” Hebrews 1:3.  Like any faithful father, the everlasting Jesus watches over us, blesses us, protects us, guides us, comforts us and carries out God’s will in us and through us.  He cannot and will not let us down because “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me,” Matthew 28:18.   This “everlasting Father” promises that “never will I leave you, never will I forsake you,” Hebrews 13:5.  Therefore, the presence of this “everlasting Father” in us fills us with the boldness to proclaim, “the Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid,” Hebrews 13:6.  Praise be to the Lord who is our victory!

The Jesus in Us is “Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6)

The Hebrew word for “prince” refers to “a head person, captain or chief, a ruler.” (Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance) So the inner peace that God plants in us cannot be taken from us by anyone or anything in the universe.  Jesus is Prince, Head Person, Captain or Chief Ruler of peace in us.  No enemy of our indwelling peace can overcome our Prince of Peace!  He always wins and cannot lose.  His presence equips us with a peace that does not originate in us or around us.  This peace is beyond human comprehension because this peace is the Person Christ Jesus!  He doesn’t change, he isn’t unreliable because Jesus “is the same yesterday and today and forever,” Hebrews 13:8.

These Bible names that describe the Jesus in us fill us with superhuman ability to stand strong in all circumstances!

Be greatly encouraged,

Pastor James Fields

The prophet Jeremiah lived in Jerusalem when King Nebuchadnezzar and his Babylonian armies besieged the city.  The year was about 600 BC and the people of the city were suffering horribly.  There wasn’t enough food or water.  The Babylonian army continually attacked the city with the weapons of that day.  Fear affected everyone and disaster appeared inevitable.

Jeremiah faced persecution from his own people.  The leaders tried killing him by confining him to a pit full of mud, but the Lord inspired an Ethiopian slave to rescue the prophet from certain death.  It went from bad to worse for Jeremiah but, in spite of all this, Jeremiah proclaimed that “You are my refuge in the day of disaster,” Jeremiah 17:17.   How could a persecuted Hebrew prophet make such an absurd statement that contradicted all appearances?  Jeremiah found mental and emotional shelter in his Lord and the word of God!  Consequently, in spite of his ups and downs Jeremiah remained hopeful in the day of disaster.

Toward the end of his life on earth Jesus predicted seemingly endless disasters as humanity practiced more and more rebellion against our Creator.  Here’s a partial list of Jesus’ predictions for planet earth during the last days before his second coming:

• Deception that turns people from Jesus, Matthew 24:5.
• Wars and rumors of wars, Matthew 24:6.
• Famines and earthquakes, Matthew 24:7.
• Persecution because of faith in Jesus, Matthew 24:9.
• False teachers and widespread deception, Matthew 24:11.
• The increase of wickedness destroys the love of many Christians for Jesus, Matthew 24:12.

There are many, many other predictions concerning the awful godlessness of the last days, but we boldly proclaim that God is our Refuge in the day of disaster!

The Undefeatable Spirit of Jesus

Obviously, we are human bodies with human minds and emotions.  But we are primarily human spirits.

Genesis 2:7 declares that God created Adam’s body but it was lifeless. Something was missing from this perfect and complete physical body.  Then God “breathed into his nostrils the breath of life and the man became a living being.”  The Spirit of God created the human spirit in Adam which gave life to the physical person.  Adam and God were both spirits and communed and communicated on the spiritual level.  Adam knew nothing of fear, worry, anxiety or any other unpleasant thought.  “Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of man and he brought her to the man,” Genesis 2:22.  Both Adam and Eve lived in a disaster free environment.

Jesus was truly human because he was body, soul and mind but his Spirit originated in Heavenly Father and was totally sinless.  Jesus was like Adam before Adam sinned.  Therefore, it was necessary for Jesus to experience temptation by Satan, attacks from the ungodly and inner battles with discouragement.  But Jesus’ earthly trials perfected his human spirit so his resurrected Spirit could indwell every child of God.  When Jesus’ Spirit moves into a born again human being, the human spirit comes to life!

When the undefeatable Spirit of Jesus moves into a person, that person becomes empowered to overcome every human weakness, every temptation to sin and every rebellious feeling toward God.  The undefeatable Spirit of Jesus becomes your refuge against which no enemy can succeed.

Jesus, a Refuge for Our Thoughts

When Jesus’ Spirit moved into our human spirits, our spirits became empowered with divine energy to resist fearful, discouraging thoughts of hopelessness.  God does not take us out of this world when we are born again—He equips us to overcome the world in which we dwell.

Obviously, bad news about disasters of every type permeate society.  Radio, television, computers, cell phones and every other kind of electronic communication device flood our thoughts with fear invoking news.  Nevertheless, with the mighty Spirit of Jesus in us we can control the effect this news exerts upon our thoughts.  Actually, we should refuse to soak our minds with bad news.  What’s the alternative?  The first two verses of the Book of Psalms tells us to control the thoughts we permit into our meditation.  “Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night.” 

God’s Spirit wants to serve as a refuge for your thoughts, your meditation!  Refuse to saturate your mind in the bad news of this world.  Don’t allow the things of this world that you did not cause and cannot prevent to occupy your meditation.  Control your thoughts by reading God’s word, listening to it taught and preached, and rejecting the temptation to allow the news of this world to fill your mind.  Remember God’s command to us in Isaiah 37:6. “Do not be afraid of what you have heard.”  End of issue!

God, the Refuge for Our Emotions

God created us creatures of feeling as well as creatures of thought.  We call these feelings emotion.  Emotion is a very important part of our being and our relationship with our heavenly Maker.  However, emotion can fight against us when not kept under control.  So, God wants to serve as a refuge for your emotions as well as your thoughts.

The Spirit of Jesus who indwells your human spirit empowers you to say No to ungodly and unhealthy emotions.  Through Jesus’ presence we can deny fear, hatred, sadness, anxiety and every other destructive emotion that attacks us.

Recall what Galatians 5:22 and 23 says about you.  The Holy Spirit who dwells in your spirit empowers you to accept God’s emotions when you don’t feel them.  You say No to destructive emotions and you say Yes to the beautiful emotions of God that indwells your human spirit.  Let the Holy Spirit be your refuge which shields you from emotions that tear you down instead of build you up.  Through the energy of the Jesus in you, you purposefully and deliberately choose the emotions that bless you and your walk with Jesus Christ!

Be greatly encouraged,

Pastor James Fields

Not too long before he returned to heaven, Jesus told his followers “Do not let your hearts be troubled.  You believe in God; believe also in me,” John 14:1.

The English words “Do not let” mean “to refuse to allow or to permit something to happen.”  So, God gives us the power to reject a troubled heart.  Yes, the Holy Spirit in you equips you to reject a troubled heart even though you live in a troubled world!  We can reject the trouble we brought on ourselves or that others brought on us.  In fact, Jesus told us that God “will wipe every tear from their eyes.  There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away,” Revelation 21:4.

As believers in Jesus we firmly stand against a troubled mind and a disturbed heart.  God is our Victory!

Another wonderful verse is found in Proverbs 12:28: “In the way of righteousness there is life; along that path is immortality.”

Resting in Jesus

Jesus is our life!  He isn’t merely our pathway to life—he is our very life!  So, we rest in him even when we live in a world of chaos and feel fear in our hearts.  We say “no” to fear of every kind and surrender ourselves to heavenly Father, Christ Jesus and Holy Spirit.  They are our guardian and our provider.  Even if our enemies kill us, we do not fear, but rest in the Lord who called us into eternal immortality.  There is nothing to fear because heavenly Father, Christ Jesus and Holy Spirit commit their infinite power to bestowing eternal life on us.  We are more than conquerors through him who loved us!  Remember the verse we quoted above?  “In the way of righteousness there is life; along that path is immortality,” Proverbs 12:28.  Yes, walking with Jesus guarantees immortality to his followers.  Even if we are executed by our enemies, we do not fear because God designed us for eternal life!

When we die, our spirit steps out of our bodies and lives eternally with Father, Son and Holy Spirit!  We cannot lose for winning!  Our God called us to eternal life so that’s where we are headed!

Overcoming Fear of Death

Death is a frightening experience that nobody wants to go through.  However, death happens to every human since Adam and Eve.  So, we overcome fear of death even though we cannot escape death.

We refuse to allow our hearts to be frightened of death because we belong to the Author of Life.  Jesus came to earth as a mortal and experienced execution on a cross.  However, Jesus volunteered to die and, thereby, became eligible for eternal life.  True, his death was very unpleasant.  His torture, crucifixion, spitting, screaming and beating was anything but pleasant.  Nevertheless, Jesus experienced this for our sake so that by uniting with him we could overcome the fear of death just like he overcame it.

Jesus was buried in a tomb hollowed out of rock.  They laid his body in this tomb and rolled a large stone across the door into the tomb.  However, in three days Jesus’ Spirit entered his lifeless body and brought it back to eternal life.  He walked out of the tomb and appeared to many of his followers before ascending to his father’s right hand.  Consequently, we face the experience called death without being terrified by it.  We know that beyond death lies eternal life for everyone who loves the Lord!  Eternal life awaits all of Jesus’ followers who love him and want to please him.  God gives us the power to reject a troubled heart even though we must go through physical death.  We are seeking immortality even though immortality requires us to experience death.  We are more than conquerors through him who loved us and gave himself up for us, so we do not fear death.  We refuse to let our hearts be troubled by the prospect of these bodies ceasing to exist.  Eternal life awaits all of Jesus’ followers because he died to bring us into everlasting life!  Our union with Jesus guarantees our union with him in eternal life!

Joyfully Anticipating Eternal Life

“Do not let your hearts be troubled.  You believe in God; believe also in me,” John 14:1.   We choose to not be troubled by placing our faith in the God who called us to eternal life!  All of us face a resurrection which brings us into eternal life in a resurrected body.  Truly, we cannot lose for winning!  Our God called us to eternal life without fear of harm, injury or death.  We refuse to be troubled by fear, anxiety or hopelessness.  We rest in our God who watches over us and will help us escape eternal death by raising us from the dead and placing us in an eternally resurrected body.  We choose to not be troubled because we believe in our eternal God who loves us with all his heart.  We are headed for an eternal life without any fear, pain, sorrow, regrets or suffering.

Remember, brother and sister, what Proverbs 12:28 promises you: “In the way of righteousness there is life; along that path is immortality.” 

Be greatly encouraged,

James Fields

God can’t get you off his mind. His infinite love fixes you in his thoughts.  Before creating the universe, God filled his mind with wonderful plans for your life on earth and awesome ideas for your eternity.

We small mortals can scarcely believe that an infinite Creator thinks so often and so highly about us.  David asked, “What is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him,” Psalm 8:4. “Mindful” means that God’s mind is full of living thoughts about his loved ones.  We can’t explain how God simultaneously thinks about all his children, but he does!

Jesus described his heavenly Father like this: “Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them.  Are you not much more valuable than they,” Matthew 6:26.  Jesus was trying to help the human imagination grasp the outer fringes of God’s love for us.  If he is mindful of birds, how much more does he think about meeting human needs?

A verse from Job summarizes God’s feelings for his children.  “He never takes his eyes off the righteous,” Job 36:7.  He thinks about us all the time.

What happens in God when he thinks about you?

You rejoice his heart and place a song on his lips.  “He rejoices over you with singing,” Zephaniah 3:17.  You are the source of his song because you are the object of his love.  The measureless One who made all things experiences a thrill every time his children come to his mind–and we fill his mind always.

You delight his heart.  “He takes great delight in you,” Zephaniah 3:17. “Delight” exceeds joy.  Although our actions and behavior don’t always bring joy to God, he continually delights in our person.  Our imperfections, failures and weaknesses grieve his heart but do not lessen his delight in us.  He remains committed to perfecting us when we act very imperfectly.  His delight in us never waivers even when it is necessary to correct us, to rebuke us, or reprimand us.  “Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline,” Revelation 3:19.

What happens to you when God thinks about you?

You wear a crown of blessing.  “Blessings crown the head of the righteous,” Proverbs 10:6. The new birth removed the crown of thorns you wore and placed a crown of God’s blessing upon your head.  The crown God placed on you represents the position he gave you.  You became an offspring of the King of the universe.  Like your Father King you wear a crown as a sign of your royal position.  You are his child.  Human frailties do not tear you out of his family.  Doubts about your God or yourself never decrease his determination to live in you by his Spirit.

Wearing God’s crown of blessing doesn’t exempt you from unpleasant seasons, difficulties or trials.  The crown simply indicates that whatever life throws at you, you will triumph; you will win; you will move out of unpleasantness into pleasantness.  “He rescued me because he delighted in me,” (Psalm 18:19) applies to you no matter how you feel or what’s going on around you.  You will eternally be God’s delight.

What happens to your spiritual foes when God thinks about you?

They cringe in fear of the One who thinks about you.  Devils flee from the One who fills His mind with you.  Wild panic grips their thoughts and feelings.  They flee from you as the One who thinks of you commands his angels to encamp around you.  Dear Christian friend, please notice the full quotation of Job 36:7. “He does not take his eyes off the righteous; he enthrones them with kings and exalts them forever.”  Let’s skip to verses 15 and 16 of the same chapter.  “But those who suffer, he delivers in their suffering; he speaks to them in their affliction.  He is wooing you from the jaws of distress to a spacious place free from restriction, to the comfort of your table laden with choice food.”  Please don’t let life’s disappointments or hardships fool you into believing that God isn’t thinking about you.  He is “wooing you from the jaws of distress.”  He cannot lose sight of your best; your welfare fills the thoughts of the One who can’t quit lovingly thinking about you!

Be greatly encouraged,

Pastor James Fields

Hilarious glee filled the hearts of Jesus’ enemies.  They had succeeded in crucifying and burying this man who claimed to be the Son of God.  All who resisted the will of God rejoiced at their victory over the man they considered a great deceiver.

But one thing troubled Jesus’ foes.  They recalled that he predicted his resurrection.

The chief priests and Pharisees approached Pilate, the Roman governor over Israel.  “Sir…we remember that while he was still alive that deceiver said, ‘After three days I will rise again,’” Matthew 27:63.

They requested Pilate to station an armed guard at Jesus’ tomb so that his disciples would not steal the body and claim that He rose from the dead.  In addition to the guard, the religious leaders sealed the huge stone that lay over the tomb.  This seal was probably a cement-like substance spread over the edge of the stone that glued it to the tomb.  The weight of the stone plus the seal created a strong barrier to anyone who wished to remove Jesus’ body.

Everyone who resisted God’s plan for Jesus’ resurrection felt confident that they had thwarted his prediction.  The tomb was securely sealed, and soldiers guarded against intruders.

God always prevails over human resistance to his plan.  God never loses; sinners never win.  “An angel of the Lord came down from heaven and…rolled back the stone and sat on it,” Matthew 28:2.  The mighty soldiers fainted.  The seal that attached the stone to the tomb completely shattered as the angel touched it with a little finger.  Then the angel sat on the stone that was intended to prevent Jesus’ resurrection.

Dealing with Terrible Times

Through the apostle Paul, the Holy Spirit predicted terrible times in the last days preceding Jesus’ second coming.  Why terrible times?  Because humanity’s rejection of God exposes us to Satan’s hateful violence against all that God loves.

Although we live in terrible times, we can remain confident in the One who overcame all human resistance to Jesus’ resurrection.  The God who raised Jesus from the dead is the God whose Spirit lives in our hearts.  Don’t focus your attention on the terrible times; keep your attention on the heavenly Father who sent his angel to demolish human resistance to divine purposes.

Christians die in wars and natural disasters and are sometimes victims of crime.  However, death is like the stone that covered Jesus’ tomb.  It means nothing.  Physical death propels us into eternal life and eventual resurrection of our bodies.  Satan only wins hollow victories.

We can live without fear during the terrible times.  “You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed,” Matthew 24:6.  Jesus predicted terrible times, but he also commanded us to reject panic, fear, and feelings of uncertainty.  Since God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but of power, we choose to reject the fear, the panic, and the uncertainty that attempt to dominate our thoughts and feelings (2 Timothy 1:7).

What kind of people will God make us during terrible times?  People filled with divine energy to remain calm, “though briars and thorns are all around” us and we “live among scorpions” (Ezekiel 2:6).

Assured Indestructibility

Satanic creatures and human sinners sought Jesus’ destruction.  What’s new?  Sinners of both the spirit world and the natural world harbor intense resentment against God’s will and plan, but they can never win!

God enfolds his plans and purposes in assured indestructibility.  He mocked mankind’s effort to thwart divine purposes.  He sent an angel to sit on the stone sinners trusted to keep Jesus in the tomb.

You are God’s will.  His will brought you into existence and sustains your every breath, your every heartbeat, and your future.  God’s Spirit wraps you in assured indestructibility.  Get on with your life; pursue your plans.  Seek more intimate fellowship with the Spirit of Jesus.  Don’t worry about anything.  Don’t panic when things around you crumble.  God purposefully sees to it that his indestructible will for your life is fulfilled.  Often quote Job 42:2, “I know that you can do all things and that no plan of yours can be thwarted.”

If a mere angel can defeat Satan, how much more can our Almighty God crush him!

Be greatly encouraged,

Pastor James Fields