Is There Something Dangerous About Jesus' Teaching?

Is there something that is dangerous about the teaching of Jesus? He himself warns that there is in John 12:35.

"Then Jesus told them, “You are going to have the light just a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, before darkness overtakes you. Whoever walks in the dark does not know where they are going." John 12:35, NIV

JUST A LITTLE WHILE LONGER
This is a temporary world, and our lives here are temporary. Although the one who believes in Christ is eternally secure, which means that salvation cannot be lost, the opportunity to be the light in this world is only for a short time.

WALK WHILE YOU HAVE THE LIGHT
Jesus used the word walk to describe the totality of life. Walking is one of the most common activities of a healthy human being. It is a metaphor for the travel through our lives to the destination we all face at the end.

THE LIGHT
You may hear a powerful and convicting sermon, or go on a wonderful mountain-top retreat or participate in an eye-opening mission service but if the lessons you learned from God in those times are not lived out every day thereafter they will wither away inside you and instead of being a blessing become a weight holding you back in every area of your life.

The phrase, while you have the light, suggests these blessed truths will not always be there or that we are in danger of losing it at any time. In the context of John 12:35, the disciples must have thought that Jesus was referring to his death when His light would be taken then, but we must all take warning to live the truths we have been given.

WHOEVER WALKS IN THE DARK
Many people fail to be true to the light of Jesus' teaching. They have little understanding, mix it all up, and hurt people in the name of God. They wander in the dark and cause others to stumble after them.

Neglecting the teaching we have received is dangerous. If we fail to live out the light we have been given, that light will become darkness inside us. We must all be diligent about staying in the light of Christ's teaching and practically living that light.


If you want to learn more about having the light of Jesus in your life follow THIS LINK.

(c)Adron Dozat 8/31/17 

Where To Find Hope In A Bad Situation

What help and comfort is there for someone in a bad situation?

"Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion, which cannot be shaken but endures forever. As the mountains surround Jerusalem, So the Lord surrounds his people both now and forevermore." Psalm 125:1-2, NIV.

A REMINDER
Some things we hear over and over and though they are old and simplistic they are still true. We need reminders to be practical in our faith. Not just to start our day or week with a little prayer and go on without another thought about God; that would be a good beginning but a poor ending.

TRUST
We are saved by trusting the Lord, but we need to "trust in the Lord" must as a daily or moment by moment faith. As we go through our day we must bring God along. Every day is full of situations, problems, thoughts, feelings, people, and things that challenge us. We must not rely on our own ideas or the ability to solve them. Sometimes a quick prayer as an expression of faith in God is all it takes. Other times it is more complicated and takes seeking Our Lord out in prayer, searching the scriptures, meditation, and counsel with godly friends.

• We need to pray often and tell God we are trusting him and tell him the reasons why.
• We need to remember Bible verses that have promises and pray to claim them.
• When we are trusting in ourselves we must repent and tell God, and renew our trust in God.
• We need to stop running back and forth, both physically, and mentally, and rest in Him.

AN ENCOURAGEMENT
It is encouraging that "The Lord surrounds his people." As we go through difficult situations we can know the Lord went ahead, he is beside us, and he is covering our backs. We can trust him and then drop our guard because he is our guard on every side. We may feel all alone like no one understands, no one knows our pain and worry; but he was there first, he is next to us with his hand on our shoulders, and he is behind cleaning up the mess. He surrounds us and the enemies can circle all day long but they won't find a crack to get in.

A HOPE
He surrounds us both "now and forevermore." There will never be a time when God does not surround us. We may feel like he has left- but these feelings are not the fact. When trials come we need to pray and claim this truth, "He is surrounding me." We could look at those trials and say, "Do your worst- God has me covered!"

© Adron 1/13/13

What Is An Easy Way To Serve God? 1 Thessalonians 5:11 W

There are times when we feel like there is nothing we can do for God. We know we should be serving in church or community or some other way, but we don't seem to find our place. 1 Thessalonians 5:11 gives a good easy place to start.

"Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing."1 Thessalonians 5:11, NIV.

ENCOURAGE
So many people around us need encouragement. There are those struggling with silent private issues and some who are having desperate times. We have the opportunity to do more good than programs and sermons and spending expensive resources; it is simple- it is by being an encouragement. You can do this easily by cheering them on from the sidelines, or you can come alongside and bear the weight in their struggles.

We have many reasons to encourage one other. We want to encourage others because...

     * We share great salvation.
     * The Bible commands us to.
     * To be able to encourage is a gift you may have.
     * We share God's forgiveness.
     * We experience God's grace.
     * We share the Gift of the Holy Spirit.
     * We have the eternal promises in the word.
     * We are part of the blessing of the church.
     * Remember the time will come when we ourselves will need encouragement.

ONE ANOTHER

The phrase "one another" implies community; it suggests that the Christians are woven into each other's lives. We do not live life only unto ourselves, but as Christians, we are part of a living thing called the church. We must be lovingly involved in each other's lives.

BUILD UP
We build each other up by reminding each other of God's mercy, purpose, and salvation.

     * We can share our own experiences.
     * We can teach the word.
     * We can do acts of service.
     * We can reaffirm the positive.
     * We can pray together.
     * We can commit ourselves to our brothers and sisters who need encouragement.
     * We can simply communicate words of encouragement by letter, email, or phone call.

YOU ARE DOING

Paul paid attention to things. He knew his flock, and he knew what was happening in the lives of those to who he ministered. We need to pay attention to our friends and pray for God to show us when and how they need encouragement.

To encourage and build up our brothers and sisters in the Lord, we must do it on purpose. It just doesn't happen on its own; we must be committed to the fellowship of the faith and stand with our brothers and sisters in their struggles.

To learn more about knowing God personally, visit my other blog. Click here.

(c)Adron Dozat 8/14/12

What is Better Than Silver And Gold Proverbs 22:1

If you have a lot of money, you can get many good things and live comfortably; who doesn't want the good things that money buys? But there is something better.

A good name is more desirable than great riches: and to be esteemed is better than Silver or Gold." Proverbs 22:1 JKV.

DESIRE
To desire, something is to want it, and desirable means to be worthy of desire; it points to what people want most. Something that is esteemed is of high value or high opinion. These words have the idea of placing one over the other.

A GOOD NAME
A good name is what you are recognized for; it is what people think of you. You can buy things, and you can buy services. You can even pay someone for their time, but you can't buy their opinion. If you give all the wealth you ever accumulate, it will not purchase a favorable opinion; possibly the attempt to do so would create the contrary- a poor opinion.  A good name is more than being popular. It is the telltale of the relationship you have with society. To have people hold you in high esteem tells that you are a person of character and integrity.

The tabloids and media are full of the disastrous lives of the rich and famous. Their wealth does not protect them from foolishness, vice, pettiness, or poor choices. They are wealthy, but they have wrecked their own lives and the lives of those around them.

Someone might say don't care what other people think, but that only works until you have to do business with other people or want a relationship.

THE COST
Many people throw their reputation away to get wealth. Some people sacrifice their good name for money. This is foolish. In the end, you will only have money. You can't take wealth with you to heaven, but you can send it on ahead by living a life of good acts, charity, and love, for then you will have a reward in heaven.

History is full of millionaires and canonized saints. The millionaires accumulated wealth and are forgotten in the dust of the cemeteries; the saints served and sacrificed, and their names list the noble and best of humanity, serving as an example of what beauty life is in God's hands can be.

There is nothing wrong with riches, and being wealthy is not a sin, but a good name is to be chosen over wealth should the choice come.

To learn more about how to get saved, follow this link: Jesus and Salvation.

(c) Adron 3/14/12

To Proclaim the Lord, A Forgotten Beatitude; Psalm 89:15

God Loves You

The Bible pronounces many blessings, but one of the most important may be one of the most overlooked.

"Blessed are those who have learned to proclaim you, who walk in the light of your presence."
Psalm 89:15 NIV.

BLESSING
The word “Blessing” can mean “Happy,” or “Glad.” It is more than being fortunate, it means God has given His approval, assistance, and favor.  Scripture makes it clear that God wants to bless us.

PROCLAIMING
This blessing begins with proclaiming God.  To proclaim something is to shout it from the rooftops. We should boldly declare in the marketplace, streets and wherever the greatness of our Great God.

To proclaim God is a skill to be learned.  The gift of evangelism is the kind of gift that gets developed and matures with use, yet if we don't have this gift we may still learn to declare God's greatness. When we get frustrated with sharing our faith we should press on to discover how.

God blesses us when we proclaim Him, and we experience joy, just ask any who are faithful to share their faith and they will tell you how much joy it gives them.

GOD IS OUR BLESSING
The second part of this blessing is God himself.  It is awesome to walk in the light of God's presence, We long for mountaintop experiences with God but shouldn't we long to "walk" in his light? Walking sets us apart, humans walk in a way that no other creature does. It is a daily and common experience for any healthy person.  To walk in the presence of the Lord must become our daily habit and choice.

LIGHT
God's presence brings light.  Light reveals sin, shows the way and clarifies what we see.  Light gives safety and comfort. We know God is omnipresent but to walk in the light of God’s presence is to choose to count on, recognize, and honor God's presence.

CHOICE
Blessings almost always involve choices on our part.  We must avoid things that darken His light in our lives.  Disobedience and sin do what no other power in the universe can accomplish- it can darken God’s light, at the very least in our lives and at most in the world around us.  Let’s put away even the most minor sin and choose to walk in His light.

TWO TRUTHS TOGETHER
These two truths go together for you cannot do one without doing the other.  We cannot proclaim Him if we are not walking in the light and if we are walking in His light we will be compelled to proclaim Him.

Resolve to walk in his light and to proclaim Him.

To learn more about how to have a relationship with God CLICK HERE.

Thank you for visiting and reading my blog. I sincerely hope this post is helpful and an encouragement.  For more like this see the most popular post in the left sidebar, or use the search box above.  
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If you know someone who needs encouragement you should order a copy of my book of poems of comfort and hope. 
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(C) Adron 2/9/11

Did Jesus Really Mean I Must Give Up Everything to Follow Him? Luke 14:33.

God Loves You

Those “deny yourself” verses sound so demanding, but what did Jesus mean?

“In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple.” Luke 14:33 

BACKGROUND
Starting at verse 25 to the end of the chapter Jesus is saying we must count the cost.  He is stating a fact- that it does cost to follow him.

• The lure of wealth, status and possessions are so powerful that hardly anyone can have them and follow Jesus.
• Love of ourselves stands between us and our Lord.
• Relationships, romance, and marriage get in the way of following Jesus.
• Careers, goals, and dreams get in the way.
• Self-image, appearance, and fashion get in the way.
• Social status and pleasing friends get in the way.
• The list goes on and on.

We must be willing to give these things up if we want to follow Jesus.  It doesn't mean that we will have to but we must be willing to.

IT IS PERSONAL
It can be different considerations for one person than for another.  To one person giving up everything may mean emotional distance to possessions.  For another, it is saying, “I am only a steward of this stuff.”  For another, it may mean actually throwing things away, or sell them and give the money to the poor.  One answer does not fit all of us.  You could sell your car but have not given up status, dreams, or the desire to be loved.

The Christian life is a relationship with the Lord, not a set of rules. You may need to sell something today and tomorrow keep things and adopt a steward's attitude, and the next time may be different.  It does mean to be willing to take drastic steps.

The guiding principle is that if something is keeping you from following the Lord you must deal with it without mercy.  If wealth keeps you from following the Lord then choose poverty.  If popularity keeps you from being a disciple then choose disrepute.

REVOLVING DOOR OF CHOICES
You will forego one thing and another demands your affections.  You may censor a relationship and another pretty face pops up.  We drop hobbies and later start another.    We must to not get discouraged but renew our commitment to Jesus and give up things that get in the way.

RELATIONSHIP
You must be so sensitive to Jesus that we can tell when something is coming between him and you.  You will find blessing when you give up things for Christ, not only a cleaned out and a simpler life but you gain more of Jesus.  He is better than the treasure your paycheck can buy, better than the status, promotion or toy.  He is worth losing the things that perish.

If something keeps you from following Jesus pray about it and give it up.

To learn more about how to have a relationship with Jesus as savior see my other blog.

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Thank you for visiting and reading my blog. I sincerely hope this post is helpful and an encouragement.  For more like this see the most popular post in the left sidebar.  

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(c) Adron