Mon, Dec 29, 2008
Realizing The Power of God in Your Life (manuscript)
Realizing the Power Of God In Your Life
The power of God is seen throughout all our lives. Some of the oldest questions philosophers, theologians, and scientists have been debating about concerns the topic of truth. What is truth? Does anybody have the truth? How will I know the truth if I find it? What sources should you go to in order to find the truth? Most people will go directly to the dictionary, which is what I did. The New Lexicon Webster’s Dictionary Of The English Language defines truth as the state or quality of being true. I followed this incomplete definition by looking up “true”. True as an adjective means in agreement with fact; faithful to another or others or to a cause or allegiance; accurate; correct. i.e. a true friend. ; Genuine, sincere i.e. a true Christian.
I can take this definition to its logical conclusions by saying there is no one person who possesses moral truth. If everybody believes in what he/she believes in to be true then this must be true. For example, if a terrorist sincerely believes anyone who is not of his faith should be killed in a “holy war” then because he genuinely believes this, he is true in what he does. Therefore, he has the truth. Any person who disagrees with the terrorist, has his/her own opinion on this matter, and also by definition possesses the truth. We are at am impasse which we cannot cross. How can everybody have the truth even though people’s “truths” are so different? How can you oppose someone else’s truth without imposing your morality on that person? If two people possess the truth and their truths contradict each other, they will be violating a basic law of logic, the law of non-contradiction, which states A is not non-A. Without the law of non-contradiction I could say I am 100% good and at the same time in the same sense 100% evil. Since this can never be the case everybody must examine for himself/herself what is truth. How do we determine what is true and what is not true?
We have absolute scientific truths. For example, the Earth’s Gravity pulls everything on Earth down to the Earth’s surface. This is an absolute truth for everything on the Earth, including you. Even if you were to jump up, the law of gravity will pull you down each and every time. There are also many absolute truths in Mathematics. The solution to the mathematical equation 2+2 will always give you the answer four. This is an absolute truth no matter where on Earth you are. There are definitely absolute scientific and mathematical truths in the world. Everything which opposes these truths is by definition not true. For something to be true it must only have a very narrow set of correct answers and for something to be not true it must have a wide array of wrong answers. Is there such a thing as an absolute moral truth? Can we test and prove morality so it works each and every time? This is the real crux of most disagreements in the world today.
We have no organ at all for knowledge, for “truth”: we “know” (or believe or imagine) precisely as much as may be useful in the interest of the human herd, the species: and even what is here called “usefulness” is in the end only a belief, something imagined and perhaps precisely that most fatal piece of stupidity by which we shall one day perish.
Friedrich Nietzsche (1844–1900), German philosopher. The Gay Science, aph. 354 (rev. ed., 1887).
Is Nietzsche correct in there is no way to “know” absolute moral truth?
We must first begin in our quest of absolute moral truth to see if there is such a being that embodies absolute moral truth. We must discover if there is truly a perfect being called God. Do you believe God exists?
When you look around the world what do you see? Do you see land, grass, sky, mountains, water, and many other wonderful and beautiful sights? How do you think all of these things came into being? Did someone create them or do you think they magically appeared? For example, cars were created by men for people to go from one place to another. Why is it so unbelievable that God created the sky in the same manner as opposed to magically appearing? According to the bible, God existed before the beginning. Gen 1:1 says 1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. God was here before anything or anyone else was here. In the beginning dust and debris was floating in space, however, where did the dust and debris come from? Before you can continue looking for God, you must answer this extremely important question. How can nothing (no God) create something (dust and debris)? There has never been a case where nothing has created something, however, this is common mythology in the world today. Nothing, by definition, is void of something. No matter how much time you give nothing, it will never become something. It is a bigger leap of faith to say nothing created something instead of someone (God) created something (dust and debris). There is no other way something can be created other than by a creator. You must have a creator to create something. People who do not believe in God fail at this very important first step. There is no other logical and reasonable answer.
One of the attributes of God is He is All-Powerful. Power is defined as the strength or authority to carry out your will. Since God is the creator, provider, and sustainer of all things, He alone has ultimate power. God says in His Word, in Acts 1:8, He will give us power when the Holy Spirit comes on us. This power involves characteristics such as courage, boldness, confidence, and the authority and knowledge of God. As children of God we have already received power. We now need to do the will of our Heavenly Father using His power for His glory. In order for us to follow God’s will using His power, God commands us to do certain things so we will understand His plan for our lives. The acronym POWER will help remember what we need to do. First, we must pray. Prayer helps to keep us doing God’s will by knowing what He expects us to do. Second, obedience helps us to become more like Jesus Christ. We must act on what God tells us to do from prayer. Third, worship helps to keep us humble as we give all Glory to God. Fourth, evangelism is communicating the good news of Jesus Christ to all. The Bible says in 1 Peter 3:15: You should always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect. Finally, building relationships both with God (vertical) and with others (horizontal) keeps us in contact with God’s loving nature, to be shared with others around us. Thus, through the power God has given us, we can accomplish anything God gives us to do. Remember, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me (Philippians 4:13).
Prayer
Prayer is simply communication with God with the intention of building and sustaining a relationship. There are many ways to pray.
You can pray using a format from the Bible, from Jesus or a Significant Godly individual from the Bible, or by using an alternate method that you are familiar with i.e. the acronym ACTS.
From The Bible:
You can take any book of the Bible, which has a prayer in it, and use it to talk with God. After all, He inspired the writers of the Bible, therefore He approves of when we speak the words back to Him. For example in Colossians 1:3-12 Paul writes:
3 We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, 4 because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all the saints – 5 the faith and love that spring from the hope that is stored up for you in heaven and that you have already heard about in the word of truth, the gospel 6 that has come to you. All over the world this gospel is bearing fruit and growing, just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and understood God’s grace in all its truth. 7 You learned it from Epaphras, our dear fellow servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ on our behalf, 8 and who also told us of your love in the Spirit. 9 For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of His will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. 10 And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, 11 being strengthened with all power according to His glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully 12 giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light.
The first course of action is to break down the prayer. This will enable you to see exactly what is being said.
Our prayer should include the following:
1. To understand God’s will for your life. We should be living a God centered life not a self-centered one.(v9)
2. To gain spiritual wisdom and understanding. God should be guiding our choices.(v9)
3. To please and honor God.(v10)
4. To bear good fruit with Godly behavior and Godly words.(v10)
5. To grow in the knowledge of God.(v10)
6. To be filled with God’s strength.(v11)
7. To have great endurance and patience.(v11)
8. Always joyfully give thanks to the Father.(v3)
- For Jesus(v3)
- For the Gospel(v5)
- For your Godly love as well as brotherly love(v4)
- Paul prayed constantly (Col 1:9). Second, we should meditate on the passage of scripture, so that the Word of God can change your life.
Finally, we should use our breakdown as a tool to formulate our own prayer. Always remember to whom you are speaking to. God is perfect and Holy and does know of your intentions, so it is very important to keep your motives pure.
Other Bible books to use:
-Any Psalm that speaks to you read this in prayer back to God. Remember God is the author of the Bible.
-Philippians 4:1-20
-Colossians 4:2-4
-Acts 4:23-31
-2 Chronicles 20:1-29
Ezra states in 8:21-23; 21 There, by the Ahava Canal, I proclaimed a fast, so that we might humble ourselves before our God and ask him for a safe journey for us and our children, with all our possessions. 22 I was ashamed to ask the king for soldiers and horsemen to protect us from enemies on the road, because we had told the king. “The gracious hand of our God is on everyone who looks to him, but his great anger is against all who forsake him.” 23 So we fasted and petitioned our God about this, and he answered our prayer.
God will always answer our prayer. He will not answer our prayer on our timetable, but on His. The answer to prayer will either be yes, no, or wait. We must be constantly in the Word in order to discern what God would have us do.
Fasting and Prayer is an extremely powerful combination when we are petitioning God for important life changing events. When you fast, you are reminded you are dependent upon Him. He is the creator, sustainer, and provider of all things. Fasting gives you plenty of time to pray, meditate, and petition God for our needs so we may be able to use our time, talents, and treasures to Glorify God. In Acts 13:1-3 we have an excellent example of praying and fasting and the response by God. 1 In the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen (who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch) and Saul. 2 While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” 3 So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off. You should always go where God wants you to be. There is special work for all of us to do. We must pray, and sometimes fast, to have God reveal to us what He wants us to do and where He wants us go. Sometimes our prayers return back to us unanswered as in Psalm 35:13. 13 Yet when they were ill, I put on sackcloth and humbled myself with fasting. When my prayers returned to me unanswered. Don’t always expect immediate answers to prayer. God’s timing is perfect and we must not get discouraged when we do not hear an answer to prayer. Instead we should continue to pray, and allow the time to strengthen our faith in God. Jesus tells us how to fast in Matthew 6:16-18. 16 “When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. 17 But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, 18 so that it will not be obvious to men that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” Fast only for the Father, not to put on a show for others. The Pharisees would fast more than anyone else, so as to impress people with their “holiness” and “righteousness”. Fasting for the right reasons will deepen your faith, make you more humble, and grow your dependence on God. Throughout the Bible many prophets and Godly people prayed for many different things. Some people asked God for strength, endurance, and success, others prayed being thankful for their faith and knowledge God has given them. You can pray for understanding, wisdom, patience, and compassion for others. Never limit what you pray for, but keep in mind you are trying to advance the Kingdom of Heaven so pray wisely and constantly.
Pray like Jesus or a significant godly individual from the Bible
Jesus did teach about prayer as part of his ministry here on earth. A format he used is found in Matthew 6:9-13. Jesus prayed the following:
9 Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, 10 your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. 11 Give us today our daily bread. 12 Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.
Break down the prayer:
1. Our father in heaven - Used to denote a personal and loving relationship as well as a Holy God. Use this format to praise God in all His glory.
2. Hallowed (set apart) be your name - Honor God in a respectful way. If we use God’s name in vain, we are not honoring God. His name is set above from all other names.
3. Your kingdom come - God’s kingdom is not of this earth. It is an eternal kingdom, which will be here when God established a new heaven and earth. John wrote in Revelation 21:1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea.
4. Your will be done - God’s perfect plan for our lives will happen in God’s timing, not ours. God is in control of our lives, not us.
5. Give us today our daily bread - God provides all things for us, but we must humble ourselves and acknowledge God as provider and sustainer of our lives. Paul wrote in 1Timothy 6:17-19 17 Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. 18 Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. 19 In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life. Once we perform good deeds, out of thanksgiving to God, then we will store up for ourselves treasures in heaven.
6. Forgive us our debts - Ask God to wipe away our sin in his eyes and because we are grateful to God we will pass along forgiveness to others. It is not because we have forgiven others that we are forgiven; rather it is a deep understanding what forgiveness means and realizing you fall short of God’s perfect standard in our daily living. Paul wrote in Ephesians 4:32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.
7. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one - God will allow us to be tempted by Satan, but remember it is ultimately for God’s Glory so we will learn His will and His ways. God is faithful; he will not allow us be tempted beyond we can bear (1Corinthians 10:13a), and he provides a way out so we can stand up under it (1Corinthians 10:13b).
Other Godly people in the Bible: Remember to break down the prayer.
Nehemiah 1:4-11
Isaiah 12:1-6
Paul in 1Timothy 6:11-16
Jude 1:24-25
A third way to pray is by the acronym A.C.T.S. or any other acronym which will enable you to keep your prayer focus on God.
The “A” stands for adoration, which is reverent love for God. You are to acknowledge His perfect attributes as you humble yourself and prepare your heart for confession. For example, “You are Holy” (Revelation 15:4), “You are truth” (John 14:6), “You are everlasting” (Revelation 22:13).
Some other attributes you can use are All-Knowing, All-Powerful, All-Present, Almighty, Faithful, Peace, Shelter, not changeable, and Our Sure Foundation.
Note: Remember to write them down when you find them so you can easily recall them. A list of God's attributes is found in appendix A.
The “C” represents confession. Confession means to admit we can never be perfect and that we have sinned. We must confess our sin (falling short of God’s perfect standard) before we can receive His forgiveness. Ezra wrote in 1 Chronicles 21:8 Then David said to God, “I have sinned greatly by doing this. Now, I beg you, take away the guilt of your servant. I have done a very foolish thing.” God knows we are born as sinners. David wrote in Psalm 51:5 Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me. But, God allowed us to be restored. David wrote in Psalm 51:7 Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. God allowed us to be cleansed so we may have an ongoing relationship with Him and serve Him forever looking toward His kingdom.
Note: God cannot look upon sin, so we must confess specifically as to our sin. Remember, your sin is against God only, and it is to Him we must ask forgiveness. In Psalm 51:4 David wrote Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight. An example of confession would be, “God I confess to you I have lost my temper today. Please cleanse my heart so our joyful relationship can be restored”.
The “T” stands for thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is expressing gratitude or appreciation to God. Always thank God for Jesus Christ who died on the cross for all our sins and through whom the world is saved. Remember you must believe in Him alone. Jesus said, in John 3:16-17, 16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. We must give thanks to God in all circumstances (the good and the bad) so we may do His will. Make a list of thanksgivings so the Glory of God can shine through your life.
Finally, the “S” represents supplication, which means we petition God to meet our needs, our family’s needs, our friend’s needs, our church’s needs, and the world’s needs. Although we may ask God for all things remember to ask with godly motives and He will give it to you if it is His will to do so. Jesus said in John 15:7-8 7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. 8 This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.
Obedience
Being obedient to God means you will humbly submit to God’s authority. In contrast disobedience is an outright refusal or neglect to obey God’s authority. Jesus said in John 14:21 “Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves Me. He who loves Me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show Myself to him.”
We will first look at the different ways we obey. Then we will look at three categories of laws in the Old Testament and see which set of laws we are to follow today. Finally, we will examine obedience both in the Old and New Testaments.
We obey God by using our heart, mind, body, and soul.
Obeying using your heart means you will submit to God before you submit to your wants and desires. We must show Jesus we love Him more than our material possessions or even more than our own family. The apostle John writes in 1 John 2:15-17 15 “Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For everything in the world-the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does-comes not from the Father but from the world. 17 The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.” We must always have an eternal perspective (keeping God in the center of our lives) no matter how hard obeying God seems to be. We see in verse 16 our hearts do crave sinful things. We use our eyes and our mouth in ungodly ways. For example, we enjoy looking at attractive people and lusting after them. We boast about how great we are, instead of giving the glory to God. Riches, power, and success pass away from this lifetime, but if we have an eternal perspective we will spend eternity in the presence of God.
Obeying using our mind means we seek his will and his ways so we will be more like Jesus Christ. We do this primarily by reading His Word. James 1:22-25 says 22Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. 23 Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in the mirror 24 and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. After reading God’s Word we need to apply His principles in our lives. We need to just “do it” and stop fighting God.
Obeying using our body means we are to use everything God has given us for His glory. We are to use our time, talents and treasures for His Kingdom. In Luke 19:12-27 Jesus tells us the parable of the King’s Ten Servants.
11 While they were listening to this, he went on to tell them a parable, because he was near Jerusalem and the people thought that the kingdom of God was going to appear at once. 12 He said: “A man of noble birth went to a distant country to have himself appointed king and then to return. 13 So he called ten of his servants and gave them ten minas. ‘Put this money to work,’ he said, ‘until I come back.’ 14 But his subjects hated him and sent a delegation after him to say, ‘We don’t want this man to be our king.’ 15 He was made king, however, and returned home. Then he sent for the servants to whom he had given the money, in order to find out what they had gained with it. 16 The first one came and said, ‘Sir, your mina has earned ten more.’ 17 ‘Well done, my good servant!’ his master replied. ‘Because you have been trustworthy in a very small matter, take charge of ten cities.’ 18 The second came and said, ‘Sir your mina has earned five more.’ 19 His master answered, ‘You take charge of five cities.’ 20 Then another servant came and said ‘Sir, here is your mina; I have kept it laid away in a piece of cloth. 21 I was afraid of you, because you are a hard man. You take out what you did not put in and reap what you did not sow.’ 22 His master replied, ‘I will judge you by your own words, you wicked servant! You knew, did you, that I am a hard man, taking out what I did not put in, and reaping what I did not sow? 23 Why then didn’t you put my money on deposit, so that when I came back, I could have collected it with interest?’ 24 Then he said to those standing by, ‘Take his mina away from him and give it to the one who has ten minas.’ 25 ‘Sir,’ they said ‘he already has ten!’ 26 He replied, ‘I tell you that to everyone who has, more will be given, but as for the one who has nothing, even what he has will be taken away. 27 But those enemies of mine who did not want me to be king over them-bring them here and kill them in front of me.’”
We should break down the parables Jesus teaches us through so we can better understand what He is teaching us.
- Be productive for the Master. God has given us what we need, not necessarily what we want, to tell people the truth of Jesus Christ. We should have an eternal perspective of everything we see, hear, smell, touch, and remember who is the creator, provider, and sustainer of all things. After we die, when we are face to face with Jesus, all of us should long to hear from Him “well done, good and faithful servant.”
- Trust in the Master’s intentions. God is in control of everything, and everything which happens, God allows to happen. We should trust the creator of Heaven and Earth knows more than we do and we should allow Him to work in us. Do you trust fully in God and His plan for your life?
- Do the Master’s will, not your own will. Obey God’s word and do the things God wants done instead of what you want done.
- Faithfully use the money God has given to you to further His Kingdom. If we have an eternal perspective we will see the investment we make in His kingdom. Allow His kingdom to grow through you, and share the love of Jesus Christ with others.
Obeying using our soul means our innermost being thirsts for God, and His ways are ever present in our lives. The Psalmist says in 42:1 As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God. God gives us life, and we need to have a relationship with Him in order for us to be a complete person. In fact 2Peter 1:3-9 talks about faith, and acknowledging who is gives us what we have. 3 His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. 4 Through these he has given us his very great and precious promise, so that through them you may participate in the diving nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. 5 For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness, and to goodness, knowledge; 6 and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; 7 and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. 8 For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 But if anyone does not have them, he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins.
We must bear fruit in our lives in order to feed our soul. Has your life been transformed by Jesus Christ so you are living for Him?
Three Categories of Laws in Old Testament:
Moral Law - We obey these laws so we please God. These laws let us see the absolute perfect nature and will of God. These are usually direct commands from God to His people, for example The Ten Commandments. We are to obey these laws even today.
Civil Law - These laws directed the daily living of the Israelites. Sometimes they are followed today, Exodus 25:1 and other times they are not followed, Exodus 25:2. These laws, however, should act as a guide to our actions. Remember we are obeying these laws to bring glory to God by submitting to His authority.
Ceremonial Law – These laws teach the Israelites how to worship God. The Law pointed forward to Jesus Christ and since the Messiah has come, these laws no longer bind us. For example, Leviticus 6:8-13 tells us how to perform a burnt offering to God. We must, however, show God proper praise in order to bring glory to Him.
Old Testament and New Testament Obedience and Disobedience:
Old Testament:
God gave Adam and Eve a command in Genesis 2:16-17. 16 And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; 17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die.” Adam did obey God for a period of time. God gave Adam the freedom of choice. If He did not give Adam the freedom to choose, his obedience would be hollow. There were rewards for Adam’s obedience and dire consequences for Adam’s disobedience. Adam and Eve disobeyed God. In Genesis 3:1-6, Satan tempted (enticing someone to sin) Eve by giving her the ideas to doubt what God said. Eve gave into the temptation and sinned. She gave the fruit to Adam who willingly ate it too, thereby freely sinning too.
To resist temptation you should:
-Pray for strength. God is the only one who can give you enough strength to resist temptation. We should avoid temptation at all costs because we are weak and are prone to give in to the temptation.
-Physically flee. If you are not there, you cannot give in to the temptation. This is not always in easy thing to do. We must ignore our own pride and get out of any situation, which will entice us to sin.
-Just say no. If you cannot flee and must stay in a tempting situation just saying no is what you should be saying and thinking. No, is a very powerful word, and you should use it to stand up for what God says is wrong behavior. Remember it is not a sin to be tempted, but it is a sin to give in to the temptation.
God gave Moses a command in Numbers 20:8. He immediately disobeyed God in Numbers 20:11 where he took just as much credit for giving water to the people as he gave to God. In Numbers 20:12, Moses did not trust God completely and dishonored God in the presence of the Israelites. Do you trust God enough to give Him all the Glory and Honor due Him?
Finally, In Numbers 4:15, God gave specific instructions that the Ark is to be moved only by the Levites. In 2 Samuel 6:6-7, Uzzah disobeyed God’s law and reached out to protect the Ark and touched it. God killed him instantly. Even though we think our actions are innocent, we must obey God and His laws. There are always consequences for sin even if your motives seem pure. God is just and we must always obey his commands for us.
New Testament:
The Pharisees were one of the religious groups during the ministry of Jesus Christ. They were admired (much as our own religious leaders in various religions) because of their outward piety. They were very committed to obeying all of God’s commands as long as it made them look good in the eyes of the people. In Matthew 23:2-7, Jesus tells us to not imitate the Pharisees, but to listen to God’s laws. These people can be very deceptive because they look holy to us, but instead are very far from actually being holy. You can see if their actions match their beliefs and compare these to the Word of God. The Pharisees lost sight of having a true relationship with God because they were too busy looking holy for others, not trying to obey God, which will lead you to become holy in the eyes of God. Jesus tells us in Matthew 23:13-14 not to listen to people who take your eyes off of God and onto man. Do not follow people who are not following God.
When the angel Gabriel visited Mary, the mother of Jesus, he told her she would carry a child and name him Jesus. Luke gives us insight to this in Luke 1:26-38. 26 In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, 27 to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.” 29 Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. 30 But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. 31 You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David. 33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.” 34 “How will this be”, Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?” 35 The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. 36 Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month. 37 For nothing is impossible for God.” 38 “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May it be to me as you have said.” Then the angel left her.
There were two responses Mary could have given. One was disobedience. She could have physically run from the situation because the outcome looked disastrous. After all, she was an unmarried virgin, and this would have ruined her life. Think of some of Mary’s thoughts as she is considering becoming pregnant (before verse 38).
-Her peers will ridicule her
-Her fiancé will probably leave her
-She would never become married
The other response she did give and that was obedience. She said “I am the Lord’s servant.” Without knowing every detail she allowed herself to be used in God’s master plan for salvation for the world through His Son, Jesus Christ. Mary as the obedient servant:
-Believed the angel’s words.
-Submitted to God in any way, even bearing His child through a miracle.
-Trusted God to handle all details.
-Did not doubt but accepted willingly.
Jesus taught us how to perfectly obey our heavenly Father. His death on the cross made us, people who follow Christ, righteous before God. Romans 5:18-19 says 18 Consequently, just as the result of one trespass was condemnation for all men, so also the result of one act of righteousness was justification that brings life for all men. 19 For just as through the disobedience of the one man (Adam) the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man (Jesus) the many will be made righteous. Jesus showed us how to learn obedience from His suffering. He became the source of eternal salvation for all who follow and believe in Him. Jesus did have freewill to choose to obey or to disobey The Father’s plan. If He did not have this choice, He would not have been 100% human. He bore our sin and obeyed even to death on a cross. Because we have Jesus, who perfectly obeyed, He can help us obey too no matter how difficult the situation seems to be. God wants us to obey Him and will give us the power if we choose His will and His ways for our life.
Other Scripture References For Obedience
Luke 11:28-Put God at the center of your life, even before your immediate family.
John 17:6-If you obey God he will reveal to you what you need to know.
Acts 5:29-Obey God in all situations, so He will receive all glory and praise
Hebrews 13:17-Help people to mature in Christ.
1John 5:3-If you love God you will work hard to obey His commands. We will joyfully obey Jesus if we claim to love him.
Questions For Reflections:
How do you obey Jesus’ commands to show Him you love Him?
Do you obey God through your thoughts and actions? If so, how do you do this?
What do you do when confronted with temptation?
Was God’s anger justified by killing Uzzah for only trying to protect the Ark?
Do you ask God to use you in any way, even though it may not benefit you directly? If so, how does He use you?
What do you learn from your suffering?
What do you do when you do not feel like obeying?
Worship
Worship is humbly expressing praise and devotion to a Holy God, so He is given all glory. We are called to express praise and devotion a number of ways, with the outcome always being to glorify God. We can:
-Sing – using your talents to glorify God. Even if you cannot formally sing, God enjoys hearing your praise. Never be embarrassed to sing to God.
-Dance – This is an excellent way to minister to people in a visual way. A proper dance will put the focus on God.
-Perform drama – This is an excellent ministry to reach people with God’s life-changing story.
-Financially support ministries – Pick ministries both inside and outside your church, which hold to essential Christian truths and support them financially.
-Serving others using our time, talent, and treasure – God has given everybody an array of talents. We are to use those talents and our time to glorify the creator and sustainer of heaven and Earth. If we properly do this, God promises to us treasure stored up in heaven.
What God says to us concerning worship (God’s perspective):
1. Worship God exclusively. We must not worship anything else except the Lord God. Moses wrote in the ten commandments God speaking these words in Exodus 20:3-6; 3“You shall have no other God’s before me.” 4 “You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on earth beneath or in the waters below. 5 You shall not bow to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, 6 but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments. We must remember God knows us better than we know ourselves, and we are not to allow money or pleasures to distract us from worshiping the one true God. John falls down and worships an angel in Revelation 22:8-9. The angel tells John not to worship him, but to worship God. Allow God to consume your thoughts and actions. When Satan tempts us we should tell him to leave and worship only God. In Matthew 4:8-10, 8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. 9 “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.” 10 Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’” Satan is tempting Jesus. Remember it is not a sin to be tempted, it is only a sin if you give in to the temptation. Satan was trying to take Jesus’ focus off God and on to himself. Satan also would like to have equality with God and will do anything to achieve this end. This did not work because of the perfect relationship Jesus and God the Father have.
2. God’s love and faithfulness toward us endures forever. In 2 Chronicles 5:13 we see the first service at the temple began with praising and thanking God. 13 The trumpeters and singers joined in unison, as with one voice, to give praise and thanks to the Lord. Accompanied by trumpets, cymbals and other instruments, they raised their voices in praise to the Lord and sang “He is good; his love endures forever.” Then the temple of the Lord was filled with a cloud. Psalm 117 says 1 Praise the Lord, all you nation; extol him, all you peoples. 2 For great is his love toward us, and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever. Praise the Lord. We need to remember the incredible love God has for us. He has done quite a lot for each one of us and He is certainly worthy of our praises. We must always remember God loved us first and sent His only Son to die in our place. He is always there for us even when we reject him in our own lives.
How should we approach God in Worship (Our perspective):
1. Paul tells us in Romans 12:1 to offer our bodies as living sacrifices Holy and pleasing to God. This is our spiritual act of worship. We must not choose whatever we want, whenever we want it. Instead we must follow God with all our heart, mind, body, and soul. This is what will please and honor God. We do this out of thanksgiving because He forgave our sins by sending Jesus to die on the cross in our place.
2. We must allow the Holy Spirit to help us worship God. John tells us in John 4:19-26 to be true worshipers of God. 19 “Sir” the woman said, “I can see that you are a prophet. 20 Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.” 21 Jesus declared, “Believe me, woman, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. 22 You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. 23 Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in sprit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. 24 God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.” 25 The woman said, “I know that messiah” (called Christ) “is coming. When he comes he will explain everything to us.” 26 Then Jesus declared, “I who speak to you am he.” Jesus states clearly He is the Messiah for whom the Jewish people are waiting for. Jesus states the Jewish Messiah (v22) is in whom salvation for the entire world lies. The Jewish people is where the Messiah will come from and only one person in history has fulfilled the prophecies. For example, Jesus came from the line of David. It does not matter where we worship God, but what our own attitude to God is. We should always worship God in spirit and in truth. To worship properly we must first be redeemed by the blood of the spotless lamb, Jesus Christ, then we must stand before God righteously (be declared by God as “not guilty” of breaking His laws). This does not mean we can stop attending church because we should also worship together. We must approach God with joy using all our own talents, however limited, to give thanks and praise to God.
3. Constantly Worship God for all He has done for us. Hebrews 13:15-16 says 15 Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise-the fruit of lips that confess his name. 16 And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased. Never try to take credit for what God does in our lives, but instead give all credit to God so He may receive all the glory. Mark tells us in Mark 7:6-8 to not worship hypocritically. The Pharisees, the religious leaders during the time of Jesus, would act piously. They worshiped God, for their own reasons, i.e. to acquire power instead of devoting their life to God. Follow the ways of God, not the traditions of men. Do not worship just to appear holy and righteous, but always humble yourself to the Lord.
4. Confession should always come before worship. In Nehemiah 9:2-3 we see the Hebrews openly confessing their sins and worshiping for a quarter of the day. We must never forget God is the Creator and Sustainer of all things. We are to come to Him with no expectations, only the desire to worship Him. We should be focused on God and God alone, and never be distracted by outside influences of any kind. Do not have any sin in your heart while trying to worship or your motivations will not be pure.
5. Approach God with order to your worship. Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 15:40 to have order in everything so we can maximize our worship, our teachings, and our service to God. If there is disorder, you are suppressing the Holy Spirits working in your church. Our worship should never incorporate confusion. Instead our hearts should be prepared to worship, and to learn from God’s word.
6. Offer to God a new song. Always use your talents to worship God in new ways. For example, you might want to incorporate dancing in your worship service. Dancing will visually appeal to people, while singing will audibly appeal to people. You will reach and minister to more people by different ways of worshiping. Don’t limit your worship to only singing. Jesus said in Matthew 9:17; 17 Neither do men pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the skins will burst, the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved. Keep your worship fresh for the Lord your God. Don’t concentrate on wineskins (the appearance of the church, which songs to sing, sing songs faster, sing songs slower), but instead concentrate on worshiping God (wine).
Questions For Reflections:
How and when do you worship God?
Do you believe you must pray and obey before you worship God? Read 1 Samuel 15:22-23, Psalm 51:16-19, and Micah 6:6-8.
Evangelism
Evangelism means to use the authority Jesus gives us to preach the gospel message, baptize in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and teach all people to obey Jesus’ message. This is spelled out when Jesus gives the Great Commission in Matthew 28:16-20. 16 Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. 17 When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. 18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
According to the scriptures everyone is obligated to Jesus Christ for what He did for us on the cross. We should never be ashamed of telling people, both educated and uneducated, the truth of salvation for everyone who believes in Him. Romans 1:14-17 tells us not to be ashamed of the gospel of Christ. It is necessary for salvation to believe Jesus died for you. Jesus came to make the dead in their sins, live again. By doing this you will spend eternity with God. 14 I am obligated both to Greeks and non-Greeks, both to the wise and the foolish. 15 That is why I am so eager to preach the gospel also to you who are at Rome. 16 I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes; first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. 17 For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.”
The Jewish people (v16) should have seen God’s promise of a Messiah fulfilled in Jesus Christ, since they had a history of believing in the one true God. Remember God chose the Jewish nation to shine His light of truth to the world (tell people about the Messiah), unfortunately, the Jewish nation missed the coming of the Messiah.
There are many ways the Holy Spirit will use to convict people’s heart of the truth of Jesus Christ. One such way is the Roman Road.
The Roman Road:
Taking an unbeliever through the book of Romans will guarantee the unbeliever to do a lot of thinking about his own salvation.
1. Romans 3:10, “As it is written: There is no one righteous, not even one.” All people are playing on a level playing field in that nobody is holy enough to even stand in the presence of God without the covering of Jesus Christ for our sins.
2. Romans 3:23, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” All sin (missing God’s perfect Holy standard) is separation from God. Because we are separated from God we deserve death.
3. Romans 5:8, “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” It is not through any special works I have done which makes me entitled to receive God’s love, but rather through God’s grace that He made me His adopted son. Jesus became sin for us and died on the cross.
4. Romans 10:8-10, “But what does it say? The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart, that is, the word of faith we are proclaiming: That if you confess with your mouth, Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.” This is the heart of the awesome gospel message. Use your mouth to tell everyone what Jesus has done for you.
Paul and Silas were in a very difficult situation. Paul tells us in Acts 16:22-34 to share the Gospel with everyone we meet, even if they appear to be your enemy. 22 The crowd joined in the attack against Paul and Silas, and the magistrates ordered them to be stripped and beaten. 23 After they had been severely flogged, they were thrown into prison, and the jailer was commanded to guard them carefully. 24 Upon receiving such orders, he put them in the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stocks. 25 About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. 26 Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everybody’s chains came loose. 27 The jailer woke up, and when he saw the prison doors open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself because he thought the prisoners had escaped. 28 But Paul shouted, “Don’t harm yourself! We are all here!” 29 The jailer called for lights, rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas. 30 He then brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” 31 They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved – you and your household.” 32 Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all the others in his house. 33 At that hour of the night the jailer took them and washed their wounds; then immediately he and all his family were baptized. 34 The jailer brought them into his house and set a meal before them; he was filled with joy because he had come to believe in God – he and his whole family. The jailer was going to kill himself (a very selfish act) until Paul told him not to harm himself. Not only did Paul share the gospel with the jailer, but also he shared it with the jailer’s whole family. Always look for opportunities to evangelize so God can work through you whereby God receives all the glory. The truth of Jesus Christ can be shown best by your own changed life. Find common ground with people by developing a real relationship with them. Do not be afraid to tell people how God has transformed your life. Since all of us are sinners (falling short of God’s perfect standard), we should never hesitate or be embarrassed about sharing the awesome power of the gospel, and allow people to be free from sin and have a loving relationship with the living God. God can and does work miracles in people’s lives daily, so let him work miracles through you. Finally, we should know what we believe and why we believe it. Compare everything you hear with the Bible to make sure what you are being taught is correct doctrine. According to 2 Timothy 4:1-2 we need to preach the Word, correct, rebuke, and encourage with great patience and careful instruction. This is one of the greatest challenges facing the church today. Make sure you do your part to reach people with the transforming power of the gospel.
Questions For Reflections:
How often do you evangelize in and out of your area of influence?
What do you say?
Who is called to evangelize?
When do you evangelize?
Where do you evangelize?
Why do you evangelize?
Do you only share the gospel with someone when they ask you about it, or do you proactively seek out people and situations where you can share the gospel with people?
Relationship
Even though relationships comes last in the POWER acronym it is the most important component. Relationships are divided up between the vertical (with God) and the horizontal (with believers and unbelievers).
A vertical relationship is an association between one person and God. Adam had a perfect loving relationship with God until he chose sin (eating the apple, thereby wanting to be like God) over God. Sin has broken the perfect relationship with God and only by the blood of the perfect lamb, Jesus Christ, can that relationship be restored. There is simply no other way to be in a right relationship with God except through believing in His sinless son Jesus Christ. We see an example of the perfect relationship between Jesus and God the Father in John 14:6-14. 6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.” 8 Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.” 9 Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? 10 Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you are not just my own. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. 11 Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the miracles themselves. 12 I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. 13 And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. 14 You may ask me for anything in my name and I will do it.
Jesus clearly states He is the only way to the Father (v6). Since Jesus is God, He has a perfect relationship with the Father. Jesus being the only way to the Father is truth. Truth is very narrow, by definition and there is simply no other way to the Father. Since Jesus can be trusted with all other things He says as true, then He can be trusted equally here as being the only way. Jesus says we can ask anything in his name (v13-14), but remember this must be done in accordance with His will for your life. Because we can be in a right relationship with God, we can be in a right relationship with others if we choose to do God’s will for our lives. Moses tells us in Deuteronomy 10:12-22 what God wants from us in our relationship with Him. 12 And now, O Israel, what does the Lord your God ask of you but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, 13 and to observe the Lord’s commands and decrees that I am giving you today for your own good? 14 To the Lord your God belong to the heavens, even the highest heavens, the earth and everything in it. 15 Yet the Lord set his affection on your forefathers and loved them, and he chose you, their descendants, above all the nations, as it is today. 16 Circumcise your hearts, therefore, and do not be stiff-necked any longer. 17 For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality and accepts no bribes. 18 He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the alien giving him food and clothing. 19 And you are to love those who are aliens, for you yourselves were aliens in Egypt. 20 Fear the Lord your God and serve him. Hold fast to him and take your oaths in his name. 21 He is your praise; he is your God, who performed for you those great and awesome wonders you saw with your own eyes. 22 Your forefathers who went down into Egypt were seventy in all, and now the Lord your God has made you as numerous as the stars in the sky.
In order to develop our relationship with God we must fear God, walk in all His ways, love Him, serve Him with all your heart and soul, and to obey His commands. Many people were worshiping the local gods of the land, however Moses tells these people the Lord your God is the God of Gods and Lord of Lords. If you do not know the true God (remember the truth is narrow, there is only one way) and worship a different god (every other person or thing you worship is a false god), you cannot have a right relationship with God. A right relationship with God is the environment which will allow us to pray, obey, worship, and evangelize. Having a right relationship with God will allow you to have a healthy relationship with others.
A horizontal relationship is an association between one person and others. The other people could be either believers or non-believers. There are many examples of relationships found in the Bible. There is the relationship between Jesus and His disciples, between Paul and Timothy, between Peter and John. Another example of a true horizontal relationship is found in Daniel 3:1-30. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were very good friends and followed God’s laws. They were told to worship an idol, something forbidden by God, but they refused to do so. Even at the risk of death, they stayed true to what God’s law said. All they had to do was compromise one little bit and worship an idol and they could have continued to worship God and serve people. They were thrown into a fiery furnace, which meant certain death, however, God had other plans. He rescued the three friends in order to bring glory to Himself. Unfortunately, Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, did not worship the true God, but he did acknowledge His power.
Luke, who is quoting Jesus, tells us in Luke 6:27-26 to love our enemies. 27 “But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also. If someone takes your cloak, do not stop him from taking your tunic. Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. Do to others as you would have them do to you. If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even ‘sinners’ love those who love them. And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even ‘sinners’ do that. And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even ‘sinners’ lend to ‘sinners,’ expecting to be repaid in full. But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.” We are supposed to give to people who ask and forgive those in the same way Jesus forgives us, even though we are not worthy (by our own merit) to receive that forgiveness. Love is an action and not a feeling. You should always look out for other people’s best interest, not just what will serve you. You should act towards others with a Godly Spirit because we, as Christians, are different from everybody else. We are acting through the love Jesus Christ has shown all of us, by sacrificing Himself on the cross in our place. Let God work through you by doing His will so you will become more like Jesus Christ. If you pray, obey, worship, and evangelize within the loving relationship of God you will certainly realize the power of God within you.
The A B C’s of God (Appendix A)
You are Adonai You have adopted me
You avenge me
You are Almighty
You are Abba Father You are Alpha You are amazing
You are able
You are the Amen
You are my advocate
You are the Anointed One
You are the Ancient of Days You are the author of life
You are our apostle and high priest
You are the architect of everything
You are the builder of everything
You are my Banner
You are beautiful
You are blessed
You are the bright Morning Star
You are the Branch
You are the Bread of life
You are our bridegroom
You are the breath of the Almighty
You are Christ
You are Creator
You are Commander of the Lord’s army
You are Counselor
You are the Comforter
You are a Consuming Fire
You are the Chief Cornerstone
You are the Capstone
You are the Chief Shepherd
Your are Chosen
You are Compassion
You are my confidence
You are the crown of splendor
You are my Defender
You are Delectable
You are the Door
You died for me, and would have done so if I was the only person around
You are my Deliverer
You are a Dayspring
You are Eternal
You are Elohim (Creator)
You are El Chanun (Gracious God)
You are El Olam (God Eternal)
You are El Elyon (Sovereign)
You are El Roi (God who sees)
You are El Shaddai (All-sufficient)
You are Earnest.
You are Exalted
You are Everlasting
You are enthroned
You are Eternal Life
You are Faithful
You are Friend
You are the finished work
You are Firstborn
You are Firstfruits
You are first to rise from the dead
You are God
You are Great
You are Good
You are the Giver of all good things
You are Glorious
You are the Glory of Israel
You are the gardener
You are glorious crown
You are Holy Spirit
You are Holy
You are Helper
You are Hope
You are my hiding place
You are High and lifted up
You are the Head
You are Heir of all things
You are the Horn of Salvation
You are innocent
You are I Am
You are intercessor
You are Immanuel
You are an indescribable gift
You are the image of God
You are invisible
You are Jesus
You are just
You are the Justifier
You are Judge
You are Jealous
You are King of Kings
You are King of heaven
You are King of glory
You are King of the ages
You are Kind
You are knowable
You are Lord
You are Love
You are Life
You are the Light of the world
You are the Lamb of God
You are the light of life and men
You are the Living water
You are the Living One
You are Lion of Judah
You are lily of the valley
You are the living Stone
You are the last Adam
You are lawgiver
You are leader
You are lover of my soul
You are living bread come down from heaven
You are Most High
You are merciful
You are Maker
You are Mighty
You are Master
You are Man of sorrows
You are Messiah
You are Mediator
You are Majesty
You are Nazarite
You are never ending
You are near
You are One to be feared
You are our Offering
You are our only hope
You are the One and Only
You are omniscient
You are omnipotent
You are omnipresent
You are Omega
You are peace
You are the potter
You are Physician
You are Provision
You are Prince of Peace
You are Passover lamb
You are the Promised One of God
You are powerful
You are Pearl of a Great Price
You are the Promised Holy Spirit
You are Quickner
You are Quality
You are Quieter
You are Redeemer
You are Righteous
You are our Rock
You rejoice in our praises
You are Rabbi
You are my refuge
You are righteous Judge
You are the resurrection and the life
You are ransom
You are refiner
You are rose of Sharon
You are Ruler
You are the Radiance of God’s glory
You are Righteous Father
You are a sanctuary
You are a shelter
You are a stronghold
You are a source of strength
You are Salvation
You are Shepherd
You are Sovereign Lord
You are the spring of living water
You are Son of Man
You are Son of God
You are Savior
You are second man
You are our sure foundation
You are the stone the builders rejected
You are my sacrifice
You are Spirit of life
You are Trinity
You are Truth
You are the true God
You are the true vine
You are Teacher
You are the testimony of God
You are unending
You are unifying
You are the Voice of the Almighty
You are the Voice of the Lord
You are Victorious
You are the vine
You are the Word
You are Wise
You are Wonderful Counselor
You are wisdom from God
You are Witness to the peoples
You are the Way
You are excellent
You are exceedingly great
You are yearning for me
You are Yahweh
You are Yahweh-jireh (the Lord will Provide)
You are Yahweh-rapha (the Lord Who Heals)
You are Yahweh-nissi (the Lord is my Banner)
You are Yahweh-mekoddishkem (the Lord Who Sanctifies You)
You are Yahweh-shalom (the Lord is Peace)
You are Yahweh-sabaoth (The Lord of Mass Army)
You are Yahweh-raah (the Lord my Shepherd)
You are Yahweh-tsidkenu (the Lord our Righteousness)
You are Yahweh-shammah (the Lord is There)
You are zealous
You are Zion’s King
The power of God is seen throughout all our lives. Some of the oldest questions philosophers, theologians, and scientists have been debating about concerns the topic of truth. What is truth? Does anybody have the truth? How will I know the truth if I find it? What sources should you go to in order to find the truth? Most people will go directly to the dictionary, which is what I did. The New Lexicon Webster’s Dictionary Of The English Language defines truth as the state or quality of being true. I followed this incomplete definition by looking up “true”. True as an adjective means in agreement with fact; faithful to another or others or to a cause or allegiance; accurate; correct. i.e. a true friend. ; Genuine, sincere i.e. a true Christian.
I can take this definition to its logical conclusions by saying there is no one person who possesses moral truth. If everybody believes in what he/she believes in to be true then this must be true. For example, if a terrorist sincerely believes anyone who is not of his faith should be killed in a “holy war” then because he genuinely believes this, he is true in what he does. Therefore, he has the truth. Any person who disagrees with the terrorist, has his/her own opinion on this matter, and also by definition possesses the truth. We are at am impasse which we cannot cross. How can everybody have the truth even though people’s “truths” are so different? How can you oppose someone else’s truth without imposing your morality on that person? If two people possess the truth and their truths contradict each other, they will be violating a basic law of logic, the law of non-contradiction, which states A is not non-A. Without the law of non-contradiction I could say I am 100% good and at the same time in the same sense 100% evil. Since this can never be the case everybody must examine for himself/herself what is truth. How do we determine what is true and what is not true?
We have absolute scientific truths. For example, the Earth’s Gravity pulls everything on Earth down to the Earth’s surface. This is an absolute truth for everything on the Earth, including you. Even if you were to jump up, the law of gravity will pull you down each and every time. There are also many absolute truths in Mathematics. The solution to the mathematical equation 2+2 will always give you the answer four. This is an absolute truth no matter where on Earth you are. There are definitely absolute scientific and mathematical truths in the world. Everything which opposes these truths is by definition not true. For something to be true it must only have a very narrow set of correct answers and for something to be not true it must have a wide array of wrong answers. Is there such a thing as an absolute moral truth? Can we test and prove morality so it works each and every time? This is the real crux of most disagreements in the world today.
We have no organ at all for knowledge, for “truth”: we “know” (or believe or imagine) precisely as much as may be useful in the interest of the human herd, the species: and even what is here called “usefulness” is in the end only a belief, something imagined and perhaps precisely that most fatal piece of stupidity by which we shall one day perish.
Friedrich Nietzsche (1844–1900), German philosopher. The Gay Science, aph. 354 (rev. ed., 1887).
Is Nietzsche correct in there is no way to “know” absolute moral truth?
We must first begin in our quest of absolute moral truth to see if there is such a being that embodies absolute moral truth. We must discover if there is truly a perfect being called God. Do you believe God exists?
When you look around the world what do you see? Do you see land, grass, sky, mountains, water, and many other wonderful and beautiful sights? How do you think all of these things came into being? Did someone create them or do you think they magically appeared? For example, cars were created by men for people to go from one place to another. Why is it so unbelievable that God created the sky in the same manner as opposed to magically appearing? According to the bible, God existed before the beginning. Gen 1:1 says 1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. God was here before anything or anyone else was here. In the beginning dust and debris was floating in space, however, where did the dust and debris come from? Before you can continue looking for God, you must answer this extremely important question. How can nothing (no God) create something (dust and debris)? There has never been a case where nothing has created something, however, this is common mythology in the world today. Nothing, by definition, is void of something. No matter how much time you give nothing, it will never become something. It is a bigger leap of faith to say nothing created something instead of someone (God) created something (dust and debris). There is no other way something can be created other than by a creator. You must have a creator to create something. People who do not believe in God fail at this very important first step. There is no other logical and reasonable answer.
One of the attributes of God is He is All-Powerful. Power is defined as the strength or authority to carry out your will. Since God is the creator, provider, and sustainer of all things, He alone has ultimate power. God says in His Word, in Acts 1:8, He will give us power when the Holy Spirit comes on us. This power involves characteristics such as courage, boldness, confidence, and the authority and knowledge of God. As children of God we have already received power. We now need to do the will of our Heavenly Father using His power for His glory. In order for us to follow God’s will using His power, God commands us to do certain things so we will understand His plan for our lives. The acronym POWER will help remember what we need to do. First, we must pray. Prayer helps to keep us doing God’s will by knowing what He expects us to do. Second, obedience helps us to become more like Jesus Christ. We must act on what God tells us to do from prayer. Third, worship helps to keep us humble as we give all Glory to God. Fourth, evangelism is communicating the good news of Jesus Christ to all. The Bible says in 1 Peter 3:15: You should always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect. Finally, building relationships both with God (vertical) and with others (horizontal) keeps us in contact with God’s loving nature, to be shared with others around us. Thus, through the power God has given us, we can accomplish anything God gives us to do. Remember, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me (Philippians 4:13).
Prayer
Prayer is simply communication with God with the intention of building and sustaining a relationship. There are many ways to pray.
You can pray using a format from the Bible, from Jesus or a Significant Godly individual from the Bible, or by using an alternate method that you are familiar with i.e. the acronym ACTS.
From The Bible:
You can take any book of the Bible, which has a prayer in it, and use it to talk with God. After all, He inspired the writers of the Bible, therefore He approves of when we speak the words back to Him. For example in Colossians 1:3-12 Paul writes:
3 We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, 4 because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all the saints – 5 the faith and love that spring from the hope that is stored up for you in heaven and that you have already heard about in the word of truth, the gospel 6 that has come to you. All over the world this gospel is bearing fruit and growing, just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and understood God’s grace in all its truth. 7 You learned it from Epaphras, our dear fellow servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ on our behalf, 8 and who also told us of your love in the Spirit. 9 For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of His will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. 10 And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, 11 being strengthened with all power according to His glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully 12 giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light.
The first course of action is to break down the prayer. This will enable you to see exactly what is being said.
Our prayer should include the following:
1. To understand God’s will for your life. We should be living a God centered life not a self-centered one.(v9)
2. To gain spiritual wisdom and understanding. God should be guiding our choices.(v9)
3. To please and honor God.(v10)
4. To bear good fruit with Godly behavior and Godly words.(v10)
5. To grow in the knowledge of God.(v10)
6. To be filled with God’s strength.(v11)
7. To have great endurance and patience.(v11)
8. Always joyfully give thanks to the Father.(v3)
- For Jesus(v3)
- For the Gospel(v5)
- For your Godly love as well as brotherly love(v4)
- Paul prayed constantly (Col 1:9). Second, we should meditate on the passage of scripture, so that the Word of God can change your life.
Finally, we should use our breakdown as a tool to formulate our own prayer. Always remember to whom you are speaking to. God is perfect and Holy and does know of your intentions, so it is very important to keep your motives pure.
Other Bible books to use:
-Any Psalm that speaks to you read this in prayer back to God. Remember God is the author of the Bible.
-Philippians 4:1-20
-Colossians 4:2-4
-Acts 4:23-31
-2 Chronicles 20:1-29
Ezra states in 8:21-23; 21 There, by the Ahava Canal, I proclaimed a fast, so that we might humble ourselves before our God and ask him for a safe journey for us and our children, with all our possessions. 22 I was ashamed to ask the king for soldiers and horsemen to protect us from enemies on the road, because we had told the king. “The gracious hand of our God is on everyone who looks to him, but his great anger is against all who forsake him.” 23 So we fasted and petitioned our God about this, and he answered our prayer.
God will always answer our prayer. He will not answer our prayer on our timetable, but on His. The answer to prayer will either be yes, no, or wait. We must be constantly in the Word in order to discern what God would have us do.
Fasting and Prayer is an extremely powerful combination when we are petitioning God for important life changing events. When you fast, you are reminded you are dependent upon Him. He is the creator, sustainer, and provider of all things. Fasting gives you plenty of time to pray, meditate, and petition God for our needs so we may be able to use our time, talents, and treasures to Glorify God. In Acts 13:1-3 we have an excellent example of praying and fasting and the response by God. 1 In the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen (who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch) and Saul. 2 While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” 3 So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off. You should always go where God wants you to be. There is special work for all of us to do. We must pray, and sometimes fast, to have God reveal to us what He wants us to do and where He wants us go. Sometimes our prayers return back to us unanswered as in Psalm 35:13. 13 Yet when they were ill, I put on sackcloth and humbled myself with fasting. When my prayers returned to me unanswered. Don’t always expect immediate answers to prayer. God’s timing is perfect and we must not get discouraged when we do not hear an answer to prayer. Instead we should continue to pray, and allow the time to strengthen our faith in God. Jesus tells us how to fast in Matthew 6:16-18. 16 “When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. 17 But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, 18 so that it will not be obvious to men that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” Fast only for the Father, not to put on a show for others. The Pharisees would fast more than anyone else, so as to impress people with their “holiness” and “righteousness”. Fasting for the right reasons will deepen your faith, make you more humble, and grow your dependence on God. Throughout the Bible many prophets and Godly people prayed for many different things. Some people asked God for strength, endurance, and success, others prayed being thankful for their faith and knowledge God has given them. You can pray for understanding, wisdom, patience, and compassion for others. Never limit what you pray for, but keep in mind you are trying to advance the Kingdom of Heaven so pray wisely and constantly.
Pray like Jesus or a significant godly individual from the Bible
Jesus did teach about prayer as part of his ministry here on earth. A format he used is found in Matthew 6:9-13. Jesus prayed the following:
9 Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, 10 your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. 11 Give us today our daily bread. 12 Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.
Break down the prayer:
1. Our father in heaven - Used to denote a personal and loving relationship as well as a Holy God. Use this format to praise God in all His glory.
2. Hallowed (set apart) be your name - Honor God in a respectful way. If we use God’s name in vain, we are not honoring God. His name is set above from all other names.
3. Your kingdom come - God’s kingdom is not of this earth. It is an eternal kingdom, which will be here when God established a new heaven and earth. John wrote in Revelation 21:1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea.
4. Your will be done - God’s perfect plan for our lives will happen in God’s timing, not ours. God is in control of our lives, not us.
5. Give us today our daily bread - God provides all things for us, but we must humble ourselves and acknowledge God as provider and sustainer of our lives. Paul wrote in 1Timothy 6:17-19 17 Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. 18 Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. 19 In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life. Once we perform good deeds, out of thanksgiving to God, then we will store up for ourselves treasures in heaven.
6. Forgive us our debts - Ask God to wipe away our sin in his eyes and because we are grateful to God we will pass along forgiveness to others. It is not because we have forgiven others that we are forgiven; rather it is a deep understanding what forgiveness means and realizing you fall short of God’s perfect standard in our daily living. Paul wrote in Ephesians 4:32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.
7. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one - God will allow us to be tempted by Satan, but remember it is ultimately for God’s Glory so we will learn His will and His ways. God is faithful; he will not allow us be tempted beyond we can bear (1Corinthians 10:13a), and he provides a way out so we can stand up under it (1Corinthians 10:13b).
Other Godly people in the Bible: Remember to break down the prayer.
Nehemiah 1:4-11
Isaiah 12:1-6
Paul in 1Timothy 6:11-16
Jude 1:24-25
A third way to pray is by the acronym A.C.T.S. or any other acronym which will enable you to keep your prayer focus on God.
The “A” stands for adoration, which is reverent love for God. You are to acknowledge His perfect attributes as you humble yourself and prepare your heart for confession. For example, “You are Holy” (Revelation 15:4), “You are truth” (John 14:6), “You are everlasting” (Revelation 22:13).
Some other attributes you can use are All-Knowing, All-Powerful, All-Present, Almighty, Faithful, Peace, Shelter, not changeable, and Our Sure Foundation.
Note: Remember to write them down when you find them so you can easily recall them. A list of God's attributes is found in appendix A.
The “C” represents confession. Confession means to admit we can never be perfect and that we have sinned. We must confess our sin (falling short of God’s perfect standard) before we can receive His forgiveness. Ezra wrote in 1 Chronicles 21:8 Then David said to God, “I have sinned greatly by doing this. Now, I beg you, take away the guilt of your servant. I have done a very foolish thing.” God knows we are born as sinners. David wrote in Psalm 51:5 Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me. But, God allowed us to be restored. David wrote in Psalm 51:7 Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. God allowed us to be cleansed so we may have an ongoing relationship with Him and serve Him forever looking toward His kingdom.
Note: God cannot look upon sin, so we must confess specifically as to our sin. Remember, your sin is against God only, and it is to Him we must ask forgiveness. In Psalm 51:4 David wrote Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight. An example of confession would be, “God I confess to you I have lost my temper today. Please cleanse my heart so our joyful relationship can be restored”.
The “T” stands for thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is expressing gratitude or appreciation to God. Always thank God for Jesus Christ who died on the cross for all our sins and through whom the world is saved. Remember you must believe in Him alone. Jesus said, in John 3:16-17, 16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. We must give thanks to God in all circumstances (the good and the bad) so we may do His will. Make a list of thanksgivings so the Glory of God can shine through your life.
Finally, the “S” represents supplication, which means we petition God to meet our needs, our family’s needs, our friend’s needs, our church’s needs, and the world’s needs. Although we may ask God for all things remember to ask with godly motives and He will give it to you if it is His will to do so. Jesus said in John 15:7-8 7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. 8 This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.
Obedience
Being obedient to God means you will humbly submit to God’s authority. In contrast disobedience is an outright refusal or neglect to obey God’s authority. Jesus said in John 14:21 “Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves Me. He who loves Me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show Myself to him.”
We will first look at the different ways we obey. Then we will look at three categories of laws in the Old Testament and see which set of laws we are to follow today. Finally, we will examine obedience both in the Old and New Testaments.
We obey God by using our heart, mind, body, and soul.
Obeying using your heart means you will submit to God before you submit to your wants and desires. We must show Jesus we love Him more than our material possessions or even more than our own family. The apostle John writes in 1 John 2:15-17 15 “Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For everything in the world-the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does-comes not from the Father but from the world. 17 The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.” We must always have an eternal perspective (keeping God in the center of our lives) no matter how hard obeying God seems to be. We see in verse 16 our hearts do crave sinful things. We use our eyes and our mouth in ungodly ways. For example, we enjoy looking at attractive people and lusting after them. We boast about how great we are, instead of giving the glory to God. Riches, power, and success pass away from this lifetime, but if we have an eternal perspective we will spend eternity in the presence of God.
Obeying using our mind means we seek his will and his ways so we will be more like Jesus Christ. We do this primarily by reading His Word. James 1:22-25 says 22Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. 23 Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in the mirror 24 and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. After reading God’s Word we need to apply His principles in our lives. We need to just “do it” and stop fighting God.
Obeying using our body means we are to use everything God has given us for His glory. We are to use our time, talents and treasures for His Kingdom. In Luke 19:12-27 Jesus tells us the parable of the King’s Ten Servants.
11 While they were listening to this, he went on to tell them a parable, because he was near Jerusalem and the people thought that the kingdom of God was going to appear at once. 12 He said: “A man of noble birth went to a distant country to have himself appointed king and then to return. 13 So he called ten of his servants and gave them ten minas. ‘Put this money to work,’ he said, ‘until I come back.’ 14 But his subjects hated him and sent a delegation after him to say, ‘We don’t want this man to be our king.’ 15 He was made king, however, and returned home. Then he sent for the servants to whom he had given the money, in order to find out what they had gained with it. 16 The first one came and said, ‘Sir, your mina has earned ten more.’ 17 ‘Well done, my good servant!’ his master replied. ‘Because you have been trustworthy in a very small matter, take charge of ten cities.’ 18 The second came and said, ‘Sir your mina has earned five more.’ 19 His master answered, ‘You take charge of five cities.’ 20 Then another servant came and said ‘Sir, here is your mina; I have kept it laid away in a piece of cloth. 21 I was afraid of you, because you are a hard man. You take out what you did not put in and reap what you did not sow.’ 22 His master replied, ‘I will judge you by your own words, you wicked servant! You knew, did you, that I am a hard man, taking out what I did not put in, and reaping what I did not sow? 23 Why then didn’t you put my money on deposit, so that when I came back, I could have collected it with interest?’ 24 Then he said to those standing by, ‘Take his mina away from him and give it to the one who has ten minas.’ 25 ‘Sir,’ they said ‘he already has ten!’ 26 He replied, ‘I tell you that to everyone who has, more will be given, but as for the one who has nothing, even what he has will be taken away. 27 But those enemies of mine who did not want me to be king over them-bring them here and kill them in front of me.’”
We should break down the parables Jesus teaches us through so we can better understand what He is teaching us.
- Be productive for the Master. God has given us what we need, not necessarily what we want, to tell people the truth of Jesus Christ. We should have an eternal perspective of everything we see, hear, smell, touch, and remember who is the creator, provider, and sustainer of all things. After we die, when we are face to face with Jesus, all of us should long to hear from Him “well done, good and faithful servant.”
- Trust in the Master’s intentions. God is in control of everything, and everything which happens, God allows to happen. We should trust the creator of Heaven and Earth knows more than we do and we should allow Him to work in us. Do you trust fully in God and His plan for your life?
- Do the Master’s will, not your own will. Obey God’s word and do the things God wants done instead of what you want done.
- Faithfully use the money God has given to you to further His Kingdom. If we have an eternal perspective we will see the investment we make in His kingdom. Allow His kingdom to grow through you, and share the love of Jesus Christ with others.
Obeying using our soul means our innermost being thirsts for God, and His ways are ever present in our lives. The Psalmist says in 42:1 As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God. God gives us life, and we need to have a relationship with Him in order for us to be a complete person. In fact 2Peter 1:3-9 talks about faith, and acknowledging who is gives us what we have. 3 His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. 4 Through these he has given us his very great and precious promise, so that through them you may participate in the diving nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. 5 For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness, and to goodness, knowledge; 6 and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; 7 and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. 8 For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 But if anyone does not have them, he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins.
We must bear fruit in our lives in order to feed our soul. Has your life been transformed by Jesus Christ so you are living for Him?
Three Categories of Laws in Old Testament:
Moral Law - We obey these laws so we please God. These laws let us see the absolute perfect nature and will of God. These are usually direct commands from God to His people, for example The Ten Commandments. We are to obey these laws even today.
Civil Law - These laws directed the daily living of the Israelites. Sometimes they are followed today, Exodus 25:1 and other times they are not followed, Exodus 25:2. These laws, however, should act as a guide to our actions. Remember we are obeying these laws to bring glory to God by submitting to His authority.
Ceremonial Law – These laws teach the Israelites how to worship God. The Law pointed forward to Jesus Christ and since the Messiah has come, these laws no longer bind us. For example, Leviticus 6:8-13 tells us how to perform a burnt offering to God. We must, however, show God proper praise in order to bring glory to Him.
Old Testament and New Testament Obedience and Disobedience:
Old Testament:
God gave Adam and Eve a command in Genesis 2:16-17. 16 And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; 17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die.” Adam did obey God for a period of time. God gave Adam the freedom of choice. If He did not give Adam the freedom to choose, his obedience would be hollow. There were rewards for Adam’s obedience and dire consequences for Adam’s disobedience. Adam and Eve disobeyed God. In Genesis 3:1-6, Satan tempted (enticing someone to sin) Eve by giving her the ideas to doubt what God said. Eve gave into the temptation and sinned. She gave the fruit to Adam who willingly ate it too, thereby freely sinning too.
To resist temptation you should:
-Pray for strength. God is the only one who can give you enough strength to resist temptation. We should avoid temptation at all costs because we are weak and are prone to give in to the temptation.
-Physically flee. If you are not there, you cannot give in to the temptation. This is not always in easy thing to do. We must ignore our own pride and get out of any situation, which will entice us to sin.
-Just say no. If you cannot flee and must stay in a tempting situation just saying no is what you should be saying and thinking. No, is a very powerful word, and you should use it to stand up for what God says is wrong behavior. Remember it is not a sin to be tempted, but it is a sin to give in to the temptation.
God gave Moses a command in Numbers 20:8. He immediately disobeyed God in Numbers 20:11 where he took just as much credit for giving water to the people as he gave to God. In Numbers 20:12, Moses did not trust God completely and dishonored God in the presence of the Israelites. Do you trust God enough to give Him all the Glory and Honor due Him?
Finally, In Numbers 4:15, God gave specific instructions that the Ark is to be moved only by the Levites. In 2 Samuel 6:6-7, Uzzah disobeyed God’s law and reached out to protect the Ark and touched it. God killed him instantly. Even though we think our actions are innocent, we must obey God and His laws. There are always consequences for sin even if your motives seem pure. God is just and we must always obey his commands for us.
New Testament:
The Pharisees were one of the religious groups during the ministry of Jesus Christ. They were admired (much as our own religious leaders in various religions) because of their outward piety. They were very committed to obeying all of God’s commands as long as it made them look good in the eyes of the people. In Matthew 23:2-7, Jesus tells us to not imitate the Pharisees, but to listen to God’s laws. These people can be very deceptive because they look holy to us, but instead are very far from actually being holy. You can see if their actions match their beliefs and compare these to the Word of God. The Pharisees lost sight of having a true relationship with God because they were too busy looking holy for others, not trying to obey God, which will lead you to become holy in the eyes of God. Jesus tells us in Matthew 23:13-14 not to listen to people who take your eyes off of God and onto man. Do not follow people who are not following God.
When the angel Gabriel visited Mary, the mother of Jesus, he told her she would carry a child and name him Jesus. Luke gives us insight to this in Luke 1:26-38. 26 In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, 27 to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.” 29 Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. 30 But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. 31 You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David. 33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.” 34 “How will this be”, Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?” 35 The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. 36 Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month. 37 For nothing is impossible for God.” 38 “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May it be to me as you have said.” Then the angel left her.
There were two responses Mary could have given. One was disobedience. She could have physically run from the situation because the outcome looked disastrous. After all, she was an unmarried virgin, and this would have ruined her life. Think of some of Mary’s thoughts as she is considering becoming pregnant (before verse 38).
-Her peers will ridicule her
-Her fiancé will probably leave her
-She would never become married
The other response she did give and that was obedience. She said “I am the Lord’s servant.” Without knowing every detail she allowed herself to be used in God’s master plan for salvation for the world through His Son, Jesus Christ. Mary as the obedient servant:
-Believed the angel’s words.
-Submitted to God in any way, even bearing His child through a miracle.
-Trusted God to handle all details.
-Did not doubt but accepted willingly.
Jesus taught us how to perfectly obey our heavenly Father. His death on the cross made us, people who follow Christ, righteous before God. Romans 5:18-19 says 18 Consequently, just as the result of one trespass was condemnation for all men, so also the result of one act of righteousness was justification that brings life for all men. 19 For just as through the disobedience of the one man (Adam) the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man (Jesus) the many will be made righteous. Jesus showed us how to learn obedience from His suffering. He became the source of eternal salvation for all who follow and believe in Him. Jesus did have freewill to choose to obey or to disobey The Father’s plan. If He did not have this choice, He would not have been 100% human. He bore our sin and obeyed even to death on a cross. Because we have Jesus, who perfectly obeyed, He can help us obey too no matter how difficult the situation seems to be. God wants us to obey Him and will give us the power if we choose His will and His ways for our life.
Other Scripture References For Obedience
Luke 11:28-Put God at the center of your life, even before your immediate family.
John 17:6-If you obey God he will reveal to you what you need to know.
Acts 5:29-Obey God in all situations, so He will receive all glory and praise
Hebrews 13:17-Help people to mature in Christ.
1John 5:3-If you love God you will work hard to obey His commands. We will joyfully obey Jesus if we claim to love him.
Questions For Reflections:
How do you obey Jesus’ commands to show Him you love Him?
Do you obey God through your thoughts and actions? If so, how do you do this?
What do you do when confronted with temptation?
Was God’s anger justified by killing Uzzah for only trying to protect the Ark?
Do you ask God to use you in any way, even though it may not benefit you directly? If so, how does He use you?
What do you learn from your suffering?
What do you do when you do not feel like obeying?
Worship
Worship is humbly expressing praise and devotion to a Holy God, so He is given all glory. We are called to express praise and devotion a number of ways, with the outcome always being to glorify God. We can:
-Sing – using your talents to glorify God. Even if you cannot formally sing, God enjoys hearing your praise. Never be embarrassed to sing to God.
-Dance – This is an excellent way to minister to people in a visual way. A proper dance will put the focus on God.
-Perform drama – This is an excellent ministry to reach people with God’s life-changing story.
-Financially support ministries – Pick ministries both inside and outside your church, which hold to essential Christian truths and support them financially.
-Serving others using our time, talent, and treasure – God has given everybody an array of talents. We are to use those talents and our time to glorify the creator and sustainer of heaven and Earth. If we properly do this, God promises to us treasure stored up in heaven.
What God says to us concerning worship (God’s perspective):
1. Worship God exclusively. We must not worship anything else except the Lord God. Moses wrote in the ten commandments God speaking these words in Exodus 20:3-6; 3“You shall have no other God’s before me.” 4 “You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on earth beneath or in the waters below. 5 You shall not bow to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, 6 but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments. We must remember God knows us better than we know ourselves, and we are not to allow money or pleasures to distract us from worshiping the one true God. John falls down and worships an angel in Revelation 22:8-9. The angel tells John not to worship him, but to worship God. Allow God to consume your thoughts and actions. When Satan tempts us we should tell him to leave and worship only God. In Matthew 4:8-10, 8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. 9 “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.” 10 Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’” Satan is tempting Jesus. Remember it is not a sin to be tempted, it is only a sin if you give in to the temptation. Satan was trying to take Jesus’ focus off God and on to himself. Satan also would like to have equality with God and will do anything to achieve this end. This did not work because of the perfect relationship Jesus and God the Father have.
2. God’s love and faithfulness toward us endures forever. In 2 Chronicles 5:13 we see the first service at the temple began with praising and thanking God. 13 The trumpeters and singers joined in unison, as with one voice, to give praise and thanks to the Lord. Accompanied by trumpets, cymbals and other instruments, they raised their voices in praise to the Lord and sang “He is good; his love endures forever.” Then the temple of the Lord was filled with a cloud. Psalm 117 says 1 Praise the Lord, all you nation; extol him, all you peoples. 2 For great is his love toward us, and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever. Praise the Lord. We need to remember the incredible love God has for us. He has done quite a lot for each one of us and He is certainly worthy of our praises. We must always remember God loved us first and sent His only Son to die in our place. He is always there for us even when we reject him in our own lives.
How should we approach God in Worship (Our perspective):
1. Paul tells us in Romans 12:1 to offer our bodies as living sacrifices Holy and pleasing to God. This is our spiritual act of worship. We must not choose whatever we want, whenever we want it. Instead we must follow God with all our heart, mind, body, and soul. This is what will please and honor God. We do this out of thanksgiving because He forgave our sins by sending Jesus to die on the cross in our place.
2. We must allow the Holy Spirit to help us worship God. John tells us in John 4:19-26 to be true worshipers of God. 19 “Sir” the woman said, “I can see that you are a prophet. 20 Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.” 21 Jesus declared, “Believe me, woman, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. 22 You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. 23 Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in sprit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. 24 God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.” 25 The woman said, “I know that messiah” (called Christ) “is coming. When he comes he will explain everything to us.” 26 Then Jesus declared, “I who speak to you am he.” Jesus states clearly He is the Messiah for whom the Jewish people are waiting for. Jesus states the Jewish Messiah (v22) is in whom salvation for the entire world lies. The Jewish people is where the Messiah will come from and only one person in history has fulfilled the prophecies. For example, Jesus came from the line of David. It does not matter where we worship God, but what our own attitude to God is. We should always worship God in spirit and in truth. To worship properly we must first be redeemed by the blood of the spotless lamb, Jesus Christ, then we must stand before God righteously (be declared by God as “not guilty” of breaking His laws). This does not mean we can stop attending church because we should also worship together. We must approach God with joy using all our own talents, however limited, to give thanks and praise to God.
3. Constantly Worship God for all He has done for us. Hebrews 13:15-16 says 15 Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise-the fruit of lips that confess his name. 16 And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased. Never try to take credit for what God does in our lives, but instead give all credit to God so He may receive all the glory. Mark tells us in Mark 7:6-8 to not worship hypocritically. The Pharisees, the religious leaders during the time of Jesus, would act piously. They worshiped God, for their own reasons, i.e. to acquire power instead of devoting their life to God. Follow the ways of God, not the traditions of men. Do not worship just to appear holy and righteous, but always humble yourself to the Lord.
4. Confession should always come before worship. In Nehemiah 9:2-3 we see the Hebrews openly confessing their sins and worshiping for a quarter of the day. We must never forget God is the Creator and Sustainer of all things. We are to come to Him with no expectations, only the desire to worship Him. We should be focused on God and God alone, and never be distracted by outside influences of any kind. Do not have any sin in your heart while trying to worship or your motivations will not be pure.
5. Approach God with order to your worship. Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 15:40 to have order in everything so we can maximize our worship, our teachings, and our service to God. If there is disorder, you are suppressing the Holy Spirits working in your church. Our worship should never incorporate confusion. Instead our hearts should be prepared to worship, and to learn from God’s word.
6. Offer to God a new song. Always use your talents to worship God in new ways. For example, you might want to incorporate dancing in your worship service. Dancing will visually appeal to people, while singing will audibly appeal to people. You will reach and minister to more people by different ways of worshiping. Don’t limit your worship to only singing. Jesus said in Matthew 9:17; 17 Neither do men pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the skins will burst, the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved. Keep your worship fresh for the Lord your God. Don’t concentrate on wineskins (the appearance of the church, which songs to sing, sing songs faster, sing songs slower), but instead concentrate on worshiping God (wine).
Questions For Reflections:
How and when do you worship God?
Do you believe you must pray and obey before you worship God? Read 1 Samuel 15:22-23, Psalm 51:16-19, and Micah 6:6-8.
Evangelism
Evangelism means to use the authority Jesus gives us to preach the gospel message, baptize in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and teach all people to obey Jesus’ message. This is spelled out when Jesus gives the Great Commission in Matthew 28:16-20. 16 Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. 17 When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. 18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
According to the scriptures everyone is obligated to Jesus Christ for what He did for us on the cross. We should never be ashamed of telling people, both educated and uneducated, the truth of salvation for everyone who believes in Him. Romans 1:14-17 tells us not to be ashamed of the gospel of Christ. It is necessary for salvation to believe Jesus died for you. Jesus came to make the dead in their sins, live again. By doing this you will spend eternity with God. 14 I am obligated both to Greeks and non-Greeks, both to the wise and the foolish. 15 That is why I am so eager to preach the gospel also to you who are at Rome. 16 I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes; first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. 17 For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.”
The Jewish people (v16) should have seen God’s promise of a Messiah fulfilled in Jesus Christ, since they had a history of believing in the one true God. Remember God chose the Jewish nation to shine His light of truth to the world (tell people about the Messiah), unfortunately, the Jewish nation missed the coming of the Messiah.
There are many ways the Holy Spirit will use to convict people’s heart of the truth of Jesus Christ. One such way is the Roman Road.
The Roman Road:
Taking an unbeliever through the book of Romans will guarantee the unbeliever to do a lot of thinking about his own salvation.
1. Romans 3:10, “As it is written: There is no one righteous, not even one.” All people are playing on a level playing field in that nobody is holy enough to even stand in the presence of God without the covering of Jesus Christ for our sins.
2. Romans 3:23, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” All sin (missing God’s perfect Holy standard) is separation from God. Because we are separated from God we deserve death.
3. Romans 5:8, “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” It is not through any special works I have done which makes me entitled to receive God’s love, but rather through God’s grace that He made me His adopted son. Jesus became sin for us and died on the cross.
4. Romans 10:8-10, “But what does it say? The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart, that is, the word of faith we are proclaiming: That if you confess with your mouth, Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.” This is the heart of the awesome gospel message. Use your mouth to tell everyone what Jesus has done for you.
Paul and Silas were in a very difficult situation. Paul tells us in Acts 16:22-34 to share the Gospel with everyone we meet, even if they appear to be your enemy. 22 The crowd joined in the attack against Paul and Silas, and the magistrates ordered them to be stripped and beaten. 23 After they had been severely flogged, they were thrown into prison, and the jailer was commanded to guard them carefully. 24 Upon receiving such orders, he put them in the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stocks. 25 About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. 26 Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everybody’s chains came loose. 27 The jailer woke up, and when he saw the prison doors open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself because he thought the prisoners had escaped. 28 But Paul shouted, “Don’t harm yourself! We are all here!” 29 The jailer called for lights, rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas. 30 He then brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” 31 They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved – you and your household.” 32 Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all the others in his house. 33 At that hour of the night the jailer took them and washed their wounds; then immediately he and all his family were baptized. 34 The jailer brought them into his house and set a meal before them; he was filled with joy because he had come to believe in God – he and his whole family. The jailer was going to kill himself (a very selfish act) until Paul told him not to harm himself. Not only did Paul share the gospel with the jailer, but also he shared it with the jailer’s whole family. Always look for opportunities to evangelize so God can work through you whereby God receives all the glory. The truth of Jesus Christ can be shown best by your own changed life. Find common ground with people by developing a real relationship with them. Do not be afraid to tell people how God has transformed your life. Since all of us are sinners (falling short of God’s perfect standard), we should never hesitate or be embarrassed about sharing the awesome power of the gospel, and allow people to be free from sin and have a loving relationship with the living God. God can and does work miracles in people’s lives daily, so let him work miracles through you. Finally, we should know what we believe and why we believe it. Compare everything you hear with the Bible to make sure what you are being taught is correct doctrine. According to 2 Timothy 4:1-2 we need to preach the Word, correct, rebuke, and encourage with great patience and careful instruction. This is one of the greatest challenges facing the church today. Make sure you do your part to reach people with the transforming power of the gospel.
Questions For Reflections:
How often do you evangelize in and out of your area of influence?
What do you say?
Who is called to evangelize?
When do you evangelize?
Where do you evangelize?
Why do you evangelize?
Do you only share the gospel with someone when they ask you about it, or do you proactively seek out people and situations where you can share the gospel with people?
Relationship
Even though relationships comes last in the POWER acronym it is the most important component. Relationships are divided up between the vertical (with God) and the horizontal (with believers and unbelievers).
A vertical relationship is an association between one person and God. Adam had a perfect loving relationship with God until he chose sin (eating the apple, thereby wanting to be like God) over God. Sin has broken the perfect relationship with God and only by the blood of the perfect lamb, Jesus Christ, can that relationship be restored. There is simply no other way to be in a right relationship with God except through believing in His sinless son Jesus Christ. We see an example of the perfect relationship between Jesus and God the Father in John 14:6-14. 6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.” 8 Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.” 9 Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? 10 Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you are not just my own. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. 11 Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the miracles themselves. 12 I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. 13 And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. 14 You may ask me for anything in my name and I will do it.
Jesus clearly states He is the only way to the Father (v6). Since Jesus is God, He has a perfect relationship with the Father. Jesus being the only way to the Father is truth. Truth is very narrow, by definition and there is simply no other way to the Father. Since Jesus can be trusted with all other things He says as true, then He can be trusted equally here as being the only way. Jesus says we can ask anything in his name (v13-14), but remember this must be done in accordance with His will for your life. Because we can be in a right relationship with God, we can be in a right relationship with others if we choose to do God’s will for our lives. Moses tells us in Deuteronomy 10:12-22 what God wants from us in our relationship with Him. 12 And now, O Israel, what does the Lord your God ask of you but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, 13 and to observe the Lord’s commands and decrees that I am giving you today for your own good? 14 To the Lord your God belong to the heavens, even the highest heavens, the earth and everything in it. 15 Yet the Lord set his affection on your forefathers and loved them, and he chose you, their descendants, above all the nations, as it is today. 16 Circumcise your hearts, therefore, and do not be stiff-necked any longer. 17 For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality and accepts no bribes. 18 He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the alien giving him food and clothing. 19 And you are to love those who are aliens, for you yourselves were aliens in Egypt. 20 Fear the Lord your God and serve him. Hold fast to him and take your oaths in his name. 21 He is your praise; he is your God, who performed for you those great and awesome wonders you saw with your own eyes. 22 Your forefathers who went down into Egypt were seventy in all, and now the Lord your God has made you as numerous as the stars in the sky.
In order to develop our relationship with God we must fear God, walk in all His ways, love Him, serve Him with all your heart and soul, and to obey His commands. Many people were worshiping the local gods of the land, however Moses tells these people the Lord your God is the God of Gods and Lord of Lords. If you do not know the true God (remember the truth is narrow, there is only one way) and worship a different god (every other person or thing you worship is a false god), you cannot have a right relationship with God. A right relationship with God is the environment which will allow us to pray, obey, worship, and evangelize. Having a right relationship with God will allow you to have a healthy relationship with others.
A horizontal relationship is an association between one person and others. The other people could be either believers or non-believers. There are many examples of relationships found in the Bible. There is the relationship between Jesus and His disciples, between Paul and Timothy, between Peter and John. Another example of a true horizontal relationship is found in Daniel 3:1-30. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were very good friends and followed God’s laws. They were told to worship an idol, something forbidden by God, but they refused to do so. Even at the risk of death, they stayed true to what God’s law said. All they had to do was compromise one little bit and worship an idol and they could have continued to worship God and serve people. They were thrown into a fiery furnace, which meant certain death, however, God had other plans. He rescued the three friends in order to bring glory to Himself. Unfortunately, Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, did not worship the true God, but he did acknowledge His power.
Luke, who is quoting Jesus, tells us in Luke 6:27-26 to love our enemies. 27 “But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also. If someone takes your cloak, do not stop him from taking your tunic. Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. Do to others as you would have them do to you. If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even ‘sinners’ love those who love them. And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even ‘sinners’ do that. And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even ‘sinners’ lend to ‘sinners,’ expecting to be repaid in full. But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.” We are supposed to give to people who ask and forgive those in the same way Jesus forgives us, even though we are not worthy (by our own merit) to receive that forgiveness. Love is an action and not a feeling. You should always look out for other people’s best interest, not just what will serve you. You should act towards others with a Godly Spirit because we, as Christians, are different from everybody else. We are acting through the love Jesus Christ has shown all of us, by sacrificing Himself on the cross in our place. Let God work through you by doing His will so you will become more like Jesus Christ. If you pray, obey, worship, and evangelize within the loving relationship of God you will certainly realize the power of God within you.
The A B C’s of God (Appendix A)
You are Adonai You have adopted me
You avenge me
You are Almighty
You are Abba Father You are Alpha You are amazing
You are able
You are the Amen
You are my advocate
You are the Anointed One
You are the Ancient of Days You are the author of life
You are our apostle and high priest
You are the architect of everything
You are the builder of everything
You are my Banner
You are beautiful
You are blessed
You are the bright Morning Star
You are the Branch
You are the Bread of life
You are our bridegroom
You are the breath of the Almighty
You are Christ
You are Creator
You are Commander of the Lord’s army
You are Counselor
You are the Comforter
You are a Consuming Fire
You are the Chief Cornerstone
You are the Capstone
You are the Chief Shepherd
Your are Chosen
You are Compassion
You are my confidence
You are the crown of splendor
You are my Defender
You are Delectable
You are the Door
You died for me, and would have done so if I was the only person around
You are my Deliverer
You are a Dayspring
You are Eternal
You are Elohim (Creator)
You are El Chanun (Gracious God)
You are El Olam (God Eternal)
You are El Elyon (Sovereign)
You are El Roi (God who sees)
You are El Shaddai (All-sufficient)
You are Earnest.
You are Exalted
You are Everlasting
You are enthroned
You are Eternal Life
You are Faithful
You are Friend
You are the finished work
You are Firstborn
You are Firstfruits
You are first to rise from the dead
You are God
You are Great
You are Good
You are the Giver of all good things
You are Glorious
You are the Glory of Israel
You are the gardener
You are glorious crown
You are Holy Spirit
You are Holy
You are Helper
You are Hope
You are my hiding place
You are High and lifted up
You are the Head
You are Heir of all things
You are the Horn of Salvation
You are innocent
You are I Am
You are intercessor
You are Immanuel
You are an indescribable gift
You are the image of God
You are invisible
You are Jesus
You are just
You are the Justifier
You are Judge
You are Jealous
You are King of Kings
You are King of heaven
You are King of glory
You are King of the ages
You are Kind
You are knowable
You are Lord
You are Love
You are Life
You are the Light of the world
You are the Lamb of God
You are the light of life and men
You are the Living water
You are the Living One
You are Lion of Judah
You are lily of the valley
You are the living Stone
You are the last Adam
You are lawgiver
You are leader
You are lover of my soul
You are living bread come down from heaven
You are Most High
You are merciful
You are Maker
You are Mighty
You are Master
You are Man of sorrows
You are Messiah
You are Mediator
You are Majesty
You are Nazarite
You are never ending
You are near
You are One to be feared
You are our Offering
You are our only hope
You are the One and Only
You are omniscient
You are omnipotent
You are omnipresent
You are Omega
You are peace
You are the potter
You are Physician
You are Provision
You are Prince of Peace
You are Passover lamb
You are the Promised One of God
You are powerful
You are Pearl of a Great Price
You are the Promised Holy Spirit
You are Quickner
You are Quality
You are Quieter
You are Redeemer
You are Righteous
You are our Rock
You rejoice in our praises
You are Rabbi
You are my refuge
You are righteous Judge
You are the resurrection and the life
You are ransom
You are refiner
You are rose of Sharon
You are Ruler
You are the Radiance of God’s glory
You are Righteous Father
You are a sanctuary
You are a shelter
You are a stronghold
You are a source of strength
You are Salvation
You are Shepherd
You are Sovereign Lord
You are the spring of living water
You are Son of Man
You are Son of God
You are Savior
You are second man
You are our sure foundation
You are the stone the builders rejected
You are my sacrifice
You are Spirit of life
You are Trinity
You are Truth
You are the true God
You are the true vine
You are Teacher
You are the testimony of God
You are unending
You are unifying
You are the Voice of the Almighty
You are the Voice of the Lord
You are Victorious
You are the vine
You are the Word
You are Wise
You are Wonderful Counselor
You are wisdom from God
You are Witness to the peoples
You are the Way
You are excellent
You are exceedingly great
You are yearning for me
You are Yahweh
You are Yahweh-jireh (the Lord will Provide)
You are Yahweh-rapha (the Lord Who Heals)
You are Yahweh-nissi (the Lord is my Banner)
You are Yahweh-mekoddishkem (the Lord Who Sanctifies You)
You are Yahweh-shalom (the Lord is Peace)
You are Yahweh-sabaoth (The Lord of Mass Army)
You are Yahweh-raah (the Lord my Shepherd)
You are Yahweh-tsidkenu (the Lord our Righteousness)
You are Yahweh-shammah (the Lord is There)
You are zealous
You are Zion’s King
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